Description: Chapter 6 - 05
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 6 – 05
The Mishnah lists out as one of the benefits and great merits one is zocheh to by learning Torah Lishmah:
ונותנת לו מלכות וממשלה
It grants him the rule of a king, and the dominion of a ruler. The Torah lends a person authority!
What does this mean? Rav Bakst zatzal explained that we see Yaakov Avinu when he was running away from Esav, and he arrived by Lavan, he was penniless and a fugitive, a stranger in an inhospitable environment, when typically a person would keep his head down and not feel capable of asserting themselves, especially among the natives. Yet Yaakov immediately challenges the shepherds, ‘Why have you gathered all the sheep – it’s not time yet to gather sheep!’ Yaakov can’t allow an injustice to take place, and he has the strength of character and willpower to be unfazed by his surroundings, and he confronts the shepherds on their seeming misconduct. Where does he get that strength from? It comes from the Torah! The Torah makes a person kingly in character – it grants him a personal strength and dominion, not to be intimidated by anything!
We find the same thing with Rabbi Yeshuah ben Levi, who was the appointee of the Tannaim to face off against the enemies of the Jews, those who tried to convince the rulers to oppress the Jews, and slandered them endlessly. Rabbi Yehoshuah was so brilliant and fearless in this regard, that when he was on his deathbed, the chachamim worried who could possibly replace him, who could represent the Jews from now on? Rabbi Yehoshuah told them that when our chachamim are diminished, Hashem diminishes the threat from the non-Jews equally. Rabbi Yehoshuah stood up to the greatest and most powerful people in Rome, the ‘Elders of Athens,’ who were wealthy, powerful, and influential people, and didn’t like being disagreed with. But Rabbi Yehoshuah himself was frightfully poor! He was a blacksmith by profession, and he was so poor that when Rabban Gamliel visited his house, he was shocked at his poverty. How could a person like that have such internal strength and confidence to oppose the most powerful people in the world?
That is how the Torah grants a person Malchus and memshalah!
Another thing mentioned in the Mishnah is that by learning Torah Lishmah, Heaven reveals the secrets of the Torah to him. Rav Chaim Volzhiner explains that essentially all secrets of the Torah are clear to see. Just as when we don’t understand something in Torah, a Rashi, a Tosafos, a piece of Gemarah, and we work on it until we get it, afterwards we might think to ourselves, ‘How did I not understand that all this time! It’s so clear and simple!’ This is the nature of all secrets of the Torah, once we put in the effort, and Hashem lifts off the veil, it becomes so clear and simple, that it’s simply revealing something that was there all along!
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 6 – 05
The Mishnah lists out as one of the benefits and great merits one is zocheh to by learning Torah Lishmah:
ונותנת לו מלכות וממשלה
It grants him the rule of a king, and the dominion of a ruler. The Torah lends a person authority!
What does this mean? Rav Bakst zatzal explained that we see Yaakov Avinu when he was running away from Esav, and he arrived by Lavan, he was penniless and a fugitive, a stranger in an inhospitable environment, when typically a person would keep his head down and not feel capable of asserting themselves, especially among the natives. Yet Yaakov immediately challenges the shepherds, ‘Why have you gathered all the sheep – it’s not time yet to gather sheep!’ Yaakov can’t allow an injustice to take place, and he has the strength of character and willpower to be unfazed by his surroundings, and he confronts the shepherds on their seeming misconduct. Where does he get that strength from? It comes from the Torah! The Torah makes a person kingly in character – it grants him a personal strength and dominion, not to be intimidated by anything!
We find the same thing with Rabbi Yeshuah ben Levi, who was the appointee of the Tannaim to face off against the enemies of the Jews, those who tried to convince the rulers to oppress the Jews, and slandered them endlessly. Rabbi Yehoshuah was so brilliant and fearless in this regard, that when he was on his deathbed, the chachamim worried who could possibly replace him, who could represent the Jews from now on? Rabbi Yehoshuah told them that when our chachamim are diminished, Hashem diminishes the threat from the non-Jews equally. Rabbi Yehoshuah stood up to the greatest and most powerful people in Rome, the ‘Elders of Athens,’ who were wealthy, powerful, and influential people, and didn’t like being disagreed with. But Rabbi Yehoshuah himself was frightfully poor! He was a blacksmith by profession, and he was so poor that when Rabban Gamliel visited his house, he was shocked at his poverty. How could a person like that have such internal strength and confidence to oppose the most powerful people in the world?
That is how the Torah grants a person Malchus and memshalah!
Another thing mentioned in the Mishnah is that by learning Torah Lishmah, Heaven reveals the secrets of the Torah to him. Rav Chaim Volzhiner explains that essentially all secrets of the Torah are clear to see. Just as when we don’t understand something in Torah, a Rashi, a Tosafos, a piece of Gemarah, and we work on it until we get it, afterwards we might think to ourselves, ‘How did I not understand that all this time! It’s so clear and simple!’ This is the nature of all secrets of the Torah, once we put in the effort, and Hashem lifts off the veil, it becomes so clear and simple, that it’s simply revealing something that was there all along!