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PREPARING FOR KABBOLAS HATORAH - WITH LIMUD HATORAH - Shiur by Rabbi Nachum Scheiner
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This Shiur was given at the New City Shul
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Torah
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Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
I want to assure you, we appreciate you
coming.
Thank you. Everyone was very excited. We
appreciate it.
I just want to say
I really feel like I'm in Shul. Besides
it, most of the faces here are Shul's
faces.
Also, just looking around, even the
beams in 18 Forshay, we have these
beams. 84 Viola has the fireplace in the
middle. So, it's just the cookies. I
really feel at home over here. Thank
you.
Every Yom Tov
has a certain mitzvah.
And then you prepare for that Yom Tov.
We're coming off Pesach. Pesach had the
mitzvah of matzah.
So, everybody in their way you prepare
for matzah, whether it's chabura matzah,
you get the thin matzah, the thick
matzah. You prepare for the mitzvah.
Dalet Kosos, what wine are you going to
drink?
Better wine, grape juice, mix, bigger
Kosos. You prepare for the Yom Tov.
Sukkos, you buy dalet minim,
you build a sukka, you prepare for the
mitzvahs of the Yom Tov.
Even Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Yom
Kippur there's a mitzvah of chuva. So,
you prepare for the mitzvah
through Aseres Yemei Teshuva. You don't
just roll into Yom Kippur to do Teshuva.
Rosh Hashanah there's a mitzvah of
shofar.
I happen to be a baal tokea. So, for the
whole month before I'm already
practicing. So, at least for me, I'm you
prepare for the mitzvah.
Chanukah, Purim, all Yom Tovim. Chanukah
you prepare your menorah. Purim,
mishloach manos.
You prepare for the Yom Tov.
Shavuos,
we're exactly a week away from Shavuos.
There's no mitzvah in the Yom Tov of
Shavuos.
So, how do you prepare for the Yom Tov?
We're going to try to focus tonight for
a few minutes being very practical. How
do you prepare for Shavuos?
Yes, there are many minhagim. These
minhagim of flowers, these minhagim of
eating milchigs, cheesecake, these
minhagim of staying up Shavuos night,
but there there's no mitzvahs hayoyim to
prepare. So, what do you prepare for?
The Yom Tov of Shavuos is
Kabalas haTorah. We say in davening,
"Zman Matan Torah Seinenu."
Chazal teach us
that every single year there's a Kabalas
haTorah.
It's even brought
You know, a lot of people know that
there's a big segulah during Krias
haTorah of Shavuos. You can have in mind
somebody that's sick. Just like the Zman
Matan Torah,
when a person was sick, all the sick
people were healed. There's a Kabalas
haTorah every single year.
Furthermore,
the Shlah says the following.
The Shlah's famous now. Today the Tvilas
haShlah, or tomorrow or Shabbos, but one
of these days.
But the Shlah says based off a Gemara.
The Gemara in Megillah,
the Gemara says that at the end of the
year, before Rosh Hashanah, we read the
Tochacha.
The Tochacha of Parshas Ki Savo is at
the end of the year, says the Gemara,
"Tichlas hashana vechilas ha'aretz."
Says the Gemara, "The same is also
before Shavuos."
Before Shavuos,
before Shavuos, we read the Tochacha.
That was last week. Last week, Parshas
Bechukosai, we read the tochacha. Why?
Tichleh shanah ve'kilaloseha, which
means we want to finish off the tochacha
and start the new year fresh. Now,
Bishlama, Rosh Hashanah is a new year, I
understand. But Shavuos, what's the new
year of Shavuos? It's not a new year.
We're not holding now a Rosh Hashanah.
So, what does it mean, Tichleh shanah
ve'kilaloseha, that we read last week
the tochacha?
So, the Gemara says that Shavuos is Rosh
Hashanah le'ilanos.
Shavuos,
Rosh Hashanah le'ilanos is not what we
know about Tu Bishvat. That's also Rosh
Hashanah. That's for trumos and
ma'asros, it's a new year.
But how the fruits are going to grow
throughout the year, the Rosh Hashanah
is Shavuos.
Agav,
and I'm just mentioning it cuz it's the
day for this week,
the Gemara says we read the tochacha
before the Rosh Hashanah of Shavuos, cuz
tichleh shanah. But it's not before Rosh
Hashanah, before Shavuos. There's a week
in between, it's Bamidbar.
So, the Rishonim say, Tosafos explains
that we don't want it to be too close.
We want to finish off the tochacha, have
a break, and then start the new year.
Shouldn't the tochacha shouldn't go into
the new year. It's brought by halacha in
the Shulchan Aruch, at the end of chelek
daled,
almost the last siman, the Shulchan
Aruch says, lo oilam, we always laid
Bamidbar before Shavuos.
There are exceptions of Naso, but as
opposed to Bechukosai, it's never before
Shavuos. Al korbonam, the Gemara says
that Matan that that
uh Shavuos is Rosh Hashanah le'ilanos.
Now, you really have to understand Rosh
Hashanah le'ilanos. So, what does it
have to do with tochacha? What Why Rosh
Hashanah le'ilanos? There's a lot of
Russia Shana throughout the year Pesach
is Russia Shana for the tour the Gamora
the mission says in Russia Shana so why
Russia Shana honest
Russia Shana
so that's why
there's a lot of Russia Shana throughout
the year what's so unique about the
being a Russia Shana
Russia Shana
so the says
that the Russia Shana
is the following cloud Israel's Paris
cloud Israel is the Paris and Elon is
the
so it's Russia Shana now coming up
Russia Shana now for us what's the
Russia Shana says the
that a person on
gets judged for the Torah that he
learned the previous year
and on a positive note the
says that it's a Russia Shana for this
coming year how much you'll be able to
learn how much
you'll have
in the upcoming year
being so
let's try to speak a little bit for a
few minutes a little bit practical
of how to be able to
and learn the Torah
the all the days of
are days of Isaac
the
says the 49 days of are split into three
parts
Torah
avoid the
and
and to be
Isaac
in Adam
that was told by him from now the last
third from
till the person should be
and learn the Torah
so we're holding now the final stretch
before
to be
and learn the Torah
It's not only the final stretch, it's
the last week. It's exactly 7 days
till Shavuos.
We have a reminder this week the Pirkei
Avos this week. The Menachos Kinyan
HaTorah Niknas Bam.
In many Seforim this Shabbos is called
Shabbos Kallah.
And Shabbos Kallah, just like a Shabbos
Kallah we're going to get married to the
Torah this Shabbos before, it's also
preparing for the wedding, preparing
with Torah.
I want to try to go through some
different ways how to be mechazek in
limud haTorah.
And some of you might connect to one
over the other.
I think the number one challenge that we
all have, each and every one of us,
especially people that are working for a
living,
there's very little time to learn.
And rightfully so, a person works a full
day, then he comes home, he has an
obligation to take care of his kids,
and then he has the yeshiva's making the
dinner,
and he has simchas and events to go to,
and there's very little time left.
When I started in Shainers, I still
tried to do it. My job was to find
people chavrusa's. So I used to reach
out right, left, and center to people if
you want a chavrusa in the morning, at
night. Some of you know about it.
The number one answer was, "Thank you, I
really appreciate it. I just don't have
time." And and it's right,
In getting the kids out, then go to
work, you come home, you put the kids to
sleep.
The vision of Cerebra of Monsey, the one
over here, the previous one was rather
for many years who started vision at
Cere Monsey
almost 50 years.
He had something with Hasidim. They
called it Saplock, notes that you wrote
down.
It seems like you know, if I don't if
I'm not saying it clearly, you'll help
me.
hours
You wrote down, you recorded how much
time you learned.
Which by the way, it's an unbelievable
idea.
Because sometimes a person thinks he's
learning and then you write it down, you
look at the end of the week and you open
up that page, that booklet, it doesn't
really add up. That's
his Hasidim used to go in to him with
that booklet, with the hours,
how much they learned.
I actually heard over from somebody who
was my Bar Mitzvah that went in. So
maybe it starts then. So the Bar Mitzvah
asked him,
"You also do it?" So the Rebbe pulled
out of his pocket, he showed he also
does it.
Anyways, there was a person that went in
with his booklet, with his page to show
his hours.
And he takes it out, he shows it to the
Rebbe and it's blank.
So he explained, "Why is it blank?" He
said the following,
"Usually I learn, I have an hour at
night to learn.
However, both of my parents are not
well, they're both in the hospital.
When I come home, the time that I have,
I go to take care to help out my
parents."
The Rebbe said 100% of course, "Kavod
Hashem,
of course you take care of your parents.
But when you come home late at night,
take out that tomorrow off the off the
shelf, put it down on your table, open
it up, close it and put it back in the
shelf. At least take an action to be
connected to Torah.
And write that into the page. Write it
in, you'll do that.
So the person said, "If I already took
out the Gamara, you think I didn't learn
a Mishna? I learned a little bit."
It could be the intention was even just
to take out a Gamara. But if you find a
little bit of time, even when there's no
time, you find a little bit of time.
I think it's famous, but I'll say it
anyways.
Somebody asked Rav Zalman
Auerbach, "I only have 10 minutes a day
to learn."
It's an interesting question. What
should I learn? I only have 10 minutes.
Should I learn Gamara, Mishnayos,
Chumash, maybe Emunah U'Bitachon?
So Rav Zalman said, "You should
learn Mussar."
10 minutes a day, learn Mussar.
Now, you might think cuz Rav
Zalman was the movement of Mussar, so he
picked Mussar. He explained, "When you
learn Mussar, you'll find time."
So the first thing is, it's true, a lot
of we're really busy, and it's very
tight with the time, but to try to find
time.
There's a story with Rav Chaim
Kanievsky. This I heard this uh during
the Shiva. They had a a Asifa.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky once called He
wanted to make a gathering
of all the Mohelim.
So the Mohelim got excited. What's this
action? What's going on? What is he
going to speak about?
It's always interesting, a Mohelim
conference. Last night I was by a
Mohelim conference. It was very, very
interesting.
They had
urologist. It was very It was very very
interesting.
Reb Chaim Kanievsky, that was
interesting. Could you imagine Reb Chaim
Kanievsky being there
speaking. Anyways, he calls everybody
together, all the mohels. He gets up and
he makes a siyum on Shas.
Why did he invite the mohels?
He told the mohels, "I finished Shas all
the times that I was a sandek between
one bris, when I have to wait to be a
sandek, another bris. Those few minutes
here and there, I finished Shas."
Well, not Reb Chaim Kanievsky to finish
Shas in between waiting, but at least a
person could find time. What if a person
has Mishnayos or he has a certain
masechta that he learns?
This morning I was schmoozing with my
friend Akiva Goldberg, the head of
Kinyan, one of the heads. And he was a
person Somebody passes by.
He says, "This is the Kinyan jogger." I
said, "What do you mean?" He says, "When
he jogs, he jogs like crazy. When he
jogs, he's constantly chazering blatt a
finished sukkah like a hundred times."
I reached out them to make sure that I
got the story clear. He said he went
once to Eretz Yisrael, he learned the
whole masechta on the plane.
The point is The point is when a person
finds time. Oh, very
When a person There's no time, but you
find time.
Person exercises, he finds time.
Just on a personal note,
my uncle Laser was speaking about Shas.
You got to bring him in also. Speak
about him.
Recently, he got into learning
Mishnayos.
The night before the wedding, a miracle,
he made a siyum on Shulchan Aruch Even
Haezer.
Then soon later, he made a family
get-together, Pesach, again Even Haezer.
Anyways, he's learning a lot of
Mishnayos. I figured, "Listen, you
learns I'm not sure, but
Mishnayos." So, I started learning
Mishnayos, couple Masechtos,
and my kids picked up. They started
making like every Shabbos a siyum,
making a whole dessert. So, now already,
I don't have a choice. Already my
daughter made already desserts for this
week. I'm glad I'm learning Halachos.
And I have three, four prakim left. So,
I have a I still have a night tonight. I
don't have a choice. They made the
dessert already. So, what am I saying?
I'm I'm just saying that a person
they start at no time, but you got to
figure out a little bit here and there,
of course, in a normal way. But, we're
talking about how to be mechazek
in Kabbalas HaTorah. Shavuos is Kabbalas
HaTorah. What can we do to try to
connect to tap in? So, the first thing
is, of course, to learn. If we don't
have time, we have to try to find time.
To try to find time.
Another pointer,
if we're already learning,
the way we learn.
And this is it's hard.
The Gemara says there's a machlokes,
interesting machlokes Tanoim,
in a person's way of life.
Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai holds that a
person is supposed to learn all day,
every day. That's why he's here in this
world.
He should plant, he should get involved.
That's shitas Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai.
Rebbi Yishmael says, "No."
Rebbi Yishmael says, "The Torah we say
it every day in Krias Shema, 'Ve'ahavta
es Hashem Elokecha.' The Torah says you
work, you support your family,
'Ve'ahavta es Hashem Elokecha.'
Machlokes.
So, the Gemara says, "Harbei
did like Rebbi Yishmael."
They worked. Of course, they were
eating the Torah. They worked and and
that's how they supported themselves.
However, a lot that tried doing like
like Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, also be
Adam, they did not succeed. Gamorah.
So, I once heard a p'shat.
This is from the Vishnitz Rebbe of Bnei
Brak, Yeshua Shmuel, but it's a very
powerful yesod. He says,
"Harbe to learn the whole day, harbe a
lot of hours like Rebbe Shimon bar
Yochai, that's we can't. You work, you
can't do the whole day. But at least a
little bit, the miut, when you work that
little bit of time, those few minutes
should be like Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai,
which means you should be present."
Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai learned the
whole day. There was nothing else on his
mind. So, a person when he learns,
whatever time he finds, he's learning 20
minutes, 15 minutes a night, but those
15 minutes he should be zoomed in.
No phone, connected to learn. That
little bit of time a person should be
connected.
Connected, focused. However words you
want to say, but it's to be those few
minutes that a person learns, he should
learn.
One more
idea, I think
some could appreciate is a lot of times
or many times or most of the times when
a person sits down to learn,
he has no brainpower anymore. He's
finished. He's shut down. He's wiped
out. It's the end of the day. He just
doesn't have koach anymore.
So, this
uh eitzah that's given,
you just sit down and you learn, even if
you only understand 10%.
And this eitzah was done over and over,
and there are people that finished all
of Shas because of that. Meaning to say
is they started
and they learned. And eventually you sit
down, you train yourself, you even
though you can't really comprehend, you
learn a little better, a little more,
you chazer it over, and you can connect,
you can understand, you can understand.
One last pointer, and with this I
conclude,
and it's connected to this week's
parsha.
Sometimes a person thinks,
"I could only learn a few minutes. What
difference does it make?" Really, what
difference does it make? It's important,
but what's difference? "I'm not
finishing a mesechta anytime soon.
I'm not writing a safer, I'm I'm not
giving a shiur. Just to learn a few
minutes, what difference does it make?"
Says Rav Moshe Feinstein,
this week's parsha, the reason why
parshas Bamidbar,
this Shabbos, is the Shabbos before
Shavuos.
We said before that it's the haftorah in
between the tochacha, but why is
Bamidbar before Shavuos? Bamidbar, the
parsha speaks about counting Bnei
Yisrael.
Says Rav Moshe, "Just like the counting
of Bnei Yisrael brought out that every
person is chashuv,
so too a person has to know we're going
against the kabbalas haTorah. The way to
appreciate and to be mekabel the Torah
is by appreciating even a little bit.
The little bit that we can learn, we we
also appreciate. That gives a person
chizuk to be able to learn more."
We should daven to be zocheh to take
some of these ideas, all of these ideas,
to be able to prepare now the last week,
countdown to Shavuos, we should all be
zocheh for kabbalas haTorah. Amen.
Amen.
>> [clears throat]