You're studying Torah WRONG (Here's why) | 10 Minutes of Meaning | Tanya #27

Good morning, Booker. Welcome back to 10 minutes of meaning, 10 minutes of Tanya. As always, we remain grateful to our dear beloved sponsors, our series sponsors, Michael and Marilyn Fidak. Not only for 10 minutes of meaning, so much more generosity in our community. Thank you, Marilyn. And Michael, please help yourself to slushies, soup, coffee, pastries at our Shila Corner Cafe at the Bocarone Synagogue. And today we will finish the fifth perk of Tanya. We're making our way through not teaching Tanya, but learning Tanya together out loud. I'm not qualified to teach it. I'm barely qualified to learn it out loud together with you, but uh since none of you volunteered, I'm doing my best. So, we're on the third section of this fifth chapter, the fifth perk of Tanya. The these last four have been dealing with the definition of the godly soul. Mamesh. We talked about every one of us is endowed with an animal soul, a base soul, an instinct, a drive. We have so much in common with animals. And we're not trying to destroy or purge or slaughter the animal soul. We're trying to train the animal. The best animal is not a dead animal. The best animal is a trained animal. But the trained animal is in your service. So the animal in us, if we can train it to be of service to us, and meaning through us, to Hashem, that's the ultimate best use of the animal soul. That's what we'll pick up with in perk vav in chapter six when we continue next week. But for now, we're finishing parakeet, which is the godly soul. And we've been understanding the different ten spheros, the ruach, neph. We've been talking about the three levels, the five levels, the 10 levels, talking about the lavush, the garments of the soul, dora, and misa, speech, thought, and action. And lastly, we were talking about how mitzvah represent the garment. And a garment's important. A garment is how we identify. A garment protects us from the elements. A garment is the uniform that we wear. But in the end of the day, the garment is not us. The garment is what we're wearing. As opposed to Torah. Torah is like maz. Torah is like Torah is like. Torah is food and water. Food and water we eat and drink. We absorb. And a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. What you eat becomes you. It's not like the garment that you wear, you put on, and then you take off. The food and the beverage that we eat and drink. It becomes who we are. we our body expands based on or or decreases based on what we eat and what we drink. So it is part of the essence of who we are. So while mitzvos that we do are the lavush they're the garment that we wear. We connect Hashem through them but we're still separate distinct beings him and us Torah we absorb we eat it becomes one with us is fully integrated in us. And therefore it is the highest level the highest with which we connect to hem the wrote the highest with which we connect to hem is also fab also study also learn also sing also do all important but the highest writes the alter in the fifth par of the highest isn this is where we left off last I that's the says your Torah is in my now the simple understanding we've seen many in this par of the simple understanding of Torah is in my kishkas means it's in my kishkas like I was raised on it I love learning it it's who I want to be it's in my kishkas it's in my kishkas but the says that's not what it means doesn't just mean learning to in my kishkas it means when I learn Torah The Torah is in my kishkas. It means I eat the Torah. I drink the Torah. I absorb the Torah. The Torah becomes the essence of who I am. That brings us up to the third and final section of as it says in Assus, one day hopefully after 120 our soul will be extracted from our body and we'll all go up on high. And in the Olas, in that omahhaba, in that world to come, in that world of truth, there'll be complete revelation. Hashem will be utterly and entirely revealed. There'll be no barriers to seeing, to feeling, to knowing him. There'll be no free will because Hashem himself, his presence will be undeniable. So in that moment and at that time, all we'll want, all we'll crave is to come close to this revealed essence of the ribon in that. So in that world of truth, the mitzvah that we do during our lifetime, they're the garments of the soul in the afterlife. The Torah that we study in our lifetime, the schma, that's the food for your soul in the afterlife. Now, why do I need garments in the afterlife? Is it like Florida? Is it like New York? What's the weather? Do I need a winter coat, my short sleeves? What am I wearing in the world to come? Why is the Batani describing that in the in the world to come in the afterlife in Ghana? So the levush and the shas are the mitzvah. The garments are the mitzvah and the food is the Torah that we learn during our life. Why do I need that in the afterlife? So Miller in his commentary here writes the following. In the afterlife, your soul will be exposed to intense divine revelation. To remain comfortable in that environment, it needs to a protect itself from receiving more revelation than it can handle and b absorb whatever is safe and comfortable for it. In other words, sunlight's good. It's good to go outside. More and more research shows at some point, especially here in Florida, you have no excuse. Go outside and go for a walk twice a day, some vitamin D. Go get some sunlight. It's good for you. It's good for you. But if you try to stare up directly into the sun, you'll be blinded. So, but in the world to come, the revelation of Hashem, it's good for you. Be exposed to the sunlight of But if you try to stare right at it, not good for you. You can't handle it. So, you need lavush. You need sunglasses. The garments in the world to come are the sunglasses to handle the revelation, the light of Hashem. So, we'll need garments. How do we earn garments? We can't earn them in the world to come. In the world to come, there is no free will. There is no choice. It's too late. You can't earn them. So, how will you have the best UV ray, if that's the right term, sunglasses to not go blind in the world to come based on the mitzvah that we do in this world? The mitzvah you perform during your lifetime provide the garments for the soul to protect it from too much revelation or I would say the sunglasses. The Torah you study in this world enriches the soul's capacity to absorb revelation. Now we also need to we need to be strong have stamina in order to absorb the revelation of the world to come. How will we be strong in a stamina? Because of the Torah that we learned in this world. So the mitzvah in this world give us the sunglasses or the garments to not go blind in the next. The Torah we learn in this world nourishes us to have the stamina and the strength to be able to experience the highest of revelation in the world. I knew the term now the is going to define the term to this is famous it's quoted in any conversation about what does it mean to is not a modern term to it goes back to the mishna the g in several places talks about be somebody who learns to even if you learn even if you do tora mitzma to try to be strive to be a person who learns to lishma what is toma what does it mean tora for its own sake lishma Torah in or for its own name. What does that mean? What is sobba writes the intention to attach your soul to God through understanding the Torah according to your mind's ability. Torah means that while you're sitting and learning Torah, the Mishna is open, the Gar is open, the is open. The learning of Torah is not intellectual gymnastics. It's not an academic exercise. It's not because it's fun. That the whole intent and the mindfulness while you're learning Torah is I am cleaving. I am connecting. I am attaching myself to the almighty through this learning of Torah. This is Hashem's blueprint for the universe. So when he tells me if an ox scores another ox, this is what happens. There's 39 says I could do a chabas says I can't do on chabas. There's no whatever area whatever I'm learning that learning is in order to create an attachment and a connection. This is the diary of the Almighty. This is the blueprint of the Almighty. And I am connecting to Hashem, the goal, the essence. What is Torah? Torah means I'm not learning Torah certainly not as a weapon to beat others. I'm not learning Torah for my own ego or honor. I'm not learning Torah because it's fun. I'm not learning Torah because it's intellectual. I'm learning Torah. What is lashma? Means the goal of each person according to their level. Each person according to their level. So the more literate, the deeper, the more profound, the more panmious. So the more we can attach through the learning of Torah, the less mature, intellectually, emotionally, the less skilled. So we can attach on a different level. That is Torah. That is Torah. That is according to the now that's not what everybody agrees. So interestingly that elicited a tremendous push back from the had an allgether different understanding of sort of pushing back on the perspective of and again as I mentioned that Torah admits us even will lead to lashma it's a Mishna in Aos warns of urges us to study Torah lashma don't make personal use of the crown of Torah learn Torah lashma many many sources in Mishna in Gar about Torah about to so this is the view that we we that Torah is when we learn Torah the highest goal of Torah is in religious life the highest goal of religious life is Torah leads to clinging to however disagrees in the fourth has a critique of this of and he says does not mean as most people believe but rather means for Torah's sake. So whereas in the highest level is I to achieve through Torah the also says the highest is to learn but the purpose of the Torah which is the highest is to achieve because is the goal. So for for the highest goal is to means for its own sake. It means for the sake of it means to understand it to learn it to love it to engage it. It doesn't mean just doesn't just mean because if it meant says say tell him all day. You could be dvik bashem. You could cling and cleave to hashem by saying tell him all day. Do this. Meditate on Hashem all day. What is Torah? Lishma means that lushma for the name and for the sake of Torah of Torah. All your speech, all you give and take in the words of Torah have to be for the sake of Torah. Don't superimpose on Torah. Don't project onto Torah. Don't distort Torah. Don't make Torah conform to your times. It's allah for the sake of Torah. For the sake of Torah. And he tries to bring a from a Russian Nadurum and elsewhere. cultivates this alternative understanding that when a yid learns Torah, it has cosmic influence and cosmic implications. You create cosmic angels for the learning of Torah and therefore everything's about Torah and the spiritual errors of call it Lakewood call it is going to be the shabas he holds that yu is the is transplanted into America it's universities based but view is that doesn't mean to means to forra's own sake the highest thing you could do is learn Torah love Torah know Torah talk in Torah and Torah is for its own sake and no alternative agenda. the and histoal also has what is a famous famous because I happen to know it a famous uh understanding of what is Torah because many people misunderstand and they think if you get a gishmak out of learning you're not doing it if you get joy and happiness oh what a parir oh what a what a dafomi what a what a I enjoy it I love it I have fun at it it's not to has to Even if it's not fun, even if I'm all serious. So in his of Borenstein writes of the and he became aim then he moved to firstb. So it's which is on the shabas. This is what he writes. I'll read it to you in the translation. By way of mentioning I'd like to recall that what I heard from some people who have shifted from the way of logic concerning learning the holy Torah. They said that if one learns and creates insights and is happy and enjoys his learning, he's not learning as lush. As one who learns simply and does not get any enjoyment whatsoever and only learns for the sake of the mitzvah. But he disagrees. The reason being that one who enjoys his learning is mixing his own personal enjoyment to the learning. The truth is this is a widespread mistake. It is the opposite. This is the essence of the mitzvah of learning Torah. To rejoice, to delight, to enjoy in his learning and then the words of Torah are absorbed into his blood. And when one benefits from the words of Torah, it becomes attached to them to the Torah. And as the holy Zo writes, the good inclination only grow through joy. The good inclination grows from the joy of Torah. If you say that because of joy that he was learning, it's called not lashma. So then joy further lessens the power of the mitzah, weakens the light. So it must be that joy is also considered to be lashma. While according to the strict letter of the law, one who learns solely due to enjoyment and not because of the mitzvah is called not lashma. Like one who eats matzah because he enjoys it, not for the taste. About this they said a person who still learns not lashma will bring him to learning but one who learns for the mitzvah and enjoys it. This is learning lashma and completely holy. So if you're learning, you know, I I know somebody, one of my dear friends has a member of his family who grew up in rabbitic family, grew up in yeshiva and unfortunately left the way of observance but still loves learning. And he told me he once came down on a Friday night and he found this person sitting at the dining room table and they were they were doing they were doing they were shabas with a and open in front of them. They love learning the intellectual gymnastics the lumbus while they're being. So that's not to if you like the intellectual gymnastics if you like the and the lumbus and the back and the forth and it's fun. That's not to but it says the if you're learning because you want to know the word of Hashem but you also enjoy it that is to so you see there's a big but here in the fifth par of says means for the purpose for the gold because let's finish the fifth par and the zor drew a distinction between mitzvah as garments. Torah is food the argues that Torah is both a garment and food. Torah is the sunglasses protecting you from the light and the food giving you the stamina and the strength. That's why our rabbis taught us we say it every morning. Learning Torah is equal and opposite all mitzvah because a mitzvah is only the garment and the garment's still separate and apart from it. You could take off the garment. But Torah is both a garment and what you absorb and eat what's inside you for the rational divine soul which is absorbed and analyzing studying Torah. All the more so when you learn not just with your eyes and you learn not just in your head and your heart when you learn out loud when you learn with your mouth when you verbalize when you articulate because the breath exhaled into the words elicit transcendent divine lights. So while Torah is primarily an experience of knowledge, so we also have to articulate. We have to express, we have to say the words, verbalize them. And when we verbalize them, then it endows the experience with the quality of a garment. So learning is eating becomes part of us. When we say it out loud, when we learn out loud, it's both eating and it's also wearing that garment both for this world and setting ourselves up for the next. So in conclusion, when we learn Torah and perform mitzvah, our soul becomes ready to receive divine light, divine revelation in this world and in the next. And Torah in particular is the highest level because it is embibing. It is absorbing, it is integrating, is eating the essence of Hashem. We become one through that through the highest level of learning Torah. How? Learning a Torah that's lashma. Not a Torah for our own name. Not to be the smartest, not to know the most, not for the greatest honor, not for the most money, not to land the best girl, but Torah to beem through the learning of Torah that we do. With that, we finish perm next week. We pick up with Perk V. Have a great day. Stay happy. Stay healthy. Stay holy.