The Secret of the Sharp Mind: The Power of Perseverance and the Secret of the Melody

Lesson No. 54 | Early Monday Morning, Parashas Shmini, 4th Day of Chol HaMoed Pesach, 19 Nissan 5756

This lesson explores the immense importance of perseverance in Torah study, which grants a person a sharp mind, strength, and holy vigor. Through the stories of the Tanna'im (Mishnaic sages), the danger of neglecting Torah study for even a single day is illustrated. Finally, the secret of the letters and the melody is explained, revealing them as the key to bringing about salvations and changing nature.

When they began settling the colonies in the Land of Israel, a great fear arose of the Arabs who would harass and attack the Jews. They asked one of the Torah giants of Israel, Rabbi Yehoshua of Kutno zt"l, what to do in the face of this great fear that was preventing Aliyah (immigration to Israel). He replied with surprising advice: "Bring young men from Lithuania, 'Litvaks'. They are not idlers; they have a sharp mind and a sharp intellect."

Whoever has a sharp mind in Torah study is also mighty and full of energy. Everything depends on the mind. A person whose mind is not working becomes an idler. It is a desecration of God's Name when a person does not study Torah and looks pitiful and lifeless. Therefore, the directive is: Be "Litvaks"! When a person learns Gemara and understands his chavrusa (study partner), his mind is working and moving—and this mind activates the entire body. In contrast, if the mind is dormant, the person cannot move. The Lithuanians, through the power of their Torah, are the ones who will establish the Land for us and truly establish the Torah.

A Crooked Thing That Cannot Be Made Straight

We must know that it is impossible to stop studying for even a single day. King Solomon says in Koheles (Ecclesiastes):

"A crooked thing cannot be made straight, and a lack cannot be counted" (Koheles 1:15).

The Gemara expounds this verse regarding a person who neglects Torah study. If you did not learn for one day—you are lost; this is "a crooked thing that cannot be made straight." The moment you step away from your studies, you become an idler. The Gemara tells of Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Elazar who studied together as chavrusas. Rabbi Yehuda got married a few days before Rabbi Elazar. Because of the seven days of wedding celebrations (Sheva Brachos), Rabbi Elazar pulled ahead of him in study by merely seven days. The result was that for the rest of his life, Rabbi Yehuda tried to reach Rabbi Elazar's level, but could not!

They did not wait for one another, because they knew that every single day counts. You cannot say, "Let's wait another day and travel to the Yeshiva together." What is another day? As the saying goes, "If I leave You for one day—I will forget You for two." If you did not learn for one day, the mind rusts, the mind degenerates and is lost. Even during Bein HaZmanim (Yeshiva vacation periods) and on Pesach, it is forbidden to stop learning. We open Gemaras, we open Likutey Halachos, and when the mind awakens, we see tremendous flashes of insight.

The Self-Sacrifice of the Tanna'im

This is how they once studied Torah, with immense mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) and Torah lishmah (study for its own sake). Rabbi Chanina ben Chachinai did not want to wait for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai even during his seven days of wedding blessings. He hurried to go study Torah with Rabbi Akiva in Bnei Brak, which was the center of Torah. He sat there for thirteen consecutive years. Unlike the Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) who sent letters home, Rabbi Chanina did not send a single letter.

After thirteen years, Rabbi Akiva saw through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) and said: "Your daughter has come of age; travel home to marry her off." Rabbi Chanina returned to his city, but entered his home suddenly. His wife, who did not expect to see him after so many years, had her soul depart from her out of sheer shock. Immediately, Rabbi Chanina stood and prayed for her, and revived her through the resurrection of the dead. The holy Tanna'im, through the power of their Torah, knew the letters with which heaven and earth were created and were able to resurrect the dead.

The Secret of the Letters and the Melody

This tremendous power is hidden within the holy letters that we bring forth from our mouths. These letters are the very letters with which heaven and earth were created. Every letter we utter can change all of nature and nullify all harsh decrees. But there is a fundamental condition: the words must be spoken with a melody!

The holy Zohar brings down regarding a verse in Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs), that words without a melody are like a person without clothes. Words without cantillation notes and vowels are likened to a bride without jewelry. A person who says the words without a melody might have fulfilled his halachic obligation and is not a heretic, but it accomplishes no tikkun (rectification) in the Upper Worlds.

Just as a person cannot go out into the street without clothes, so too, words without a melody cannot ascend and accomplish their purpose. In order to nullify decrees and bring about salvations, the letters must be adorned with melody and joy.

The Merit of Torah Lishmah

When a person studies Torah lishmah and sacrifices himself for it, he merits to see tremendous blessing in his offspring as well. The Gemara tells of Rabbi Chana bar Bizna who returned to his home after years of study. When he entered the Beis Midrash (study hall), his son, Rabbi Hoshaya, who had become a tremendous Torah scholar, arrived. The father stood up before him out of great respect for his Torah, until his wife asked him in astonishment: "Is there a father who stands up before his own son?"

In the past, they studied Torah lishmah, and therefore the sons grew and elevated themselves on their own. When a person directs all his actions solely for the sake of the holy Shechinah (Divine Presence), and is willing to be "cruel to himself" (pushing himself relentlessly and denying physical comforts) for the sake of Torah study, he merits that Heaven takes care of all his needs and the education of his children in the path of Torah.

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