The Daily Chizzuk with our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a – “Mesilat Yesharim is the aleph-bet of a person’s behavior, that it’s forbidden for a person to take his mind from the Gemara for a second”
“Then you will delight over Hashem” (Yeshaya 58:14)
“Behold, in iniquity was I fashioned, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Tehilim 51:7)
“When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were terrified” (Bereishit 42:35)
Wednesday, 1 Adar 5783 – “Wherever I go, the Gemara is in my hand”
These are his holy words:
The whole thing is that a person should have enjoyment from learning – this is the thing, “Then you will delight over Hashem”; man was created to delight over Hashem. Rabbi Natan brings this in Likutey Halachot. This is the first chapter in Mesilat Yesharim [by the Ramchal].
The Beit Yisrael [the fifth Rebbe of Gur] would learn Mesilat Yesharim when he would travel to Bnei Brak. He would say that even if I’m the Rebbe of Gur, I’m obligated to learn Mesilat Yesharim.
One needs to open up Mesilat Yesharim and learn it. This is the aleph-bet of behavior, of Jewish ethics, which says that it’s forbidden for a person to take his mind off the Gemara even for a second – from the age of 13, he already doesn’t take his mind off the Gemara, he walks with the Gemara in hand.
Every place with the Gemara in hand – to wherever I go. Today, this is Ketzot HaChoshen, but then [before the Ketzot was published], this was Gemara. We don’t move without the Gemara – another sugya, and another sugya.
If one learns on the way, the mind opens more. With learning on the way, every second you are in a new world. Every second you are already in new worlds. Every step, you are found in a new collection.
Moshe received the whole Torah together with all the Chidushim (novel insights). Throughout Torah 101 [of Likutey Moharan], the Rebbe says that you need to learn in depth. There are those who say that Breslov is to learn a lot without having to understand – this is not correct. Rav Schick say to learn a lot without having to understand, but this is not correct. The Rebbe says that Breslov is only through learning in depth.
This is a complete lesson in Likutey Moharan 101, outside of other places. Rabbeinu says that there are three hollows of the skulls of the mind, three hollows of the skulls of the mind in learning Gemara. If one doesn’t learn Gemara, then the mind cannot stand up against one’s desires; one’s desires are stronger.
Even Esav, who saw that his mother’s lamp never went out; Esav, from the age of zero, sees that his mother’s lamp never goes out. His mother wedded at the age of 3. At the age of 23, she gave birth to him, and she lived until the age of 133, like Kehat. So for 110 years, he sees that by his mother, her lamp is never extinguished. He sees miracles and wonders. He sees a cloud on the tent.
He sees that he makes a meal for ten men, and suddenly 100 men arrive and the food is enough for 100. Also the dough makes bread for 100. If 1,000 arrive, it’s enough for 1,000. Esav sees miracles, and this doesn’t help. The miracles don’t subdue the evil inclination – only learning Gemara.
People ask, “Behold, we were in Uman, we were in such-and-such. Then why isn’t the evil inclination weakened? Because “Behold, in iniquity was I fashioned, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Tehilim 51:7).
Now, we need to fight the evil inclination for 120 years. “When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were terrified” (Bereishit 42:35), because the impurity in childbirth clings to the child for all its life. Therefore, he cannot learn, cannot pray, because the impurity clings to him.
