Rashi asks on the first verse in this week’s parsha, Bechukosai, “what does it mean to follow G-d’s statutes?” He answers that it means to be A’malim B’Torah, to labor in the learning of Torah. It is certainly very good to pick up a Torah book and read from it, but according to this Rashi, this is not enough. We must learn Torah like it is our occupation. We must put all of our strength and energy into it and delve into its depths.

If you take a look at the business world, you can learn how to become a true laborer in Torah. The winning touchdown in this past year’s Super Bowl was caught by a person that was injured. Even though he was not at 100 per cent, he felt that this was his job and he needed to play. The same is with Torah. Even if we are feeling sick, we must push overselves to learn (that is as long as you do not make yourself more sick by doing this). The Alter of Kelm was very sick at the end of his life and while teaching would start sweating and bleeding from an illness. Despite this, he would continue teaching and learning Torah. Torah was his life and he did not want to take a day off.

There is another thing we can learn from the business world. I check my email every morning and I am amazed at the times that emails were sent to me. At 10pm the previous night, someone sent me an email, and sometimes it is even later. The reason is because the person is addicted to work. They cannot get away from it. They want to be attached to it every second of every day. On Monday mornings, I am so surprised that people send me emails on Saturdays and Sundays. People are so much in love with their work that it is all they think about.

We should not be this way with our work, but we should be this way when it comes to Torah. We should not be able to get away from it. The story is told that one night, the Chazan Ish fell a few steps in front of his bed. His students asked him what happened. He told them that every day he calculates exactly how much energy he has and how much energy he needs to get from the beis midrash (study hall) to bed. He then learns with all of his other energy until he only has enough energy to get to bed. That night he had miscalculated by a few steps. The story shows us how much a person should love Torah, that they do not even want to have to waste a single second. He calculated out his energy so he could maximize his Torah study. That is the type of love for Torah we should strive for.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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