Torah for All!
Hard-Wired for Torah
Every Jew was created with the ability to understand Hashem’s Torah. There is no such thing as a Jew who “just isn’t built for it,” “doesn’t have the ability to learn,” or “...maybe he’ll become a good askan, but he’s just not the learning type.” There is no such concept in Judaism. Every Jew is a vessel that is capable of receiving and understanding the Torah.
It is certainly true that someone may be unsuccessful with a particular way of learning. In that case, he should pursue another way of learning. With persistence, he will eventually find his path to experiencing the sweetness of Torah.
A person who wants to learn Torah can be compared to someone who bought an appliance and now has to assemble the different parts that came in the package. If he doesn’t manage to assemble it on the first attempt, he will try putting the pieces together in a different order. If he still doesn’t succeed, he will ask a friend for help. He won’t give up and decide that it just can’t be done. Why? Because he needs the appliance, and he knows it’s a well-recommended item, purchased in a reputable store. Similarly, every Jew needs to know and trust that he can receive the Torah.
In Maseches Sanhedrin (91b), the Gemara teaches us that whoever prevents a talmid from learning a halachah is considered to have stolen that talmid’s inheritance because the pasuk declares (Devarim 33:4) תּוֹרָ ה צִוָּה לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מוֹרָ שָׁה קְ הִלַּת יַעֲקֹב. The Torah is the morashah, the inheritance of every Jew, since the six days of Creation.
The Maharsha explains that the Gemara is addressing a rebbi who feels that a certain talmid is incapable of understanding a halachah. He...
