Question: On erev Shabbos there is a halachah that one should refrain from eating too much in order that he enters Shabbos with appetite. Similarly, on erev Pesach we find one should refrain from eating matzah so that he enters Pesach with appetite. The question is: Why don’t we find the same thing by Shavuos, we should refrain from learning on erev Shavuos and on Shavuos night, so that we accept the Torah with great appetite? Why do we do the exact opposite and learn all night?
Answer:
We can answer based on the Sefas Emes. The Sefas Emes (Shavuos 5660) writes:
דהלימוד בליל שבועות להראות חביבות התורה כי כל חמדת עולם הזה בא מתוך הרעבון, ולפי רוב הרגילות מתמעט האהבה והמרעיב עצמו אוכל לתיאבון, והתורה כל מה שעוסקים בה ביותר מתרבה אהבה וחמדת התורה וע"י עסק התורה בליל שבועות נתרבה הצמאון אל התורה, וכתיב כל צמא לכו למים, כמו שכתוב במדרש שנמשלו לדגי הים שגדלים במים ופותחים פיהם לכל טיפה של מים כאלו לא טעמו טעם מים, כן בנ"י העוסקים תמיד בתורה חביב עליהם כל אות מהתורה כאלו לא טעמו דברי תורה מעולם.
In short, the Sefas Emes is saying: Normally the more one has of something the less he desires it, however, Torah is the exact opposite and the more one learns the more he has appetite for it. Therefore, on Shavous we learn all night, as the more one learns the greater his appetite.
The Chiddushei HaRim asks: Why do we find that people finish one Masechta and they don’t have any great desire to learn a second Masechta, surely we say: יש לו מנה רוצה מאתיים – “one who has one hundred, wants two hundred”?
He answers: What we have to say is, if one doesn’t desire a second Masechta it’s because he didn’t really finish the first one. If, however, one finished the first Masechta properly, then he would certainly desire another Masechta and another Masechta.
With this we can answer a question the Achronim ask on the Taz. The Taz (Yoreh Deah 221:44) says: If one makes a neder [oath] not to benefit from a sefer, he isn’t allowed to learn from it. Normally, we say: מצוות לאו ליהנות ניתנו – “mitzvos aren’t given to derive benefit from”, therefore, we should say one can learn as it’s not considered benefit? However, the Taz says that Torah is different, as Torah certainly makes the one who learns it happy, like we find an avel isn’t allowed to learn Torah.
The question on the Taz is, there is a clear Gemara in Berachos (21a) which says there is no benefit from learning Torah. The Gemara tries to learn that there should be a berachah achronah on learning, just like birchas hamazon. However, the Gemara rejects the comparison and says: מה למזון שכן נהנה – “food is different as there is benefit”. This Gemara clearly implies, that when learning Torah there is no benefit, so how can the Taz say there is? (See Imrei Binah, Shabbos, siman 12, and Shu”t Avnei Nezer, Orach Chaim 60 who ask this.)
Considering the above, we can explain that when it comes to eating, after eating one is full, however, when it comes to Torah it’s the exact opposite, the more one learns, the hungrier he gets and the more he wants to learn. Therefore, he can’t make a berachah. It’s true that one derives great benefit from learning Torah and it’s very enjoyable and satisfying, however, one can’t recite a berachah achronah, as he still desires more Torah and more Torah and is never satisfied. (Madanay Asher)
