is stealing that talmid’s inheritance. Because every Jew, since Creation, is created with a nature that allows him to learn Torah. Even if an expert diagnosis states that a child has a learning disability, it doesn’t exempt us from utilizing every possible technique to empower him to enjoy learning Torah. When the Gemara tells us that R. Preida taught his student each lesson four hundred times, it doesn’t mean he repeated the same words in the same way four hundred times. He must have tried to explain the material in four hundred different ways.
Of course, people have different intellectual abilities. Not every talmid can understand a difficult sugya in Maseches Yevamos. However, each person, with the abilities Hashem gave him, can understand, at his level, his cheilek in Torah.
Someone told me that when he was a child, he once went with his father to Rav Moshe Feinstein. After Shacharis, people would approach Rav Moshe, asking for advice or a brachah. A father approached Rav Moshe with his son, and told Rav Moshe that his son wasn’t matzliach to learn. Rav Moshe looked at him with surprise, and said, “The Torah is more vast than the entire world. There are easier masechtos. There are different areas of Torah, like Tanach, Mishnayos and halachah. What is the problem?” With that message, Rav Moshe sent them on their way and turned to the next person in the line.
Your Unique Portion
Chazal teach us that ישראל is an acronym for יש ששים רבוא אותיות לתורה – there are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah. It is difficult to understand this statement, because if we count the letters in the Torah we find just over half that number.
The mefarshim explain this gemara in a variety of ways. One way to understand it is to consider the way different people feel drawn to different particular topics in Torah. One person really wants to learn hilchos Shabbos, or even the subtopic of muktzeh. Another constantly reviews a particular masechta; others gravitate to one area of learning or another.
We shouldn’t view this as a simple expression of human nature, similar to a person choosing to study a certain field that will lead to a particular career in medicine or high-tech. A Yid wants to learn a particular area of Torah because part of his shoresh neshamah is linked to that topic, and he has a unique ability to be mekabel that portion which is his cheilek in Torah.
What Is a Chiddush in Torah?
This understanding changes the way we look at the concept of chiddushei Torah, usually described as a novel idea in Torah.
Suppose a rosh yeshivah delivers a shiur and presents an approach that explains a very difficult statement of the Rambam. Why is that called a chiddush? If the rosh yeshivah accurately presents what the Rambam meant to say, in what way is that something new and special? And if his explanation doesn’t teach us what the Rambam truly meant, then it’s false and should be set aside.
Since each person has a cheilek in Torah that corresponds to his shoresh neshamah, when he applies all of his strength to understanding a Torah idea, the two worlds of kedushah and Torah unite. The Divine light that is hidden in the Torah merges with the Divine light that is hidden in his neshamah. This combination leads to the birth of a new, unique understanding of Torah, which only this person was able to bring into the world.
Chiddushim in Mitzvos
Some people may feel that this concept does not apply to them. Most of us aren’t coming up with chiddushei Torah and writing sefarim. Does that mean we never find our cheilek in Torah?
From the perspective of Chassidus, this question is based on a misunderstanding. Chiddushei Torah aren’t only novel explanations that get written down in sefarim. If a Jew strengthens his performance of any mitzvah, that is his chiddush. And if another person is influenced by hearing the way he talks about that mitzvah, or is inspired by watching him perform that mitzvah, he has taught his chiddush to a talmid.
All of this is included in our tefillah ותן חלקנו בתורתך, asking Hashem to grant us our unique cheilek in Torah.
