Even on Dry Land Jews Are Aware that They Can Only Exist within the Waters of Torah
We learn a valuable lesson from the words of Rabbi Akiva concerning the study of Torah. We know that the yetzer hara tries to convince Jews that it is a waste of time to study Torah; it argues falsely that if a Jew would spend more time with the frivolous pursuits of Olam HaZeh like the goyim do, he will be better off and have a better life. A Jew should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is precisely the persuasive argument the fox used with the fish: “Is it your wish to come up onto dry land, and we shall dwell together just as my ancestors dwelt with your ancestors?” To rebut this lie, it is imperative to rely on the ”kal-va’chomer” of the fish: “If in the place that sustains us, we are afraid, in the place that will cause us to die, all the more so.”
This is precisely why Yaakov Avinu blessed Ephraim and Menashe by saying "וידגו לרוב". He wished to impress upon them the profound analogy of Rabbi Akiva. A Jew must cling to the Torah which is compared to water like fish who reproduce and multiply in the water, and the “ayin hara” has no power over them. In other words, they will not be affected or influenced by the “ayin hara” of the fox, who tries to persuade them to exit the water and live with him in peace. For, they realize that to do so means immediate death for them.
Let us embellish this thought. Why did Rabbi Akiva choose to compare Jews studying Torah to fish living in the water? In Likutei Torah (Vayechi), our teacher, the Arizal, teaches that Rabbi Akiva was a “nitzotz” of Yaakov Avinu—a spark from his neshamah. He brings a remez from the passuk (Bereishis 49, 24): "מידי אביר יעקב"—from the hands of ‘Avir Yaakov’ (the mighty power of Yaakov). Now, the words אבי"ר יעק"ב are an anagram for רב"י עקיב"א. So, since Rabbi Akiva was a “nitzotz” of Yaakov Avinu, he employed the analogy of the fish just as Yaakov did in the berachah he bestowed upon Ephraim and Menashe: "וידגו לרוב בקרב הארץ".
We can now postulate that this is the reason that HKB”H prevents the sea from trespassing the boundaries He set for it; thereby, preventing the sea from inundating the world with its waters. It is in the merit of the tzaddikim who dedicate themselves to the study of Torah despite much self-sacrifice. For, they are forever conscious of the analogy of Rabbi Akiva and the berachah of Yaakov Avinu comparing Yisrael to fish who are dependent on the water for there survival. So, too, the survival of Yisrael depends on the Torah. Therefore, although they are walking and living on terra-firma, they are aware that they resemble fish whose survival is related to the waters of Torah. Therefore, “midah k’neged midah,” they possess the power to prevent the sea from washing out the entire world, in the merit of living their lives daily in the waters of Torah.
Incredibly, we can now truly appreciate the elucidation of the of the Noam Elimelech regarding the passuk: “And Bnei Yisrael walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.” Tzaddikim, even when they are walking on dry land—in routine, everyday life situations—picture in their minds every second that it is as if they are “in the midst of the sea.” They are aware that Yisrael are compared to fish, who can only live and survive in water. Hence, they cling to Hashem’s Torah every step of the way in Olam HaZeh and do not heed the duplicitous counsel of the fox—the yetzer hara. They know that it would be foolish and fatal to abandon the sea of Torah and go out onto the dry land to pursue the pleasures of Olam HaZeh. In this merit, the water forms a wall for them on their right and on their left—i.e., the holy Torah, which is compared to water, protects them!
