Learning So That One Can Obey Hashem:
The Noam Elimelech zy”a writes that this pasuk is teaching us the value of limud haTorah and saying that through Torah study, one can reach the level of “tzadik gozer v’Hakadosh Boruch Hu mekayem”, meaning that he is able to issue decrees and Hashem will fulfill them. Accordingly, the pasuk can be understood as saying that Hashem told Moshe and Aharon, “This is the law of the Torah” – Torah learning must be done in this way, with kedusha and taharah. If one does so: “Hashem commanded to say” – meaning that such a person can command Hashem, so to speak, and tell him what to do. And He will fulfill the tzadik’s decree.
Torah Cancels All Decrees:
Targum Onkelos translates the words “zos chukas haTorah” to mean “da gezeiras ohraysa” (this is the decree of the Torah). The Tiferes Shlomo (Parshas Devarim) explains that learning Torah grinds up (“yigzor”) the power of impurity, even when Klal Yisroel is in golus. Furthermore, this is a hint that Torah annuls harsh decrees (gezeiros).
Yeshuos Through the Power of Torah:
The Tiferes Shlomo (Parshas Yisro) further writes that one who studies Torah l’shma has the ability to bring about yeshuos during the time when he is learning, just like a tzadik can do when he davens. This is the meaning of the Gemara (Shabbos 11A) that says “mafsikim l’tefillah” (one interrupts his learning to daven) but one whose Torah study is his main occupation (Toraso umnaso) does not have to interrupt his learning. This is because his learning is his tefillah, as Hashem accepts his Torah study like a prayer and fulfills all of his requests from that time.
Torah Purifies the Soul and Extinguishes the Fires of Gehenim:
Furthermore, Torah study purifies a person and cleanses his soul from all of the filth caused by his sins. The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh writes (Parshas Bechukosai) that learning Torah provides great benefit for a person’s soul and burns away all impurity. This makes it unnecessary for him to be purified in Gehenim. Therefore, the fires of purgatory cannot harm him. For this reason, the Medrash states (Shemos Rabbah 4:7) that Gehenim screams, “I don’t want tzadikim”, because they weaken its strength and extinguish its fires.
We thus see that through the power of Torah, tzadikim can extinguish the fires of Gehenim. In this vein, the Rebbe of Radzimin zy”a (Bikurei Aviv, Parshas Ki Seitzei) quotes Rav Bunim of Peshischa zy”a as explaining the pasuk in Tehillim (19:8): “The Torah of Hashem is perfect, it restores the soul”, by saying that even if someone sullies his neshama with sin, if he learns Torah, his soul is revived and returns to its glory.
Torah Saves From All Evil:
The Gemara (Menachis 86A) says that only the first drop of oil that is squeezed from the olive is acceptable for use in the Menorah. Rav Aharon of Belz zy”a said in the name of his father, Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz zy”a, that the reason for this is because this drop is easily extracted, without the need for any pressure or hard work. This is a hint to the power of Torah, which is compared to oil. It serves as protection from all danger, and allows a person to live with no pressure or difficulty from evil forces.
Torah Saves From Yissurim:
Chazal say “agrah d’kallah duchkah” (the reward one receives for going to the “kallah” – a Torah shiur – is for the pushing.) The Chidushei Harim zy”a explains this to mean that the reward for toiling in Torah is “duchkah”, meaning that it saves a person from whatever is pressuring him. He adds that even learning simple p’shat in Gemara and Tosafos suffices to save a person from all forms of suffering that was destined for him. And it is certain that if one exerts himself to fully understand a sugya, he will be protected from all difficulties.
Torah Protects From Danger:
Sefer Shem M’Shmuel (Parshas Vayechi) writes in the name of the Kotzker Rebbe zy”a that there are several ways for one to connect to Hashem, but all of them contain various dangers. The lone exception is learning Torah. It connects a person to Hashem while protecting him from all danger.
Torah Connects One to Hashem:
Rav Shimon of Yeroslav zy”a (Toras Shimon Parshas Terumah) related that the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a once saw a man pacing around in extreme dveikus, but the man was not learning at all. He told the man, “Chazal say that Hashem says (Yerushalmi Chagigah 7:1): ‘If only you would abandon Me and keep My Torah.’ Hashem is saying that it would be acceptable to abandon one’s dveikus with Him as long as he learns Torah l’shma, as Torah will lead to avodas Hashem.”
When my grandfather, Rav Mordchele of Nadvorna zy”a, was a young man, his father, Rav Bertche zy”a, saw him walking back and forth in great dveikus, as he contemplated the meaning of certain holy Names and Divine concepts. He called him over and said, “The Gemara says (Megillah 28B): ‘Halichos olam lo” (the pathways of the world are His), do not read it ‘halichos’ (pathways); rather, read it ‘halachos’.
“The meaning of this is that one cannot start serving Hashem through dveikus and contemplating yichudim, and the like. Rather, the proper way to serve Hashem is to first connect to Him through ‘halachos’, i.e., through learning Torah. Once one does this, he can then connect to Him through ‘halichos’ – walking back and forth and contemplating His holy ways.”
Utilizing Every Moment of Torah Learning:
The Gemara (Brachos 63B) says that Torah will only last if a person “kills himself over it.” This is learned from this verse (19:14): “This is the Torah: If a man dies in a tent...” We may ask on this drasha that the Torah says that we are meant to live with the Torah (Vayikroh 18:5), not to die with it.
The Tiferes Shlomo Answers that the Torah is teaching us that a person must put forth the efforts to learn Torah with enthusiasm while he is alive in this world. One should never push off learning and say that he will do it “when he has time”. He should value every moment that he Is alive and has the ability to learn because once a person passes on the next world, there is nothing he can do to come back for even one day. He can never get back any of the time he wasted while he was alive that could have been spent learning.
Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer (Perek 43) relates that on the same day that Reish Lakish was nifter, two of his former comrades that he knew from the time in his life when he was a thief, before he went on to abandon that lifestyle and become a great talmid chochom, also died. The two thieves saw the great honor that was given to Reish Lakish in Gan Eden, while they were pushed around from place to place. They were confused and pained and asked: How is he different than us? Wasn’t he just like us?
They were answered: He separated from you and went to learn Torah and do mitzvos. Therefore, he deserves to be greatly rewarded. The thieves then said, “Let us return to earth. This time, we will study the Torah!” They were told, “It is too late. You should have done teshuva when you were still alive.”
The pasuk is saying: “This is the Torah.” A person should immerse himself in Torah and teshuva. Why? Because “a man dies in a tent.” He should think about the day that he will die and imagine how that day will look. He should think about how he will wish he could do more mitzvos and learn more Torah. But it will be too late. If he does not learn Torah and do mitzvos now, he will greatly regret it later.
The Tiferes Shmuel uses this idea to explain the Mishnah (2:15) that says that a person should do teshuva “one day before he dies.” The intent of the Mishnah is that a person should always imagine that today is his last day on earth. He should think that this is his only chance to do teshuva and save himself before he moves on to the judgment of the World of Truth, where he will be judged regarding his Torah, tefillah, and behavior towards his fellow man.
Every moment should be precious and valuable to him because once this moment is gone, it can never be reclaimed. This is how a person should feel every day. He should always remember that this particular day must be used properly because it will never come back. Thus, when Chazal say that Torah only lasts if a person kills himself over it, the intention is that a person must learn Torah with the same feeling as if he is already dead and was given the chance to rise from the grave for a short while. If a person learns with that type of devotion, he will become great in Torah.
He uses this same idea to explain the verse (Devarim 11:13): “That I have commanded you today.” This means that a person should feel as if he has only today to learn Torah and serve Hashem and, therefore, to utilize every moment. This also explains the words of Rashi (Devarim 26:16): “Every day, they should be in your eyes like new.” Every day, one should feel like he has been given a new day from Shomayim solely in order to learn new things.
