Just as a person wouldn't let a day pass by without davening three times, and without putting on talis and tefillin, so, too, one should consider the need to study Torah each day as an obligation that simply cannot be overlooked. A day shouldn't pass without learning Torah. In this manner, he will be connected to Torah constantly.
Pele Yoetz writes in his sefer Chesed l'Alafim (Orach Chaim 155) the benefit of having a קביעות, a set time for Torah. He writes, "Chazal (Pesachim 9b) say מחצה על כמחצה קבוע כל, whatever is set, קבוע, is like a ratio of fifty-fifty. So, too, when one sets a time to study by day and at night, and he never misses, it is like he studied half a day and half a night. And חסד כלפי מטה חסד רב, [which means that Hashem will consider it like he spent most of the day and night studying Torah].
The Mishnah (Avos 1:15) states, ַרְבֵּהה וַעֲשֵׂה מְעַט א ֱמֹר .קֶבַע ָתוֹרָתְך עֲשֵׂה ,אוֹמֵר שַׁמ ַּאי. We can explain that ַעקֶב ָתוֹרָתְך עֲשֵׂה when a person has a kviyus to study Torah (at a set time, every day), then מְע ַט א ֱמֹר even if he studies just a little, ֵהוַעֲשׂ ה ַרְבֵּה, it will be considered like he did a lot. This is based on the rule מחצה על כמחצה קבוע כל, that whatever is set, it is like fifty percent.
Lessons from the Mishnah
Reb Chaim Volozhiner zt'l (Ruach Chaim) asks why this Mishnah begins with the words אחת פעם, "One time"? It could have said simply בַּדֶּרֶ ךְ מְה ַ לֵּ ךְ הָיִיתִי, I was walking on the way"!
Reb Chaim Volozhiner answers that the Mishnah wants to tell us how important it is to be in beis medresh. אחת פעם, "One time" he left the beis medresh, and he was immediately confronted with a negative influence, someone who tried to take him away from studying Torah.
Obviously, there will be times when a person must leave the beis medresh. He has to go home, he has to go to work, and so on. But the lesson is that even when one leaves the beis medresh, he should make sure that his influences come from the beis medresh and not from the outside world.
The lesson has two points: 1) Make set times to study Torah every day. 2) Don’t stray after the influences of the goyim, chas v'shalom, who seek to draw people out of the beis medresh. Whatever one does, and wherever one goes, it should be according to the ways of the Torah, and under the influence of those who fear Hashem and study Torah.
