This parashah begins with the words, והיה האלה המשפטים את תשמעון עקב, "This shall be the reward when you hearken to the laws..."
Many brachos come by keeping the Torah.
Studying Torah and keeping the mitzvos might seem hard, but there are counsels to consider that make keeping Torah and mitzvos a pleasure.
One, is to remember the many brachos that will be ours just for studying Torah and for keeping the mitzvos. The Gemara (Pesachim 68) states that every thirty days Rav Sheshes reviewed everything he had learned (תלמודו כל). Then he would come to the door and say נפשי תשמח, my soul shall rejoice because I had the merit to learn Torah."
The Ben Ish Chai (Ben Yehoyada) discusses the reason he went specifically to the door to express his joy that he studied Torah. He explains that a door is very heavy. Some doors are large and made of bulky iron or heavy wood. However, wondrously, every person can easily open the door. Even a young child can open the door without difficulty. This is because the door is attached to hinges. One hinge above and one below, and this makes opening and closing a door an easy feat.
Therefore, it states in Mishlei (26:14) ה ַדֶּלֶת מִט ָּתוֹ עַל וְעָצֵל ּצִירָה עַל תִּס ּוֹב, "The door turns on its hinges, and a lazy person on his bed." What is the connection between a lazy person and a door?
The Ben Ish Chai explains that the reason a lazy person doesn't get out of bed is that he considers studying Torah a weighty and challenging mission, and he doesn't want to carry this heavy load. So, he stays in bed to free himself from this hardship. We tell him to learn a lesson from the door. Although it is made from heavy material, anyone can move it easily, back and forth, because it has two hinges. It is also possible to acquire hinges for Torah study, and then studying Torah will become easy and light for you. The hinges of a door are one above and one below. Also, the hinges for Torah study are one above (the mind) and one below (the heart). Fill your mind and heart with a desire to serve Hashem, and Torah study won't be hard anymore. Furthermore, understand with your mind and with your heart how precious and dear your Torah and avodas Hashem are before Hashem, and this will give you renewed energy.
Rav Sheshes went to the door because the hinges on the door gave him strength. It reminded him that with a hinge above and below, the desire of the mind and the heart, Torah study becomes easy. "This gave Rav Sheshes renewed strength to study Torah and to review everything he studied."
It states (Devarim 4:39) עוֹד אֵין מִת ָּחת הָאָרֶץ וְעַל מִמַּעַל ָּׁמ ַיִםבַּש הָא ֱלֹק ִים הוּא 'ה כִּי ָלְבָבֶך אֶל ָׁ ֵבֹתוַהֲש ה ַיּוֹם ָּוְיָדַעְת, "You shall know this day and take to your heart that Hashem, He is the G-d – in the heaven above and on the earth below – there is none other." The pasuk is telling us to have emunah in Hashem in the mind and the heart. When one does so, life becomes easy. It isn't a heavy load to carry, because he has the two hinges that make everything light.
Focusing on these two hinges will help us study Torah with a light, easy heart, and it will also help us endure all hardships of life. This is because sometimes a person doesn’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning because he has a lot of tzaros in his life. Life seems too heavy to carry. However, if he has two hinges, the mind and the heart, and he knows with his mind and heart that Hashem is one, and everything is from Him, everything becomes easy. There are no problems, because everything is directed and planned from Above. Just as a heavy door can swing easily on its hinges, he, too, will have a light and happy heart when he understands that everything is from Hashem.
Pirkei Avos (6:9) states: ,קִסְמָא בֶן יוֹסֵי ר ַבִּי אָמַר ,שָׁלוֹם לִי וְנָתַן ,אֶחָד אָדָם בִּי וּפ ָגַע בַּדֶּרֶ ךְ מְה ַ לֵּ ךְ הָיִיתִי אַחַת פַּעַם ,לוֹ אָמ ַרְתִּי .אַת ָּה מָקוֹם מֵא ֵיזֶה ,ר ַבִּי ,לִי אָמַר .שָׁלוֹם לוֹ וְהֶח ֱזַרְתִּי ָרְצוֹנְך ,ִי ר ַבּ ,לִי אָמַר .א ָנִי סוֹפ ְרִים ֶׁלוְש חֲכָמ ִים שֶׁל גְּדוֹלָה מֵע ִיר וַאֲב ָנִים זָהָב דִּינְרֵי אֲלָפ ִים אֶלֶף ָלְך אֶתֵּן וַאֲנִי ,בִמ ְקוֹמ ֵ נוּ עִמ ָּ נוּ שֶׁת ָּדוּר וְזָהָב כֶּסֶף כָל לִי נוֹתֵן אַת ָּה אִם ,בְּנִי ,וֹ ל אָמ ַרְתִּי .וּמ ַרְגָּלִיּוֹת טוֹבוֹת .ת ּוֹרָה בִמ ְקוֹם א ֶלָּא דָר אֵינִי ,שׁ ֶבָּעוֹלָם וּמ ַרְגָּלִיּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וַאֲב ָנִים
"Reb Yosi ben Kisma said: 'One time, I was walking on the road and a person came to me and gave me shalom, and I responded shalom. He said, 'Rebbe, where do you live?' I told him, 'I come from a large city of chachamim.' He said, 'Rebbe, do you want to live in our place, and I will give you millions of gold coins, diamonds, and pearls? I told him, 'My son, if you give me all the money in the world, I will live solely in a place of Torah."
