The Gemara (Nedarim 62a) teaches us that a person shouldn’t learn in order to be called a wise man or a teacher. Rather, one should learn out of love, and in the end, honor will come. That is, the Ribbono shel Olam placed Himself into the Torah, and when a person learns Torah with the intent of elevating himself and sanctifying himself, he will necessarily feel the love that Hashem has for him. This is called תורה לשמה, Torah for its own sake. That is, with the intent of feeling that love from Hashem.
And this brings us to an incredible point. We all know the famous saying in Midrash Eichah, המאור שבה יחזירנו למוטב, the light within it will return him to the good. We are also familiar with the famous Gemara (Kiddushin 30b), “If the ‘disgusting one’ has encountered you, drag him to the Beis HaMedrash. If he is stone, he will melt. If he is steel, he will shatter.” The point is that no matter what form the yetzer hara takes, Torah has the cure.
The Love Must Only Be Revealed
One who learns Torah properly will not sin. The Torah will prevent him from sinning. This is an age-old rule. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh clarifies that this protection works only for one who learns תורה לשמה. And why is this? How does learning תורה לשמה protect a person from sin? For HaKadosh Baruch Hu has placed Himself inside the Torah, and when a person learns תורה לשמה, that love of the Ribbono shel Olam to the person is revealed. He simply feels love.
Even if he doesn’t understand how and why. This is the reality, and it isn’t all that difficult to understand. As we said, when someone is close to the Torah—which is where the Ribbono shel Olam has placed Himself—he will feel Hashem’s love.
The love is real. It exists inside our neshamah. It must only be revealed. The moment we remove the coverings and reveal it, we will surely feel that love. It already exists. We don’t need to invent it.
