What’s the greatest protection we have?
With all the technological advancements of today, the greatest protection, self-defense, and security is limud haTorah. This parsha talks about the arei miklat, the cities of refuge, which serve as a protection for one who kills another Jew accidentally. The Gemara says in Makos 10 - R’ Yochanan says that Torah is “kolet”, it protects, as the pasuk says, "Es Betzer bamidbar..." and right after it says “v'zos haTorah". Just like the city Betzer, which is an “ihr miklat” protects, so too, the Torah protects - it protects from the malach hamovas.
The Gemara brings a proof from Rav Chisda, who was sitting on a tree learning Torah, when the angel of death was sent to take his soul. Rav Chisda was learning continuously, without a break, and so the angel of death had no power over him. Then, the malach hamaves split the tree, startling Rav Chisda, and causing him to stop learning for a second. At that second, he died.
The Maharsha asks: why does the gemara bring Rav Chisda as a proof that Torah protects, and not Dovid Hamelech?
The gemara in Shabbos 30: tells us that Hashem told Dovid Hamelech that he would die on Shabbos. So, every Shabbos, Dovid Hamelech would learn Torah the entire day, ensuring that he wouldn’t die, since the Satan cannot kill one who is learning. On the Shabbos that he was supposed to die, the Satan came to do his job, but Dovid Hamelech was learning non-stop. The Satan had no power over him. What did he do? Dovid Hamelech had an orchard in the back of his house. The Satan caused the trees to shake and make noise, and Dovid Hamelech went out to see what was happening. As he was ascending steps, the Satan removed a step; Dovid Hamelech’s learning ceased at that second, enabling the malach hamaves to take his soul.
This gemara portrays quite clearly that Torah protects against death. If so, why does the gemara in Makos bring a proof from the story of Rav Chisda and not from Dovid Hamelech?
Rav Elya Baruch Finkel answers that we know that Adam Harishon was destined to live for a thousand years. He saw that Dovid Hamelech was only going to live for three hours, so he gave up seventy years of his life for Dovid, and so Adam ended up living for only nine hundred and thirty years. When Dovid Hamelech turned seventy on that Shabbos, his years were up. He wasn’t going to die because of a sin; no, he was going to die simply because his time had come – it was seventy years! The angel of death had no power over him because he was learning, showing that Torah can actually increase life.
To receive these emails weekly, email [email protected] or it can be downloaded at Parshasheets.com. This article is also featured in the Monsey Mevaser newspaper.
Learning Torah has the power to add on years to a person’s life!
The Gemara in Makos, on the other hand, is talking about someone who is obligated to get a punishment of death. Bais din won’t refrain from killing a person who is chayav misa just because he happens to be learning at the moment. One who desecrates Shabbos is chayiv skila, and bais din takes him from his gemara and kills him because he deserves that punishment.
The Torah is mechadesh to us that learning Torah protects you from the malach hamaves even if he comes to kill you as a punishment! Just like the ihr miklat protects you from the punishment of death, so too, Torah protects you from the malach hamaves.
This is what the gemara in Makos is proving from Rav Chisda - that as long you are learning, the malach hamaves can’t touch you because Torah shields you from the angel of death. Only four people in the entire world history died solely because of the sin of Adam Harishon; everyone else dies because of sin. So, even if a person’s time has come and the angel of death is sent to punish him for his sins, by learning Torah, he can extend his life.
There is a difference in language between the story of Dovid Hamelech and Rav Chisda. By Dovid, it says that he went out to the steps and there he was killed. By Rav Chisda, it says that he died in the place he was learning. Dovid Hamelech did not die due to sin, and so as long as he was in the place where he was learning, he would still have the zechus of his limud haTorah. Therefore, the malach ha’movas brought him outside. However, by Rav Chisda, where he was going to be niftar due to a punishment, then the second he stops learning, he loses his protection and the malach hamaves has the power to kill. That’s why it says that he was killed at the place where he was learning, just he stopped learning. This is the incredible power of Torah’s protection!
A bachur once came to the Chazon Ish, asking him advice for a brain surgery that he needed. The Chazon Ish gave his advice, and then the bachur shared a chiddush that he was mechadesh. The Chazon Ish was very impressed with the chidush, and told the bachur that he didn’t need the surgery after all. The bachur was confused; what had changed? The Chazon Ish explained that when the bachur originally presented his request for advice, the Chazon Ish was unaware that he was a ben Torah. In that case, he would need to proceed as a regular person and do all the required hishtadlus to be well. Under that assumption, the Chazon Ish guided him to go ahead with the surgery. However, once it became clear that this bachur was a ben Torah, the power of his limud haTorah would protect him and he wouldn’t be needing surgery after all. And that’s indeed what happened.
Torah is indeed the greatest protection we have!
