Rabbi YY Jacobson
... It is a known Mishna that one of the forty-eight things that the Torah is acquired through is dibuk chaverim – studying together. Therefore, the right way is to learn with a chavrusa. Yet it is self-understood that you should not hold back from learning, even if you don’t have a chaver to learn with. Chazal already said that even when one person is sitting and learning, the pasuk says about him: “I will come to you and bless you...”
==== Igros Kodesh V11 P172.
UFARATZTA
There is an enigmatic Talmudic passage explaining a peculiar phrase in the Torah reading of Shavuos, from the portion of Yisro: "They (the Jewish people) stood in the bottom of the (Sinai) mountain"
What is the meaning of the words "in the bottom of the mountain"? The Talmud explains that the Jews were actually standing inside the mountain. "G-d enveloped them with the mountain as though it was an upturned vat, and He said to them: "If you accept the Torah, fine; if not, this will be your burial place."
The event at Sinai is viewed as the marriage ceremony between G-d and the Jewish people. Imagine a groom, who on the day of his wedding, placed his bride under an elevator and declared:"If you marry me, great; if not, the elevator will come down on your head." How enduring can such a relationship be? Couldn't G-d have found a more "romantic" way to convince the "bride" to marry Him?
What is even more puzzling is the fact that according to the biblical narrative, the Jewish people had already expressed their willingness to accept the Torah before this event. Why was it necessary for G-d to coerce them into something they had already agreed upon?
Let us present the explanation offered by one of the greatest spiritual masters of all time, the Baal Shem Tov.
Numb Days
There are days when we are emotionally in touch with our inner idealism, spirituality and G-dliness. At such times we are inspired to live deeply and to love deeply.
But then come the days when we feel estranged from our souls. We are emotionally numb, experiencing ourselves merely as self- centered and materialistic creatures seeking to satiate nothing more than our momentary cravings. We are simply not in the mood for our higher, refined aspirations. G-d does not appeal to us. At such times of spiritual alienation, we often succumb to mundane and selfish behavior. Since we feel disconnected, we act as though we are indeed disconnected.
This is a mistake. By G-d forcing the Jewish people to enter into the relationship – even though they had already agreed – He demonstrated to them the truth that their relationship was not based on the fact that they were consciously passionate about it.
Instead, the relationship was inherent and essential to their very chemistry. Man is an innately sacred and Divine creature. "Even when you are not in the mood of me" G-d was intimating,"our relationship is as strong as ever. You can act on it."
Yet you may still think,"Fine, I will behave, but le's face it, the relationship is not happening. It is all but dead." So G-d says “no.” By placing the mountain on their heads at the moment of Revelation, during the profoundest moment of intimacy between G-d and his people, G-d was saying that a relationship inspired by the knowledge that this is the truth, though you may not feel it, is a genuine and authentic relationship. It is a real union.
Though there is no passion, when you behave in a moral and sacred fashion knowing that this is who you really are, it is a true bond.
Womens Shiur Tuesday 9:30am (18 Main)
Chassidus Shiur Monday & Thursday 7:45am (18 Main)
Shabbos: Friday Night – before Barchu (20 Upstairs)
Morning 8:40 (20 Upstairs) | After Davening 12:00pm (20 Upstairs)
Please Note: Rabbi Jacobson's Shabbos morning shiur will now begin at 8:40 am, followed by the Minyan at 10:00 am.
To someone who asked if he should learn alone or with a chavrusa:
I don’t feel like spending time with my children right now. I do not feel like going to the wedding. I do it anyway. But I feel it is lifeless and devoid of meaning. So the Torah says: Not at all. It is real, authentic and valuable. What I feel or don’t is never the barometer of whether it is right or wrong.
Never confuse your moods with your values. I may not be in the mood of something, for 1000 different reasons. That does not diminish in the slightest my inner connection to it: it remains my value, my innate desire and commitment.
Rocky Moments
In the Jewish tradition, the marriage of each man and woman reflects the cosmic marriage between G-d and His people. There are days when we feel truly grateful for our spouses and experience deep love towards them. At such times we crave to give of ourselves to our spouses and make their lives happier.
But at other times, we become cold and apathetic. We just want to do"our own thing" and simply are not in the mood of the relationship. Sometimes, a marriage goes through tough seasons.
In the majority of cases, it would be a sad error to act upon those feelings of detachment. The Kabbalah teaches that a wife and husband are essentially "two halves of a single soul" At their core, they are one. Thus, when a couple enters into marriage, it needs to recall what G-d reminded us on the day of His marriage: Whether we are in the mood of each other or not, we are married, and we are one.
Such a commitment could save many marriages when they encounter rocky times. After all, it saved the marriage between G-d and the Jews.
