TOILING FOR EVERYONE
When the Mezritcher Maggid first traveled to see the Baal Shem Tov, he was already a great gaon in Torah and advanced in avoda; he lacked only the new avoda of Chassidus. When he entered the tzaddik's room, the Baal Shem Tov asked him to explain a certain passage in Eitz Chaim of the AriZal, one of the deepest seforim in Torah. The Maggid explained the meaning, but the Baal Shem Tov was not satisfied. Looking again, the Maggid insisted that this was indeed the pshat, and asked that if the Baal Shem Tov thought otherwise, he kindly explain it to him.
The Baal Shem Tov then began learning aloud the words of Eitz Chaim with diligence and hislahavus. When he mentioned the names of malochim, they were actually seen in the room, and the entire house was lit up. The Baal Shem Tov later explained that although the Maggid knew the simple meaning of the words, because he had not learned it with all of his capacity, his learning had been lacking.
(תו"מ חכ"ח ע' 243)
When the Rebbe Maharash was bar-mitzva age, he was once called in by his father, the Tzemach Tzedek, to be tested on Mesechta Menachos, which he was then learning. After asking a number of questions, and receiving satisfactory responses, the Tzemach Tzedek pointed to a specific sugya and asked his son if he had toiled to understand it. The Rebbe Maharash, who had a phenomenal mind, answered that he had not toiled at all, for he had understood everything without effort. The Tzemach Tzedek sighed and countered, "But how can one learn without toiling?"
Hearing this, the Rebbe Maharash decided to begin putting effort in his learning, and worked so extremely hard that blood stains began to appear on his forehead. Seeing this, the Tzemach Tzedek called him in and directed him how to continue his learning. Later the Rebbe Maharash recalled, "From then on, I would toil in learning with the precisely correct measure of effort, just as one sets a clock..."
(רשימות היומן ע' שע"ז בשילוב תו"מ ח"ה ע' 49)
FOR ITS OWN SAKE
Although the AriZal had a phenomenal mind and no worldly worries, for his father-in-law supported him, he would toil intensely when learning Torah, even when the concept at hand was not particularly profound. His talmid, Reb Chaim Vital, described this as follows: "I saw my Rebbe, when involved with halacha, strengthen himself like a lion, to the point of sweating. I asked him why he put in so much effort, and he told me that the purpose of learning something in depth is to break the kelipos, which are the difficulties that come up regarding the halachos being learned."
The Rebbe noted: "The kelipos that the AriZal dealt with were obviously not very strong; nevertheless, in order to break them, he toiled greatly when learning Torah. From this we can understand the importance for all Yidden, who are not at his level, to toil in Torah."
(שער המצוות פ' ואתחנן, התוועדויות תשמ"ג ח"ב ע' 869)
When the Alter Rebbe was five years old, the gates of Torah opened for him, and he easily grasped even the most difficult matters. He later related to his grandson, the Tzemach Tzedek, "This caused me great distress, since I was unable to toil in Torah. Only at the age of fifteen, when my purpose in this world was revealed to me, was I calmed."
(סה"ש תש"ה ע' 131)
When the Mitteler Rebbe delivered a maamar of Chassidus, he would wear a kolok, a type of shtreiml with a pointed centerpiece. Unlike his father, the Alter Rebbe, while speaking he would sit in one place and not move about, yet even so, he would perspire immensely from great concentration, to the point that perspiration would drip from the point of his shtreiml.
(שיחו"ק תשמ"א ח"א ע' 98)
CHOOSING TO TOIL
Once the Alter Rebbe called the Tzemach Tzedek and offered to grant him a gift – a blessing for an understanding of Torah. The Tzemach Tzedek declined the offer, saying that he wanted to acquire Torah through toil. He later regretted this, for whatever levels of Torah he could have received as a gift from the Alter Rebbe, there would always be additional levels to toil for.
(לקו"ש חט"ו ע' 81)
Two businessmen with a financial dispute traveled to the city of the gaon, Reb Meshulam Igra, to ask that he act as their arbitrator. Reb Meshulam heard them out and asked that they return in a few days, during which he would look into the matter.
However, since they felt they needed an immediate reply, they decided to return home and ask their local rov to help them. After hearing their claims he stepped into his study, and within a few minutes returned with a response that satisfied them both. Greatly impressed, they told their townsmen how within a few minutes, their own rov had supplied a fine solution to a complicated halachic issue that even the great gaon, Reb Meshulam Igra, had been unable to supply.
Some time later, finding themselves in Reb Meshulam's town, they decided to ask him what he would have paskened regarding their past dilemma. Surprised that his reply was exactly the same, they told him how their rov had given this verdict after only a few minutes. Amazed, Reb Meshulam exclaimed that if there was such a great gaon alive, he wanted to learn Torah from him.
He made the journey and asked the rov to tell him whether he had reached the conclusion himself or if someone had helped him. The rov replied, "When those two men came and presented their problem, I realized that I did not know the answer, so I went into my room and cried and davened to HaShem. I asked that He open my eyes and enable me to give a correct reply according to Torah, thus preventing a chillul HaShem [thinking that their Rov is insufficiently learned if he cannot resolve their issue]. I merited to receive clarity from HaShem and was able to immediately find the correct answer."
Hearing this, Reb Meshulam responded, "I, too, know how to daven and cry. Nevertheless, halachic conclusions should be reached by toiling in Torah..."
(היא שיחתי)
CONSIDER
Is toiling in Torah a means to a better understanding or is it an end for itself?
