Explaining the Matter of the Doorkeeper
With immense pleasure and gratification, we can apply what we have learned to explain the teaching of the esteemed Rabbi of Riminov, zy”a. The Gemara stated that when Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah was appointed as the new Nasi, the doorkeeper of the Beis Midrash, who was a malach, was removed. The Rabbi of Riminov interpreted this to mean that the malach was elevated to a higher world based on the following (Berachos 17a): "רבי אלכסנדרי בתר דמצלי אמר הכי, רבון העולמים גלוי וידוע לפניך שרצוננו לעשות רצונך, ומי מעכב, שאור שבעיסה ושעבוד מלכיות, יהי רצון לפניך שתצילנו מידם ונשוב לעשות חוקי רצונך בלבב שלם". After Rabbi Alexandri would finish davening, he would utter the following: “Master of the universe! It is apparent and known to you that it is our will to perform Your will. Who prevents us from doing so? The yeast in the dough (the yetzer hara) and the oppression of foreign regimes. May it be Your will to rescue us from their hands, so that we may once again obey the laws You desire with a full heart.” This teaches us that a Jew’s true, inner desire is to act in accordance with the Almighty’s will; however, when he proceeds to actually make that desire a reality, the yetzer—“the yeast in the dough”—intervenes with all of its might. It interjects misleading, inappropriate thoughts, preventing a Jew from actualizing his inner desire to please the Almighty.
From this perspective, let us analyze the situation of a student who wanted to enter the Beis Midrash but lacked the quality of “tocho k’varo.” In other words, he expressed a desire to enter the Beis Midrash to occupy himself with the study of Hashem’s Torah, but that was only externally. Internally, in the depths of his heart, his intent was not l’shma; he actually sought recognition, honor, status, or the like—i.e., he had ulterior motives that were not l’shma.
Yet, as explained, every Jew truly desires to serve Hashem in the depths of his heart. The only thing that prevents him from making this desire a reality is the interference of the yetzer hara. It overwhelms him with improper, misguided thoughts that are not l’shma. Accordingly, when a student is determined to be not “tocho k’varo,” because his inner intent is not l’shma, this assesment is not entirely accurate. For, we have just learned that that is not his true “tocho”; in the depths of his heart, he actually does want to serve Hashem l’shma.
Thus, in a certain sense, this student does qualify as “tocho k’varo,” in keeping with the notion of: "גלוי וידוע לפניך שרצוננו לעשות רצונך"—it is apparent and known to You that it is our will to perform Your will. However, somewhere between his apparent, external desire to enter the Beis Midrash to study Torah l’shma and his true, internal desire in his heart to do so, the yetzer hara tempts him and persuades him to study Torah not l’shma.
We can now comprehend the teaching of the esteemed Rabbi of Riminov, zy”a: When Rabban Gamliel decreed than “any talmid whose inside does not mirror his outside cannot enter the Beis Midrash,” a malach was generated. This malach was able to discern if a particular talmid was “tocho k’varo”—that all of his intentions, both inside and outside, were entirely l’shma—to study Torah exclusively for the sake of Hashem without ulterior motives. If any talmid did not qualify, the malach came and muddled up his thoughts, so that he would not enter the Beis Midrash.
Yet, when Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah was placed in charge of the Beis Midrash, every talmid was allowed to enter, even one who was not “tocho k’varo.” On that day, “they removed the doorkeeper and permission was granted to all students to enter.” The sages elevated the heavenly doorkeeper to a higher vantage point from which he could appreciate the fact that in the depths of his heart each student truly desired to serve Hashem and learn Torah l’shma—even the ones previously judged as not “tocho k’varo.”
In keeping with our current discussion, we can suggest that the malach posted as the doorkeeper had descended from the world of Yetzirah. On that day, he was elevated to the higher world of Beriah. There, the greatness and kedushah of the neshamos of Yisrael is revealed. From the perspective of the neshamah, every Jew yearns to act in accordance with the will of Hashem, blessed is He. Consequently, permission to enter was granted to all talmidim who wished to enter the Beis Midrash.
This illuminates for us the profound words of Rava: "מבית ומחוץ תצפנו, כל תלמיד חכם שאין תוכו כברו אינו תלמיד חכם". We pointed out that the Aron was not entirely “tocho k’varo,” since in between the two golden compartments, there was a wooden compartment. Now, we can suggest that the holy Torah intended to teach us the crucial viewpoint of Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah. There are talmidei chachamim whose quality of “tocho k’varo” resembles the Aron. In the innermost depths of theirs heart, they yearn to study Torah l’shma and, outwardly, they want to enter the Beis Midrash to study l’shma. Yet, in between these inner and outer desires lies the yetzer hara muddling up his intentions. In His infinite compassion and kindness—“rachamim” and “chasadim”—HKB”H conceals those intentions in the middle that are not l’shma, that are analogous to the wooden compartment of the Aron. He covers that middle compartment with two walls of pure gold—internally and externally. Ultimately, in the merit of Torah-study not l’shma, he comes to study Torah entirely l’shma without any ulterior motives.
