The Divrei Shmuel zt'l writes that when the Or HaChaim zt'l lived in Morocco, he advised his community that it was sufficient to work on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and spend the rest of the week studying Torah. He assured them that they wouldn’t lose parnassah due to this arrangement. They followed the Or HaChaim's counsel and saw they weren't losing money. Their parnassah was the same as before. The Or HaChaim moved to Yerushalayim, and the people in Morocco gradually went back to working the entire week. Even so, they testified that they weren't earning any more money than before, when they had worked half a week.
Torah wins Wars
It states (Tehillim 122:3) בשעריך רגלינו היו עומדות ירושלים, "Our feet were standing within your gates, O Yerushalayim." The Gemara (Makos 10.) explains that we should read the pasuk in two parts. The first part of the pasuk says that our feet stood in war, and we were victorious and weren't harmed. The second half of the pasuk reveals the merit through which we were saved in battle. It is because of ירושלים שעריך, because of the Yidden who study Torah in the gates of Yerushalayim.
The merit of studying Torah protects and saves us. Wars are won in the merit of Torah study.
Sometimes, there is something you don't understand in Torah, and after toiling you come to an understanding. Rebbe Pinchas of Koritz zt'l (Imrei Pinchas, Shaar HaTorah 17) said this process saves us. He said, "When a Yid answers a question in Torah, a goy who has a downfall (mapalah)."
The Rosh (Hilchos Sefer Torah 1) says that in this generation, the mitzvah of writing a sefer Torah is accomplished by buying printed sefarim. It is known that when the aron kodesh is opened to take out the sefer Torah, it is an eis ratzon for tefillah. The Pnei Menachem zt'l added that whenever you take out a Gemara (or another sefer) to study from it, it is an eis ratzon for your tefillos to be answered.
Reb Yonoson Chever Shlita, the son-in-law of the mashgiach Reb Dov Yafo zt'l, related that one Shabbos morning, he was saying pesukei d'zimra in a room near the beis medresh, and he overheard the conversation of two young children, who were pretending to learn Gemara. They were seated in front of large Gemaros and were singing the Gemara tune (although they couldn't yet read the words).
One child sang, אסור אסור אסור. The second child asked, אסור אסור אסור? And the other boy replied, more forcefully this time, אסור אסור אסור! "Forbidden! Forbidden! Forbidden!"
That week, Reb Yonoson Chever ate the Shabbos seudah at his father-in-law’s home, Reb Dov Yafo, and he repeated this episode. He thought it was a cute story of two young children.
However, Reb Dov Yafo became visibly upset. He stood up and said, “I must speak to their father now." The Rebbetzin and the family tried to explain to Reb Yafo that it was just two children playing, but Reb Yafo wasn't placated. The Rebbetzin said, "But if you go to him now, while he is eating his seudah, he will be startled. If you must speak to him, push it off for later." Reb Yafo accepted her advice. Later in the day, Reb Yafo spoke to the father and explained that a child mustn't think of Yiddishkeit as אסור אסור אסור, that everything is forbidden. He should think about Yiddishkeit to be joyous and sweet.
