We just showed that the Chofetz Chaim and the father of the Chida understand that the reward for a person who assumes the role of Zevulun is that in the Next World he will sit in the same section as Yissachar and merit to understand Torah on the same level. Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky poses a strong question on this explanation: He understands that it is possible for the Zevulun figure to be taught the Torah when he ascends to the Next World. Yet he points out that Torah is only acquired through a life of toiling in Torah, including a person reviewing his learning numerous times. Indeed, Yissachar himself only merits all his knowledge through such intense toiling and review - how, then can Zevulun suddenly receive the same knowledge as Yissachar without having toiled in Torah to anything like the same degree?!
He begins his answer by citing the famous Gemara in Niddah (30b) that a child is taught all of the Torah in the womb and when he is born, an angel taps him above his lip and causes him to forget all the Torah. This Gemara teaches that it is possible, in theory, for a person to know all the Torah without working for it, as is the case with the fetus. However, as it says in Novi, ‘Man was created to toil’. Therefore, that Torah goes deep inside him and his job is to invest his energies into reacquiring all the Torah that he has forgotten. Rabbi Kamenetsky explains, based on this idea, that everyone has an inherent connection to all of the Torah since he has already learned it in the womb, but toil is required to regain that Torah. The normal manifestation of this toil is through Torah learning itself. However, he suggests that there is another kind of toil which can also enable a person to relearn the Torah he learnt in the womb: That is if someone toils in something other than learning, in order to facilitate the Torah learning of someone else. With this, he returns to the question of how, in the Next World, Zevulun can merit to be taught all the Torah that Yissachar learned in this world. The answer is that, like everyone, Zevulun has an inherent connection to all the Torah that he learnt in the womb. He does not toil in Torah but he does toil in his work in order to enable Yissachar to learn Torah. Because his intent in his work is for the sake of Torah learning, his toiling fulfills the requirement of 'Man was created to toil' and he can assume his rightful place in the Next World learning Torah together with Yissachar.
Rabbi Kamenetsky’s explanation teaches an important principle. A person can toil in any number of areas and for any number of reasons. For example, he may work hard in order to provide for his family and to support Torah learning and other important needs, or he can do the very same work for less altruistic reasons, such as for the ultimate goal of being wealthy - there is nothing necessarily wrong with having wealth but it is not meant to be an end in and of itself. The very same work can be viewed as excessive effort for transitory goals, or as a portion in Torah learning that can enable him to fulfill his obligation of toil and earn him a place in the Next World alongside talmiday chachomim.
It is important to point out that there is, nonetheless, a difference between Yissachar and Zevulun that is demonstrated in the following story: Rabbi Aaron Kotler once met with a very big donor who supported many Torah institutions. The latter asked Rabbi Kotler that since Yissachar and Zevulun share in the merits of the Torah learned by Yissochar and sponsored by Zevulun, what is the difference between the two? Rabbi Kotler responded that regarding the rewards in the Next World he is indeed correct, and they shall both reap the rewards of the Torah that was upheld by Zevulun, yet the difference lies here in This World. Those immersed in Torah study experience the highest levels of pleasures in this world, pleasures that are only possible by cleaving to Torah study directly. This reminds us that no matter what a person occupies most of his time with, the deepest connection to G-d he can create in this world is through Torah learning.
We conclude with a wondrous anecdote, which is recounted by Rabbi Goldvicht in Asufas Ma’arachos (Chanukah), who writes as follows: It is known from the Chofetz Chaim, that when Rav Chaim of Volozin headed his yeshiva, he became closely attached with a generous donor, who provided the physical needs of the yeshiva. Rav Chaim promised him that in return for his support, he would study for the donor’s soul after his parting from the world. After the donor’s parting, Rav Chaim hurried to fulfill his vow, and immersed himself in Mishnayos the (the order of Taharos). Upon reaching a particular Mishnah, he found that himself unable to understand a certain point, and, while grappling with the matter, fell into a slumber. In his sleep, the deceased donor appeared to him, and explained the difficult point in the Mishnah in a brilliant and enlightening manner, until the difficulty was entirely resolved. After recovering from the immediate shock, Rav Chaim commented: “I knew that the generous among Klal Yisroel would be talmiday chachomim—but I didn’t realize it would happen so fast!”
Whether as Yissachar or Zevulun (or both), may all of us merit the brilliant light of Torah.
