It states (Devarim 33:18) ויששכר בצאתך זבולן שמח באהליך, "Rejoice, Zevulun, in your departure, and Yissachar, in your tents." The Beis Avraham zt'l explains that Zevulun represents the pursuit of parnassah, and Yissachar represents the pursuit of growth in the Torah. When people go to work, they hope to become wealthy, but they are happy with every prutah they earn. The same is true with the pursuit of growth in Torah. One seeks to grow immensely in Torah, but one should be happy with every drop of Torah he attains.
Reb Shimshon Pinkus zt'l (Tiferes Shimshon) told a mashal of a meshulach who came to America to collect money for his upcoming chasunah and his many life expenses. He planned to be in America for several weeks and was prepared to work hard during these weeks.
At the airport, someone told him, "There is a hundred-dollar bill on the ground. You can pick it up, and that will begin your collection." The meshulach replied, "I wasn't planning on working today. I knew I would be tired on the day I arrived in America, so I decided I wouldn't work the first day." The other replied, "But this isn't work. It is right before you. All you must do is bend down and pick up the bill!"
The nimshal is that people make set times when they study Torah. And then, when an opportunity to study Torah arises out of the set time (and it doesn't interfere with their work or other obligations), they say, "But this isn't my time for studying Torah." But that isn't logical. If you have an opportunity, grasp it. Why shouldn't you take advantage of the good that comes your way? Consider the reward you will earn – far more than a hundred dollars – and take advantage of the opportunity. Sometimes, the opportunity is for five minutes of Torah study, but you can gain so much from it. Why should you refrain?
The following was told by one of the chashuve yungerleit of our chaburah, which he witnessed:
The yungerman saw a sign on the door of a grocery store that it would close at ten o'clock on erev Yom Kippur. Indeed, at ten o'clock, everyone working in the store left to go home. But the store was still filled with customers, so the owner stayed, working at the cash register.
The others left because they wouldn't gain much by staying. But the owner of the store gains from every sale, so he stayed. The same can be said about all opportunities for Torah and avodas Hashem. It might not be your original plan, but when the opportunity to earn immensely arises, you should take advantage of it.
In Ponevezh yeshiva, forty years ago, there was a bachur who wasn't very bright. He wasn't able to learn Torah. But bachurim took turns learning with him, and by the time he was eighteen, he was able to learn Mishnayos on his own. However, despite achieving this milestone, at that same time, he became distressed and upset that this was all he could do.
One of his chavrusos was a grandson of the Steipler. He brought the bachur to the Steipler so the Steipler could give him some chizuk. The Steipler said, "I can swear to you..." and then the Steipler corrected himself, "I swear to you, when you study Torah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells the malachim to be silent and that they shouldn't say shirah because Hashem wants to listen to you study Torah."
Power of a Kind Word
In the beis medresh of Reb Y. T. Dunner z'l, rav of Adas Yisrael London, the custom is that when the sefer Torah is taken out to read from it, the sefer Torah is brought to everyone in the shul so that they can kiss the sefer Torah. (This is the custom is several kehilos. The sefer Torah isn't taken directly from the aron kodesh to the bimah; instead, the person carrying it goes around the benches so that people can kiss it.)
One Shabbos, there weren't too many people in the beis medresh. It was summertime, and many people were in their summer homes. There was one bachur who stood at the back of the beis medresh. He was alone in his corner. This bachur was a very broken bachur. He didn't learn well, and his family wasn't so put together. The rav came to the bachur with the sefer Torah and told him, "Do you see how chashuv you are? The sefer Torah came to you, to your corner. This is because you are so great, because you study Torah, and the Torah is happy with you."
The people of the beis medresh relate that a major change happened to this bachur. Immediately after this episode, he began learning with hasmadah and enthusiasm, and he became a great talmid chacham. He married and built up a beautiful family. And it all came from a word of chizuk from the rav. Let us learn from this how much we can accomplish with a kind word.
