Mishlei 1:23 – Exposure to, and Success in, Torah

Good morning gut voch rabbosai. I apologize for the delay. I think we left off here in the Gaon in the end of Pasuk Chaf Gimmel. The Gaon explains that the three phrases here in Pasuk Chaf Gimmel, תשובו לתוכחתי הנה אביעה לכם רוחי אודיעה דברי אתכם, address the three different groups of people who neglect Talmud Torah. Neglect Talmud Torah because of their involvement in Taivas Olam Hazeh. They neglect Talmud Torah because the enjoyment that they've fostered in talking about Devarim Beteilim instead and those who have developed a sina rachmana litzlan for Torah because of their failure to understand. And each of these three phrases addresses those three groups respectively. So maybe just picking up again from where it says Odia Devarai Eschem in the Biur Ha-Gra here.

אודיעה דברי אתכם הוא נגד הכת השלישית שהם הכסילים אשר ישנאו התורה מפני חסרון הבנה. להם אומר אודיעה דברי אתכם ותראו מתיקותה וטוב טעמה. והן גם כן מלמטה למעלה.

Which I think means that just as the Gaon had commented at the end of Pasuk Chaf Bais that the three groups, if you take a look at the last five words in the Biur Ha-Gra on Pasuk Chaf Bais, והם שלשה דרגות מלמטה למעלה, I think it means that Shlomo Ha-Melech is depicting these three groups מן הקל אל החומר. That those who are busy with their taivas in Olam Hazeh, so it's not so much that they've rejected Torah as much, I mean practically they have, but conceptually, philosophically, it's just that they've allowed themselves to become totally sidetracked and totally preoccupied. The middle group, it's basically exchanging Torah for something else, rachmana litzlan, and the third group actually have a sina for Torah. So it's מן הקל אל החומר, right? milmata lemala, meaning in ascending order of the severity. Assuming that that's the correct reading in the Gaon, then something very telling emerges here, which is the third group also, how did they sort of arrive at the, in their position? So the Gaon had said at the beginning of Pasuk Chaf Bais,

והג' מחמת שתלמודם קשה עליהם ורוצים שתהא התורה באה מאליה להם בלי טורח. וכשרואים שאין התורה באה לידם עוזבים אותה.

Which means that of the three groups, the one that's a little bit superficially, inadequately been exposed to Torah is the group that ends up with the worst attitude, with the Yisnu Da'as. And it highlights, it highlights a truth that sometimes an inadequate, inappropriate exposure is much more damaging than no exposure. So no exposure, so a person just hasn't, rachmana litzlan, hasn't been exposed to Torah. But when the person has this, again, in this instance it's his own fault, sometimes in the world it happens and it's not the person's own fault, but in the Gaon's typology, it's his own fault, when the person has this inadequate, inappropriate and the... Therefore inappropriate exposure, so that has an especially deleterious effect. Ve'eilu hashlosha back here to the Gaon at the end of Pasuk Chaf-Gimmel rabosai,

ואלו השלושה הם נגד השלושה דברים שאמר למעלה, שמתחילה צריך האדם לקחת את עצמו למוסר,

vezehu lakachas mussar. So in order to offset these three possible deterrents to Talmud Torah, so to offset the allure of taivas olam hazeh, the involvement with taivas olam hazeh, צריך אדם לקחת עצמו למוסר, vezehu lakachas mussar. And ואחר כך יתן השם סיעתא דשמיא, vezehu la'asos lifsayim. Again, referencing the psukim earlier at the beginning of the perek. Ve'achar kach luhovin, kein hu kan, mitechila tashuv letochachti,

שהוא לקחת לעצמו מוסר וגומר. הנה אביעה הוא סיעתא דשמיא.

Right? Hakadosh Baruch Hu says I will infuse, I'll expose you to the ruach hatorah.

הנה אביעה הוא סיעתא דשמיא, אודיעה דברי אתכם הוא להבין.

We'll have this, this will recur soon again bezras Hashem in Pasuk Chaf-Ches. Siyata d'shmaya plays a special role. Siyata d'shmaya is obviously crucial in everything in life. But it plays a special role in Talmud Torah. There's a special need for siyata d'shmaya in Talmud Torah. And that's what's reflected here in the Gaon of הנה אביעה הוא סיעתא דשמיא. Maybe a way to understand that, that's why we have the Rambam writes in the yud-gimmel ikkarim where he's very sparing on details because he's giving us the ikkarei emunah. So in that context the Rambam says in the ikkar eighth, I guess, of Torah min hashamayim, so the Rambam writes that a person has to davven that Hakadosh Baruch Hu should as דוד משיח אלקי יעקב did, גל עיני ואביטה נפלאות מתורתך. To understand Torah, the Rambam is talking especially about those parts of Torah which strike us as being cryptic or again, one form of being cryptic is they seem insignificant rachmana litzlan. So there's a special chiyuv to davven גל עיני ואביטה נפלאות מתורתך. That's why Nechunya ben Hakana has a tefillah when he comes into the beis medrash. That's why Birkas HaTorah includes a bakasha of veha'arev na. A special chiyuv tefillah because there's a special need for siyata d'shmaya. Why is that? So maybe the way to understand it is as follows. Other things we do in life, we're doing on a natural level. I don't know, a person tries to make a parnassa. A person is trying to go from one point to the next. So those are natural endeavors, natural pursuits. But a person tries to understand chochma elokus, that's already metaphysical. So beyond the siyata d'shmaya that we need just to exist and function and succeed on a natural level, we need a additional, as it were, a higher level, higher dose of siyata d'shmaya to be able to succeed on a supernatural, on a metaphysical level. That's what's reflected here. Okay rabosai, have a good productive morning everyone, be well, be safe.