This past
Shabbos, I heard a very inspiring sermon. The speaker was a Rabbi
Sorotzkin from Lakewood, NJ, who was here in Cleveland as a
scholar-in-residence for the weekend.
He spoke about the awesome, transformative power of Torah in helping us transform our character to become a more refined human being... I was inspired by his message. However, after the dust settled and the inspiration faded, one point of his message continued to rattle around in my brain like a pebble in an empty tin can. It wasn't even his main point, but for some reason, this point stuck with me longer than the rest.
This was the point: The Talmud teaches us that when a person dies and goes to heaven, G-d asks him/her several tough questions. The first question is "Were you kove'iah time for Torah study?" What does this Hebrew word, "kove'iah" mean? Most commentators understand this word to mean "designate," and the question is simply, "Did you live up to your Jewish and moral responsibility by designating time for Torah study?" However the great 18th century scholar and mystic, the "Vilna Gaon" offers a unique definition for the word "kove'iah." He explains it to mean "steal," and the question that every Jew is then asked when they die and go to heaven is this: "Did you steal time for Torah study?" Meaning, we're all so busy. Our calendars are full and it's very difficult to schedule in (more) Torah study. However, why not snatch ("steal") a couple of minutes here, a few minutes there for this all-important character-altering endeavor of Torah study?
He spoke about the awesome, transformative power of Torah in helping us transform our character to become a more refined human being... I was inspired by his message. However, after the dust settled and the inspiration faded, one point of his message continued to rattle around in my brain like a pebble in an empty tin can. It wasn't even his main point, but for some reason, this point stuck with me longer than the rest.
This was the point: The Talmud teaches us that when a person dies and goes to heaven, G-d asks him/her several tough questions. The first question is "Were you kove'iah time for Torah study?" What does this Hebrew word, "kove'iah" mean? Most commentators understand this word to mean "designate," and the question is simply, "Did you live up to your Jewish and moral responsibility by designating time for Torah study?" However the great 18th century scholar and mystic, the "Vilna Gaon" offers a unique definition for the word "kove'iah." He explains it to mean "steal," and the question that every Jew is then asked when they die and go to heaven is this: "Did you steal time for Torah study?" Meaning, we're all so busy. Our calendars are full and it's very difficult to schedule in (more) Torah study. However, why not snatch ("steal") a couple of minutes here, a few minutes there for this all-important character-altering endeavor of Torah study?
This
resonated with me and I decided that I needed to take action. So, I
decided that if I spend just a few minutes each day reviewing a Torah
text that I've already completed once, I can complete it again in time
for my son's Bar Mitzvah in October, and then he and I can make a "Siyum" together at his Bar Mitzvah celebration - how cool would that be?!
So
far this new initiative has been working out well. I have been
snatching five minutes a day reviewing a Talmudic volume (preferably
first thing in the morning). I'm sure that this new campaign will
encounter its challenges, but I believe that it's an important one, and I
hope to persevere. Please wish me luck!
Why am I rambling about this? Because I learned two very important lessons from this story:
1)
As an educator or a parent, we try and teach our students and our
children many lessons. Very often, it seems like an exercise in
futility as we wonder how much are they really retaining. In reality,
you never know what will stick. Eventually there will be a
breakthrough, so don't give up! I'm sure the speaker doesn't know what
he began here! Maybe I should tell him... and 2) If you get inspired, act on it quickly. Otherwise, that inspiration will dissipate...
