Shavuot and Kabbalat Hatorah
Prerequisites for Kabbalat Hotorah
There is a famous Ohr Hachayim regarding the necessary prerequisites for kabbalat hatorah. The Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh in Parashat Yitro on the passuk "Vayis'u me'refidim…" explains that the passuk is hinting to three fundamental principles, which are necessary to prepare bnei yisrael for kabbalat hatorah.
Torah with Vitality
The first necessary prerequisite is learning Torah with vitality and energy. The Ohr Hachayim points out that the adjectives generally used both by the Torah and by Chazal to describe limmud hatorah give over this idea, as we find in Parashat Chukat "This is the Torah; a person who dies in a tent…" which Chazal understand is a reference to the level of total devotion needed when learning Torah, and as we also find regarding the term "esek hatorah" in many contexts. The only way a person will reach great levels in limmud hatorah, says the Ohr Hachayim, is with intense learning. This idea is expressed in the passuk in Parashat Yitro that says "Vayis'u me'refidim" to hint that bnei yisrael abandoned rifyon yadayim, i.e. laziness, to prepare themselves for kabbalat hatorah.
Torah with Humility
The second prerequisite for limmud hatorah is humility and modesty, as Chazal teach us that Torah will only remain with one who humbles himself. This, says the Ohr Hachayim, is hinted to in the passuk "Vayachanu bamidbar" "And they encamped in the wilderness" which is a metaphor for lowliness and humility.
Torah with Others
And the third prerequisite is joining together with others, and not just learning oneself, and this will cause one to develop and further one's Torah knowledge and skills. This is hinted to in the passuk that says "Vayichan sham Yisrael" "And [bnei] Yisrael encamped there" and the word "Yisrael" is in the singular, which symbolises national unity.
The Definition of "An Excellent Bachur"
Regarding the first principle, of learning Torah with vitality and energy, the following story is told about Rav Aharon Kotler, the famous Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha (BMG) Lakewood: An individual came to Rav Aharon Kotler and told him that somebody's daughter was engaged to a bachur who was "rated" as "an excellent bachur". Subsequently, it was discovered that the bachur's intelligence was not in fact excellent but mediocre, and the father of the girl came to the Maharil Diskin to ask his opinion regarding whether to proceed with the shidduch or not, since the shidduch was agreed upon based on information that was incorrect.
The Maharil Diskin replied that ultimately, it is not intelligence that is the determining factor of "an excellent bachur", but rather if the bachur in question learns hard and with diligence, this is classified as "an excellent bachur". Torah, explained the Maharil Diskin, is not the exclusive territory of the highly intelligent, rather, those who utilise their full potential to learn Torah will merit Torah, irrespective of their level of intelligence.
Rav Aharon Kotler listened to this story and began to cry. When asked why he was crying, he explained that he had just heard in the name of the Maharil Diskin that there is no guarantee that an intelligent person will merit "kinyan hatorah" unless he learns Torah with his full potential. Said Rav Aharon Kotler, what will be with me, will I not merit "kinyan hatorah"?
Maybe we are not all on the high level of Rav Aharon Kotler, but we can all improve ourselves to some degree in the area of "vayis'u me'refidim…", of abandoning our tendencies of laziness and applying ourselves to limmud hatorah with hatmada (diligence).
Learning Torah with hatmada causes a person to feel simcha – satisfaction and contentment, and this in turn inspires one to learn more Torah with more hatmada.
The Dignity of a Talmid Chacham
Regarding the second stipulation of the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh, of learning Torah with humility, it is incumbent on us to remember that even after learning a Masechta or sugya well and with clarity, a person must remind himself not to feel haughty and arrogant, because these feelings are an impediment to acquiring Torah.
The story is told about the Telze Rosh Yeshiva who was approached by one of his talmidim who said that he was experiencing issues with his shalom bayit. The Rosh Yeshiva spoke to the couple, and it transpired that the underlying issue was that the talmid in question refused to take out the garbage, because he was afraid that it was undignified for a ben Torah. The next morning the talmid was surprised to find the Rosh Yeshiva waiting outside his door. When asked why he had come, the Rosh Yeshiva replied, "to take out the garbage for you".
Unity not Conformity
The last condition of the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh is that Torah must be learnt together with others, in unity. Unity is not conformity, where individuals conform and lose their identity, rather unity is the union of different individuals, each with their own personality and skills, and this together forms an achdut which is conducive to collective growth in Torah.
May we all apply these three prerequisites dictated by the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh to prepare ourselves for zman matan torateinu, and merit a full kabbalat hotorah this Shavuot!
Chag Sameach
Rabbi Gad Bouskila
