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Lehavas David · Parshas Tzav · Maamar ב

The Olah of Torah: Learning with Humility

From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Vayikra 6:1-2
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר צַו אֶת־אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת־בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כׇּל־הַלַּיְלָה עַד־הַבֹּקֶר וְאֵשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ
Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the olah, the burnt offering: it is the olah that stays on its pyre on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
1“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the olah: it is the olah …”1 We should look closely at the doubled leimor, “saying”: why did the verse need to say it a second time? The commentators also ask why the verse adds “it is the olah,”2 which seems unnecessary, since the olah is obviously the olah.
וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמוֹר צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמוֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעוֹלָה הִיא הָעוֹלָה וְגוֹ׳ (ו, א). יֵשׁ לְדַיֵּיק כֶּפֶל הַתֵּיבוֹת ׳לֵאמוֹר׳, לָמָּה הוּצְרַךְ הַכָּתוּב לַחֲזוֹר וְלוֹמַר שׁוּב תֵּיבַת ׳לֵאמוֹר׳. עוֹד הִקְשׁוּ הַמְפָרְשִׁים (אלשיך, כלי יקר, ועיין באור החיים) דְּאוֹמְרוֹ ׳הִיא הָעוֹלָה׳ הוּא לְמוֹתָר, דִּפְשִׁיטָא שֶׁהָעוֹלָה הִיא הָעוֹלָה.
  1. Vayikra 6:1–2. ↩
  2. Alshich and Kli Yakar on Vayikra 6:2; see Ohr HaChaim there. ↩
In shortWhy does the verse repeat leimor, and why add “it is the olah,” when the olah is obviously the olah?
2aWe can explain that the verse is teaching us, by way of hint, the right path in Torah study. The main thing in Torah study is that it be joined with yiras Shamayim, the fear of Heaven, and with lowliness. As Chazal said, “Any Torah that lacks yiras Shamayim is like a treasurer who was handed the inner keys but was not handed the outer keys.”3 They also said: “The goal of wisdom is teshuvah and good deeds: that a person should not read Scripture and study Mishnah and then kick against his father, his mother, his teacher, or one who is greater than he in wisdom or in years. As it says, ‘The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem; good understanding to all who do them.’”4 All this makes it clear that the goal is for Torah to be learned with lowliness of spirit, with submission and with good middos, character traits.
וְאֶפְשָׁר לְפָרֵשׁ, דְּבָא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֵּד וּלְרַמֵּז לָנוּ דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעִנְיַן לִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, דְּהִנֵּה הָעִיקָּר בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַלִּימּוּד עִם יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם וְשִׁפְלוּת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (שבת לא, ב) כָּל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם דּוֹמֶה לְגִזְבָּר שֶׁמָּסְרוּ לוֹ מַפְתְּחוֹת הַפְּנִימִיּוֹת וּמַפְתְּחוֹת הַחִיצוֹנִיּוֹת לֹא מָסְרוּ לוֹ. וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ (ברכות יז, ב) תַּכְלִית חָכְמָה תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם קוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה וּבוֹעֵט בְּאָבִיו וּבְאִמּוֹ וּבְרַבּוֹ וּבְמִי שֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ בְּחָכְמָה וּבְמִנְיָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיא, י) ״רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה יִרְאַת ה׳ שֵׂכֶל טוֹב לְכָל עוֹשֵׂיהֶם״. דְּמִכָּל זֶה מְבוֹאָר, שֶׁהַתַּכְלִית הַנִּרְצֶה שֶׁיְּהֵא לִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה מִתּוֹךְ נְמִיכוּת רוּחַ וְהַכְנָעָה וּמִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת.
  1. Shabbos 31b. The Gemara continues: “How will he get in?” ↩
  2. Berachos 17a (the sefer has 17b); Tehillim 111:10. ↩
2bChazal teach in the Midrash: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: I sold you My Torah, and, as it were, I was sold along with it. It is like a king who had an only daughter. Another king came and married her, and wanted to go to his own land and take his wife. The father said to him: The daughter I have given you is my only one. I cannot part from her, and I cannot tell you not to take her … But do me this one favor: wherever you go, make me a small room so that I may live with you … So the Holy One said to Israel: I have given you the Torah. I cannot part from it, and I cannot tell you not to take it. Rather, wherever you go, make Me one house where I may dwell.”5 The words “Make Me one house where I may dwell” mean that we should conduct ourselves with submission and lowliness, for then Hashem can dwell among us through our Torah study. Arrogance is the very opposite: Chazal teach that of the arrogant man Hashem says, “I and he cannot dwell together.”6
וּכְמַאֲמַר חז״ל (שמות רבה לג, א) אָמַר הקב״ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מָכַרְתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי כִּבְיָכוֹל נִמְכַּרְתִּי עִמָּהּ, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיְתָה לוֹ בַּת יְחִידָה, בָּא אֶחָד מִן הַמְּלָכִים וּנְטָלָהּ, בִּיקֵּשׁ לֵילֵךְ לוֹ לְאַרְצוֹ וְלִיטּוֹל לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ בִּתִּי שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ יְחִידִית הִיא, לִפְרוֹשׁ מִמֶּנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל לוֹמַר לְךָ אַל תִּטְּלָהּ אֵינִי יָכוֹל וְכוּ׳, אֶלָּא זוֹ טוֹבָה עָשָׂה לִי, שֶׁכָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ קִיטוֹן אֶחָד עֲשֵׂה לִי שֶׁאֶדּוֹר אֶצְלְכֶם וְכוּ׳, כָּךְ אָמַר הקב״ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, לִפְרוֹשׁ הֵימֶנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לָכֶם אַל תִּטְּלוּהָ אֵינִי יָכוֹל, אֶלָּא בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתֶּם הוֹלְכִים בַּיִת אֶחָד עֲשׂוּ לִי שֶׁאֶדּוֹר בְּתוֹכוֹ, ע״כ. וְהִנֵּה ׳בַּיִת אֶחָד עֲשׂוּ לִי שֶׁאֶדּוֹר בְּתוֹכוֹ׳ הַכַּוָּונָה שֶׁיִּתְנַהֲגוּ בְּהַכְנָעָה וְשִׁפְלוּת, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה יָכוֹל הקב״ה לִשְׁרוֹת בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ עַל יְדֵי עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה, הֵיפֶךְ מֵהַגַּאֲוָה שֶׁעָלֶיהָ אָמְרוּ (סוטה ה, א) ׳אֵין אֲנִי וְהוּא יְכוֹלִים לָדוּר כְּאֶחָד׳.
  1. Shemos Rabbah 33:1. The Midrash ends: “as it says, ‘And they shall make Me a Mikdash …’” (Shemos 25:8). ↩
  2. Sotah 5a. ↩
In shortTorah must be learned with yiras Shamayim and humility, for only a humble heart is the “house” where Hashem dwells with His Torah.
3This too was the purpose of bringing the korbanos, the offerings. Through them a person is brought to lowliness of spirit and submission, as he reflects that everything done to the animal should by rights have been done to him for his sin, Heaven forbid. So the Ramban writes,7 and in this way the verse is fulfilled in him: “The offerings of God are a broken spirit.”8
וְזֶה גַּם הָיָה הָעִנְיָן שֶׁל הֲבָאַת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁעַל יְדֵיהֶם הָאָדָם בָּא לִידֵי נְמִיכוּת רוּחַ וְהַכְנָעָה, מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁמִּתְבּוֹנֵן שֶׁכָּל מַה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה עִם הַבְּהֵמָה הָיָה מִן הָרָאוּי לְהֵעָשׂוֹת לוֹ ח״ו בְּחֶטְאוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הרמב״ן (א, ט), וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה מִתְקַיֵּים בּוֹ מַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (תהלים נא, יט) ״זִבְחֵי אֱלֹקִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה״.
  1. Ramban on Vayikra 1:9. ↩
  2. Tehillim 51:19. ↩
In shortThe offerings humbled a person, who saw that what was done to the animal should have been done to him: “a broken spirit.”
4On a later verse, “This is the law for the olah …,” where the word for “law” is torah, Chazal said: “Whoever engages in Torah is as if he had offered an olah.”9 Accordingly, we may say that our verse, “This is the law of the olah,” toras ha'olah, also refers to Torah study. It hints that the goal of Torah study is to learn with yiras Shamayim and lowliness of spirit, just as with “it is the olah”: the goal of offering an olah is to reach lowliness of spirit. That is the meaning of “This is the law of the olah: it is the olah”: [Torah study is itself an olah, and it must do what the olah does.]
וְהִנֵּה אָמְרוּ חז״ל (מנחות קי, א) עַל הַכָּתוּב (ז, לז) ״זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה לָעוֹלָה״ וְגוֹ׳, כָּל הָעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה כְּאִילּוּ הִקְרִיב עוֹלָה. וּלְפִי זֶה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, דִּכְמוֹ כֵּן ׳זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעוֹלָה׳ הַכַּוָּנָה גַּם כֵּן עַל לִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, וּמְרַמֵּז הַכָּתוּב שֶׁתַּכְלִית הַנִּרְצֶה בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה הוּא לִלְמוֹד מִתּוֹךְ יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם וּנְמִיכוּת רוּחַ, כְּמוֹ ׳הִיא הָעוֹלָה׳ דְּמִצְוַת הַקְרָבַת הָעוֹלָה הַתַּכְלִית הוּא לָבוֹא לִנְמִיכוּת הָרוּחַ, וְזֶהוּ ׳זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעוֹלָה הִיא הָעוֹלָה׳.
  1. Menachos 110a; Vayikra 7:37. ↩
In shortTorah study counts as an olah, so “it is the olah” teaches that learning must achieve the olah's goal: a humble spirit.
5We can also explain the doubled leimor in this way. The first leimor has its usual plain meaning: to tell the matter to others. As Chazal said, when a person tells his friend something, the friend may not repeat it until he is told, “Go and say it.”10 The verse then added a second leimor, meaning “for the generations,” as Chazal said on the verse “Yaakov made a vow, saying”: “What is leimor? Saying to the generations that they should make vows in their time of distress.”11 The second leimor is needed because the verse teaches the generations how to engage in Torah: with the submission and humility learned from the olah. Learning this way, a person is privileged to walk in upright paths and to acquire good middos.
וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ כֶּפֶל הַתֵּיבוֹת ׳לֵאמוֹר׳, שֶׁתֵּיבַת ׳לֵאמוֹר׳ הָרִאשׁוֹנָה הוּא כְּמַשְׁמָעוּת הַפְּשׁוּטָה בְּכָל מָקוֹם לוֹמַר הַדָּבָר לַאֲחֵרִים, וּכְמַאֲמָרָם ז״ל (יומא ד, ב) שֶׁהָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר לַחֲבֵירוֹ הֲרֵי הוּא בְּבַל תֹּאמַר עַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ לֵךְ וֶאֱמוֹר, וְהוֹסִיף עוֹד הַכָּתוּב וְאָמַר ׳לֵאמוֹר׳ לְדוֹרוֹת, וְכִדְמָצִינוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (בראשית רבה ע, א) עַל הַכָּתוּב (בראשית כח, כ) ״וַיִּדַּר יַעֲקֹב נֶדֶר לֵאמוֹר״, מַהוּ ׳לֵאמוֹר׳, לֵאמוֹר לְדוֹרוֹת שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נוֹדְרִים בְּעֵת צָרָתָם. וְהוּא מֵאַחַר שֶׁיֵּשׁ כָּאן לִימּוּד לְדוֹרוֹת עַל דֶּרֶךְ הָעֵסֶק בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִתּוֹךְ הַכְנָעָה וַעֲנָוָה הַנִּלְמֶדֶת מִמַּעֲשֵׂה הָעוֹלָה, אֲשֶׁר בְּאוֹפֶן זֶה זוֹכִים לִדְרָכִים יְשָׁרִים וּמִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת.
  1. Yoma 4b. The Gemara reads leimor as lo emor, “do not say.” ↩
  2. Bereishis Rabbah 70:1; Bereishis 28:20. ↩
In shortThe first leimor means telling others; the second means “for the generations,” since learning with the olah's humility is a lesson forever.
6May Hashem grant that we be privileged to serve the Creator wholeheartedly. Amen, may it be His will.
יִתֵּן ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לַעֲבוֹד אֶת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרֵךְ עֲבוֹדָה תַּמָּה, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
In shortThe Rebbe prays that we serve the Creator wholeheartedly.
Takeaway

Torah study is likened to bringing an olah, and an olah was meant to humble the one who brought it. Our learning should do the same, making us more humble, more God-fearing and finer in our middos. Hashem asked for “one house” where He can dwell with His Torah, and a humble heart is that house.

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English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.