The Derashot HaRan says the problem of מי מריבה was
because Moshe insulted the tzibbur by saying שמעו נא המורים (see
Ramban.) He adds that on the individual
level this critique and description of Moshe was deserved. However, the whole is greater than the sum of
its parts and on the level of the tzibbbur one cannot use such an expression
about Klal Yisroel (derush 1.) In
Derush 9 he elaborates that this itself isn’t a reason for punishment
but a sin against the klal stops a person’s prayers from being accepted;
that’s why Moshe’s prayers for forgiveness were rejected.
Chazal have a derash on זֹ֚את
הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אָדָ֖ם כִּֽי־יָמ֣וּת בְּאֹ֑הֶל that
אמר ריש לקיש, מניין שאין דברי תורה מתקיימין אלא
במי שממית עצמו עליה, שנאמר זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל (ברכות מ״ג ב׳). Simply
understood, Chazal are telling us the commitment one must have in order to understand
Torah. The Rambam adds to this (Talmud
Torah 3:12) אמרו חכמים דרך רמז זאת התורה אדם כי ימות
באהל אין התורה מתקיימת אלא במי שממית עצמו באהלי החכמים. I assume the source of
the Rambam is the word in the possuk באהל. It’s
not just a means of personal commitment, it’s a measure of one’s commitment to
the beis midrash, to stick to the chachamim, to be attached to
the klal learning Torah (based upon Sichos Rav Nosson Tzvi.) In light of the Ran we can say that when there
is a klal learning Torah, the result is greater than the sum of all the individual’s
efforts. By living in such a אהל,
one is able to receive greater return on his effort than what he put in.
The derash of
Chazal itself requires an explanation.
Why is this about learning Torah written in the middle of parshat
parah adumah?
Based upon what we
explained in Bechukosai and here, we can understand that the Torah wishes to underscore the fact that Torah is a chok. Parah Adumah is the quintessential chok
of the Torah and the Torah wishes to convey that one’s acquisition of Torah is also above human logic. Even though one may put in tremendous amounts of effort in order to acquire Torah, at the end of the day its not an outgrowth from the work put in, its a gift from God.
No comments:
Post a Comment