Q&A: The Essence of Torah Study
The Essence of Torah Study
Question
I spend a lot of time thinking about the question of in-depth Talmud study—why study Talmud, and why specifically in the way practiced in hesder yeshivot and the like. That led me to wonder about Torah study in general: most explanations of Torah study say that the very act of studying Torah and encountering the Torah—which is the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His exalted creation—is itself the goal. According to this approach, that is the meaning of the concept of “Torah study for its own sake”: to study in order to study and to encounter the Holy One, blessed be He, and that encounter and knowledge of Torah is what influences the world and concepts such as the Jewish people. I came across a Talmudic passage that speaks about Torah that is an “elixir of life” and Torah that is an “elixir of death.” That means that not every kind of study in which I encounter the word of God influences the world positively—sometimes even the opposite. In your opinion, what is the purpose of Torah study, and how is that supposed to find expression in in-depth study?
Answer
I completely identify with the direction you presented. In my opinion, any other explanation is incorrect. This is elaborated on at length in Nefesh HaChayim, Gate 4, as is well known.
The fact that it can sometimes also become an elixir of death does not contradict this at all. The encounter has value if you come with the intention of encounter, and not if you come with ulterior motives. Why do you think there is a problem here?
Discussion on Answer
And the Sephardim disagree and hold that the main goal of conceptual learning is to understand the practical bottom-line rulings.
So how should one study the dispute between the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim—conceptually, or in order to reach the bottom line?
Depends whether you’re Ashkenazi or Sephardi? 🙂
In my opinion, this is not supposed to find expression in the form of study. You study to the best of your understanding and ability and try to understand. Maybe it affects the goals of the learning: the goal is not to know the bottom line; quite the opposite—the bottom lines, the halakhot, are only practical implications of the conceptual learning, which is the main goal. To understand the Torah mode of thought, not the instructions in the bottom line.