Q&A: Studying Torah for Its Own Sake
Studying Torah for Its Own Sake
Question
Hello Rabbi, I understand that your position on studying Torah for its own sake is that if you study Torah in order to know what to do, then it is for a certain purpose and therefore not for its own sake; rather, studying Torah for its own sake is only for the sake of the learning itself. I came across an article by Rabbi Moti Matlon, who argues that indeed studying Torah for its own sake is not for the sake of knowing what to do, but that studying in order to act is part of the very definition of the commandment itself (perhaps not only Jewish law, but anything one studies that will help us cleave to the Creator in our actual lives). You can do this for worthy or unworthy purposes, but in the end, if you studied something that is not relevant in any way, then it was not Torah study at all. I would be happy to hear your opinion on the matter.
Answer
My view is written in several places. I completely agree. See, for example, Column 479, in the first part.
Discussion on Answer
It certainly is considered that. The ideal study is when one arrives at the halakhic conclusion. But even that is not necessarily reached immediately. It’s a process.
I’d appreciate some clarification. Let’s say I’m learning Talmud or Mishnah in Menachot right now, and I haven’t analyzed it enough to reach a conclusion; I’ve only learned the various opinions this way and that way without getting to the end of their reasoning. Is that still considered, by definition, fulfillment of the commandment of Torah study?