פרשת בא
In this week’s parsha we are introduced to the mitzvah of tefillin. Tefillin is a mitzvah that is especially famous for requiring all kinds of cavanos. One putting on tefillin is required to have in mind that he is fulfilling a commandment, remember the miracles that occurred in Egypt, subjugate all his being to Hashem, and take upon himself the responsibility of overcoming his physical desires. However, in this week’s parsha, we learn about the very essence of tefillin. At the end of our parsha, the Torah writes that the purpose of tefillin is “in oder that Hashem’s Torah should be in your mouth.” Every single time we put on our tefillin, we should have this idea in mind. Torah study is such a prominent aspect of tefillin, that the Shulchan Aruch 38:10 says that one who learns Torah the entire day is even exempt from putting on tefillin because Torah itself is where tefillin lead you! What gives tefillin this incredible connection to learning Torah? Why should putting on tefillin turn a person into a masmid? Wearing tefillin is one thing, but learning Torah is another!
The Torah refers to tefillin as a sign. The question is: a sign of what? The Chasam Sofer says that tefillin are a declaration to the world and to ourselves that we are Hashem’s slaves. In truth, when we left Egypt, it may be correct that from one aspect we became free. However, our freedom from Egypt was only facilitated so that we would become full-fledged servants of G-d. Therefore, one who neglects the constant service of G-d is ignoring the fact that we were taken out of Egypt only to serve Hashem, and utterly disregarding life’s mission. Tefillin awaken a person to his obligations towards his Master, reminding him that he is only a servant of G-d. This is the totality of one’s existence. So on a basic level, every single time a person does a mitzvah he is fulfilling the purpose of life. However, the Rambam writes in his Sefer HaMitzvos in Mitzvah #5 that even though every mitzvah is an expression of Divine service, there are certain mitzvos that make this statement more strongly than others. Incredibly, the Rambam concludes that learning Torah is a primary activity for demonstrating complete subjugation to Hashem. When one engages in Torah study he must use all his energy and resources to fully actualize his learning. Furthermore, unlike other mitzvos, the obligation to learn Torah is constant. All of one’s time must be dedicated to Torah, and only when another mitzvah arises or physical necessities press may he stop. When one is capable and available, there is no excuse to absolve oneself from learning. Therefore, it is very understandable that tefillin, a symbol of our slavery to Hashem, are a primary source of inspiration to push ourselves in Torah learning. One who thinks about this message every day before putting on his tefillin and truly accepts upon himself the Yoke of Heaven understands the very purpose of life, and surely his Torah learning will be enhanced by this expanded level of consciousness. One who ingrains this message will exert himself to learn with more zeal and be able to actualize his essence as a servant of G-d.
Since this concept is such an essential part of our lives, every person has an obligation to contemplate whether or not he is truly fulfilling his role and acting like a servant of Hashem. Are we really giving Hashem all we’ve got? We should love, and jump for, every opportunity to serve Hashem and exert every bit of strength that we have in Torah. When I was in yeshiva, I had a maggid shiur who taught a method for determining who is committed to Torah and who is not. Needless to say, a real bachur must be punctual with all his sedarim and be especially diligent about the yeshiva’s designated times for learning. However, the real test of a bachur is not how he learns during seder but what he does afterwards! How do we spend our “free time?” Do we have a night seder? What do we do over bein hazmanim? When we see that we have more free time than we anticipated, what do we choose to do with it? Are we excited to enter the yeshiva in the morning, or do we dread it? What do we think about in our free time? Are we reviewing the gemara or thinking about parnassa? A real eved Hashem craves every opportunity to further his service of G-d and relationship with Him. We must develop this desire within ourselves if we really want to be Hashem’s servants.
It is well known that Dayan Yisrael Yaakov Fischer was one of the greatest leaders of Jewry in Yerushalayim in the past century. He was a tremendous prodigy and incredibly gifted. However, in my opinion, his most distinctive characteristic was his complete dedication to serving Hashem. He had unbelievable hasmada. When he was a bachur, he learned with two chevrusas, each for 8 hours, and still managed to find a way to learn with other bachurim who were at a lower level in learning than him, as a chesed. Even when he got engaged he managed to keep all the sedarim in the yeshiva. He was so dedicated even at that early stage in his life that one of the conditions of marriage that he made with his wife was that they should only eat together 10 minutes a day during the week so as to minimize the amount of time he wasn’t learning. Later in life, when his wife became sick, Dayan Fischer took a lot of time off of learning, telling his talmidim that after all the sacrifices that his wife made to support his learning, it was his personal responsibility to be the one who would take care of her. However, even though Dayan Fischer refused all help, those who observed Dayan Fischer caring for his wife were inspired to see that while he was helping her with one hand, there was always a sefer in the other. When Dayan Fischer himself was nearing the end of his life and became very ill, somehow he still managed to get in 12 hours of learning every day. Down to the very last minute of his life, Dayan Fishcer was a true eved Hashem.
May we all be zoche to be true avdei Hashem!!!