Aggadot from Hamivtar Rabbi Yitzchak Blau If you have comments or questions please feel free to e-mail Rabbi Blau at: nyz@netvision.net.il

The Proper Amount of Torah Study

“These are the things that have no fixed amount: The corner of the field, the first 
fruits…and the study of Torah.” (Peah 1:1) 

R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Shimon bar Yohai: “Even if a person only recited Keriat Shema in the morning and the evening, he has fulfilled ‘do not let this book of Torah depart from your mouth’ (Yehoshua 1:8) and it is forbidden to teach this in front of the ignorant. Rava said: “ It is a mizvah to teach this in front of the ignorant.” (Menahot 99b)

The closing debate in Menahot raises an interesting educational question. Is it preferable to not inform the masses about the ease with which one can technically 
fulfill the mizvah of Torah study and thereby encourage them to learn more than is 
required? Is it better to teach them the minimum requirement in the hope that this will encourage them to begin the endeavor with small steps and grow from there?

In the continuation of that gemara, R. Yishmael seems to take the position that a person should be learning Torah all day. The ambiguity about how demanding the obligation of Talmud Torah is emerges from the mishnah in Peah as well. What does it mean that this mizvah has no fixed amount? Tifferet Yisrael and others explain that there exists no minimum and no maximum. On the one hand, if one just recites the Shema, already obligatory on its own merit, one has fulfilled the mizvah. On the other hand, the more a person learns the better. 

R. Meir Simha of Dvinsk offers an insightful explanation for this flexibility in his Ohr Sameah (Hilkhot Talmud Torah 1:2). He explains that the mizvot are meant to be, for the most part, equally binding on all Jews. This universalizing quality of mizvot conveys the idea that Judaism is not reserved for a small elite but rather equally applies to all. Thus, every Jew has the same obligation to eat maza on Pesah. However, the extent of some Jewish ideals depends a great deal upon the person being commanded. For example, the Torah does not give precise guidelines with regard to character traits such as pride or anger because the proper amount of these traits depends a great deal on the person and his or her context. When it comes to mizvot with such variables, the Torah does not explicate all the variables but offers a baseline that applies to each and every Jew.

According to R. Meir Simha, study of Torah represents just such a mitzvah. It depends a great deal on factors such as whether a person already supports a family, a person’s intellectual abilities and a person’s ability to concentrate diligently. Therefore, the Torah just demands a bit of learning each morning and evening as a minimum obligation for all. Of course, each individual should challenge himself or herself to learn more to the best of their capability.

I would also add that the desired amount of Torah study not only varies from person to person but also from stage to stage in a person’s life. When a person works long hours and comes home to take care of children, a short dose of daily learning is heroic and impressive. When a person studies in yeshiva, the goal becomes nothing less than a full day. May we succeed at reaching our learning potential and understand the varying energies to invest in learning at the different stages in our life. 

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