The Penetrating Torah
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The Penetrating
Torah
It is through Torah that we can pierce through our
heart of stone (block to spirituality).[1]
This is how we can explain what we say in ובא לציון- הוא יפתח לבנו בתורתו, as through Torah our heart of stone can get opened. Then as it
continues there- וישם בלבנו...- we can be
imbued with אהבה, יראה and to do
His will and serve Him wholeheartedly. This is illustrated in the story with R’
Akiva with each drop of water piercing through the rock-[2]
since אין מים אלא
תורה.[3]
The שארית מנחם notices that if we spell out the word טמא- that is טית ממ אלפ- and add it
up we come to a total of 610. תורה has a Gematria of 611.
This alludes to the fact that Torah overcomes impurity.[4]
We find a similar idea by the פרה אדומה, where it says זאת חקת התורה;[5] this is the
decree of the Torah, not זאת חקת פרה אדומה. The Rokeach
makes a comparison: just as the פרה אדומה purifies those who are טמא, so does the Torah.
[1] See Yechezkel
11:19, 36:26
[2] The water fell onto the rock
daily eventually piercing through it. This spurred him to start learning, as he
didn’t learn until age 40 (Avos Drebi Nosson 6:2). The simple meaning is that
although it was little water, it still penetrated through the rock. It is said
from R’ Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld the following: It was because of the the little
water daily that it penetrated the rock, as if the sum total of all water was
poured into the rock in one shot, it wouldn’t have pierced the rock.
[3] Taanis 7a. Torah has the power to transform a person.
This explains whyשנה means to learn
as well as to change- as in שינוי. It is for this reason that the Parsha of Matan
Torah is in Parshas Yisro- a convert who had the greatest son-in-law one can
hope for.
[4] Being called up to the Torah is
referred to as an עליה since Torah elevates us.
[5] Bamidbar 19:2
[6] Shemos 3:8
