If You Want It, Ask For It

“[The Torah] is not in heaven…nor is it on the other side of the ocean [that you should] say, ‘Who will…get it for us?’… It is in your mouth and heart, so that you can keep it” (Deuteronomy 30:12-14).

Rashi comments: For if the Torah was in heaven or across the sea, you would have to climb to the sky and cross the ocean to get it.

It is indeed one more thing to be thankful for, that we do not have to go to extraordinary lengths to study Torah. Even in Rebbe Nachman’s time, there were already many seforim (holy books) being printed and bought (Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #18). However, to actually learn the Torah and put it into practice – that’s a daunting challenge! How can we ever hope to accomplish it?

“It is in your mouth and heart, so that you can keep it.” Reb Noson explains that the Torah itself is giving us the solution: Talk to God about your desire to learn His Torah, about how much you want to understand it better and remember it more clearly, especially when you need to apply it. God doesn’t hold us responsible for what we can’t do. He doesn’t test us beyond our abilities. He’s not out to “catch” us at wrongdoing. But He does expect us to turn to Him and ask for help.

Maybe you need to be more proficient in Hebrew – ask God for help. Perhaps your schedule is too crowded and you can’t find time to learn – ask Him to give you the strength to unsubscribe from mailing lists and stop wasting time playing Doom and Quake. Maybe you can’t get hold of the seforim you need. Express to Him how much you’re willing to sacrifice whatever you need to, to know Him, to know His Torah. For the moment you’re truly ready to sacrifice yourself for the Torah, it’s yours.

But there’s a catch to buying seforim. As the Rebbe commented, “People are unaware of this. All the books in the world won’t help if you don’t learn” (ibid.). Which would be a shame. For the Rebbe also told us that the power of Torah is so great that even the worst habitual sinners would break free from their evil if they would just maintain daily Torah study sessions, “be what may, come what may” (ibid. #19).

(Based on Likutey Halakhot, Hoda’ah 6:18)