Perfect Combination

In Garden of Purity, Rav Shalom Arush says that Torah is a critically important mitzvah, for our Sages say that Torah learning outweighs everything. Rebbe Nachman says that Torah learning stands higher than all other mitzvot.

Initially when I read this I was puzzled as Rebbe Nachman is famous for saying that prayer, particularly personal prayer is the highest of all virtues.

How can he say both statements? Which is higher, Torah or prayer?

Actually there is no conflict. Both statements are true since Torah is an essential ingredient for success in prayer and prayer is indispensable for successful Torah learning. This is why in the third blessing of the Amidah, it says “Return us Hashem to Your Torah” and immediately following this it says, “Bring us close to your service”. This service refers to prayer.

Why Prayer Needs Torah

• Torah establishes our life goals

In Orchos Tzadikim, the author writes that we should be grateful to Hashem for giving us the Torah. The Torah teaches us how to emulate Him and how to find favor in His eyes.

 

Rabbi Arush explains that if a person doesn’t learn Torah, how is he supposed to know what to pray for?

• Torah study empowers our prayers

Rebbe Nachman writes, “Know, that by way of the Torah all of one’s prayers and requests are accepted, for the Torah enhances the charm and prestige of Israel, both materially and spiritually. In contrast, King Solomon says that one who removes his ear from listening to Torah, his prayer is an abomination. In other words, Hashem says: “If this person isn’t interested in what I have to say, I’m not so interested in what he has to say.”

 

Torah and prayer therefore go hand in hand to illuminate one another.

Why Torah Needs Prayer

• Prayer helps us internalize and apply Torah insights

Rebbe Nachman teaches that we should bring our Torah learning into our prayers. When we pray to internalize and apply His Torah, our prayers are extremely gratifying to Hashem. To bring the Torah we learn into our heart, we need prayer, which is the service of the heart.

• Prayer fosters humility and helps us learn with the proper intent

Rav Arush writes that the Gemara bemoans the fact that even some Torah scholars are far from prayer. No matter how much of a Torah scholar one is, he is sorely lacking without prayer, for as Rebbe Nachman teaches, prayer is the way a person clings to Hashem.

 

Rebbe Nachman therefore said that one must pray – before learning. One must seek divine assistance in learning so that he will reap the truth of Torah and not become arrogant from his learning. It should also bring a person to humility and emuna and not just be for the sharpening of his intellect.

 

Rav Arush explains that the Evil Inclination attacks its primary targets – prayer and personal holiness, the foundation of a Jew’s entire soul correction. The Evil Inclination will enable a person to learn Torah and perform mitzvoth all day, especially when a person becomes increasingly arrogant and readily angry. Such a Torah scholar is a feather in the Evil Inclination’s hat.

We need to remember that the same Torah that Moshe learned was learned by Korach. Like atomic power, the Torah can understandably build the worthy or destroy the unworthy, feeding their ego and thereby severing them from Hashem.

 

The Gemara says that when Hashem created the Evil Inclination He created the Torah as the antidote. Rav Arush says that when the Gemara says that Torah is the remedy for evil, it is referring to the type of Torah that penetrates the heart. This is Torah that is accompanied by prayer.

 

It is therefore, vital that we have the intent to learn Torah for the sake of getting closer to Hashem and of enhancing our prayers and personal holiness while helping us build humility and upright character, the necessary prerequisites for clinging to Hashem.

 

In Garden of Knowledge Rav Arush writes that we should “double wrap” our Torah learning with prayer beforehand, and with thanks afterward. This helps us attain divine assistance in our learning; establishes the proper intent and instills the realization that our success depends not on our efforts but on Hashem’s kindness.

Prayer creates the vessels needed to absorb Torah knowledge

Some might second guess the value of spending time in personal prayer, believing that this results in a loss of valuable Torah learning time. Quite the contrary, Rav Arush assures us that allocating time to personal prayer is a very wise investment and over time will enhance our Torah learning.

He explains that prayer builds vessels of abundance. By way of prayer, one’s learning becomes stronger and more efficient. Prayer enhances joy in learning and spiritual sensitivity. It also knocks down obstacles in the way. Most important, prayer invokes Divine Assistance.

In The Way of God the Ramchal writes: “When a person purifies and sanctifies himself, his study then transmits to him a deeper Influence depending on his level of preparation. The more he purifies himself, the greater will be the value and power of his study.”

It seems clear that a key element of this preparation is prayer.

Learn to Pray and Pray to Learn

 Let’s remember to:

* Use the Torah as a guide for daily living and to know what we should pray for.

* Pray before Torah learning and say thanks after so we receive Hashem’s help and realize that our success in learning is not dependent on our effort and intellect. Connecting to the infinite wisdom of the Torah depends on Hashem’s grace. 

* Pray to learn Torah for the purpose of elevating our personal holiness, emuna, humility and character traits.

* Use the Torah lessons we learn as the basis of our personal prayers and ask for Hashem’s help in remembering, internalizing and applying these lessons.

In the merit of learning to pray and praying to learn may we come closer to Hashem and elicit Divine Compassion for the Jewish people. Amen.