Traveling with Torah

Rebbe Natan of Breslev was famous for time management and would always utilize travel time for Torah study. Rebbe Nachman teaches that learning Torah while traveling gives one charm…

Rabbi Avraham ben Nachman traveled on a boat from the harbor of Jaffa (Yafo). He saw all the distractions and somewhat unsavory happenings on the ship. He opened a book in Yafo and he closed it only when he got to the Port of Odessa!

Nowadays we also have to be careful not to get distracted when we are traveling on airplanes or waiting in airports or train stations. There are many spiritually harmful sights and countless opportunities to waste precious time.

In the book Maggid Mesharim, Rabbi Joseph Caro records what he learned from an angel who was his study partner. He said that, when you are on a trip to visit the resting places of tzadikim, if you are engrossed in Torah the Divine Presence goes before you.

In the book Growth Through Torah, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin says this principle of traveling with Torah is applicable in all our life journeys. In Vayikra 26:3, Hashem says: “You shall walk in my statutes.” The Ohr HaChaim comments that since this part of the verse refers to toiling in Torah, it states the term walking because we should become used to studying Torah even when we are walking and traveling.

Rabbi Pliskin says there are many opportunities to study Torah that frequently are not utilized properly. When you travel, remember to take along a holy book to study from. Even if a person does not have much travel time, there are likely topics that one does not always have a chance to study. The time waiting for transportation to arrive and the actual travel time can be used very productively. Even if you do have interruptions and are not able to study the entire time, whatever you are able to study is of great benefit.

Many people listen to Torah CDs in their cars when traveling. Besides benefiting the driver, it gives those traveling with him a chance to listen to lectures that they would not have heard otherwise.

Every minute a precious diamond

Many of us rack our brains trying to gain more time for Torah study. Regrettably, with our crazy jam-packed schedules it’s often difficult to squeeze in an extra hour for a shiur or chavrusa (study partner). However, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are many golden opportunities to gain time for Torah study in 1-5-minute segments. Cumulatively these small segments can add up to dozens of hours over the course of a year.

These opportunities occur at set recurring times. Some examples:

• Lunch time
• Coffee breaks
• Journeys to and from work
• Driving or walking to and from synagogue

Other opportunities can be found in ad hoc situations that arise intermittently but frequently:

• While in line at stores
• Waiting for doctors’ appointments
• Waiting for elevators
• Booting up your computer  

We should try always to have Torah material to study. These can include pocket-sized booklets or Torah emails. You can also print Torah articles and have them in your pocket or purse. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish during these short time periods.

Let’s take the example of waiting for elevators. Those of us who work in office buildings take on average at least 4 trips up and down per day. Let’s say conservatively this adds up to 8 minutes a day. If you use just 5 minutes a day for Torah learning that adds up to 20 hours a year. If we leverage some of these other opportunities regularly we can all probably squeeze out 15 minutes to half an hour per day in small segments. A half hour a day adds up to some 150 hours a year!

With each second you are obtaining a piece of eternity and creating an angel. With each second you are elevating your soul and coming closer to Hashem. What an opportunity!

Don’t let diamonds slip through your hands.

Rabbi Natan stresses the vital importance of maximizing time on Torah study and not wasting precious moments that can be used for sacred and exalted accomplishments. We need to “snatch time’ and devote it to what has real and lasting value.

Encourage yourself and keep a record of the time you’ve redeemed and what you’ve learned each day. This will give you great encouragement and satisfaction. Remember: by traveling with Torah you are traveling with Hashem.