Conversely, the Gemara continues that “when Klal Yisrael is suffering and an individual detaches himself from the nation, the two angels who accompany every man place their hands on his head and say, ‘May this person, who separated himself from the tzibbur, not experience their consolation.’ ” In order to merit a favorable judgment, a person must become part of the general community.
What then can we do to bond with the tzibbur, to engage in an action that binds us with the tzibbur and simultaneously binds us with Hashem?
Stop Paying Lip Service to Serious Torah Study
Perhaps we can put forth a bold suggestion as to how we can bond with the tzibbur in a way that will bring the collective berachah of the entire Jewish nation to each individual and a new spiritual dimension to our lives.
We all understand the importance of Torah learning, but we often merely pay it lip service. Many of us have a daily learning session and many others do not. Maybe the time has come to start seriously considering learning Torah with resoluteness and accountability.
The nature of our lives in this country is hectic. If we don’t set aside time daily to learn – and not just set aside time but actually be part of a learning program that encompasses Klal Yisrael – then it is very hard to persevere in our Torah studies in a way that the knowledge will remain after we leave the beis midrash – and even while we are still in the beis medrash!
Surely, our learning would be further enhanced and empowered exponentially if we would employ a systematic way to acquire it. It is not something beyond our reach. On the contrary, thousands upon thousands the world over are doing it every day.
A person has a far better chance of acquiring a kinyan through joining a program such as Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi program, which demands accountability through multiple reviews and regular testing. This spurs a person to learn the material well the first time and review it in a manner that helps him to really know and understand what he is learning. The person who learns this way becomes filled with true joy – true simchas haTorah. He becomes connected in a way that is so exhilarating he will never want to stop.
Nonetheless, even if one feels that learning the Daf HaYomi in such a comprehensive fashion is too difficult and time consuming, that’s not a reason to relinquish learning Torah in a responsible, accountable way. There are numerous other programs in both Gemara and halacha such as the popular Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha daily Mishnah Berurah program that takes less of a time commitment – as little as 30 minutes a day – but enables a person to join Klal Yisrael in an amazing program that literally brings Hashem into his daily life.
When one learns the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and takes the monthly tests, he finds that halacha has something to say about virtually every action throughout the day. One wakes up in the morning contemplating what Hashem wants from him. He davens, eats, recites Birchas Hamazon, all the while cognizant of the myriad halachos he has learned on these issues. He goes to work and encounters Hashem in so many ways, as halacha has a lot to say about multiple work scenarios.
Learning those halachos and taking tests together with tens of thousands of other Jews binds a person to Klal Yisrael and Hashem in a profound way. The merit of a truly serious commitment to Torah learning and of being part of a “Klal Yisrael Movement” have the power to earn him and his family an inscription on Rosh Hashanah in the Book of Life, and in the Books of spiritual and material blessing.
