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this reflection is superficial and merely with being “kovei’ah itim l’Torah.” Devoting hours and write them down on a little pad.
physical. a set time each day and night to Torah At the end of each week, month and year,
learning reinforces our appreciation of its each person tallies his total hours of Torah
Heaven’s cry importance and gives us a better chance study. When someone dies, we add up the
“Every day, a heavenly voice cries out from of continuing consistently. total amount of time they spent learning
Sinai saying: ‘Woe to the creatures who Ideally, we should set aside the first and Torah and doing mitzvot. For this person,
insult the Torah’ by not taking advantage last hours of each day for Torah study. it was ten years, for that person twelve.
of the opportunity to study it” (Avot 6:2). Learning first thing in the morning shows The ages on the gravestone are their Torah
This lament is especially relevant to our that Torah is our priority and ensures we ages, not their biological ones.”
times. The Industrial Revolution and sub- learn before the days get busy. Learning Shavuot is a time to reflect upon how to
sequent technological advances shortened at the end of our day frames the day make our days, months, and years count.
the amount of time needed to complete with holiness and infuses our sleep with The Tschebiner Rebbe used to challenge
our workload, while electricity lighting thoughts of Torah. his chassidim to consider what would
up our nights has expanded our ability Studying with a chavruta in a beit midrash happen if someone already deceased
to be productive at night. Together, these and joining a set daily learning program was given the opportunity to return to
advancements afford us an unprecedented (like daf yomi) will also help us maintain a this world for a few days. How would he
amount of free time. But how do we use commitment to learning. Chavruta study spend his limited time? The newly revived
this time? Unfortunately, much of the makes us responsible to someone else, man would surely rush to the beit midrash
world devotes it to leisure and entertain- while learning in a beit midrash among a to learn as much Torah as possible and
ment, using their free time for activities cadre of learners adds atmosphere to our certainly wouldn’t waste his time on idle
that do not enrich them or impact their learning. Finally, joining a daily learning chatter and meaningless activities. We,
surroundings in any meaningful way. program links us to a global community too, should appreciate the limited time we
“Rabbi Chanina the son of Chachinai devoted to a common Torah goal. have in this world and use it well.
would say: One who stays awake at night, Many of us spend hours commuting each Our communities do so much good. We
or travels alone on the road, and turns his day. What do we do while driving or on send our children to fine schools, daven
heart to idleness, has forfeited his life.” the train, bus or plane? Travel time is an in beautiful shuls, and are deeply commit-
(Avot 3:4). The problem is not being up at excellent opportunity to listen to a shiur or ted to chessed. Our commitment to Torah
night in and of itself, but, rather staying read a sefer. By doing so, we increase our learning, on the other hand, definitely
up at night without learning Torah. Night Torah learning and reinforce our appreci- needs strengthening. Let us use Chag
time was created for Torah study and sleep ation of Torah. Matan Torateinu as a time to reflect on the
(Eruvin 65a); one who wastes it does not importance of Torah learning and the
deserve the life he has been gifted. Every Jew should aspire to become a Torah ways we can deepen our commitment to
scholar. Our appreciation of the Torah’s
We live in an age of constant distraction. value should also inspire us to seek to it. Chag Sameach!
It is, in fact, no further than the palms of grow our Torah knowledge. It is never too
our hands. Though people have always late to acquire Torah knowledge. Rabbi
been drawn to meaningless pursuits, easy Akiva began his meteoric growth at age
access to smartphones, social media and forty. Most of us are already ahead of him
entertainment has increased the tempta- and just need to maintain our focus and
tion dramatically. effort.
Shavuot is the time to consider the con-
trast between the great value of Torah What our life amounts to Scan here to join Rabbi Taragin’s
study versus the amount of time we Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l told the story of daily Divrei Torah WhatsApp group
commit to it. We should reflect upon the a rabbi who visited a town for the first
activities in which we invest our time and time. The locals gave their honored guest a
consider the growth we would achieve if tour, taking him to see the shul, the school,
we devoted that same time to Torah study. the mikveh and finally the cemetery. The
rabbi was shocked to see that all the grave-
Translating our good intentions stones memorialized children who had
Many of us have tried to devote more died young: Reuven, 12 years old. Shimon,
time to Torah study, but have struggled 11 years old. Levi, 15 years old, and so on. Rabbi Reuven Taragin
to actualize our good intentions. After “Was there a plague here?” he asked. “A is Educational Director of Mizrachi
Shavuot, when we return to the busyness pogrom? Why did they die so young?” and Dean of the Yeshivat Hakotel
of everyday life, our hopes of intensifying “No, rabbi,” the mayor explained. “In this Overseas Program.
our Torah study often fall by the wayside.
town, we keep track of the time we spend A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
Chazal addressed this problem with a each day learning Torah and doing mitzvot. mizrachi.org/speakers
practical recipe for success. It begins At the end of the day, we count up those

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