The Center for Modern Torah Leadership Taking Responsibility for Torah

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1 10 Allen Court Somerville, MA (617) A RISKY SHIUR

2 1. Taanit 7a A beraita: R. Benaah would often say: Anyone who is deeply involved in Torah lishmah, his Torah becomes an elixir of life for him, as Scripture says She is a tree of life for those who grasp her... but anyone who is deeply involved in Torah shelo lishmah, it becomes an elixir of death for him, as it says Berakhot 17a... to those who do lishmah and not to those who do shelo lishmah, and anyone who does shelo lishmah would have been better off had he not been created Genesis 2:9 Hashem the Lord caused to grow from the ground all trees attractive to look at and good to eat. The tree of life was within (b tokh) the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 4. Genesis 3:3 The woman said to the snake: From the fruit of the garden we may eat. But from the fruit of the tree within (b tokh) the garden, the Lord said: Don t eat from it, and don t touch it, lest you die. 5. Pesachim 50b Rava posed a contradiction: in Psalm 57 it says Your Grace extends to Heaven, but in Psalm 108 it says Your Grace extends above Heaven! How can we resolve this? Here (108) we are discussing those who do lishmah, there (57) those who do shelo lishmah. This resolution follows the statement of R. Yehudah in the name of Rav, for R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav A person should always be deeply involved in Torah and Mitzvot even shelo lishmah, because shelo lishmah will lead to lishmah. 6. Maharam Chalava to Pesachim 50b There are two kinds of shelo lishmah - if he acts out of love or fear, or to know the wisdom of Torah, then "out of shelo lishmah comes lishmah. But if he involves himself to become great or to attack, he would have been better off had he not been created 7. Tosafot HaRosh to Megillah 25b There are two kinds of love or fear - love of reward and fear of punishment is not good, but love and awe of G-d are good.

3 1. תעניתדףז. תניא: היהרביבנאהאומר: כלהעוסקבתורהלשמה, תורתונעשיתלוסםחיים, שנאמר "{משליג'} עץחייםהיאלמחזיקיםבה"... וכלהעוסקבתורהשלאלשמה, נעשיתלוסםהמות, שנאמר "יערף כמטרלקחי", ואיןעריפהאלאהריגה, שנאמר "{דבריםכ"א} וערפושםאתהעגלהבנחל" 2. ברכות יז.... לעושיםלשמהולאלעושיםשלאלשמה, וכלהעושהשלאלשמהנוחלושלאנברא 3. בראשית ב:ט ויצמח ה' אלקים מן האדמה כל עץ נחמד למראה וטוב למאכל. ועץ החיים החיים בתוך הגן, ועץ הדעת טוב ורע. 4. בראשית ג:ג ותאמר האשה אל הנחש: מפרי עץ הגן נאכל, ומפרי העץ אשר בתוך הגן אמר אלקים "לא תאכלו ממנו ולא תגעו בו פן תמותון". 5. פסחיםנ: רבארמי: כתיב "{תהליםנז} כיגדלעדשמיםחסדך", וכתיב "{תהליםקח} כיגדלמעל שמיםחסדך" - האכיצד? כאןבעושיןלשמה, וכאןבעושיןשלאלשמה, וכדרביהודה, דאמררב יהודהאמררב: לעולםיעסוקאדםבתורהומצותאףעלפישלאלשמה, שמתוךשלאלשמהבא לשמה: 6. מהר"םחלוואהפסחיםנ: תרתישלאלשמהאיכא: דעבידמאהבהומיראהאולדעתחכמתהתורה - מתוךשלאלשמהבא לשמה, אבלהעוסק להתגדרולקנטר - נוחלושלאנברא 7. תוס' הרא"שמגילהכה: ד"המהו דתרימינימאהבהומיראההן: מאהבתשכרומיראתעונש- אינוטוב, מאהבתהמקוםומיראתו - תרימעליותאהם

4 8. Tosafot to Sotah 22b... shelo lishmah, as for example out of fear of suffering or love of reward, where his intent is not to fulfill the Will of his Maker Who commanded him to do such but rather his own benefit... but Taanit and Berakhot discuss one who is involved not out of love or fear, but rather to compound his transgressions, making his accidental sins deliberate, for even though he knows that he transgresses he does not refrain from fulfilling any of his heart s desires. 9. Tosafot to Berakhot 17a Here it discusses one who learns only to attack his colleagues, but there it discusses one who learns so that he will be respected 10. Riv van to Pesachim 50b for the sake of Heaven and not to become great and arrogant 11. Tosafot to Pesachim 50b Here it discusses one who learns to be arrogant and attack and diminish his colleagues in the realm of halakhah, and doesn t learn in order to practice, but here... he has no evil intent but is simply lazy 12. Nedarim 62b R. Eliezer son of R. Tzadok said: Do things for the sake of their Maker, and speak in them lishmah. Do not make them a crown to be exalted through them, nor a shovel to dig with. A fortiori: If Belshazzar, who only used for his own benefit sacred utensils which had lost their sanctity, was uprooted from the world, all the more so one who uses the crown of Torah for his own benefit! 13. Nazir 23b R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav: A person should always..., because as a reward for the 42 sacrifices Balak the evildoer brought, he merited being the ancestor of Ruth Responsa of R. Chayyim Ohr Zarua Once shelo lishmah has come up, I ll say something else about it. R. Tam said there are two types of shelo lishmah, one forbidden and one permitted. But I, insignificant and small, say that all shelo lishmah is the same, and all are transgressive. But that transgression is permitted if it will lead in the end to a mitzvah, like when a man saves a woman in a river or digs someone out of a pile on Shabbat. This is also implied by the comparison (of a mitzvah shelo lishmah) to Yael (whose seduction of Sisera is called a sin lishmah ). But one who stiffens his neck, who will never do the mitzvah, better for him not to have been created.

5 8. תוס' סוטהכב: ד"הלעולם עוסקשלאלשמהכגון מיראתיסורין... ומאהבתקיבולפרס, שאינומתכווןלהשליםרצוןיוצרו שציווהועלכךאלאלהנאתו... אבלההיאשלאלשמהדתעניתומס' ברכותאינועוסקבתורהכדי לקייםלאמאהבהולאמיראה, אלאלהוסיףעלחטאתופשע, שעתהשגגותמעשולוזדונות, שאע"פשידעשעוברלאמנעמכלתאותלבו 9. תוס' ברכותיז. ד"ההעושה דהכאמיירישאינולומדאלא לקנטרחביריו והתםמיירי שלומדע"משיכבדוהו 10. ריבב"ן פסחים נ: לשםשמים ולאלהתגדלולהתייהר 11. תוספותפסחיםדףנ: ד"הוכאןבעושים ואור"ידהתםמייריכגוןשלומדכדי להתיהרולקנטרולקפחאתחביריובהלכהואינולומדע"מ לעשותאבלהכא... שאין מתכווןלשוםרעהאלאמתוךעצלותאפ"הגדולעדשמיםחסדו: 12. נדריםסב. רביאליעזרברר' צדוקאומר: עשהדבריםלשםפעלם, ודברבהםלשמם, אלתעשםעטרה להתגדלבהם, ואלתעשםקורדוםלהיותעודרבו, וקלוחומר: ומהבלשצרשלאנשתמשאלאבכלי קדששנעשוכליחול- נעקרמןהעולם, המשתמשבכתרהשלתורה- עלאחתכמהוכמה. 13. נזירדףכג: אמררביהודהאמררב: לעולםיעסוקאדםבתורהובמצותאפי' שלאלשמן, שמתוךשלאלשמןבא לשמן, שבשכרמ"בקרבנותשהקריבבלקהרשע - זכהויצאהממנורות, וא"ריוסיבר' חנינא: רות בתבנושלעגלוןמלךמואבהיתה. 14. שו"תמהר"חאורזרועסימןקסג ושלאלשמה, הואילואתאלידן, נימאביהמילתא- כיר"תאומרשניענינישלאלשמהיש, חדאסיר וחדשרי, ואניהדיוטופעוטאומרדכלשלאלשמהחדהואוכולםעבירה, א[ך] אותהעבירההותרה, שסופהלבאלידימצוה, כמומצילאשהבנהרומפקחגלבשבת. וכןמשמעבנזיר, שמדמהאותה למעשהדיעל. אבלמישמקשהערפולעולםלאיעשהמצוה, נוחלושלאנברא.

6 15. Introduction to the Eglei Tal While I m at it, I thought I d mention the opinion of some people who, straying from the path of the intellect, say that one who is creative and derives pleasure from the intellectual aspects of Torah study is not learning lishmah as much as if they were learning straightforwardly, deriving no pleasure, but rather learning only for the sake of the commandment. They suggest that one who enjoys learning is mixing his own pleasure into the learning. Actually, this is a blatant error, for the essence of the commandment to learn Torah is that one be delighted by it, for then it is absorbed into the blood, and one who derives pleasure from Torah becomes attached to it. 16. S fat Emet to Pesachim 50b In my humble opinion it is possible that here, when we say A person should always... - it is certainly reasonable to distinguish between Torah and mitzvot in this regard, as certainly involvement in Torah shelo lishmah is worse than doing mitzvot shelo lishmah, because the essence of learning Torah is the intent, while mitzvot, even shelo lishmah, (are significant) because the Torah commanded the action even without the intent. Accordingly, we can say that here it discusses involvement in Torah so as to know to do the commandments, and this is called lishmah, but since he performs the commandments shelo lishmah but rather habitually, and learns with the intent to perform the mitzvot so, (we nonetheless tell him involve yourself deeply in Torah (lishmah) and mitzvot (shelo lishmah) so that you will come to do mitzvot lishmah )... Absent this approach, I think it would be difficult to explain this idea of from lishmah comes shelo lishmah, as according to the position that mitzvot require intent, doing mitzvot shelo lishmah fulfills no obligation, and according to the position that mitzvot don t require intent, they fulfill the obligation (and require no further justification)! But perhaps the statement deals with mitzvot that can be evaded.

7 15. הקדמתהאגליטל ומדידבריזכוראזכורמהששמעתיקצתבניאדםטועיןמדרךהשכלבעניןלימודתורתינוהקדושה ואמרוכיהלומדומחדשחדושיםושמחומתענגבלימודואיןזהלימודתורהכ"כלשמהכמואםהיה לומדבפשיטותשאיןלומהלימודשוםתענוגוהוארקלשםמצוה, אבלהלומדומתענגבלימודוהרי מתערבבלימודוגםהנאתעצמו. ובאמתזהטעותמפורסם, ואדרבא, כיזההואעיקרמצותלימודתורהלהיותששושמחומתענג בלימודו, ואזדבריתורהנבלעיןבדמו, ומאחרשנהנהמדבריתורההואנעשהדבוקלתורה שפתאמתלפסחיםנ: גםי"ללפע"דדהכאאמרינןשיעסוקבתורהובמצותשלאלשמהשמתוךכו', וכןנמיאומרכאןבעוסק לשמהכו', ומסבראודאיישלחלקביןעסקהתורהלמצות, דודאיעוסקבתורהגרעטפיכשאינה לשמה, דעיקרלימודתורההואהכוונה, אבלמצוה, גםשלאלשמהמכלמקוםרחמנאחייביהלעשות המצוהבפועללבדהכוונה. וממילאישלומרהכלדהכאמיירישהואעוסקבתורהכדילידעלעשות המצוה, וזהנקראלשמה, רקכיוןדעלמעשההמצותשלואינםלשמהרקמצותאנשיםמלומדה, וע"דזההואלומד... ובלאזהיקשהלעניותדעתיגבימצותאיךיוכללומרש"יעסוקשלאלשמהכו' באלשמה", דלמ"דמצותצריכותכוונה, אםכןלאיצאידיחובתוכלל, ולמ"דדאיןצריכותכוונה, אם כןשפיריוצא! ואפשרדמייריבמצותשאינןחייביםלעשות, ויוכלגםכןלהפטרמהם.

8 The mission of the Center for Modern Torah Leadership is to model and foster a vision of fully committed halakhic Judaism that embraces the intellectual and moral challenges of modernity as spiritual opportunities, recognizes that ideas and rhetoric have consequences, and takes responsibility for the societal implications of its interpretations of Torah, understands that the real-world effects of Torah are mediated by the character of Torah leaders, and that self-knowledge is therefore essential for Torah leadership, and takes the ultimate significance of all human beings as tzelem Elokim as a fundamental Torah principle. The Center carries out its mission through the following programs: 1) The Summer Beit Midrash 2) The Campus Education Institute 3) The Rabbis and Educators Professional Development Institute 4) The Curriculum Institute 5) Acharayut Ketuvah the CMTL journal 6) - the CMTL website 7) The Community Education Institute 8) The Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer Fellowship (projected September 09) Please contact us for more information about our programs or to become involved in building the flagship intellectual institution of Modern Orthodoxy!