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The shiur in English
The Yanuka’s own words in this shiur, translated into English by Lehallel · 1,865 words · 7:49. Press a time to hear it said.
0:00 May the Holy One, blessed be He, give you success, that you rise higher and higher in learning. You know, the holy Torah is the most important thing for us. Baruch Hashem, we are here in this world; it is a lowly world, it is a material world, it is a world of falsehood, and without the holy Torah we cannot hold ourselves up here in this world — only that we merit to snatch a few moments in holiness, in the holy Torah. You know, every mitzvah that we merit to do — every mitzvah that a person does here in the world — holiness is drawn upon him, the light of holiness.
0:29 This is written in all the books of Chassidus: the holiness of every mitzvah that we do. The holy Gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin also writes this, in Gate 4, chapter 29 — the Gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin writes this, a very beautiful thing: that every mitzvah the Jewish people fulfill, the holiness of the mitzvah is drawn down, and immediately at the end of the mitzvah — why? The light of the mitzvah is only borrowed for a time; the light of the mitzvah is borrowed only while the mitzvah is being done. But right after a person is occupied with Torah and learns Torah — Be strong, be strong!
1:03 Continue to shine the light, with Hashem's help, that they should be great and outstanding Torah scholars. Baruch Hashem, I know that they are lions, but, Baruch Hashem, may they continue to rise in Torah, in holiness, in fear of Heaven. So he writes that the greatness of being occupied with the holy Torah — that we are occupied with the holy Torah — the light of the mitzvah of the holy Torah does not stop. With a mitzvah — when a person fulfills a mitzvah, writes Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, immediately at the end of the mitzvah the light departs.
1:31 But in being occupied with the holy Torah, the light cannot depart. All the time it goes on and continues, and continues, and continues, with ever greater strength and ever greater might. So, Baruch Hashem, since you do not leave the holy Torah, you draw down protection and guarding over the whole Jewish people, who are occupied with the holy Torah. This is the most important thing in the world. As it is written in Tractate Gittin, page 6a, that the Torah — what the Gemara says about Babylon, that it lies north of the Land of Israel.
1:57 So why does the Gemara actually bring this? Why go on at length and speak about things that are simple, that can be seen [unclear]? Every explanation for which we bring a support from the Torah — it is to make it greater for us, and to bring us more proofs from the Torah, to show us the power of the Torah: that everything in the Torah brings us the proofs and the supports, that we lean only and solely on the rope of the holy Torah. That is why one must always be occupied with Torah. And when a person is occupied with Torah, even if it was decreed upon him, Heaven forbid, to depart from the world, even if there are troubles, even if there are problems, it is all annulled. Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah writes, in chapter 5,
2:29 that a person who is occupied with Torah, even if, Heaven forbid, it was decreed upon him to depart, can annul it from upon himself. In Vayikra Rabbah, parashah 25, this is also written. It is also written in siman 615, sub-paragraph 3, in the Mishnah Berurah, that for a person who is occupied with Torah, it is more than endless fasts and self-afflictions. There are the responsa of the Mahari Bruna. He writes in siman 127, in his notes, that when they were occupied with Torah — there were young men in the yeshiva there who were learning — he instructed them that if their tefillin fell, they should not fast.
Read the whole shiur in English (10 more parts)
2:58 He said they should learn two or three hours straight. That is in place of fasting — two or three hours. The Biur Halachah also writes, in siman 571, that in practice, fasts and self-afflictions are not for one who has the toil of Torah; they are for one who does not toil in Torah. One who does not toil in Torah — it is fitting that he fast and seclude himself; but one who toils in Torah, that is greater than everything. The toil of Torah is what brings merit, it is what... there is nothing greater than this. For they are our life and the length of our days. Whoever values the Torah as the great and the quenching thing in the world, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, gives him the salvation. But whoever does not understand that the Torah is the highest thing in the world — then so too from Heaven.
3:33 It is like this: as a person measures, so he is measured from Heaven. How much you are occupied with Torah, how much you value the worth of the holy Torah, so too from Heaven they will value for you the worth of the holy Torah. I once said a new insight: why the Torah is called an elixir of life and a poison of death. The elixir of life — the Torah is an elixir of life. Any substance a person puts into his body, especially like a deadly poison — when a person takes some medicine, or something bad, it can harm him in an instant.
4:00 So too the reverse: when a person is occupied with the holy Torah, occupied with Torah for its own sake, then he merits not only many things — he also merits to enlighten his friend, as we learn in Tosafos in Taanis, page 7, in Pesachim, page 50, Yoma, page 72, that the more a person learns Torah for its own sake, the more he illuminates the light of Hashem, blessed be He. Our master, the holy Rashash, writes: What is meant by learning Torah for its own sake? What does 'for its own sake' mean? That a person should want, all the time, to repair and complete the Supernal Tree, to repair, to raise up the Shechinah, to redeem Israel through this learning — that Hashem, blessed be He, should already save the whole Jewish people. For we can learn,
4:33 but we need the Torah to be among us. If Tosafos say that this 'poison of death' is to taunt and to lord it over one's friend, then the elixir of life is to enlighten one's friend. Learn in the Torah to look for the good that is in the other. Use the Torah to reveal the inner core — the revelation of G-dliness that is in each and every one of us. None of us knows how Mashiach will come, how the geulah will come. You know that the Midrash writes about [unclear] — it has all the stories there about wise men, about what happened to a minister of the kingdom, and so on.
5:03 There it is explained about Yirmiyahu and Nevuchadnetzar, that they were boys — they were together. They sat together; they were friends, they were study partners — Nevuchadnetzar and Yirmiyahu sitting together. And when they were boys, then he began to speak with him; they looked toward Jerusalem, and then he said: 'I — my dream was to destroy the Beis HaMikdash, the Holy Temple.' Yirmiyahu already knew then, for he heard Nevuchadnetzar, that he wants to lay a hand on the Temple.
5:27 That is why — as the Maharal explains — Nevuchadnetzar's lineage: it is the Queen of Sheba, for he was of their descendants, of Shlomo and the Queen of Sheba, and so he could raise a hand against the Temple. That is to say, Nevuchadnetzar is from the seed of King Shlomo and King David. And so he goes to lay a hand on the Temple, which was destroyed because of him. Look at this! And that is why they say that Mashiach will come and the Temple will be built — exactly the reverse: from the seed of David, he will build the Temple.
5:51 But already from then, from the dream of Yirmiyahu — that he already saw Nevuchadnetzar, that he saw his desire, when he was a little boy — this is the dream, this is what he is talking about — then he already understood where his mind would reach and where his deeds would reach. And Baruch Hashem, as small as we are now, and just beginning, and learning each time anew — so much greater are the aspirations to build the Temple. Think — with Hashem's help, in the merit of this study. I always say: if through Kamtza and Bar Kamtza Jerusalem was destroyed, if just because of one the Temple was destroyed, in the merit of one Jew it will be built. So everyone who radiates good and everyone who does good and reveals the good in the Torah,
6:29 who reveals the revelation of G-dliness in his friend — you will see that you will have not only an elixir of life — you will feel real vitality from the Torah, how it truly heals each one, and there is salvation from Heaven. Everyone wants salvation from Hashem. And I always say: work — we were in Egypt, it was very hard work. [unclear] Hashem, blessed be He, redeemed us; we went out of Egypt. The work now can be simple, in a moment: turning to Heaven, a prayer to Heaven, learning in holiness, a little learning in purity, a request like this from the Holy One, blessed be He, that He give us, with ever greater strength and might, the power and the learning of Torah — suddenly one sees a complete salvation from Heaven. Suddenly the Holy One, blessed be He,
7:03 brings salvation; the eyes are opened, and suddenly one sees the salvation of Hashem. May it be His will that we all merit, with Hashem's help, to cleave to this holy salvation, to cleave to the holy Torah. Always do it this way: unity, together with everyone. Be united, cleave to the Holy One, blessed be He, listen to the Rosh Yeshiva, with Hashem's help, continue to do valiantly, to shine the light of Hashem, blessed be He, that the Name of Heaven become beloved through you, [unclear] give nachas; with Hashem's help, to make the Torah great and glorious. May your wellsprings spread outward — all the writings, all the Torah. Continue to shine the light of Hashem, blessed be He, and with Hashem's help, may you blossom and flourish and rejoice. Continue to shine the light of Hashem, and may the Name of Heaven become beloved through you; may your wellsprings spread outward — all the blessings and good bounty,
7:40 in good that is visible and revealed, out of joy and gladness of heart. A great yasher koach! Be strong, be strong! Come for a blessing — bring them.
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