BackSomething We Can All Do
By: Rabbi Barak Bar-Chaim
“If you walk in (follow) My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them, I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit….”
Rashi wonders what is meant by the expression “If you walk in (follow) My statutes.” It certainly cannot refer to the observance of Mitzvoth because that is mentioned later in the verse “and observe My commandments and perform them.” Rashi answers that walking in God’s ways refers to toiling in the study of Torah. According to this interpretation, the promise of national blessing is conditioned on both toiling in the study of Torah and observing the Mitzvoth.
The Book of Joshua (Chapter 5, as expanded upon in Megillah 3a) tells of an angel that appeared before Joshua one night during the war to conquer Eretz Yisrael. The angel was armed with a sword and had come to rebuke Joshua. The Talmud explains that Joshua was being rebuked for the lack of Torah study at night when he and his army were not involved in active war. Rabbi Asher Weiss asks why the angel came to Joshua in the guise of a warrior with a sword? He answers that the angel was communicating to Joshua that the study of Torah should be considered part of the war effort. Torah study and its merit protect the Jewish people.
Friends, as we approach the holiday of Shavuot, the celebration of the giving of the Torah, there is something we can all do to strengthen and protect our nation. In our days, there are few barriers to Torah study. There are classes on the internet and books with English translations readily available. Let us truly receive the Torah this year with a commitment to dedicate more time, effort, and energy to Torah study. In this merit Hashem will bless and protect the Jewish people.