Digging into "Ahava Rabba"

[With] a great love have You loved us, Lord, our God; [with] a great and superabundant compassion have You had compassion upon us. Our Father, our King - for the sake of our fathers who trusted in You and You taught them the laws of life; so [too] grace us and teach us. Our Father, the merciful Father, the merciful One - have mercy upon us, and put into our hearts to understand and to comprehend and to listen and to study and to teach and to keep and to do and to preserve all of the words of the study of Your Torah with love. And enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, and make our heart cling to Your commandments, and unite our hearts to love and fear Your name; and may we never be embarrassed ever. Since we have trusted in Your great and awesome holy Name, let us rejoice and be gladdened by Your salvation. And bring us in peace from the four corners of the Earth, and lead us erectly to our Land; as You are God who preforms salvations. And You have chosen us from among all nations and languages, and have brought us close to Your great name forever in truth, to praise You and unify You with love. Blessed are You, Lord, who chooses His people, Israel, with love.

Which is the other [blessing to be recited before the morning Shema']? Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel : "With abounding love" ; and so R. Eleazar taught his son R. Pedat to say "With abounding love." There is a teaching to the same effect : We do not say "With everlasting love," but "With abounding love." But the Rabbis declare that "With everlasting love" [is to be recited] ; for so it is said, "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love ; therefore with affection have I drawn thee" (Jer. xxxi. 3). Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel : When one rises early to study [Torah], if he had not yet read the Shema', he must utter a benediction [prefatory to study] ; but should he have read the Shema', it is not necessary to utter a benediction, for he has freed himself from the obligation by having recited "With abounding love."

(23) They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.

You gracefully give knowledge to man and you teach understanding to the mortal. Grace us with knowledge, understanding and intelligence from You. Blessed are You, Lord, who gracefully gives knowledge.

What must a man do that he may become wise? He replied: Let him engage much in study and a little in business. Did not many, they said, do so and it was of no avail to them? — Rather, let them pray for mercy from Him to whom is the wisdom, for it is said, For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment. R. Hiyya taught: This may be compared to the action of a mortal king who prepared for his servants a banquet but to his friends he sent from that which he had before himself. What then does he teach us? That one without the other does not suffice.

(5) Rabbi Yishmael [his son] would say: One who studies Torah in order to teach will be given the opportunity to both study and to teach. One who studies in order to practice will be given the opportunity to study, to teach, to observe, and to practice.

Wherever it is stated ‘Beware’ ‘lest’ and ‘Do not’ the reference is to a prohibition.

(3) Antigonos, man of Sokho, received from Shimon the Righteous. He would say, "Do not be as servants who are serving the master in order to receive a reward, rather be as servants who are serving the master not in order to receive a reward; and may the fear of Heaven be upon you."

It was taught: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: [This means] that one should not say, I will read Scripture that I may be called a Sage.’ I will study, that I may be called Rabbi, I will study, to be an Elder, and sit in the assembly [of elders]; but learn out of love, and honour will come in the end, as it is written, Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart,’ and it is also said, Her ways are ways of pleasantness; also, She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is everyone that retaineth her.

(27) And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and there is none else; and My people shall never be ashamed.

[The answer is that] ever since Israel was exiled from their place, there has been no bigger [cause] of ceasing of Torah [learning] than this!