Shtisel 101, Session 15: Yomam Velailah

With regard to the same verse, Rava said: After departing from this world, when a person is brought to judgment for the life he lived in this world, they say to him in the order of that verse: Did you conduct business faithfully? Did you designate times for Torah study? Did you engage in procreation? Did you await salvation? Did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom or understand one matter from another?

Reish Lakish says: With regard to any-one who occupies himself with Torah at night, the Holy One, Blessed be He, extends a thread of kindness over him by day, as it is stated: “By day, the Lord will command His kindness, and in the night His song shall be with me” (Psalms 42:9). The verse is understood as follows: What is the reason that by day, the Lord will command His kindness to extend over him? It is due to the fact that in the night His song is with me, i.e., he occupies himself at night with Torah, which is referred to as a song.

Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: With regard to anyone who occupies himself with Torah at night, the Divine Presence is across from him, as it is stated: “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord, lift up your hands toward Him” (Lamentations 2:19). Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is stated: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). This can be read as bonayikh, your builders, i.e., scholars build and increase peace for the entire world.

(12) The words of the Torah do not remain permanently with one who is indolent in acquiring them, nor with such who study the Torah in an environment of luxury and amidst eating and drinking, but with one who sacrifices his life for them and constantly suffers his body and does not yield sleep to his eyes nor dozing to his eyelids. Said the wise men symbolically: "This is the Law, when a man dieth in a tent" (Num. 19.14); the Torah does not remain with any save with him who sacrifices his life in the tents of the wise. ...The sages said: "There is an established covenant that he who endures hardship in studying the Torah in the Beth Hamedrash will not easily forget it; but he who endures the hardship of his studies privately by himself becomes wise, even as it is said: "But with the lowly is wisdom" (Prov. 11.2). He who during his study reads the words audibly, his study remains with him; but he who whispers out his words speedily forgets them.¹³Ketubot, 111b; Berakot, 65a; Menahot, 54a; Yer. Berakot, 41. C. G.

(13) Although it is mandatory to study by day and by night, no man acquires most of his wisdom at any but during night-time. Therefore, whosoever desires to attain the crown of the Torah should take care of all of his nights, not to spend even one of them in sleeping, eating, drinking, conversation, or in like matters, but in study of the Torah and in matters of wisdom. The sages said: "The voice of the Torah cannot be heard save at night, as it is said 'Arise and speak loud in the night'" (Midrash Raba, Song of Songs, 5.11; Erubin, 65a; Lam. 2.19. Whosoever pursues the study of the Torah by night has a thread of God's lovingkindness drawn upon himself by day, as it is said: "By day the Lord will command His lovingkindness and in the night His song shall be with a prayer unto the God of my life" (Abodah Zarah, 3b; Ps. 42.9). Any house wherein the words of the Torah are not heard by night, fire consumes it, even as it is said: "All darkness is laid up for his treasures, a fire not blown by man shall consume him" (Sanhedrin, 92; Job. 20. 26)...

The Obligation to establish times to study Torah at night

You must be careful to learn Torah at night, even more than during the day, for the one who is does not learn Torah at night faces significant punishment.