Torah Lishma with ARJE Session #4 Creating Soulful Space

For this a single person was created:

To teach you that anyone who causes the loss of one soul (from among Israel) has upon himself as if he lost an entire world and anyone who sustains one soul (from among Israel) has upon himself as if he sustained as entire world.

And for the sake of human peace - that no one will say to another, "my father is greater than your father," and so that groups won't say "great is our authority in heaven."

And also, to tell of the greatness of the Holy Blessed One: When a person mints coins from one mold all of them are similar to one another. But when the King, the King of Kings, The Holy Blessed One, mints every person from the mold of the first person, so one is like his fellow. Therefore, every person must say, “For my sake ‎the world was created.”‎

⁹ There he went into a cave, and there he spent the night. Then the word of Adonai came to him. He said to him, "Why are you here, Elijah?" ¹⁰ He replied, "I am moved by zeal for Adonai, the God of Hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they are out to take my life." ¹¹ "Come out," He called, "and stand on the mountain before Adonai." And lo, Adonai passed by. There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of Adonai; but God was not in the wind. After the wind--an earthquake; but God was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake--fire; but God was not in the fire. And after the fire--a soft murmuring sound. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his mantle about his face and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice addressed him: "Why are you here, Elijah?"

R’ Hama b. Hanina said, “What is the meaning of the verse: 'Iron sharpens iron, so too does a man sharpen the countenance of his friend.' (Proverbs 27:17)?"

This teaches you that just as one iron sharpens the other [lit. “its friend, chaverav], so too do two scholars sharpen each other with [joint study of] halacha.

Rabbah bar Hanah said: "Why are the words of Torah compared to fire, as it is written: 'Is not My word like as fire? said the Eternal, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?' (Jeremiah 23:29)?"

This teaches you that just as fire does not ignite itself, neither do the words of Torah exist with one [who studies alone]...

R’ Nachman b. Isaac [asked]: "Why are the words of the Torah compared to a tree?, as it is written: 'She is a tree of to all those who hold fast to her; her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.' (Proverbs 3:18)?"

This teaches you that just as a small tree may set a bigger tree on fire, so too do lesser scholars sharpen greater scholars.

As R’ Haninah would say: I have learned much from my teachers, and from my friends [colleagues, m’chaverai] more than from my teachers, and from my students more than from all.