תניא אמר רבי עקיבא כשהייתי עם הארץ אמרתי מי יתן לי תלמיד חכם ואנשכנו כחמור אמרו לו תלמידיו רבי אמור ככלב אמר להן זה נושך ושובר עצם וזה נושך ואינו שובר עצם:
It was taught that Rabbi Akiva said: When I was just one of the flock, I said: Who will give me a Torah scholar so that I may bite him like a donkey? His students said to him: Master, say that you would bite him like a dog! He said to them: I specifically used that wording, as a donkey, for a donkey bites and breaks bones, and that one, a dog, bites but does not break bones.
- Rav Matisyahu Solomon (Mashgiach of Lakewood) asks, if the Torah would have never been given, how Bnei Yisrael ever know to search for it in the first place? He answers with the following story – Rav Chatzkel Levenshtein relatives were visiting from America and were staying by his house. Before they left they wanted to give the Levenshtein’s some money for their warm hospitality. Although the Levenshtein’s were pretty poor and did not have much money or possessions, rebbetzin Levenshtein refused to accept any handouts. The relatives decided to go to an appliance store in Tel Aviv and purchase the latest washer and dryer model for them plus the cost for installation. A few days later the rebbetzin heard a knock on the door, and to her amazement she found a beautiful washer and dryer there which the workers installed for her. Later that day Rav Chatzkel came home from Yeshiva and walks into his house to find his wife crying on the kitchen table. He asks her what is wrong and she relays to him that she received this nice gift from the relatives, but she doesn’t know how to use it. Rav Chatzkel says that there must be an instruction book somewhere, and walks over to the washer and dryer to locate it. He lifts up the lid, but it wasn’t there. He checks all the areas of it, but with no avail, and then he thinks to look underneath the washer, and to his luck, the instruction manual was taped to the bottom of it. He says to his wife, “Something as complicated as this must come with instructions.”
Rav Matisyahu Solomon explains that the world is a very confusing and complex place. Many people are depressed and have this problem or that problem. He says that we humans are also very complex people and we certainly need a means to properly navigate this world. Had the Torah not been given, we would have realized we were missing meaning in life and gone to great lengths to search for meaning, we even would have checked up in shamayim.
(16) The LORD your God commands you this day to observe these laws and rules; observe them faithfully with all your heart and soul. (17) You have affirmed this day that the LORD is your God, that you will walk in God's ways, that you will observe God's laws and commandments and rules, and that you will obey God. (18) And the LORD has affirmed this day that you are, as God promised you, God's treasured people who shall observe all God's commandments.
Midrash T'naim Devarim 26:16
Another thing, "laws" these are the warnings, leniencies, and stringencies that a person figures out for one's self. "Rules" these are the specifics of the scribes, the decrees and the stringencies of the rabbis.
Midrash Lekach Tov:
Another thing, this is to teach that every single day it is appropriate that Torah be dear to you as the day it was given on Mt. Sinai.
Yalkut Shimoni:
At all times that Israel busies itself with Torah, The Holy Blessed One acts as if today is the day they received it from Mt. Sinai. Thus it says, "Today, God commands you."
מַה דָּגִים הַלָּלוּ גְּדֵלִין בְּמַיִם כֵּיוָן שֶׁיּוֹרֶדֶת טִפָּה אַחַת מִלְּמַעְלָה מְקַבְּלִין אוֹתָהּ בְּצִמָּאוֹן כְּמִי שֶׁלֹא טָעֲמוּ טַעַם מַיִם מִימֵיהוֹן, כָּךְ הֵן יִשְׂרָאֵל גְּדֵלִין בַּמַּיִם בַּתּוֹרָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵן שׁוֹמְעִין דָּבָר חָדָשׁ מִן הַתּוֹרָה הֵן מְקַבְּלִין אוֹתוֹ בְּצִמָאוֹן כְּמִי שֶׁלֹא שָׁמְעוּ דְּבַר תּוֹרָה מִימֵיהוֹן.
Just as fish which live in water, drink up the fresh drops when it rains as if they have never had water in their lives, so to the Jewish people live in the water of Torah, and when they hear a new idea in Torah they drink it up as if they had never heard a word of Torah their entire lives.
(א) כָּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל חַיָּב בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה, בֵּין עָנִי בֵּין עָשִׁיר, בֵּין שָׁלֵם בְּגוּפוֹ בֵּין בַּעַל יִסוּרִים, בֵּין בָּחוּר בֵּין זָקֵן גָּדוֹל. אֲפִלּוּ עָנִי הַמְחַזֵּר עַל הַפְּתָחִים, אֲפִלּוּ בַּעַל אִשָּׁה וּבָנִים, חַיָּב לִקְבֹּעַ לוֹ זְמַן לְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ א, ח). וּבִשְׁעַת הַדַּחַק, אֲפִלּוּ לֹא קָרָא רַק קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שַׁחֲרִית וְעַרְבִית, לֹא יָמוּשׁוּ מִפִּי ךָ (יְשַׁעְיָהוּ נט, כא) קָרִינָן בֵּיהּ (הַגָּהוֹת מַיְמוֹנִי פֶּרֶק א' וּסְמַ''ג עֲשִׂין י''ב). וּמִי שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לִלְמֹד, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ כְּלָל לִלְמֹד אוֹ מִפְּנֵי הַטְּרָדוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ, יַסְפִּיק לַאֲחֵרִים הַלּוֹמְדִים. הַגָּה: וְתֵחָשֵׁב לוֹ כְּאִלּוּ לוֹמֵד בְּעַצְמוֹ (טוּר). וְיָכוֹל אָדָם לְהַתְנוֹת עִם חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁהוּא יַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וְהוּא יַמְצִיא לוֹ פַּרְנָסָה וְיַחֲלֹק עִמּוֹ הַשָּׂכָר, אֲבָל אִם כְּבַר עָסַק בְּתוֹרָה אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִמְכֹּר לוֹ חֶלְקוֹ בִּשְׁבִיל מָמוֹן שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לוֹ. (תא''ו נָתִיב ב' מִשַּׁ''ס דְּסוֹטָה).
(1) Every Jewish person is obligated in studying Torah, whether poor or rich, whether completely healthy or suffering, whether young or very old. Even a poor person who frequents doorways (to beg) and even one with a spouse and children is obligated to set a time for themselves to study Torah, by day or by night, as it says, "And you shall meditate in it day and night." (And in a pressing time, even if one only read Shema in the morning or evening, as it is said, "It shall not be moved from your mouth.") And one that it is impossible for them to learn because they do not know how to at all or because of troubles that one has, should support others who study. Haga"h: And it will be considered for them as if they learned themselves. (Tur) And a person is able to make a condition with their friend, that they will study Torah and they will support them, and they will split the reward with them. But if they already toiled in Torah, they is unable to sell them their portion for the money they will give to them.
"On Judaism" by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman
"Our history demonstrates that the moment study of Torah is neglected, assimilation of the Jewish people into its surroundings makes its inroad. Without fail, every Jewish community in history that did not teach and study Torah as its first priority gradually disappeared from the scene.
Beyond all the good, rational reasons, Torah is the mysterious bridge which connects the Jew and God, across which they interact and communicate, and by means of which God fulfills His covenant with His people to sustain them and protect them.
It is therefore no surprise that Torah study is so central with us. It is the first blessing a newborn child receives: "May he grow up to Torah, to the wedding canopy, and to good deeds." The prayer book is filled with petitions to God to help us understand His Torah. No wonder Rebbe Akiva in the Talmud states that to expect a Jew to live without Torah is like expecting a fish to live without water. That's because the fact is that the Torah is the essence of the Jewish people, our very life and soul, and without it we literally have no existence. This explains why, in a traditional Jewish community, the one who is looked up to and most admired is the scholar of Torah - not the entertainer or the athlete.
When we study Torah, we are not studying an abstract and arcane text of the ancient world. We are studying the way in which God wants us to live on this earth... (We) are in fact engaged in discovering the essence of Judaism, which is to say, the essence of ourselves."
Midrash T'naim Devarim 12:2
To be a treasured nation to God... "Be to me," the present tense, is not said. Rather, "to be for me," the future tense is used. Why? Thus is what God says to the Jews: Not just now will you be a treasure to me, rather in this world and in the next.