Parashat Behukotai- The Effort and the Result
Parashat Behukotai is famous for its description of the bountiful rewards God promises to grant Bene Yisrael if they faithfully observe the Torah. The Parasha begins, "If you follow My statutes, observe My commandments and perform them, I shall then grant your rains at their proper times…"
Rashi's writes that when God speaks of Bene Yisrael "following My statutes," He actually refers to their devotion to Torah study. In Rashi's words, God here says to the people, "She'tiheyu Amelim Ba'Torah" – "That you should toil in Torah."
Interestingly, Rashi speaks not of simply "learning" Torah, but rather "toiling" in Torah. The Hebrew term "Amel" means exertion, effort, struggling to achieve a goal. In all Yeshivot today, Rabbis often make reference to this comment of Rashi in impressing upon their students the importance of "Amelut" – toil and exertion in studying Torah. How might we understand this concept of "Amelut" and its particular importance with respect to Torah learning?
The Hafetz Haim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1839-1933) noted a basic distinction between the field of Torah and all other fields. Generally, in all other areas of life, what matters is the result, the final product. If a salesman succeeds in selling merchandise, he receives his commission. If he does not make any sales, then regardless of how many hours he invested in traveling and marketing the product, the owner of the business will not reward him for his efforts. He is concerned only with the bottom-line achievement, not with the time and energy invested.
This is not the case, the Hafetz Haim commented, with regard to Torah learning. What matters to God is the "Amelut," the hard work and concentrated effort a person exerts in trying to comprehend the material. If a student spends two full days struggling with a difficult Talmudic passage and still cannot understand what it says, he has nevertheless succeeded. His failure to comprehend does not undermine his success as a student; the many hours of hard work, the "Amelut" he invested, is in itself a great accomplishment for which he will receive great reward.
This is a critical lesson for us to bear in mind in the context of Torah education. In today's educational systems, too much emphasis is placed on academic excellence. The students who retain the material and excel in their exams receive praise and attention, while the others slip through the cracks and feel unaccomplished. This is not the proper approach when it comes to Torah. Children must understand that their sincere efforts to understand are inherently valuable regardless of the results. The rewards for Torah learning are given for the hard work, not for the bottom-line achievement. Parents and educators must therefore make a point of emphasizing the importance of the work and effort, rather than focusing their attention only on the final result. Even if a student does not correctly answer all the questions on the exam, he must still be made to feel proud and accomplished for the effort he exerted in studying the material.
