What made Asher so special that he was considered “the most blessed of children”? Horav Shlomo Levenstein, Shlita, quotes Lechem Lefi HaTaf who explains that the word, shmeinah, richness, which Yaakov Avinu uses to describe Asher – Mei Asher shmeinah lachmo, “From Asher- his bread will have richness” (Bereishis 49:20), – is a reference to Asher’s land which will be so rich in olive trees that it will flow with oil like a fountain. The word shmeinah is comprised of the same letters which comprise the word Mishnah. This alludes to the true “richness” of Asher; his tribe was devoted to studying Torah, and especially Mishnayos, more so than any other tribe.
The Lechem Lefi HaTaf supplements this exposition with a caveat from the Arizal who teaches that, after a person passes from this world, his soul is brought to Gehinom, Purgatory, for judgment. Is this soul to join the ranks of the punished, or will it receive its reward in Gan Eden? The soul cries out to each and every shevet, tribe, seeking redemption, salvation, from what might be a terrible fate. No one answers – no one responds to its pleas – until it calls out to Asher. Asher asks the neshamah, soul, of the deceased, “Did you study Mishnayos during your lifetime? If the answer is “yes”, the soul is immediately taken out of Gehinom and saved. The Lechem Lefi Hataf concludes his thesis with an allusion to the study of Mishnayos and its ability to save one from Gehinom, cited from the pasuk in Sefer Tehillim 30:4, (Hashem) he’elissa min she’ol nafshi, (Hay, mem, shin, nun)“(Hashem) You took my soul out from she’ol,” which is a term used to describe Gehinom. The first letter of each of these four words spell the word Mishnah!
The power of Mishnayos is sufficiently compelling for everyone to make the study of Mishnayos an integral part of his daily Torah-study ritual. Horav Sholom Schwadron, zl, relates an amazing story concerning the significance of Mishnayos study, especially regarding the moment of truth, when the soul passes from its earthly physical container. At that point, nothing accompanies the soul on its final journey – not money, not friends, not family. The only “baggage” allowed on this trip is the Torah he has learned and the acts of loving-kindness he has performed. Nothing else stands in his stead to support him at this most critical moment.
The Talmud Torah in Meah Shearim, in the mid-twentieth century, was a unique institution staffed by rebbeim of the highest caliber. These were holy men wholly dedicated to their students, but, above all, devoted to Hashem. Rav Sholom was a student in the cheder. His rebbe was an outstanding educator whose name was Rav Yaakov. Rav Yaakov was a holy man whose uniqueness was his ability to remain silent at all times, unless he was engrossed in Torah study or teaching his young charges. Silence was a common practice among the Jews of the Yishuv, especially during the month of Elul until after Yom Kippur. Even among these men who held silence to be a major virtue – Rav Yaakov was in a league all to himself. Indeed, he would speak no more than thirty words that were mundane in nature. (We must remember that his idea of mundane was quite different than our idea of mundane.)
Rav Yaakov excelled in the study of Mishnayos, nary a moment going by that he was not either studying Mishnayos from a sefer or repeating it to himself from memory. Incidentally, Rav Yaakov knew the Mishnah by heart. Every free moment was filled with Mishnayos study.
Rav Sholom relates that one day he overheard one of the other rebbeim asking Rav Yaakov concerning his inextricable bond with Mishnayos. Why was he so obsessed with the study of Mishnayos? Rav Yaakov’s response gives us a window into the mind of this holy Jew, and indeed, a virtual image of what Yerushalmi people were like less than a century ago. Rav Yaakov gave a smile and replied, “I began to think to myself what will happen to me when I pass from this world. You see, Torah study is very important to me, so, when I am not teaching my young students, I use every available moment for Torah study. What will I do, however, when I personally cannot study – during the short period from yetzias neshamah, the moment of death, until kevurah, burial? I am certain that, during this time, my corpse will be accompanied by men who will either be reciting Tehillim or studying Mishnayos.
“Then I realized that this might be fine if I were to pass from this world on a weekday, when the time elapsed from yetzias neshamah to kevurah is very short. Yet, man does not know when his time on this world has reached its conclusion. Quite possibly, I could die on Erev Shabbos and not be buried until Motzei Shabbos. Friday afternoon until Saturday night is not a short interval. Can I expect people to sit beside my corpse for so many hours – just to learn Mishnayos by my side? Therefore, I decided to memorize the Mishnayos and to repeat it constantly, so that it remains fixed in my memory. Thus, if I were to die on Erev Shabbos, I would recite the Mishnayos on my own behalf!”
The other rebbeim politely smiled at the notion of Rav Yaakov reciting Mishnayos on his own behalf, but they never for a moment thought that he was not sincere. This was Rav Yaakov. The postscript to the episode came when, years later, Rav Yaakov died on Erev Shabbos. Rav Sholom attended his funeral on Motzei Shabbos, and he was certain that his rebbe had recited Mishnayos throughout Shabbos.
