Moshe hoped that the words of the Torah would penetrate the nation as rain and dew penetrate the earth. Moshe was essentially comparing Torah to water. Water imbues the earth, softening it, nourishing the soil to provide the seed with the proper environment for growth. So, too, does Torah permeate an individual, refining him, preparing him so that Torah will have a greater effect on his life. Horav Eliyahu Meier Bloch, zl, notes that the similarity between water and Torah is even more profound. Water seeps into every particle of the earth. Likewise, Torah enters into every corner of a person’s neshamah, soul, transforming the individual’s entire personality.
Torah is different from other forms of study. It is not simply an educational endeavor which challenges and hones the mind. Torah is absorbed into one’s entire body. One who studies Torah as the word of Hashem, experiences an educational process which purifies and elevates his entire psyche. Torah is kedushah, a holiness that emanates from Hashem. This kedushah sanctifies its student, so that he becomes literally a cheftzah, object, of Torah.
Horav Bloch observes that the Torah’s text and subject matter is not written as an abstract book of philosophy, history, or law. It is written, rather, as a narrative so that the reader can experience the events taking place in the story. We do not simply read about others, we actually live the Torah! We are in the homes of the Patriarchs; we cross the sea with Bnei Yisrael; we stand together with them at Har Sinai accepting the Torah. We study the Oral Law, the Talmud, and the codes in the same manner. We do not merely read what Rav and Abaya say; it is as if we are in the Bais Medrash as their students. Torah learning is an interactive experience. It all depends on our attitude. Our approach to Torah study determines the extent of its penetration into our neshamos. This concept of Torah study is entirely different from any other kind of educational experience. Thus, the Torah is called Toras Chaim, the living Torah.
