Rashi comments, She’tiheyu ameilim baTorah, that you will toil in Torah (study). Studying Torah amid toil, expending extraordinary effort to understand and internalize the Torah that one is studying, is part and parcel of Torah study. Toil comes in all shapes and sizes and is usually “catered” to the individual as a challenge. For some, it is acumen. For others, it is money or time. For yet others, it may be health issues which can deprive a person of the strength and even the will to learn. Ameilus defines how we should view the Torah in our life. One who cares deeply about something will “jump through hoops” to acquire it. Does a parent ever complain about the time and effort he/she puts in to raising a child? It is a gift, and, when one appreciates the gift, no toil is too great in order to attend to it. I think ameilus goes even further. One who is learning Torah properly is unaware of the toil and effort he is expending. It is all in a day’s work. His love for the Torah is so intense that he overlooks the effort he is expending.
The Chasam Sofer distinguishes between Torah and secular wisdom, where intelligence alone can bring mastery. Torah, however, is Hashem’s wisdom, and, as such, requires that a person immerse himself completely, regardless of his natural intellect. The Chazon Ish writes that Torah study without effort is like a body without a soul. The depth and meaning of Torah are revealed only to those who toil over it. Horav Elazar M. Shach, zl, related that, in his younger years, he had no proper heating in his home. He would sit wrapped in a blanket, his hands freezing, but he refused to stop learning. “If Torah is life,” he said, “then what excuse do I have to stop?”
Horav Shmuel Rosovsky, zl, went for a few days rest from the rigors of the yeshivah. He was accompanied by Horav Yehudah Edess, Shlita (Rosh Yeshivas Kol Yaakov), who was amazed at how Rav Shmuel did not stop speaking in learning for a moment. He was explaining a difficult topic in the Gemorah, presenting all sides and analyzing every nuance. Rav Yehudah said, “I see that mastering the sugya, topic, comes easily to the Rosh Yeshivah. I, on the other hand, must toil and toil in order to master every aspect of the sugya.” Rav Shmuel raised his voice and said, “You think that the knowledge of and proficiency in the sugya that I have came easily? It came with blood!” This is why Rav Shmuel was the Rebbe/Maggid Shiur par excellence, who trained so many Roshei Yeshivah.
