A teenager recently came to pick up something from the Beit Chabad. As he walked through the front door, my son offered to put on tefillin with him to which he willingly agreed. After unraveling the leather straps the young man asked, “Why do we place the tefillin on the right hand?” After I gave the explanation, another question followed. And then another and another. The questions kept on coming and I realized that if this Jew is thirsty to learn Torah and understand Judaism, every Jew really is.
The Jewish nation and the Torah is an inseparable unit, that dates back even before Shavuot (Holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah). As the midrash says the Jewish nation was willing to accept the Torah without even knowing what was written in it. However, G-d wanted guarantors that they would keep his laws. The Jews offered many guarantors, but G-d only agreed to accept the children as guarantors. As they would be educated to continue following the commandments and assure perpetuity to the Torah.
Does that mean that the adult “me” is not a guarantor?
In a 1980 Farbrengan a few days before the holiday of Shavuot, the Lubavitcher Rebbe answered this question. He said, “Before a person learns any new part of Torah, they are in a sense like a child.” They are thirsty to learn and understand the subject. “This applies both to a Jew that has learned the entire Torah, and to one that has never learned.” Both of them will toil to learn Torah and comprehend the new understandings from Torah study. So, in a sense, all Jews that learn Torah are like “children” guarantors.
The challenges
Some people do not want to be looked at as a novice in a subject and avoid going to a class or synagogue. They think that they know less than everybody, and will feel embarrassed. They just need to remember that the Torah is G-d’s infinite divine wisdom. Therefore, no matter how much Torah you know there is still much to be attained. The teacher or students that knows more than you, are still far from mastering the Torah. That fact actually helps create unity amongst Jews. As we are all equal in our eternal Torah growth.
An even greater challenge, is when a person is becoming more observant. He often sets boundaries limiting his growth in Judaism as he claims it is too difficult. However, if he reminds himself that the Jewish nation is a single unit that he is a part of. Then he will have more energy to continue growing. His growth will not only be good for himself, but will help the entire nation.
As the young man was getting ready to leave, I told him that my son did not get any personal benefit from the mitzvah. The deed was done for his benefit, and by him doing it, he helped the entire Jewish nation. And like a young child he smiled and said, “Thank you. I will be back tomorrow to learn more.”
