Tzava'at Harivash 29

“Every hour” is not necessarily to be taken literally. It is a typical Hebrew expression for “every so often.”

This paragraph, explained in the next one (and elucidated by the much more elaborate parallel-passage in Likkutei AmarimVitebsk, p. 27b, as well as by sect. 30 below), is no doubt one of the crucial statements in Tzava’at Harivash. It offers a succinct declaration of the unique nature of Chassidism and the difference between it and its opponents. The Baal Shem Tov clearly does not downgrade or belittle Torah-study, as often charged by his adversaries. He places Torah-study into context: the ultimate goal of the religious life is deveikut-attachment to, and communion with, God.
The Halachic proof-text for this principle is in the Talmudic passage relating that “the pious of old” spent an hour on each of the daily three prayers, and also an hour preparing for each prayer “in order to focus their heart to their Father in Heaven,” and an additional hour after each prayer to extend the communion with God beyond the prayer itself (Berachot 30b and 32b). Thus they spent nine hours daily on deveikut without worrying about the over-riding obligation of Torah-study. For “the goal of wisdom (i.e., the principal purpose of Torah studied) is teshuvah (return to, and communion with, God) and good deeds” [Rashi: that it be with teshuvah and good deeds] (Berachot 17b). The precept of authentic deveikut with “fear and love of God” is superior to the precept of Torah-study and takes precedence to it, as it is written, “The beginning of wisdom is fear of God” (Psalms 111:10), as stated in Sefer Chareidim and in Shenei Luchot Haberit. (See the lengthier version in Likkutei Amarim Vitebsk, and R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Shulchan Aruch, Hilchot Talmud Torah 4:4-5. Sefer Chareidim, Mitzvat Hateshuvah, end of ch. 3, writes on the authority of R. Isaac Luria that deveikut is sevenfold more effective for the soul than study.) Note, however, the sequel to this sentence.

Notwithstanding the primary goal of deveikut, it does not over-ride the obligation to study Torah, for the reason explained in the next paragraphs.

Torah-study is not a superficial utterance of words. It requires concentration on the content of the subject-matter to the point of full understanding and acquiring yedi'at Hatorah (knowledge of Torah). It is practically impossible to do so when simultaneously concentrating on deveikut (cf. below, sect. 30: “When studying Torah you must concentrate on the subject-matter.”) Man thus faces a dilemma: should he pursue meaningful study with its unavoidable interruption of deveikut, or focus on deveikut at the expense of study and yedi'at Hatorah? The Baal Shem Tov’s answer is an unequivocal “you must study!”

“A boor cannot be fearful of sin, and an unlearned person cannot be a chassid (a pious person who acts beyond the minimal letter of the law).” (Avot 2:5) The lack of Torah-knowledge precludes the possibility of authentic deveikut. By not studying Torah, therefore, one loses out on both the basic precept of Torah-knowledge and deveikut. As for the “pious of old” (see above, note 1), they spent so much time on prayer and deveikut because they had already studied, and already knew the whole Torah. This follows from the Talmud’s statement that by virtue of their saintliness “their Torah was preserved.” Unlike others, they did not need to spend more time on reviewing etc. to assure that they will not forget what they had learned. Their piety and deveikut did not exempt them from the precept of Torah-study, but from the normative obligation of continuous Torah-study in accord with the Halachic principle (Berachot 11a; Sukah 25a) that “when preoccupied with one mitzvah one is exempt from another mitzvah.” Thus they continued their studies in the time left to them beyond the nine hours devoted to prayer and deveikut. (See at length, Hilchot Talmud Torah, ibid., par. 6)
Note the sentence in sect. 30: “When studying Torah you must concentrate on the subject-matter, and by virtue thereof you will be properly attached to Godliness.”

I.e., when in a state of constricted consciousness, unable to concentrate and focus.

The pursuit of deveikut cannot be an excuse not to study Torah. It is a fact of reality that in any case there are times when the active pursuit of deveikut is precluded, such as when “the mind falls” (i.e., when unable to concentrate and focus the mind) or when asleep. It is absurd to argue that Torah-study is inferior to those states of being. When studying Torah, at least one fulfills the precept of talmud Torah (studying Torah), the precept of acquiring yedi'at Hatorah (Torah-knowledge), which is the very foundation of the religious life of following God’s will and without which there is no authentic deveikut. Thus, “you must study!” Moreover, when the mind is not preoccupied with thoughts of Torah, one is not in a state of deveikut, and the mind will be filled with meaningless (devarim beteilim-idle matters) or even sinful thoughts (cf. below, sect. 121, that the failure to study Torah is one of the four primary causes of spiritual corruption).

In view of the above, it is clear that Torah-study is absolutely essential in the full sense of “Talmud Torah is equivalent to all the commandments.” (Cf. below, sect. 117, note 7, and sect. 121.) Nonetheless, every so often one must remind oneself that its pursuit is a command of God, which is part of the service of God and communion with God. Cf. below, sect. 54.