מַה שֶׁנּוֹהֲגִים שֶׁלֹּא לִלְמוֹד בְּנִיתְּל, שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאַאַמוּ"ר הַטַּעַם, שֶׁהוּא כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא לְהוֹסִיף חַיּוּת. פַּעַם אָמַר אַאַמוּ"ר: דִי מַתְמִידִים וואָס דִי אַכט שָׁעָה אִיז זֵיי נוֹגֵעַ בְּנֶפֶשׁ, האָב אִיך נִיט האָלט. וְהוּא רַק עַד חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה.

I heard from my revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], that the reason that one customarily refrains from studying [Torah] on nittel1 night is to refrain from adding vitality [to the kelipos].2 Once my revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], said: “I do not care for those scholars who are so [unduly] diligent that the loss of those eight hours3 touches their very souls.”4

[We refrain from studying] only [from sunset] until midnight.

Delving Deeply

On the one hand, diligence in Torah study is an admirable trait, for complete commitment to study endows one with resources that enable him to imbue his character with spiritual truth. On the other hand, diligence can also reflect a desire to avoid facing the fullness and complexity of life, by hiding behind a regimented pattern of conduct or retreating to an abstract world of pure ideas and values.

What differentiates between these two contrary expressions of the same trait is a sensitivity to spirituality and a dedication to a higher purpose. When one is unwilling to forgo a few hours of study, despite having been told by those more spiritually sensitive than he that it will produce negative results, he reveals that his diligence is motivated by misguided and even selfish desires.