By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

As the last hours of Chanukah dwindle away, we may take a lesson from two key words that are recited in Al HaNissim:� �Lehashkicham Torasecha.�� The Greeks tried to cause us to forget our Torah.� To quote a childhood friend, Reuvain Glick, �Torah is the software of the Jewish people.�� They tried to wipe our operating system clean.

The lesson we should all take from Chanukah then is to make a lasting change in our approach to Talmud Torah.� The first step in doing that is to examine the nature of Talmud Torah itself.� Within the Mitzvah of Talmud Torah, there are actually two Mitzvos.

• There is the Mitzvah of �veshinantam.� The Gemorah in Kiddushin 30a applies a drasha to this pasuk.� It says that the words of Torah should be sharp (as a tooth) in your mouth � that if someone asks you regarding some matter [of Torah], do not stammer or splutter and delay in responding to him, rather � respond to him immediately.� This is discussed in the Chofetz Chaim�s Biur Halacha (end of Siman 155) and is cited in the Rambam�s Sefer HaMitzvos #11 and the Sefer HaChinuch in Mitzvah #419.
• There is also the Mitzvah of constant immersion in Torah � without stop. This is discussed in the Chofetz Chaim�s Mishna Brurah� (155:4). This is also the simple understanding of the pasuk we recite in the Shma, b�shivtecha b�vaisecha uvelechtecha baderech uveshochbecha u�v�kumecha.� This is also the simple understanding of the pasuk in Yehoshua (1:8), �lo yamush sefer haTorah mipicha v�heigeisa bo yomam valailah.�

This author would like to suggest that even when we browse the websites for news, we should keep both of these Mitzvos of Talmud Torah in mind.

** There is a Yesoma who, boruch Hashem, just got engaged.��If anyone would like to assist in making her chasuna please donate here�or contact the author.**

Many of us need to peruse the news and the Jewish websites allow us to do so without the filth that is out there.� But some of us perhaps have become news junkies of a sort and spend too much time on the news and not enough time on Talmud Torah.� This can be changed.

Our websites should always have some form of Talmud Torah opportunity available and one that can give us a clear understanding of the topic. �Otherwise, we can lose ourselves chas veshalom and allow the Greeks to have that last win of lehashkicham Torasecha.� It can also accomplish the idea of ensuring that everything we look at in the secular world should be looked at with �Torah glasses� � so to speak.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

** There is a Yesoma who, boruch Hashem, just got engaged.��If anyone would like to assist in making her chasuna please donate here�or contact the author.**