Reply To: Q&A With Rav Avigdor Miller

Q:
Is it OK for me to give up on some of my Torah learning in the evening, in order to work a little extra so that I can save up money for a trip to Eretz Yisroel?

A:
No! Absolutely not. The purpose of Eretz Yisroel is only for you to make something out of yourself. To give up learning to go to the Kosel Ma’aravi, the Western Wall? If you want to go to the Kosel Ma’aravi, then you should know that the Shas Bavli is your Kosel Ma’aravi. Make the seforim shrank with the Shas Bavli in it, your Kosel Ma’aravi. That’s your success.

To go to Eretz Yisroel and to stand at a wall that means nothing to you?! It’s just a זכר of ימי קדם. It’s a remembrance of our glorious past. It’s something, but it’s a failure. The success of life is the transferring the contents of the Shas into your mind. So stand in front of that big Shas on the shelves and make that your Kosel Ma’aravi. Because that’s your success in life. If you want to, you can put kvitlach, prayer notes, in between the Gemoras and pray to Hashem. The Shas is our everything! There’s nothing in the world more קדוש, more special, to הקדוש ברוך הוא than the ד׳ אמות של הלכה. Since the חורבן בית המקדש there’s nothing more important to הקדוש ברוך הוא than Shas and our Torah seforim. So what are you thinking? To forego learning Torah for a cheap substitute?! Don’t forego learning for anything in the world.
TAPE # 829