Thursday, May 22, 2025

Megillah 3: A Perpetual Obligation

The Maasei L’melech imparts a deep insight regarding learning: “Most mitzvos are time-centric. Some must be fulfilled by day, others at night. Yet other mitzvos have their own precise times when they are fulfilled: some weekly, some monthly, some yearly, or with at even less frequent intervals.

“Torah study is an exception to this rule. As the verse states, ‘Vehigisa bo yomam volayloh — And you shall contemplate them day and night.’ Every available instant is earmarked for learning whenever possible. Every instant, we must ask ourselves if we can learn, and if this is possible, we must use the moment to learn.

“On Megillah 3, we find that when an angel came to rebuke Yehoshua, he was unsure whether the angel came because they did not bring the korban tomid or because of bitul Torah. When the angel came to Yehoshua and said, ‘I have come now,’ Yehoshua understood that the angel was there due to bittul Torah. But if this merely means that one can tell from the timing of the angel’s appearance that he came due to bittul Torah, why did Yehoshua ask? We must say that the angel’s response, ‘I came now,’ is not merely an obvious rejoinder. ‘Now’ indicates that the angel came specifically for the needs of that very instant—to tell them the importance of using every available moment for Torah. When Yehoshua heard this, he immediately began to delve into the vast depths of halacha” (Maasei L’melech, Parshas Eikev).

Twitter
WhatsApp
Facebook
Pinterest
LinkedIn

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST NEWS

Our Identity

  President Donald Trump returned from a highly publicized and triumphant visit to three Arab capitals, bringing with him promises of over $1 trillion in

Read More »

IN A PERFECT WORLD

  BUILDING BLOCKS Watch a child erecting a tower. With fierce concentration he piles one wooden block on top of the next, adding height with

Read More »

My Take On The News

  Lag Ba’omer 5785: 200,000 Visitors in Meron The prodigious efforts invested in the Lag Ba’omer festivities in Meron bore fruit. Almost 200,000 people visited

Read More »

Bringing Them Up

  As Shavuos approaches, I always find myself remembering—with deep fondness—the Yomim Tovim I spent in yeshiva. Whether it was in Philadelphia, Ponovezh, or Lakewood,

Read More »

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to stay updated