[Avodah] "she’ain mevarchin baTorah techilah"

[hlampel at koshernet.com]

In one of his igros (R' Shielat's ed. p.212, Sh'ayla
17), the Rambam explains a familiar 
Chazal in an unfamiliar way. The Chazal (Nedarim 81a)
asks, "mipnei mah talmidei chachamim 
einan metsuyin la-tsies Torah mi-b'nayhem--Why
doesn't Torah come from the sons of 
talmidei chachamim?" and it answers, "mipnei she'ain
mevarchin baTorah techilah." 
(Elsewhere this is a reason given for the churban
Besi HaMikdash.) 

The usual understanding of "she'ain mevarchin baTorah
techilah" (as per Rashi and others on the Gemora) is
that they fail to say birkas haTorah. This
explanation has some difficulties: Did they fail to
say this bracha in particular? Why? And what is the
point of the word "techillah"?

Rambam's explanation is different, does not have this
difficulty, and fits the words beautifully: According
to the Rambam, the context is being called up for
aliyos at krias HaTorah. 
The criticism is that when the talmidei chachamim
were called up for the first aliyah, they were
moichel the kavod (allowing a kohein am haAretz to
have the first aliyah instead).-But this was a 
matter of misplaced modesty that actually
demonstrated a lack of appreciation of the honor 
of being called to be the first to make a berachah on
the Torah! This is peshat in, 
"mipnei she'ain mevarchin baTorah techilah."-They do
not make the first beracha [said by the first oleh
l'kriass haTorah] on the Torah. Incredible, no?

Zvi Lampel