[Avodah] nefesh hachayim

[Akiva Miller]

.
R' Joel Rich asked:

> "Similarly, one is permitted to interrupt and neglect learning
> briefly in order to contemplate for a bit the fear/awe of HKBH.
> And he need not be concerned about this being neglect of Torah
> (learning), since this is what causes his wisdom of Torah to be
> sustained." (my translation)
>
> Fascinating,  is he saying that the only reason contemplating
> yirah during learning is that it is intrinsic to learning because
> it causes his torah to be remembered, not as an independent value.
> Thoughts?

I think you translated it well, and understood it correctly. To take a
*short* break during one's learning -- and note that we're not talking
about going for a cup of coffee, but specifically to contemplate the
subject matter -- is not a hefsek in the learning, and does not constitute
Bitul Torah. Rather, it is a tafel which *enhances* the ikar. Or, to use
your translation, it *sustains* his learning!

I fear you're putting too much emphasis on the fact (and yes, it is a fact)
that "thinking about Hashem" is not necessarily the same thing as "learning
Torah", and not enough emphasis on the fact that -- in the Nefesh
Hachayim's opinion -- it is a price worth paying.

> ... not as an independent value.

But if one treats this hisbonenus as an "independent value", then I daresay
that the Nefesh Hachayim would hold that he has gone beyond the "me'at"
limitation. (Note that the Nefesh Hachayim used that word *twice* in this
snippet!) I understand "independent value" to mean that he treats it as its
own ikar, and no longer batel to the learning.

For more information I suggest Pirkei Avos 3:9. Admiring and praising
Hashem's handiwork is a wonderful thing. But if one interrupted his
learning to do it, and it is unrelated to what he was learning, then it's
*not* so good.

Akiva Miller
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