Are you lost? Learn Torah!

 

The Posuk in Mishlei states “Ki ner Mitzva Vetorah Or – A mitzva is a candle, Torah is light.”

 

The Gemoro in Sotah (21A) gives the following analogy: The was someone travelling in the dark and was afraid of thorns and pits. He was also lost and had no idea where the correct path was. So he lit a candle and that provided enough light to prevent him from hurting himself from thorns and pits but he was still lost. Once it got light, he was able to find the road and reach his destination. That is the difference between a candle and daylight. The question why is Torah specifically compared to daylight?

 

The Nesivos Sholom explains that this world is totally dark. Hashem is concealed and all that is visible to us is the physical. It’s hard for us to keep focused on the purpose of creation. If we keep mitzvos we are protecting ourselves from “thorns” and “pits” i.e. from doing the wrong thing. But you are still living the dark, not necessarily having the correct perspective on reality. Only through limmud HatTorah will you have the right perspective. Torah Ohr – Torah allows us to see the truth, that Hashem is in everything. When we learn, we know where we are going and what we are doing here.

 

We are no longer lost.

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