"I Work and Have No Time to Study Torah. Hashem Understands, Right?"

You wake up early in the morning, head into traffic to work, where 8-9 hours of emails, calls, and typing await you. When the clock shows 5:00 PM, you can finally clock out to freedom. More traffic awaits in the afternoon, and when you finally get home, you collapse onto the couch with a cup of tea. Is it possible to get an exemption from daily Torah study? After all, Hashem sees that you're tired and struggling, and all you want to do is lounge on the couch, or do simple things that don't require mental or intellectual effort. Is it really critical to set daily, fixed times for Torah study?

1. The Main Judgment Above. Torah study isn't just another mitzvah among others; it's a significant and primary focus for a Jewish man in the service of Hashem. It's brought in the Talmud that on a person's day of judgment, when his soul stands before the heavenly court, he is asked if he set fixed times for Torah. The Talmud states: "Rava said: When a person is led in for judgment, they say to him, did you conduct business honestly? Did you set times for Torah study? Did you engage in procreation? Did you await salvation? Did you comprehend wisdom? Did you understand one thing from another?" (Tractate Shabbat, page 31, folio 1), and the Sages explain that a person’s initial judgment and punishment will be if he didn't set times for Torah study – "A person's judgment begins with words of Torah" (Tractate Kiddushin, page 40, folio b).

The Sages explain that the first question asked on a person's judgment day is "Did you conduct business honestly?", which serves as an introduction to the main question: "Did you set fixed times for Torah study?" because if a person was first asked about Torah study, he might claim that he's not wise enough to understand. If however he engaged in business which requires various skills, this response serves as proof that he has the appropriate skills and wisdom for Torah study, leaving him with no excuse.

The question regarding livelihood is also asked first to verify if he approached his livelihood with the belief that "a person's sustenance is allotted to him from Rosh Hashanah to Rosh Hashanah", and there's no reason for extra hours and effort. In his response to this, he no longer has the excuse of a lack of time and fatigue due to excessive investment in livelihood.

A Jewish man's primary judgment is on daily Torah study, and to progress in self-improvement and wholeness, we must not neglect this precious mitzvah.

2. To Avoid Emptiness. Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim, writes in his legal work Mishna Berura: "The man who does not make an effort to set times for Torah every day will certainly remain empty of everything, G-d forbid, and what will he answer on the day of judgment – and the wise man's eyes are in his head." (Biur Halacha 155:4)

3. Like a Body Without Life. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, spoke about the importance of Torah study: "Torah study isn’t only for yeshiva students whose craft is the Torah but for every Jew. A Jew without Torah is like a body without a soul. The Torah is our soul! Without it, we have no life." As the Torah says, "For it is your life and your length of days" (Deuteronomy 30:20) – so said Hashem. Just as a person without life is worth nothing, so it cannot be that a Jew exists without Torah! Even a person who keeps the mitzvot, performs charity and kindness, without Torah he is like a body without a soul." (From the book "Ma’adanei HaMelech")

4. Above All. The Talmud highlights the importance of the mitzvah of Torah study, "These are the things a person does and enjoys their fruits in this world while the principal remains for him in the world to come: honoring parents, acts of kindness, bringing peace between friends, and Torah study is above them all." (Tractate Shabbat, page 127, folio a).

5. Obligatory for Everyone. Maimonides rules "Every person in Israel must engage in Torah study, whether poor or rich, healthy or suffering, young or very old with weakened abilities, even a poor person supported by charity must establish a fixed time for Torah study day and night, as it says, 'and you shall meditate on it day and night'." (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study, Chapter 1, Law 8)

Isn't It Too Late At My Age?

Dina (pseudonym) was over 40 when she discovered Hashem. Divorced with three children, she realized that her life had been going in the wrong direction and that there was something beyond that she had never been aware of. She started attending Torah classes, progressing step by step consistently and diligently. After only a few years in her return to Judaism, she decided it was time to build her home again, this time as a house of Torah. She entered the matchmaking world and married a uniquely G-d-fearing man, who is well-known in the community. She had never imagined she would be blessed to marry such a noble man and live her life by his side. If someone had painted a picture of her life a few years earlier and her life after her marriage, one would not believe it was the same person.

Rabbi Akiva started studying Torah at the age of 40, not knowing how to read or write. He struggled to understand Torah study, but with patience and encouragement from his wife Rachel, he continued learning until it penetrated his heart, and he became a holy Tanna, the greatest of his generation.

With determination, persistence, and seriousness, one can achieve the greatest dreams, reach distances, and conquer great goals. At any stage and at any age it's possible to begin, as Rabbi Yisrael Salanter said, "As long as the candle burns, it is possible to correct."

Where Do We Start?

There are several options for setting fixed times for Torah study at different levels.

1. Watch various Torah lessons and study Torah from books and websites. The Learning Torah section contains hundreds of written and filmed Torah lessons that can help you study Torah at your convenience.

2. Purchase holy books on various topics and fix a daily time to study them.

3. Subscribe to the "Veten Chelkenu" booklets by Rabbi Kowalsky and learn from them the daily portion in about ten minutes. You can also read them in the 'Veten Chelkenu' section here.

4. Subscribe to "The Daily Page in 10 Minutes" booklets, the work of Rabbi Yigal Cohen, head of the 'Yabia Omer' institutions.

5. Look for Torah classes in your area and start attending those that suit you regularly. There are various topics for Torah classes: the weekly portion, ethics, Halacha, Talmud, and more.

6. Study Gemara with Steinsaltz.

7. Attend a daily fixed Talmud lesson. Search in your area, at synagogues and study houses.

8.Recommendation: The best way to reach the deepest, most thorough, serious, and exalted study of Torah is by learning Gemara in a study partnership. Initially, inquire at yeshivas, Kollels, and synagogues in your area if there is a scholar who can sit with you regularly during the week, even twice a week to start, and teach you how to learn Gemara. Emphasize that the goal is not for him to teach you the material on the Gemara page and "spoon-feed you," but to guide and instruct you on how to learn a page of Gemara so that you take an active part in the learning, so that you can eventually learn Gemara with a partner. You can also arrange a study partner once a week through the 'Lev LaAchim' organization.

Read also:

Even One Minute of Torah Learning Is Worth a Lot

Keys to Life: A Moment of Torah Learning

Studying Torah on Shabbat – Can't Skip on the Day of Rest?! 7 Facts That Will Astonish You

What Will You Gain from Learning Torah? 6 Things You Don’t Want to Miss

Torah Study: The Pinnacle of Mitzvot for the Jewish Man – Discoveries that Will Make You Run to the Book

Dr. Eli Ben Eliezer: "When Studying Gemara, Every Comma Has Meaning"