The Infinite Value of a Single Word of Torah

Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, quoting the great Saba of Kelm, once said:
“It was worthwhile for the Almighty to create the entire world for six thousand years just so that one Jew would merit saying even once during that time the phrase ‘Baruch Hu u’varuch Shemo’ (Blessed is He and blessed is His Name). And a thousand utterances of ‘Baruch Hu u’varuch Shemo’ do not equal the importance of answering ‘Amen’ once. And a thousand ‘Amen’s do not reach the greatness of saying ‘Amen, Yehei Shmei Rabba’ (Amen, may His great Name be blessed) once. And a thousand such praises still do not match the value of even a single word of Torah study.”

The final point is rooted in the well-known Mishnah: “And the study of Torah is equal to them all.”

In Pirkei Avot, the Sages taught: “One moment of spiritual pleasure in the World to Come surpasses all the pleasures of this world.”

The ethical masters explain: if one were to gather together every possible physical pleasure enjoyed by every human who has ever lived- from the wealthiest kings to the most powerful rulers- and condense it into a single moment, that is what the Sages meant by “all the pleasures of this world". The joy of such a moment is beyond the capacity of the human mind. And yet, the Torah reveals that one single moment of true spiritual delight in the World to Come- where the soul is freed from the limitations of the physical body- is greater than all of it.

Maimonides explains that just as a person blind from birth cannot comprehend color, so too can no human being truly grasp the nature of the joy awaiting the soul in the spiritual realm.

What is this immense reward for? Even just saying “Baruch Hu u’varuch Shemo”. How astounding, then, is the reward for one word of Torah learning. This realization should be engraved in our consciousness and shouted from the rooftops! If we put so much effort into acts of kindness, avoiding gossip and honoring Shabbat, how much more effort should we invest in utilizing every moment to study Torah, whose reward is beyond imagination?

Every mitzvah that involves a physical action- like Kiddush on Shabbat, helping a friend, putting on tefillin, waving the lulav- begins at the start of the action and ends when the action is completed.
However the mitzvah of “You shall meditate upon it day and night”- referring to Torah learning- considers every single word as a separate mitzvah!

The Chafetz Chaim, in his book Torat HaBayit, calculates: In one minute, a person can recite 200 words of Torah, which is 200 positive commandments in one minute! Multiply that by 60, and in one hour you’ve performed 12,000 mitzvot! How much spiritual wealth does someone amass who learns Torah for hours every day?
From the perspective of eternal life, such a person is the true billionaire.

This is the secret of “penny by penny accumulates into a great sum”- and moment by moment, a person amasses millions of mitzvot. Only the soul, which is not bound by physical limits, can truly grasp the enormity of this reward.

Certain Moments Carry Even Greater Value

There are times when the value of one moment is multiplied dramatically. Rabbi Yosef Chaim, author of Ben Ish Chai, wrote that one minute of Torah study on Shabbat is equivalent to 1,000 minutes on a weekday, and one hour equals 1,000 hours, because Shabbat belongs to a higher spiritual dimension. This is the depth of the verse: “And G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it”- the sanctity of Shabbat sets it apart from the regular days of the week, and every moment flows on a completely different spiritual wavelength.

When Torah is learned during times when others are not studying, such as bein hazmanim (yeshiva break periods), or on the eve of Shabbat or holidays, the spiritual light that descends is shared among fewer people. As a result, the individual who learns receives an amplified share of spiritual reward. As the Midrash cites Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: “If you see a generation that has weakened in Torah study, strengthen yourself in it, and you will receive the reward of all of them.” This applies both to generations and to moments in time.

What of one who studies Torah through pain- be it financial struggle, health issues, or emotional burdens? His reward is multiplied even further- at least a hundredfold. As it says in Avot d’Rabbi Natan:
“If you studied Torah in times of abundance, do not stop in times of poverty…For one word of Torah learned in hardship is worth more than a hundred learned in ease.”

This is the eternal treasure stored for those who seize each moment for Torah. Fortunate is the one who grasps this truth and lives by it.