Five Timeless Torah Lessons from the Steipler Gaon

Success in Torah Doesn’t Come from Blessings. It Comes from Hard Work

The Steipler Gaon, father of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, once offered this blunt yet empowering piece of advice:

“You need to understand that greatness in Torah doesn’t come from blessings. There’s only one solution: distance yourself from idleness and make full use of your time. That’s why it doesn’t matter which yeshiva you attend. A boy’s success isn’t determined by the yeshiva; it’s determined by how diligently he applies himself.”

For the Steipler, discipline and effort outweighed environment or status.

Respect Your Sleep. It Protects Your Torah Growth

While the Steipler encouraged intense commitment to learning, he also warned against overexertion:

“There are 24 hours in a day. From that, 8 hours are set aside for sleep. Every person should adjust their sleep schedule according to their own nature. Some sleep all 8 hours at night, others sleep 6.5 or 7 at night and nap during the day. Either way, one must never take sleep lightly. If someone listens to the evil inclination and cuts back on sleep, it could cause a serious decline, God forbid.”

Proper rest, he taught, is not laziness. It’s the foundation for lasting spiritual health.

Review, Review, Review and Never Stop During Breaks

The Steipler believed mastery requires repetition:

“Every page of Talmud should be learned four times. After that, you’ll know it nearly completely. Then you can review it many more times. When you finish a chapter, go back and review it four more times.”

He also stressed the importance of consistency, especially during vacation:

“I know many people who became great in Torah specifically because they were careful to learn even during vacations.”

Finally, he reminded students that Torah study must go hand-in-hand with character development:

“Torah refines the person—certainly. There are those who, without Torah, would have been like wild beasts or even murderers. Diligent Torah learning pulled them out of that. But that alone doesn’t guarantee good character. That only comes through the study of mussar (Jewish ethial behavior), constant spiritual self-reflection, and breaking negative traits and desires. Only then can someone truly become a person of good character."