## Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III

###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:1
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:1)

ולהרחיב ולבאר הענין הנני להקדים הא דתני' באדר"נ פ' כ"ח ר' נתן אומר אין אהבה כאהבה של תורה. ואין חכמה כחכמה של א"י ואין יופי כו'. למדנו ר"נ דאהבה רוחנית גדולה וחזקה מערך אהבה הבאה מהנאה גשמית שיש לה גבול, וכל אשר יכסוף האיש באהבה גשמית יתן בעד אהבת נפשו הקודמת לכל, משא"כ אהבה של תורה היא עזה כמות, היינו שיתן גם נפשו בשבילה. למי שטעמה והרגיל עצמו בה, אע"ג שאין זה מושכל ואינו מובן למי שלא ידע טעמה באשר היא למעלה מדעת אנושי וטבע האדם, אבל ידועה אמיתותה למי אשר שאר רוח לו ונתקשר ברוח חכמה של תורה.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
**A FURTHER ELABORATION OF HOW TORAH STUDY, EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF THE TEMPLE, ENABLES ONE TO TRANSCEND THE PHYSICAL REALM**
TO FURTHER ELABORATE and clarify this matter, I would like to begin by quoting *Avos de-Rabbi Nassan*, chapter 28: “R. Nassan said, ‘There is no love like the love of Torah, there is no wisdom as the wisdom of the Land of Israel, there is no beauty, and so on.’” R. Nassan teaches us that spiritual love is greater and more powerful in potential than the love that results from physical pleasure, which has a finite limit. All that man aspires to achieve in physical love is provided for the sake of what his soul loves, [a form of love] that has precedence over everything [and is experienced by all]. This is not so with the love of Torah, which is so powerful in capacity, to the extent that the soul [reciprocates] and also contributes love for [the Torah’s] sake, [as experienced by] the one whose soul is greatly accustomed to her study and taste. Even though this is difficult to conceptualize and is incomprehensible to the one who has not experienced it – since it is beyond man’s intellect and human nature – however, its truth is known to the one who experiences this additional spirit within himself¹ and is bound to the spirit of the wisdom of the Torah.

footnotes:
¹ See Mal. 2:15.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:2
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:2)

ולזה כוונו ברה"ש ד"ד א' בהא דכתיב בישראל בנות מלכים ביקרותיך נצבה שגל לימינך בכתם אופיר, ואי שגל כלבתא היא מאי קא מבשר נביא לישראל. ה"ק בשכר שחביבה תורה לישראל כשגל לכותים זכיתם לכתם אופיר.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
This is what Tractate *Rosh Hashanah* 4a is expressing in its interpretation of this verse describing [God’s promise to] Israel: “Daughters of kings are with your precious ones; at your right hand the *shegal* stands erect in the golden jewelry of Ophir.”² If *shegal* means “dog,” what promise is the prophet bringing to Israel? What he means is this: Because the Torah is as dear to Israel as a *shegal* is to the heathens, you have earned as your reward the gold of Ophir.”

footnotes:
² Psalms 45:10.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:3
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:3)

והמשל זה כחומץ לשנים וכעשן לעינים, אבל הנראה דכל מיני אהבות הנמצאות בעולם אע"ג שאין כל הדעות שוות בהרגשתם, וזה מרגיש אהבה לזה יותר וזה לזה, בכ"ז כולם מרגישים בטבע דעת אנושי כל מיני אהבה, משא"כ אהבת התורה העזה מצד שהיא תורת אל חי אינה מושכלת למי שלא טעם אותה, אלא בערך כל חכמה טבעית וככה אהבת הכלבתא למשתעשעים בה אינה מושכלת לדעת אנושי למי שאינו משתמש באהבת זו המגועלת, והיינו דקאמר בשכר שחביבה תורה לישראל באותו אופן נעלה שאינו מושכל לדעת אנושי כמו אהבת שגל למשתעשעים בה שאינה מושכלת לדעת אנושי זכיתם לכתם אופיר.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Behold, this parable is like “vinegar to the teeth and smoke for the eyes.”³ However, the interpretation is that regarding all different forms of love existing in the world, even though there are diverse ways in experiencing love, as some may have a great love for one thing while others have a greater love for another, even so, everyone can identify with the various sorts of love through their natural human intellect [and experiences]. This is not the case with the love of Torah which is so powerful, the Torah of the Living God – never can it be perceived by one who has never experienced it. [Such a person] can only perceive it by comparing it to the other physical loves that he has experienced, such as the love for a dog that is experienced by those who play with it; which is incomprehensible to those who never experienced this lowly type of love. [The verse is expressing that] the reward for the Torah being beloved by Israel is a lofty matter which is incomprehensible to those [who have not experienced it], just as the [lowly] love of the *shegal* [dog] is incomprehensible to the human intellect. [By achieving this love of Torah], you will have merited obtaining the gold of Ophir.

footnotes:
³ See Prov. 10:26.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:4
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:4)

אמנם טעם וסיבת אהבה זו ושרשה מתבאר באגדה דבכורות ד"ח ב' ששאלו סבי דבי אתונא לר' יהושע ההוא גברא דאזיל ובעי איתתא ולא יהבי לי' מאי חזי דאזיל היכא דמדלו מיני' שקל סיכתא דצה לתתאי ולא על לעילאי על, אמר האי נמי מתרמי בת מזלי'. ובל"ס שלא שאלו חכמי אתונא פטומי מילי כי אם דברים העומדים ברומו של עולם השייכים להבדיל ישראל בין עובדי ככבים, ובאו להוכיח דדעת ישראל קלה משל עובדי אלילים, שהרי בשעה שהקב"ה נתן תורה אזיל לפארן ואדום ולא קבלוה ובא אצל ישראל וקבלוה, והאיך אפשר דישראל במעלה בחכמתם וביקרותם מעובדי כוכבים, והשיב ר' יהושע דודאי חכמו וייקר ערכם אלא שאוה"ע אינם בר מזלי' דתורה וישראל המה בני מזלי'. וכדאי' בזוהר דאורייתא וישראל חד. ר"ל דשורש נשמת ישראל אחוזה בשורש התורה, והיא היא הסיבה שמקרבת זל"ז באהבת עזה כמו אש הנדבק ביסודה בעת שאינה אחוזה בדבר, ככה רוח ונשמת ישראל נאחזת במעט שעות שמשנן שכלו ברוח התורה, ונעשים אבוקה אחת רוחנית, והיא אהבת עזה כמות.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
The reason and cause for this [Torah] love, indeed its very origin is explained in the Aggadah of Tractate *Bechoros* 8b, where the Athenian sages stated the argument to R. Yehoshua ben Hanania: If a man goes and asks the hand of a woman in marriage, but [her family declines] and does not offer her to him, why should he see fit to go where the people are of higher social status than the first woman and seek one of their daughters? [If he was found unworthy by the first, more common family, he will surely be unacceptable to the second].” [R. Yehoshua] took a pin and stuck it in the lower part of the wall, but the [pin] did not enter. [R. Yehoshua then raised his arm and stuck the pin] in the upper [part of the wall, where there was a crack] and it entered. [R. Yehoshua] said [to the Athenians], “This [man] too, [despite his rejection by the first family], may chance to find [among the second family] a woman of his constellation.” Clearly, the Athenian sages were not asking R. Yehoshua frivolous questions. Certainly they were asking about very important matters that pertained to the differences between Israel and the other nations. [The Athenian sages] were attempting to prove that the Jewish religion was inferior to paganism, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, was giving the Torah, He [first] approached [the other nations such as] Paran and Edom, who rejected it, [and only afterwards] did He offer it to the people of Israel who accepted it. [If God approached Israel last], how could they possibly be greater than the other nations in wisdom and importance? R. Yehoshua responded that certainly [the other nations] are [by nature] wiser and greater in measure than Israel. However, the nations of the world are not of the same constellation of the Torah, while Israel is. It states in the Zohar, “Israel and the Torah are one,” meaning, the root of the Spirit of Israel is bound up together with the root of the Torah. This is the reason that Israel and the Torah were brought together in a powerful love similar to the way a flame clings to its source [in Heaven], when unrestrained by something [such as a wick].⁴ on Song of Songs 1:2. When the spirit and soul of Israel embrace for a few moments in the sharpening of the mind in the study of Torah, they [the Torah and Israel] combine to become a single spiritual torch. This is a love powerful in magnitude.

footnotes:
⁴ When a flame is not “held” by an item such as a wick, it “returns” to the source of fire that exists in Heaven. See Rinah shel Torah


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:5
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:5)

ועדיין אנו מבחוץ בהבנת מאמר ר' נתן דאמאי אמר אהבה של תורה ולא אמר אהבה של הקב"ה, דבזה כתיב בשה"ש ח' כי עזה כמות אהבה והיא נשמתא דשמתן [הוא לשון זוה"ק פ' בהעלותך קנ"ב א'] דישראל ושורשא דאורייתא ודישראל.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
However, we still do not understand the previously cited statement of R. Nassan. Why did R. Nassan state, “There is no love like the love of Torah”? Should he not have stated that “There is no love like the love of the Holy One, blessed be He?” In chapter 8 of Song of Songs it is written: “Love [for You] is as strong as death,” for it is the *nishmisa de-nishmatin*, “the soul of the souls” (this is the language of the *Zohar* on the Torah portion of *Beha’alosecha* 152b). [In other words, it is as if God is the Soul consisting of the souls] of Israel. [God] is the origin of both the Torah and Israel.⁵ on Gen. 49:24 and Deut. 32:9, the Netziv writes that *nishmisa de-nishmatin* expresses the relationship between the individual souls of Israel and God similar to how different strands are combined to make a rope. The individual souls of Israel are like the strands that dangle from one end of a rope – which, although they are separate, are bound to God in a manner similar to the way these individual strands are twisted together to form a tight and solid mass at its other end.

footnotes:
⁵ In Ha’amek Davar


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:6
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:6)

אכן יש לדעת דהשתלמות אהבה באה ע"י שהנאהב מתקרב למי שרוצה לשפוך רוח אהבה לו, אבל אם אין הנאהב מתקרב לו לפי ערך אהבתו אליו בע"כ היא מתמעטת ונחלשת.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
One should understand that a complete love is consummated when the beloved draws close to the one who desires to pour forth his spirit of love. If the beloved does not draw close to him, so that his love does not match the one who desires to express it – then for certain, the love becomes degraded and weakened.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:7
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:7)

[והיינו שאמר דוד על יהונתן נפלאתה אהבתך לי מאהבת נשים, ולא אמר נפלאתה אהבתנו מאהבת נשים, שיהא במשמע אהבת זה לזה גם שניהם, אלא שאהבת דוד ליהונתן לא הי' בפלא, שהרי יהונתן הי' מתקרב לדוד בכל האפשרות אע"ג שהי' גדול בערכו ממנו, אבל דוד לא הראה עוז אהבתו ליהונתן שהרי קטן הי' בערכו ממנו, ומכ"מ אהבו אהבת נפש. והנה מצוי שאשה גדולה מערך אישה ומכ"מ אהבתה עזה אליו והוא מצד שהאיש נותן לה תשוקתה ושופך רוח אהבתו עלי' משא"כ דוד שהי' קטן בערכו מיהונתן ולא מצא לב לשפוך עליו אהבתו לכן נפלאתה אהבת יהונתן לדוד מאהבת נשים.]

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
[Addendum 1 to Chapter 5]⁶
[THIS IS WHAT King David said of Yonasan, “Your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women.”¹ [King David] did not say “Our love was more wonderful than the love of women,” which would suggest that they loved one another [equally]; David’s love for Yonasan was not as extraordinary. Yonasan drew himself close to David in the greatest possible manner, even though his love for David was much greater in measure [than David’s love for him]. David did not express the same powerful love to Yonassan, for his [David’s] capacity for love was less. It is common that a woman’s love for her husband is greater in measure than her husband’s is for her; nevertheless, her love towards him is powerful since the man expresses his desire for her and pours forth his spirit upon her. David did not express great love for Yonasan, for [his expression of love] was smaller in measure [than Yonasan’s], and thus [David] could not find the emotion to pour his love upon him. Even so, Yonasan loved David with the [deepest] love of the soul, thus the love of Yonasan was [truly] “more wonderful than the love of women.”]

footnotes:
⁶ In Addendum 1 to Chapter 5, the Netziv uses this concept of reciprocal love to explain what King David said of Yonassan: “Your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women” (II Sam. 1:26).
¹ II Sam. 1:26.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:8
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:8)

ובשביל זה התכלית אמרו ביומא פ' הוציאו לו דנ"ד שהיו מגביהים את הפרכת לעולי רגלים ראו כמה חבתכם לפני המקום כחבת זו"נ. ולא הי פעולה זו כדי להגביה לבבם ח"ו. אלא כדי שימצאו לב לאהבה ודביקות בו ית' ואחר שכן אי אפשר להשיג אהבת ה' בשלמות אם לא בעת שנגד זה המקום ית' משפיע רוחו עליו, וזה לא הי' אלא בא"י ודור זכאי לכך משא"כ בזה"ז, וכדאי' בסוכה פרק ב' ראוי הי' שתשרה עליו שכינה אלא שאין הדור זכאי.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
It describes in Tractate *Yoma*, in the chapter *Hotziah loh*, 54a, to enable this end result [of bringing love between God and Israel], the *kohanim* [Priests] would pull back the *Paroches*⁷ so the Jewish masses could see the *Keruvim*⁸ embracing one another, [thus displaying God’s love for Israel] as the love of a male and female [for one another]. [The *kohanim*] did not do this to instill pride, Heaven forbid, but so that the people should more readily love and cleave to Him, may He be blessed. For when Israel expressed its love for God, it would be impossible to achieve a complete love for God, unless at that time God [reciprocated] by bestowing his love in abundance for Israel. This only occurred only in the Land of Israel and in a generation that was worthy of this. It cannot occur in these days, as it states in the second chapter of Tractate *Sukkah*⁹ 48b and *Sanhedrin* 11a. that [even though] it was fitting that the Divine Spirit should rest upon [certain pious sages, it did not occur] because the generation was not worthy.

footnotes:
⁷ This is the curtain that separated the main sanctuary from the Holy of Holies.
⁸ These are the Cherubs, the figurines of the baby-faced angels that stood on the top of the Ark.
⁹ I found this talmudic statement in Tractates Sotah


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:9
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:9)

משא"כ אהבת התורה היא משתלמת בכ"מ ובכ"ז וכמאמר החכמה בפי שלמה ברוה"ק אני אוהבי אהב ומשחרי ימצאונני. הבטיחה שני דברים שהיא אוהבת אותו וגם נמצאת לפניו. וכדאי' בסנהדרין דצ"א נפש עמל עמלה לו העמל בד"ת היא עומלת לו במק"א, היינו שמסייעת להבינהו ולהתמתק בלבו עד שנמשך אליה באהבה שלימה והיא רוחנית ועזה. נמצא דבזה"ז יקרה לפני ה' אהבת התורה מאהבת ה' באשר היא בשלימות יותר

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
This is unlike the love of Torah, as a complete love can be experienced in any place or time, as [expressed by] wisdom’s statement communicated by Solomon through Divine inspiration, “I love them who love me, and those who seek me earnestly shall find Me.”¹⁰ Two things are guaranteed, that she [the Torah] loves us [Israel], and that [the Torah] is readily accessible. It states in Tractate *Sanhedrin* 91,¹¹ “‘When the soul toils, the soul then toils for him,’¹² he toils in one place and then the Torah toils for him in another.” The Torah assists [by both helping him] to understand it and by sweetening his heart so that he is drawn unto her with a complete love that is spiritual [in nature and] most powerful. In conclusion, in these times the love of Torah is more precious before God than the love of God, for [only] the love of Torah can be achieved in a most complete manner.

footnotes:
¹⁰ Prov. 8:17.
¹¹ It is actually 99b. See Part 2, chapter 6 for an additional understanding of this talmudic statement.
¹² Prov. 16:26.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:10
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:10)

והיינו שאי' באגדה שדוד המלך עה"ש בקש מהקב"ה שהאומר תהלים יהא חשוב כלומד נגעים ואהלות, משמע דלמוד עומק התורה בעיון יקר משיר ושבחות שבתהלים שמלהיב את ישראל לאביו שבשמים. וקשה א"כ למאי הרבה דוד המלך לומר שבחים, והלא טוב הי' לו ללמוד באותה שעה נו"א, וכי אפשר לומר שדוד טרח א"ע בשביל אותם אנשים שאין בכחם להעמיק בתורה. אבל הענין דודאי דוד המלך בעצמו שהשיג רוה"ק בשעת אמירת המזמור, והשיג אהבת ה' בשלמות ודאי יקרה וגבוהה היא מאהבת התורה, אבל לדורות שאין אדם משיג רוה"ק באמירת תהלים אע"פ שהוא מתלהב ומשיג איזו אהבה לה' מכ"מ אינו בשלמות. ולא כן השגת אהבת התורה שמשיג בשלמות יקרה וגדולה מכל.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
The *Aggadah*¹³ (1:8) that this request of King David was expressed in (Psalms 19:15): “Let the words of my mouth be acceptable.” states that King David of blessed memory requested of the Holy One, blessed be He, that He consider the recitation of Psalms as if one had stated the laws of *Negaim*¹⁴ and *Ohalos*.¹⁵ This implies that studying the Torah with deep analysis is more precious than the hymns and praises of Psalms in arousing Israel to love their Father in Heaven. It is then difficult to understand why David had uttered so many praises [of God], for would it not have been better for him to occupy his time instead with the study of the laws of *Negaim* and *Ohalos* [which would have brought him to a higher level]? Is it possible to say that David troubled himself [to compose Psalms only] for those men who lack the strength to study the Torah in depth? However, the correct understanding [of this *midrash*] is that certainly King David himself experienced Divine inspiration while he recited the various Psalms. Since he achieved a complete love of God, certainly for David, [the love of God] was more precious than the love of Torah.¹⁶ However, in those generations where man cannot experience Divine inspiration through the recitation of Psalms, even though it arouses one to grasp a certain level of loving God, it cannot be achieved to its fullest. This is not so with obtaining the love of Torah, [i.e., the laws of *Negaim* and *Ohalos*] for it can be achieved to its fullest, and is thus more precious and greater than anything else.

footnotes:
¹³ See Midrash Shohar Tov
¹⁴ These are the rules that concern the treatment of different types of leprosy in people, garments and dwellings in accordance with Lev. chapters 8–9, and the prescriptions for the leper’s purification.
¹⁵ These are the laws that concern the defilement conveyed by a corpse to persons or ‘vessels’ which happen to be in the same tent or under the same roof.
¹⁶ David could achieve a full love of God since he experienced God’s reciprocal love.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:11
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:11)

וראוי לדעת דאהבת התורה יקרה היא בשנים. חדא דהיא גורמת אהבת ה' והיא דרגא לאותו מעלה למי שרוצה לעלות לאהבה קדושה ועליונה זו וכדתני' בספרי פ' ואתחנן ואהבת את ה' אלהיך וגו' והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי וגו', לשה"א ואהבת את ה' וגו' איני יודע באיזה צד אוהבים את הקב"ה ת"ל והיו הדברים האלה וגו' שמתוך כך אתה מכיר את הקב"ה ומדבק בדרכיו, ויבואר יותר בחיבורי רנה ש"ת.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
One should know that the love of Torah is precious in two ways. One: it causes the love of God, for it is a stepping stone for approaching this level – for those who wish to ascend to this most elevated love of holiness. This is taught in the *Sifrei*¹⁷ on Deut. 6:6 on the Torah portion of *Va-es’hanan*: The Torah states, “You are to love the Lord your God… these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart.”¹⁸ I would not know how I should love the Holy One, blessed be He, therefore Scripture states, “And these words,” i.e., [with the Torah] you will understand the Holy One, blessed be He, and you will cling to His ways.” This is explained further in my compilation, *Rinah shel Torah*.¹⁹, *Hilchos Yesodei ha-Torah*, chapter 2, explains the *Sifrei*to be stating that when one first achieves Torah knowledge, one can then obtain a deep love of God by understanding His wondrous creations.

footnotes:
¹⁷ Sifrei
¹⁸ Deut. 6:5–6.
¹⁹ See Song of Songs 3:1, where the Netziv using the Rambam in Mishnah Torah


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:12
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:12)

שנית אפי' למי שאין לו דעת ותשוקה להגיע לכך והרי יכול להיות עמל ויגע בתורה וגם דבק באהבתה ולא טעם טעם דבקות ואהבת ה' מעולם מחמת שלא שם לב לזה, וכמו שאין מועיל כלי אומנות לאומן שיצא כלי למעשה אם לא שיהא לו חפץ לעשות, כמו כן אין מועיל דבר ה' להוגי בו להשיג אהבת ה' אם אינו משים לב להשיגה, מ"מ אהבת התורה עצמה היא יקרה ונכבדה בעיני ה' עד שדרשו רז"ל בע"ג ד"ג כל הלומר תורה בלילה חוט ש"ח משוך עליו ביום שנא' יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירה עמי תפלה לאל חיי.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Second, even if one who does possess the mind or desire to reach such a level, it is possible for one to toil and exhaust himself with the Torah and to cling to it with love and yet never experience the clinging to or love of God, since he did not focus on [reaching this goal]. This is similar to how a specialized tool will not benefit a craftsman if he does not perform the task for which [the tool] is designed; the craftsman does not wish to perform that particular task. Similarly, the word of God does not benefit [even] one who meditates on [the Torah], to achieve the love of God, if one does not concentrate on achieving it. Even so, the love of Torah itself is precious and esteemed in the eyes of God to the extent as described by our Sages in Tractate *Avodah Zarah*, 3b: During the day, the Lord strings a thread of grace around those who study the Torah by night, as Scripture states, “In the daytime, God will command His lovingkindness. Even by night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”²⁰

footnotes:
²⁰ Psalms 42:9.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:13
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:13)

והנה פי' של חסד זה הוא שתתקבל תפלתו וכדמסיק בסיפי' דהאי קרא תפלה לאל חיי, והרי פשטא דהאי קרא פי' שירה עמי שאומר שירות ותשבחות בלילה עד שמשיג אהבה ודביקות להקב"ה, ובא רשב"ל ודרש שירה שירה של תורה וכדאי' בנדרים דל"ח בהא דכתיב למען תהיה לי השירה הזאת לעד בב"י דקאי על כל התורה ומזה מגיע שתתקבל תפלתו ביום.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Kindness in this context means that his prayer will be accepted [by God], as indicated by the ending words of the verse, “a prayer to the God of my life.” The simple understanding of the words, “His song is with me,” describes how, when reciting hymns and praise by night, he grasps love and cleaves to the Holy One, blessed be He. [However], R. Simon ben Levi, explains that *shira* [song] is referring to the song [utterance] of the Torah. As it states in Tractate *Nedarim* 38a, that the verse “In order that this *song*will be for Me a witness against the Children of Israel”²¹ refers to the entire Torah. [We thus infer that the interpretation of “His song is with me,” is “His Torah is with me,” and King David is stating that by studying the Torah at night], one reaches a level where one’s prayer is accepted by day.

footnotes:
²¹ Deut. 31:19. The verse reads in full: “Now write for yourselves this song and teach it to the Children of Israel to place it in their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me a witness against the Children of Israel.”


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:14
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:14)

[ובזה מתיישב סוף מס' עוקצין. אריב"ל עתיד הקב"ה להנחיל לכל צדיק וצדיק כו' שנא' להנחיל אוהבי יש ואוצרותיהם אמלא.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
[Addendum 2 to Chapter 5]²²] at the end of Tractate *Uktzin*: “In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bequeath to each and every righteous person 310 worlds, as it is written: ‘I will cause those who love Me to inherit *yesh* [substance] so that I may fill their storehouses’” (Prov. 8:21).
[THE UNDERSTANDING THAT the love of God can be synonymous with the study of Torah] assists us in understanding [a seemingly difficult mishnah] at the end of Tractate *Uktzin*:¹ 3:12. R. Yehoshua ben Levi said, “In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bequeath three hundred and ten worlds to each and every righteous person, for it is written: ‘I will cause those who love Me to inherit *yesh* [substance], so that I may fill their storehouses.’”² (substance) is 310.

footnotes:
²² The Netziv in Addendum 2 to Chapter 5 [By understanding that “love of God” can be synonymous with “the study of Torah”] assists us in understanding [a seemingly difficult mishnah
¹ Uktzin
² Prov. 8:21. The numerical value of the word yesh


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:15
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:15)

ולכאורה קשה דהא בלשון לכל צדיק וצדיק נכלל אפילו מי שעובד את ה' מיראה שנקרא צדיק, כדאי' במס' סוטה סופ"ה תרווייכו צדיקי גמורי אתון, מר מאהבה מר מיראה, והרי במקרא מבואר דוקא אוהבי. אלא ודאי אין הפי' אוהבי, דהיינו שעובדים את ה' מאהבה, דא"כ אין סיפא דקרא זה ואוצרותיהם אמלא מתפרש יפה, דלשון אוצר משמעו כלשון המקרא יראת ה' אוצרו,

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
At first glance this statement is difficult to understand, since “each and every righteous person” includes even one who serves God out of fear. [We know that] one [who serves God out of fear] is also referred to as “a righteous person” from what is stated at the end of the fifth chapter of Tractate *Sotah*,³ when [Rava told two of his students], “Both of you are completely righteous rabbis, but one is motivated by love and the other by fear.” However, [this verse cannot possibly include those who fear Him], for the verse specifies “those who love Me,” meaning only those who serve God out of love. However, [on the other hand the words] “those who love Me” surely cannot be specific to those who serve God with love. Otherwise, the wording at the end of the verse, “That I may fill their storehouses” would not fit well [“storehouse” describes elsewhere those who serve God out of fear], as used in the verse, “The fear of God is His storehouse.”⁴

footnotes:
³ 31a.
⁴ Isa. 33:6.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:16
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:16)

אלא דכל המקרא הוא מאמר התורה להנחיל אוהבי, היינו שעוסק בתורה באהבה, התורה נותנת להם נחלה, היינו חלק בש"י עולמות, והכוונה חכמות חיצוניות, וכל לימוד הוא עולם בפני עצמו. והעוסק בתורה באהבה משיג הוא גם שאר ידיעות בנקל שלא ביגיעה כ"כ. ומשו"ה מדמה לנחלה, שירושה אינה מגיע בעמל ויגיעה, ולפי ערך יגיעת התורה כך הוא כח השגתו בלמודים אחרים. וע"ז מסיים המקרא ואוצרותיהם אמלא, והיינו שיהיה מלא אוצר יראת ה'. רצונו לדעת איך לעשות מעשה המצוות, והיינו שלא תחסר לו ידיעת המצוה למעשה בשביל חסרון ידיעה טבעית וכדומה. ובשביל יגיעתו באהבה התורה ע"ז מבטחת שתסייע לו למלא אוצרותיהם. ויעמוד על כל חכמה כדי לקיים המצות. ולכן סיים ריב"ל כל שיתא ס"מ בזה המאמר, באשר שנכלל בשיתא ס"מ כל הידיעות והחכמות. ואם יפלא איך אפשר לצמצם שיעורין בכל ענין שאינו אלא חכמת הטבע ושאר חכמות חיצוניות, ע"ז מסיים ריב"ל אל תתמה בדבר, שהתורה אומרת כן להנחיל אוהבי יש, שהיא מסייעת לכל דבר חכמה וידיעה.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Rather, the entire verse is discussing how the Torah provides an inheritance for “those who love Me,” [meaning] that the Torah provides an inheritance for those who study the Torah diligently with love [and, as shall be explained, can also include those who serve God out of fear]. “Inheritance” refers to a share in the 310 worlds, for [“world”] refers to secular wisdom, for every area of study is a world unto itself. Whoever studies the Torah diligently out of love, will achieve with ease, the knowledge in the other areas of wisdom, without the need to expend much effort. For this reason the accumulation of secular knowledge is compared to an “inheritance,” as an inheritance is obtained without toil or labor. One’s comprehension in other fields of study increases proportional to the amount of work that one applies to Torah study. This is why the verse ends with the words, “I will fill their storehouses,” meaning, one’s storehouse will be filled with the fear of God. A [righteous person] wishes to know how to perform the commandments without lacking the knowledge required to fulfill any commandment requiring an understanding of science and the like. It is because of people’s diligence in Torah study, combined with love, that God promises them that He will help them to fill their storehouses [i.e., accumulate knowledge] so that they may comprehend various areas of knowledge and thus be able to perform the commandments properly. That is why R. Yehoshua ben Levi closes the six orders of the Mishnah with his statement [“God will bestow upon every righteous person a share in 310 worlds”], for the six orders of the Mishnah involve all forms of knowledge and wisdom. If one should wonder how it will be possible to know how to calculate exactly the [various] measures required in every area [of halachah] (as this involves a thorough understanding of the areas of science and secular knowledge); R. Yehoshua ben Levi answers that you should not wonder about this since the Torah states: “Those who love Me will inherit *yesh* [substance]” – [the love for Torah] assists one to obtain understanding in all matters of wisdom and knowledge.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:17
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:17)

ומרומז במקרא זה שיש ש"י ידיעות מחולקות בעולם, ובכולם היא מסייעת לשוקדי תורה, כדי לעמוד על דברי תורה ולמלא אוצרות היראה לדעת האיך לעשות שזה תכלית התורה, וראיה על פי' זה הוא בב"ב ד' קל"ד א', לקיים מה שנאמר להנחיל אוהבי יש וכו'. והפי' מבואר כמוש"כ שהתורה סייעה לריב"ז לדעת כל החכמות שפי' הרשב"ם דחוק.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
This verse alludes to the fact that there are 310 different forms of wisdom in the world, every one of which assists those who study the Torah diligently to understand the Torah fully and fill their “storehouses of fear” by knowing how to perform [the commandments]; this is the purpose of the Torah. A proof to this [interpretation can be found] in Tractate *Bava Basra* 134a, where the Talmud describes how the Torah assisted R. Yohanan ben Zakkai in comprehending all forms of wisdom [references the same verse]. (The [alternative] explanation offered by the Rashbam⁵ is unsatisfactory).⁶

footnotes:
⁵ The Rashbam understands the Talmud to be interpreting this verse as: “I cause those who love me to inherit 310 worlds. Why so much? They have filled their storehouses with every good thing, [i.e.] with the words of Torah and [other forms of] wisdom.”
⁶ His explanation does not fit well with the words.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:18
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:18)

וראוי לדעת שבמס' אבות פ"ה מפרשין המקרא להנחיל אוהבי יש באוהבי ה' שעובדין מאהבה כדתנן בתלמידיו של א"א אוכלין בעוה"ז ונוחלין בעוה"ב, שנאמר להנחיל אוהבי יש ואוצרותיהם אמלא. מבואר שמפרשין אוהבי על תלמידיו של א"א שנקרא זרע אברהם אוהבי, שהיה עובד את ה' מאהבה וכמוש"כ בסי' קמ"ה אות כ"ד, שמפרשין להנחיל בעוה"ב, ואוצרותיהם בעוה"ז, אבל ריב"ל מפרש הכל בעוה"ז וכמו שביארנו.]

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
**Translator’s note:** The Netziv is going to explain that Tractate Avos has a different understanding of this verse.
Relevant to understanding this verse Tractate *Avos*, chapter 5,⁷ explains the phrase “I will fill their storehouses” as referring to those who love God by serving Him out of love, as the Mishnah states: The disciples of our Patriarch Abraham enjoy the fruits of their good deeds in this world and inherit the World to Come, as Scripture states: “I will cause those who love Me to inherit an everlasting possession and I will fill their storehouses.”⁸. It is clear that the phrase “those who love Me” alludes to the disciples of Abraham, who are referred to as “the descendants of Abraham, who loved Me,”⁹ for Abraham served God out of love, as I wrote in my [commentary] *Ha’amek She’elah]* 145:24.¹⁰, *parashah* 44, and Tractate *Hullin* 89a, that when Abraham saved Lot by defeating the four kings and refused any share of the plunder (as described in Gen. chapter 14), he demonstrated that he served God totally out of love. Abraham is described in Isa. 41:7 as the following: “He who strikes with the anvil” (Abraham who struck the Four Kings); “[God] says of the soldering: ‘It is good.’” In other words, Abraham had unified heaven and earth by acting totally out of love for God and by enabling Divine providence to enter the world. [The *Mishnah*] explains “inherit an everlasting possession” in the World to Come, and “fill their storehouses” with reward in this world. However, R. Yehoshua ben Levi [unlike the Mishnah] explains that the entire verse is discussing this world, as we have explained above.[

footnotes:
⁷ Mishnah 22.
⁸ I translated Prov. 8:21 slightly differently than before in order to facilitate the flow of the Mishnah
⁹ Isa. 41:8.
¹⁰ There the Netziv writes, based on the Bereshis Rabbah


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:19
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:19)

והכי דרשו במס' תמיד דל"ב ב' תני ר"ח כל העוסק בתורה בלילה שכינה כנגדו שנא' קומי רוני בלילה לראש אשמורות שפכי כמים לבך נכח פני אדני.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
So did the Sages derive in Tractate *Tamid* 32b: R. Hiya taught, “Whoever is immersed in the study of Torah at night, the *Shechina*, the Divine Presence, stands before him. As it says in Scripture, “Arise, cry out with hymns at night at the beginning of the watches! Pour out your heart like water in the Presence of God! [Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your young children, who swoon with hunger at every street corner].”²³

footnotes:
²³ Lam. 2:19.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:20
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:20)

והנה עיקר הכתוב בא ללמדנו שתתקבל תפלה אחר חרבן בהמ"ק ואמר המקונן דעתה כשבא לשאת כפים על נפש עולליך העטופים ברעב תעשה כך שתקום לרון בלילה ותהי' שכינה כנגדך ואז תהי קרוב לו ית"ש ותקובל תפלתך. והנה גם בזה לפי הפשט משמעות רוני שירות ותשבחות שישיג מזה אהבה ודביקות להקב"ה, אבל המה ז"ל פירשו ברנה של תורה, דזה חשוב כשיר ושבח שתקובל תפלתו והדברים ארוכים ומבוארים בחיבורי הנ"ל כי שם מקומם, ופה לא באתי כי אם ליישב בזה מה שנתקשיתי באות ב' במה שנצטדקו הרבה ומה שהתחכמו יותר בעסק תורה ולא אירע נזק ואדרבה עלו למעלה ראש, היינו משום שלמוד תורה בעיון לשמה מביא לידי אהבה עזה רוחנית מה שלמעלה מדעת טבעי מבין ומשכיל ע"ז ומביא לידי בטול הרגש עצמו ומש"ה מרוממתו על כל הטבעים.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
The main theme of these verses teach us that prayer will be accepted [even] after the destruction of the Temple, and the Eulogizer [Jeremiah] is telling us that in these times when you wish “to lift up your hands for the sake of your young children who swoon from hunger,” you should rise to cry out at night and then the Divine Presence will be standing before you ─ He, may His name be blessed, will be close to you and your prayers will be accepted. Simply understood, the verse implies that when one rises to cry out with hymns and praises he obtains love that bonds him with the Holy One, blessed be He. However, the [sages] of blessed memory explained it to be referring to the singing of the Torah; [Torah study] is considered as hymn and praise, for it enables prayer to become more readily accepted. This topic is quite involved and is well-explained in my aforementioned compilation, [*Rinah shel Torah*], where it was appropriate to discuss this matter at length. My purpose here is only to address the difficulty I raised in chapter 2, i.e., why [the sages who placed themselves in dangerous situations are considered] to have acted properly and became even wiser in the study of Torah. Not only did they avoid harm, but the opposite occurred – they rose to the greatest heights. The reason for this is that the study and analysis of Torah for its own sake brings one to a state of having a powerful spiritual love, which is incomprehensible to one’s natural faculties, as it nullifies one’s focus on his physical being and propels him above any matter of nature.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:21
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:21](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:21)

ומעתה יפה כתבו התוספות כתובות הנ"ל שכל מי שהולך ללמוד הרי בדעתו לשקוד עליה ולהיות עמל בה כ"צ באהבה ממילא דרכה ש"ת שהיא עומלת לו ואין לפניו מעצור לעלות. ס

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
We now understand [the previously cited] Tosafos²⁴ who stated, “Whoever goes to study Torah [becomes a great person],” for when a person leaves home to study at the academy, he has the intent to study it as diligently as necessary with love. Thus it naturally follows that the Torah “toils for him,” and there is no impediment to his achieving greatness.

footnotes:
²⁴ It is cited towards the end of chapter two of this section.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:22
[Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part III 5:22](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Haamek%20Sheilah%20on%20Sheiltot%20d%27Rav%20Achai%20Gaon/s/Kidmat%20HaEmek,_Part%20III/r/5:22)

ומעתה יפה כתבו התוספות כתובות הנ"ל שכל מי שהולך ללמוד הרי בדעתו לשקוד עליה ולהיות עמל בה כ"צ באהבה ממילא דרכה ש"ת שהיא עומלת לו ואין לפניו מעצור לעלות. אמנם יפה הזהיר קהלת ע"ז לחוקרי הטבע לפי דעת ושכל אנושי ובאמת הלומד שלא לשמה ולא הגיע למעלה זו בודאי מוזהר יפה בהני שתי אזהרות פן ישומם, ואין להתחכם יותר מאשר זכה בחלקו כדאי' במדרש אשר העמדנו פתח דברינו.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
It is proper for Koheles to warn those who investigate nature with their human intellect and mind [to refrain from risking the loss of their mental health or life]. Truly, one who studies [Torah] not for its own sake, and has not reached this level [of nullifying the sense of his physical self], is deserving of the two warnings: “why become demented” and not “to be overly wise” than the intelligence he has been allotted. This has been stated in the *midrash* that we cited at the beginning of our discussion [of this topic].