In recent days, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein was asked by members of the public how it is possible that bochurim and avreichim are being thrown into prison for the “offense” of learning Torah.
Those asking the question noted that the Mishnah states (Avot 3:5): “Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, the yoke of government is removed from him.” Rabbeinu Yonah explains that “once a person makes Torah his primary occupation and his work secondary, Hakadosh Baruch Hu protects him from harm and ensures that he won’t be forced to interrupt his Limmud Torah, nor will He place it in the heart of a tyrant who takes lives to impose his will upon him.”
HaRav Zilberstein responded that accepting the yoke of Torah does not merely mean learning in a yeshiva. Rather, a person must devote himself entirely to Torah learning, so that the only burden he carries is the burden of Torah, without worrying about anything else.
The Rav added that, in truth, “it’s a tremendous maa’leh for those who are arrested. For Chazal said: ‘Fortunate are you who were siezed for the sake of Torah.’ One who is arrested has merited to suffer for the sake of Torah, and can there be a greater zechus than that? Just like the Jewish officers in Egypt, who merited to be beaten because they refused to strike their fellow Jews; therefore, they were rewarded by becoming Nevi’im and Zakeini Yisrael.”
HaRav Zilberstein concluded: “We are living in the final moments of Galus, and there is now a great clarification of ‘Who is for Hashem, come to me.’ There is no greater zechus than demonstrating one’s devotion to Torah, and suffering for the zechus of refusing to become contaminated by the impurity of those who seek to be like all the other nations.”
“It is clear that anyone who suffers for this has a great zechus. It is not far-fetched to say that one needs a special zechus for this. Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah merits to be arrested for Torah, and afterward will receive great sechar for it. All those who have merited to sit in prison because they merited to learn Torah will yet see their greatness revealed.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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