Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

Come and see how great is the power of Torah, for they have said (Berachoth 5b): "All who occupy themselves with Torah .. all of their sins are forgiven, it being written (Mishlei 16:6): 'By lovingkindness and truth, [Torah,] sin is forgiven.'"

And they have said further (Ibid. 5a): "All who occupy themselves with the study of Torah remove afflictions from themselves, as it is written (Iyyov 5:7): 'And the sons of reshef will be dispelled by uf,' 'uf' alluding to Torah, as intimated in (Mishlei 23:5): 'If you glance away [hatauf] from it [Torah], it will be gone,' and 'reshef,' [alluding] to afflictions, as in (Devarim 22:29): 'Wasted by hunger, embattled by reshef'" ["reshef," in that it follows 'hunger,' also denoting afflictions]. And, in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu: "If you see afflictions coming against you, run to words of Torah, and, immediately, the afflictions will flee, as it is written (Isaiah 26:20): "Go my people; enter into your chambers [of Torah], etc.'"

And sometimes Torah saves him even from death at the hands of Heaven, as we find in Midrash Rabbah Kedoshim: "If he went astray in the transgression of … what shall he do to live? If he were accustomed to learn one page, let him learn two; and if one chapter, let him learn two, etc." And the Torah also saves him from all the evils of this world and the world to come, as we find in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu Zuta 17:

"Torah protects a man all the years that he is in the grave, as it is written (Proverbs 6:22): 'In your walking, it [Torah] will guide you] — in this world; 'In your lying down, it will protect you' — in the grave, during death; 'and when you awake, it shall speak for you' — in the world to come." The explanation is as we find in the holy Zohar: "When you lie in the grave, Torah will protect you from the din of this world. And when you awake, it shall speak for you. In the world to come, when you awake after death, it will speak for you. That is, it will speak good for you on behalf of your body, so that it awake first for eternal life, as it is written (Daniel 12:2): 'These for eternal life, etc.,' because they occupied themselves with eternal life, i.e., Torah. And all those words that one uttered in studying Torah in this world will stand before the Holy One Blessed be He and speak out, and they will not be silenced.

And in Avoth 3:6 we find: "If one takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, there are removed from him … and the yoke of [earning] a livelihood." Their speaking of "taking upon himself the yoke of Torah" rather than of "learning Torah" implies that this is so only if he takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, not to grow lax in it by any means — like an ox under the yoke, as they have said (Avodah Zarah 5b): "It was taught in the school of Eliyahu: 'Let one always make himself as an ox for the yoke and as an ass for the burden for [the sake of] words of Torah.'" And then, even if the burden of the yoke of earning a livelihood were upon him already it is removed from him. How much more so will the L-rd "arrange" things so that it not be put upon him [in the first place].

And the Torah also protects a man to rescue him from the din of Gehinnom even though he sinned — a fortiori, from the instance of Elisha Acher. For they said (Chagigah 15b): "When Acher died, they said: 'Let him not be judged [(to descend to Gehinnom)], for he occupied himself with Torah, and let him not come to the world to come because he sinned [(in heresy)].'" And we find in Aggadath Mishlei: "There is no charity that saves from the din of Gehinnom, but only Torah alone." [And we learned:] "The fathers of the world answered: 'Since you have been caught in the net of judgment, there is nothing you can do but sit and occupy yourselves with Torah, for it [alone] atones for sin.'" They have also said (Chagigah 27a): "The fire of Gehinnom does not prevail over Torah scholars — a fortiori from [the instance of] a salamander, which, since it is generated by fire, one who anoints himself with it, is not affected by fire. How much more so, Torah scholars, whose entire body is fire, viz. (Jeremiah 23:29): "'Is not My word thus like fire?' says the L-rd?"

Also, from the Great Din, of which it is written (Malachi 3:19): "For, behold, the day is coming which will burn as an oven" — one who occupied himself with Torah is destined to be rescued, as we find in Midrash Tehillim: "In time to come, the Holy One Blessed be He will take the sun out of its case and judge [i.e., punish] with it the wicked, and heal with it the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 20): 'And there shall shine for you, fearers of My name, the sun of charity with healing in its wings, etc.'" R. Yehoshua said: "The Holy One Blessed be He did charity with all who enter the world by not having placed it [the sun] in the first firmament. For if he had placed it there, there would be no shade for anyone under it, as it is written (Psalms 19:7): 'And there is no hiding from His sun.'" But in time to come, who is hidden from His sun? He who occupies himself with Torah, as it is written afterwards (Ibid. 8): 'The Torah of the L-rd is complete.'" And the verse (Malachi 3:19): "For, behold, the day is coming which will burn like an oven" is, likewise, followed by (Ibid. 22): "Remember the Torah of Moses, My servant."

Torah [study] is also (one) of the mitzvoth whose fruits are eaten in this world with the principal remaining for the world to come.

They have also said (Avodah Zarah 19b): "Whoever occupies himself with Torah, his possessions prosper," "Whoever occupies himself with Torah, the Holy One Blessed be He takes care of his needs."

From all this we can understand the greatness of occupation with Torah. And Chazal have already said: "The Holy One Blessed be He has in His world only the four ells of halachah alone." That is, the [ultimate] end of the will and the desire of the Holy One Blessed be He in His world is only the man who occupies himself with halachah, whose space is four ells.

And he who lacks the time to learn Torah continuously is obligated, in any event, to set times for Torah. For thus have Chazal said (Shabbath 31a): "When a man is brought to [Heavenly] judgment, he is asked: 'Were you honest in your [business] dealings? Did you set aside times for Torah study?'" And even if he is poor, he must set aside times, as they have said (Yoma 35b): "A poor man and a rich man come for judgment. The poor man is asked: 'Why did you not occupy yourself with Torah?' If he says: 'I was poor,' he is asked: 'Were you any poorer than Hillel the Elder?' It is said of Hillel the elder, etc.'" And so is it ruled in Yoreh Deah 246: "Every man of Israel is obliged to study Torah — whether he be poor or rich, healthy in body or afflicted, a youth or very old — even a beggar, even a married man with children — he is obligated to set aside times for Torah study, by day and by night, as it is written (Joshua 1:8): "'And you shall study it day and night.'"

And the "setting aside of times" means setting a specific time, which he does not depart from for any reason — even if he stands to profit greatly by doing so (viz. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 155).

And not in vain has Torah been compared to bread, as it is written (Mishlei 9:5): "Come and eat of my bread" [i.e., Torah]. This is to teach us that just as bread feeds the heart, as it is written (Psalms 104:15): "And bread, the heart of man shall feed," and if one does not eat bread for one or two days his heart weakens; and, how much more so, if he does not eat bread for a week, his heart weakens greatly, and it is difficult for him to regain the strength that he lost by this — so is it exactly with Torah study, which feeds the holy soul of the Jew. If he does not learn for some days (how much more so, a full week), it is greatly weakened, wherefore he must take great care not to miss the set time for even a day. And, aside from the fact that this undermines the second and third day after this (for it is very likely that he will not learn on them either, as Chazal have said: "If you leave me [Torah] for a day, I will leave you for two days") and it is very difficult for him afterwards to overcome his yetzer anew and to set times for Torah — but even those days that he does learn, if the set time is not constant, the holy spirit does not repose to its full extent upon that learning. This, as opposed to a constant set time, in which a great and awesome holiness reposes upon each study session. Therefore, if because of some very pressing exigency he must cancel his set time, it shall rest upon him exactly as a debt, which he must make haste to repay in this twenty-four hour period, as we find in Eruvin 65b about R. Acha bar Yaakov, that he would "borrow" in the daytime [from his set time (for his livelihood)] and "repay" at night (see Rashi there).

And the holy Zohar (296) expands upon the reward of one who sets times for Torah, (and the opposite, G-d forbid):

"The fourth sanctuary, etc. The thirty-two others are set aside for those who occupy themselves in Torah continuously, non-stop, day and night. And the others, beneath them, for all those who set specific times for Torah. And all are appointed to punish those who are able to occupy themselves with Torah but do not."

And one who takes care to study [words of] Torah and to place them upon his heart merits loving the Blessed L-rd, as we find in Sifrei on (Devarim 6:6): "And let these things that I command you this day be upon your heart," viz.: "From (Ibid. 5): 'And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart,' I would not know by what means one comes to love the Holy One Blessed be He; it is, therefore, written (5): 'And let these things [(words of Torah)] … be upon your heart.' For by these you come to recognize the Holy One Blessed be He and to cleave to His ways."