Like, staring up at a mountain of laundry or a career change and thinking, "Where do I even begin?" Well, you're not alone. Our sages grappled with this feeling too, especially when it came to the immensity of Torah study.
In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, we find a beautiful and surprisingly relatable discussion on how to approach a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori starts us off with a powerful image: a mound of dirt, a telulit in Hebrew, and how differently a fool and a wise person approach it. The fool looks at it and throws up their hands: “Who can ever remove this?” But the clever one? They say, “I’ll remove two baskets today, two baskets tomorrow, until I remove it all.”
It's such a simple analogy, isn't it? But it speaks volumes about our mindset. The Midrash then connects this to Torah study. A fool looks at the vastness of Torah – Nezikin with its thirty chapters, the complex intricacies of Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, and Bava Batra (which, by the way, are considered one integrated tractate, as we see in Bava Kamma 102a) – and gets paralyzed. Kelim, another massive tractate, looms large. They think, "Who can ever learn all of this?"
But the wise person? Ah, they take it one step at a time. "I'll study two halakhot (Jewish laws) today, two tomorrow, until I study all the Torah in its entirety." Rabbi Ami succinctly captures this with the verse from (Proverbs 24:7): “Wisdom is lofty to a fool.” It's not about innate ability, but about approach.
Rabbi Yoḥanan adds another layer with the image of a loaf of bread suspended in a house. The fool wonders, "Who can take this down?" The wise one remembers that someone must have put it up there. They figure out a simple solution – two reeds attached together – and solve the problem. Similarly, even the greatest sage learned Torah from someone else. We can all access it, bit by bit.
Then Rabbi Levi chimes in with a particularly evocative image: a perforated basket. Imagine hiring workers to fill it. The fool gets discouraged, thinking, "What's the point? I fill it from here, and it flows out there!" But the wise worker focuses on the task at hand: "Do I not receive a salary for each and every barrel?" The reward is in the effort itself, regardless of the immediate outcome. This resonates deeply when we think about studying Torah and inevitably forgetting some of it. But, as the clever one knows, does the Holy One, blessed be He, not give reward for effort? Absolutely.
Rabbi Ze’ira offers a final, powerful thought: even the seemingly insignificant dots, the kotzim, in the Torah are actually heaps upon heaps – tilei tilim. They have the power to destroy the world or render it a mound, a tel, as (Deuteronomy 13:17) says, "It shall be an eternal mound, it shall not be rebuilt.” Every detail matters.
These teachings, found in Vayikra Rabbah, are not just theoretical. They emphasize the profound value and impact of consistent, dedicated study, even when the task seems daunting. But what happens when someone tries to change Torah, even in a small way? Well, the Midrash doesn't shy away from that question either.
Rabbi Alexandri bar Ḥagai, quoting Rabbi Alexandri Kerova (so named either because he was a prayer leader who recited kerovot, liturgical poems, or because he led the congregation in coming close—karov—to God) states that if all the nations of the world assembled to whiten one wing of a raven, they couldn't. Likewise, they couldn't uproot one matter from the Torah.
The Midrash then recounts the story of King Solomon, who, in his wisdom (or perhaps overconfidence), sought to reinterpret a commandment. (Deuteronomy 17:16-17) commands the king not to amass horses or wives, lest he be led astray. The Hebrew uses the phrase lo yarbeh – "he shall not amass." Solomon, however, thought he could amass these things and still avoid the pitfalls.
But the Midrash tells us that a prosecutor arose! Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says it was the yod (the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet) of yarbeh that prosecuted him. Without the yod, the word would be rava, changing the meaning and effectively nullifying the commandment!
Rabbi Shimon even imagines the Book of Deuteronomy itself ascending to God, protesting that Solomon had invalidated it. The Holy One, blessed be He, reassures Deuteronomy: “Solomon and one hundred like him will be void, and a yod from you will never be void.”
This idea of the yod – this tiny, seemingly insignificant letter – holding immense power continues. Rav Huna, in the name of Rav Aḥa, says that the yod that God took from Sarai's name when He changed it to Sarah, was divided and given to both Abraham and Sarah.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa adds that the yod, having been removed from Sarai's name, pleaded with God. God responded by promising to place it in the name of a male – thus, Joshua (Yehoshua).
The Midrash goes on to illustrate how even a single letter change can have catastrophic consequences for key theological concepts. Altering the dalet to a reish in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), turning echad (one) into acher (other), destroys the affirmation of God's unity! Likewise, manipulating letters in verses about profaning God's name (Leviticus 22:32), denying God (Jeremiah 5:12), or betraying God (Hosea 5:7) all lead to equally disastrous outcomes.
The final teaching is a poignant reminder of God's eternal nature. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana says: Everything erodes (bala), but You do not erode. Ein biltekha – none outlasts You.
So, what do we take away from all of this? The immensity of Torah, like any grand endeavor, shouldn’t paralyze us. Break it down, approach it with consistent effort, and remember that even the smallest details hold immense value. And perhaps most importantly, recognize the enduring power and sanctity of the words we study. The Torah is not just a text; it’s a living, breathing entity that shapes our world and our understanding of the Divine. Now, what two halakhot will you study today?
Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori interpreted the verse regarding a mound of dirt.8He interpreted the verse “his locks are curls [taltalim]” as alluding to a mount [telulit] of dirt. One who is foolish, what does he say? Who can remove this? One who is clever, what does he say? I will remove two basketsful today, two basketsful tomorrow, until I remove it all. So too, one who is foolish says: Who can study the Torah? Nezikin is thirty chapters,9Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, and Bava Batra each contain ten chapters, and are considered one integrated tractate (see Bava Kamma 102a). Kelim is thirty chapters. One who is clever, what does he say? I will study two halakhot today and two halakhot tomorrow, until I study all the Torah in its entirety. Rabbi Ami said: “Wisdom is lofty to a fool” (Proverbs 24:7). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: [This is analogous] to a loaf that is suspended in the air in a house. One who is foolish says: Who can take this down? One who is clever says: Did another not suspend it? He brings two reeds and attaches them to one another and takes it down. So too, one who is foolish says: Who can learn all the Torah that is in the heart of the Sage? One who is clever says: Did he not learn it from another? Rather, I will study two halakhot today and two tomorrow until I study all the Torah in its entirety. Rabbi Levi said: [This is analogous] to a perforated basket whose owner hired workers to fill it. One who is foolish, what does he say? What am I accomplishing? I fill it from here and it flows out from there. One who is clever, what does he say? Do I not receive a salary for each and every barrel?10He is paid for each barrel that he empties into the basket, regardless of what ultimately happens to its contents. So too, one who is foolish, what does he say? What do I accomplish by studying Torah and forgetting it? One who is clever, what does he say? Does the Holy One blessed be He not give reward for effort? Rabbi Ze’ira said: Even matter that you see as dots [kotzim] in the Torah, they are heaps upon heaps [tilei tilim]; they have the capability to destroy the world and to render it a mound [tel], just as it says: “It shall be an eternal mound, it shall not be rebuilt” (Deuteronomy 13:17). Rabbi Alexandri bar Ḥagai said Rabbi Alexandri Kerova:11He was so called because he would serve as a prayer leader and would recite liturgical poems called kerovot (Matnot Kehuna), or simply because he would lead the congregation in coming close [karov] to God. If all the nations of the world were to assemble to whiten one wing of the raven, they would be unable to do so. So too, if all the nations of the world were to assemble to uproot one matter from the Torah, they would be unable to do so. From whom do you learn this? It is from Solomon. Because he sought to uproot one letter from the Torah,12In Deuteronomy 17:16–17 a king is commanded not to amass [lo yarbeh] horses lest he lead the nation back to Egypt, and not to amass wives lest his heart be led astray. Without the yod, the word yarbeh would be rava, which would not be a command. Thus, the verse would mean that if the king does not amass horses he will not lead the nation back to Egypt and if he does not amass wives they will not cause his heart to stray, but that would not mean it is prohibited for him to amass horses or wives. Solomon amassed horses and wives, thinking that he would avoid the pitfalls the verse warns against, but he did not avoid those pitfalls (Sanhedrin 21b). a prosecutor arose. Who prosecuted him? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The yod of yarbeh prosecuted him. Rabbi Shimon taught: The book of Deuteronomy ascended and prostrated itself before the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, Solomon has uprooted me and rendered me an invalid document, as any document in which two or three matters are invalidated from it, it is completely invalidated. King Solomon sought to uproot a yod from me. It is written: “He shall not amass wives for himself” (Deuteronomy 17:17), but he amassed for himself. “He shall not amass horses for himself” (Deuteronomy 17:16), but he amassed horses for himself. “And silver and gold he shall not amass” (Deuteronomy 17:17), but he amassed silver and gold for himself.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘Go; Solomon and one hundred like him will be void, and a yod from you will never be void.’ Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Aḥa: The yod that the Holy One blessed be He took from the name of Sarah, He divided it in two and gave half to Abraham and half to Sarah.13The numerical value of the yod in Sarai, Sarah’s original name, is ten. He ‘divided it’ into two, leaving two of the letter heh, each worth five, instead of one yod. He added one heh to Abram, rendering his name Abraham, and one to Sarai, rendering her name Sarah. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: The yod of Sarah14The yod that had been removed from her name, Sarai, when it was changed to Sarah. ascended and prostrated itself before the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, You uprooted me from the name of that righteous woman.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘Go; in the past you were in the name of a female at the end of the word, but now, I will place you in the name of a male at the beginning of the word.’ That is what is written: “Moses called Hoshea bin Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]” (Numbers 13:16). “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one [eḥad]” (Deuteronomy 6:4); if you render the dalet a reish, you destroy the world in its entirety.15The word one [eḥad] would become other [aḥer], turning this affirmation of faith into a declaration of heresy. This occurs by merely erasing one small stroke of the dalet, thereby turning it into a resh. “For you shall not prostrate yourself to another [aḥer] god” (Exodus 34:14); if you render the reish a dalet, you destroy the world in its entirety.16If you read the verse as though it said “you shall not prostrate yourself to the one God,” the result would be disastrous. “You shall not profane [yeḥalelu] My holy name” (Leviticus 22:32); if you render the ḥet a heh, it will result in you destroying the world in its entirety.17Profane [yeḥalelu] would become praise [yehalelu]. “Let all who breathe, praise [tehalel] the Lord, Halleluya” (Psalms 150:6); if you render the heh a ḥet, you destroy the world.18That would be saying: Let all who breathe profane [yeḥalelu] My holy name. “They have denied the Lord” (Jeremiah 5:12); if you render the bet a kaf, you destroy the world.19“The Lord [baHashem]” would become: Like the Lord [kaHashem], which implies that the Lord also denies truths. “They have betrayed the Lord [baHashem]” (Hosea 5:7); if you render the bet a kaf, you destroy the world.20“The Lord [baHashem]” will become: Like the Lord [kaHashem], implying that the Lord betrays others. “There is none sacred like the Lord [kaHashem]” (I Samuel 2:2); if you render the kaf a beit, you destroy the world.21That would be saying: “There is nothing sacred in the Lord [baHashem].” “There is none besides You [ein biltekha]” (I Samuel 2:2); Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Everything erodes [bala], but You do not erode. Ein biltekha, none outlasts You [ein levalotekha].
