Rebbe Rebbe
of G-d’s Hand to know all the secrets of His Torah. A Jew has a tremendous desire to connect to the Torah, and the way to tap into that is with feelings of joy.
ME: Is this Rebbi’s secret recipe for his students? Rebbi has a certain reputation when it comes to teaching Torah.
R.A.W: [smiles] I give my heart and soul when I give over Torah to my students. They also feel the joy in learning in the Yeshiva. Once a Jew has that fulfillment, then his soul delights in the Torah and he feels the difference. This method of Torah learning allows students to withstand all the difficulties in the world. As the Baal Shem Tov said, every Jew has three loves, Ahavat Hashem and Ahavat Yis- rael and Ahavat HaTorah, which are the core of every Ne- shama. Our Yeshiva is meant for that and we try to ignite the inner spark flickering in every Jewish heart. This is the gift that we try to give our students in Yeshiva, and it will give them happiness all their life.
The Bukharian people have an enormous heart, and when they see sincerity they resonate with it very well. That is why when we teach heart to heart, our students gush with love for the Torah. Beyond this, it’s not really something I can explain or describe. It is just a fact that when Torah drips into the thirsty heart, the heart experiences happiness.
ME: What do you mean by that last point? It seems perfect- ly understandable on its face that someone who is interest- ed in Torah would be happy when he studies it.