Infusing Life Into My Learning [#3188]

July 19, 2019

Question:

I very much want that my Torah learning should become both emotionally and intellectually fulfilling to me. When I learn [Chumash], I read a possuk (verse of the Torah) and then I look at the commentary. Do I also need to use some ability in my soul in order to feel chiyus (vitality) in my learning? Alternatively, is there some way for me to feel chiyus in my learning?

Can I use my imagination for this? I happen to have a strong power of imagination. I can use my mind and focus on a thought, and I can thereby come to feel the thought as a reality. But I don’t know how and when to make use of this imaginative faculty, and if it’s the right approach to this matter. I’m sure that this is a complex topic, but I would be happy to receive advice - at least an “opener” for me to start with.

Answer:

Think that you are standing at the foot of Har Sinai, together with the rest of the Jewish people, and you are hearing the possuk being called out from Heaven.