No breaks in fighting, no breaks in learning
The Midrash Rabbah in parshas Toldos tells us that the nations of the world approached Bilaam and asked, “Tomru she’nizdaveg b’umah zu — tell us if we can overcome this [the Jewish] nation.”
“Go check the batei knessios and batei medrash,” Bilaam responded. “If children are learning and davening, we cannot overcome them. For this is what their Father guaranteed them. When there is a kol Yaakov, there are no yedei Eisav. When there’s no kol Yaakov, there are yedei Eisav.”
The message for us is clear: During this time, we must do everything we can to strengthen the kol Yaakov. I told my talmidim that the soldiers don’t take breaks while they’re fighting. So, too, we cannot take breaks when we’re learning. We must be moser nefesh for limud haTorah just as the soldiers are being moser nefesh in their battle.
The truth is that we have several ways to tap the power of the kol Yaakov. I recently received a call from a fellow in the Five Towns. He knows that in my yeshivah, the bochurim have a six-hour seder after the Friday night seudah.
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