Halachic Sensitivity It is obvious that learning halachah is critical for proper observance of halachah . If a person does not know what is obligatory, permissible and prohibited, he will not know how to do what he is required to do and how to avoid what he is forbidden to do. But the Hazon Ish , in his Emunah Ve’bitahon (chapter 3), notes that it is vitally important to not only learn the bottom-line halachic rulings, but also to delve into halachah and thoroughly study the source material. When a person delves into a topic in halachah , he develops a certain emotional connection with that subject, a special feeling and love for that particular area of Torah. There is a certain supernatural bond, the Hazon Ish writes, that is forged between a person and an area of Torah that he studies in depth. People who have experienced this feeling know exactly what this means. For example, there are many people today, baruch Hashem , who have the beautiful custom to study some laws of lashon ha’ra (negative speech about others) each day. People who follow this custom develop not only the knowledge of what they are allowed and prohibited to say about others, but also a special affection for this area of halachah . Additionally, as they understand the background and source material of these halachot , they have a much stronger belief and greater appreciation for the laws than those who have not studied them in depth. If a person who has never delved into the depths of the laws of lashon ha’ra is told that something is forbidden to be said under a particular circumstance, he might likely react with skepticism, or even ridicule, and cynically say, “Come on, really? That is forbidden?!” Most of us have likely heard people react this way to hearing a halachah . The only way to develop a firm belief in halachic details and to treat them with the seriousness they deserve is by learning the background and the fundamental concepts that underlie the bottom-line “dos and don’ts.” The Hazon Ish gives the example of shaking a dusty garment to clean it on Shabbat, which constitutes a Torah violation, as opposed to chopping wood, which, in some instances, would be forbidden only מדרבנן (by force of Rabbinic enactment). When a person who has little background in the fundamentals of hilchot Shabbat hears this, he might find it ridiculous. If Shabbat is a day of rest, he will think, then why does the Torah forbid shaking off a piece of clothing, but not chopping wood? But when a person takes the time and goes through the trouble to learn the background of the halachot , it makes perfect sense. Without this in-depth study, a person will likely be unable to appreciate the truth of the halachot . An example I like to give has to do with the laws of בורר , separating on Shabbat. If a person is eating a salad on Shabbos and notices a pebble in the bowl, if he then removes the pebble from the bowl to make the salad edible, he has committed an act of Shabbat desecration no less severe than driving a car. A person who has never learned about the laws of Shabbat might find this very difficult to accept. It is only by delving into the topic that one gains an appreciation for the subject matter and an understanding of how the system works. The Hazon Ish gives the example of a noble, decent man who invited a guest to his home for Friday night dinner. Being very generous and hospitable, he was overjoyed and excited to host this guest. On Friday night, he noticed that he had forgotten to add kerosene to his lamp. (The Hazon Ish says that it was the Satan who caused this oversight in an attempt to lure the man to sin.) In his admirable concern for his guest’s comfort, he did not want the home to be cold and dark, and so he added kerosene to the lamp. If he had learned the halachot , he would have known that this action constitutes a violation of Shabbat which one must avoid even at the expense of his and his guest’s comfort. Studying halachot gives one the understanding and sensitivity needed to properly apply the laws of the Torah. An extreme example of this sensitivity is a story told by Rav Shlomo Wolbe of the Vilna Gaon. One Shabbat, the Gaon was sitting at his table eating nuts, and without realizing it, he started fiddling with the shells that he had removed. The shells covering nuts are considered muktzeh , and there are specific halachic restrictions on when and how they may be handled on Shabbat. When the Gaon realized that he had been handling muktzeh on Shabbat – something forbidden מדרבנן – he fainted. After the Gaon regained his consciousness and realized what happened, he fainted again. Finally, his wife took a shell and ate it to show that the shells were edible and thus not muktzeh , and the Gaon then felt calmer. For somebody with the Vilna Gaon’s level of halachic sensitivity, transgressing a Rabbinic prohibition, even inadvertently, is an earth-shattering experience. We cannot aspire to this level of halachic sensitivity, but it demonstrates how studying halachah brings the laws to life and helps us internalize the concepts and heighten our sensitivity. This is something that takes a good deal of time, work and effort. We are not naturally attuned to halachah . So often, when we first hear of a halachah , it sounds peculiar and far-fetched, but once we learn the background and begin to understand how this conclusion was reached, it makes perfect sense and becomes natural and intuitive. We were not born with knowledge, and acquiring knowledge is a lifelong process. Therefore, when we hear something new that might sound strange or difficult to accept, we must keep an open mind and be willing to learn. Rabbenu Yonah writes that the highest level of knowledge is the recognition of one’s lack of knowledge. It is only through this recognition that we are able to grow and learn more. Too often, our arrogance causes us to close our minds and refuse to accept something new. Or, we prefer blissful ignorance to the challenge of acquiring new information and then changing our conduct accordingly. This is like a patient who prefers not knowing the results of his blood test, because he does not want to hear about his high cholesterol. His cholesterol is at the same level whether he knows it or not, and so there is no wisdom or benefit in ignoring the reality. The same is true of halachah . We do not do ourselves any favors by knowingly remaining ignorant. We need to continue learning, each at his or her level and pace, so we can ensure that we live our lives the way we are meant to. The Steipler Gaon remarked that if we believed in hilchot Shabbat the way we believed in allergic reactions, we would be as careful with regard to the Shabbat prohibitions as we are with allergens. Unless we seriously study the laws of Shabbat, we will approach them as just an option, or a nice ideal to aspire to. We need to view halachah as reality, and this only comes through serious, devoted study. Let us, then, make an effort to devote time each week for studying the halachot of Shabbat, so we can enhance not only our observance of Shabbat, but our appreciation of, and sensitivity to, halachah generally.