Nefesh HaChayim, Gate IV

And it’s the same situation in the matter of the permissibility to take a break during learning, to contemplate fear/awe of God a bit more, which our sages (OBM) likened to the permissibility of mixing a kav of salty minerals into a koor of grain. This is the same situation, that just like if we mixed into a koor of grain more than a kav of salty minerals—which wasn’t necessary to preserve the grain— it’s considered theft and fraud, so too in the matter of fear/awe, that if a person devotes more time than what is necessary to preserve and safeguard the bulk of grain of Torah, it’s considered that he is stealing that extra time from the Torah that he would have learned then. For he was not permitted to be involved in the contemplation and acquisition of fear/awe except to the extent considered necessary by his intellect according to his nature and the context, for this time is needed and required for him to be involved with acquiring fear/awe and ethical guidance for the purpose of the safeguarding and preservation of the grain of Torah.

And truthfully, a person who has a steady practice of involvement with Torah for its own sake (as we explained in chapter 3 the matter of “for its own sake”) doesn’t need as much effort and toil and a lengthy period of involvement with books of fear/awe—so that fear/awe of Him should be fixed in his heart/mind—as a person who doesn’t have a steady practice of involvement with Torah. For the holy Torah will itself clothe him in fear/awe of God that’s apparent, in little time and with little effort to achieve that effect, for this is her way and the special quality of the holy Torah, as they stated (Avot 6:1): “Anyone who involves himself with Torah for its own sake…, and it clothes him with humility and fear/awe.”

And in Mishlei Rabbatta, parsha 1: “‘The fools despised wisdom and ethical guidance’—If ethical guidance, why wisdom? And if wisdom…? Rather, if a person learned Torah and sits and involves himself in it [fem.] according to his need, then he has both wisdom and ethical guidance available to him, and if not… .”

And in Tahna D’vei Eliyahu, Seder Eliyahu Rabba, perek 18:12: “‘And by the stream, on its banks, on both sides will grow all types of trees that produce food…’ (Yechezkel 47:12)—And what is the tree that will grow in this stream? They are the Torah scholars who have Torah within them, mikra and mishna, halakhote and aggadote, and good deeds and service to the Torah scholars… . They offered a metaphor: ‘To what is this similar…? This is how the Torah scholars are in this world relative to the Torah’s words. Because they read the scripture and learned…, and the words of Torah are sweet upon them, the Holy One (blessed be He) has compassion upon them and places within them wisdom and understanding and knowledge and rational intellection to perform good deeds and the learning of Torah, and all of it is complete before them…’.”