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Sefer Bereshis
Parashas Vayechi
Bereshis: Chapter 49, verses
14-15
Issachar is a large boned donkey,
resting only between villages. He saw that rest was good and the land was pleasant;
and he inclined his shoulder to bear and he became a servant.
Rashi: He inclined his
shoulder to bear the yoke of Torah.
Rashi comments that the blessing that
Issachar received was in order to succeed in Torah learning.
The
blessing includes two phrases that seemingly contradict each other. On the
one hand "he saw that rest was good", but on the other hand
"he inclined his shoulder to bear". If rest is so good, why
doesn't he continue resting?
Rabbenu Bechaye
commented on this that normal activities require a certain amount of
exertion of the body, but in learning Torah this is not necessary. In fact,
Torah learning is best under conditions where the man may learn Torah
constantly without any financial worries. This is the "rest" that
is mentioned in the verse.
Once
the proper conditions exist for learning Torah, the student must bear the
burden of learning, which includes tremendous exertion of the mind. The
Torah is not like other fields of study. Every word must be examined
carefully and compared and contrasted to many other areas of Torah. The
Torah delves deeply into every aspect of life in every possible situation.
This is the inclining of the shoulder.
The
tribe of Issachar received a blessing that they should have the proper
conditions for learning Torah. Any other Jew who wishes to become a Torah
scholar must strive to create these conditions for himself to insure his
success.
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