Torah as inheritance and as toil

באבות משה קיבל תורה כו'.

In Pirkei Avos: "Moshe received the Torah [from Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua]..."

The Sefas Emes opens from the famous opening Mishnah of Avos, which traces the chain of Torah transmission beginning with Moshe Rabbeinu.

הגם שהתורה ניתנה לכל ישראל.

Even though the Torah was given to all of Yisrael —

He notes the difficulty: the Torah belongs to every Jew, so why does the Mishnah trace its transmission specifically through a chain of leaders?

אמנם יש ב' ענינים בתורה א' היגיעה שיכול כל איש ישראל למצוא ע"י יגיעה בתורה כ"א כפי השגתו.

Nevertheless, there are two aspects to Torah. One is the toil (yegiah), which every individual of Yisrael can attain through laboring in Torah, each according to his own grasp.

The first dimension of Torah is open to all: whatever a person works to understand through his own effort, he acquires according to his ability.

אך יש עוד סגולה בתורה לחכמים ראשי הדורות להשיג מה שאינו עפ"י שכל אנושי והיא הירושה שניתן לנו כמ"ש תורה צוה כו' משה מורשה קהלת יעקב.

But there is a further special quality (segulah) in the Torah, granted to the wise, the leaders of the generations, to attain that which is beyond human intellect — and this is the inheritance (yerushah) given to us, as it is written, "Torah did Moshe command us, a heritage (morashah) for the congregation of Yaakov."

The second dimension is supra-rational: a hidden gift transmitted to the great Torah leaders, allowing them to grasp what mere human reason cannot reach. This is the inherited treasure passed down from Sinai.

ולכן אמונת חכמים הוא יסוד התורה.

Therefore, faith in the Sages (emunas chachamim) is the foundation of the Torah.

Because this deeper layer of Torah transcends individual reasoning, trusting the words of the Chachamim is the very bedrock on which Torah stands.

ולכן הקדימו חכמים זאת המשנה באבות לומר שאלה הדברים שהגידו אבות העולם לא יחשוב אדם להרהר בהם עפ"י אימוד דעתו כי זה בירושה מסיני וע"ז אמרו משה קיבל כו' ומסרה ליהושע כו'.

Therefore the Sages placed this Mishnah at the beginning of Avos, to say that the teachings handed down by the fathers of the world — a person should not presume to question them by his own estimation, for this is an inheritance from Sinai; and concerning this they said, "Moshe received... and transmitted it to Yehoshua..."

The chain of transmission stands at the head of Avos to teach that the words of our Sages must not be second-guessed by personal reasoning, for they are an inheritance handed down unbroken from Sinai.

ובגמ' אל תקרי מורשה אלא מאורסה.

And in the Gemara: "Do not read 'morashah (inheritance)' but rather 'me'orasah (betrothed).'"

Chazal reread the word, hinting that Torah is not only an inheritance but also like a betrothed bride — pointing to a second relationship with Torah.

וזה ההפרש כי ירושה הוא בלי יגיעה רק נחלה שאין לה הפסק.

And this is the difference: an inheritance (yerushah) comes without toil — it is simply a possession that has no interruption.

An inheritance is received automatically and permanently; it is yours by birthright, requiring no effort to obtain.

אבל מאורסה היא התקרבות שבא ע"י פעולות האדם ויגיעתו בתורה וזה נאמר לכל פרט התקן עצמך ללמוד תורה שאינה ירושה לך דייקא.

But "betrothed (me'orasah)" is a drawing-near that comes through a person's own actions and his toil in Torah; and this is said to each individual: "Prepare yourself to learn Torah, for it is not an inheritance to you" — precisely.

Betrothal must be actively earned through courtship. So too the individual must labor to "win" the Torah through his own toil — which is why the Mishnah tells each person that Torah is "not an inheritance to you," but something you must work to acquire.

אבל לכללות ישראל נאמר מורשה קהלת יעקב.

But concerning the collective of Yisrael it is said, "a heritage for the congregation of Yaakov."

The inheritance aspect belongs to Klal Yisrael as a whole — the Torah is the unbroken patrimony of the entire nation.

אעפ"כ ע"י שזוכין להכניס עצמו תוך כלל ישראל זוכה לחלק הירושה ג"כ כנ"ל:

Even so, by meriting to bring oneself into Klal Yisrael, one merits the portion of the inheritance as well, as explained.

The two paths converge: while the individual must earn Torah through toil, by nullifying himself into the collective of Klal Yisrael he also gains a share in the supra-rational inheritance that belongs to the nation.

Summary: Torah has two dimensions — the toil (yegiah) that every individual attains through his own effort, and the supra-rational inheritance (yerushah) granted to the leaders of the generations, beyond human intellect, which makes emunas chachamim the foundation of Torah. The individual is told "it is not an inheritance to you," for he must win Torah like a betrothed through his own labor; yet the inheritance belongs to Klal Yisrael as a whole. By joining himself to the collective, a person merits the inherited portion too.