CHAPTER 4
EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO LEARNS TORAH IS
CAPABLE OF GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS EVEN IF HE IS NOT
PARTICULARLY GIFTED INTELLECTUALLY , OR BY
NATURE NOT STUDIOUSLY INCLINED

1. A common trait that people have is that they are prepared to
   invest a great deal of time and effort in a task only if they know
   that they will make a success of it. Unfortunately, such an
   attitude is a serious drawback for someone who wants to learn
   Torah. There are young students who do not think they are
   capable of becoming great Torah scholars. Some think they are
   not clever enough, others admit that they do have intelligence in
   other fields but claim that Gemara is too difficult for them to
   master. Still others feel that they will not be able to sit and learn
   diligently for any length of time. Most likely of all to fall into the
   trap of despair are those who think they have neither
   intellectual ability nor the innate nature conducive to sitting
   and learning.
2. Know that this is a fallacy – for a variety of reasons.
   Numerous examples from personal experience have proven that
   this is not the case. Quite a number of famous Rabbis appeared
   to be limited by intellectual or behavioral handicaps in their
   youth. Yet they successfully overcame those limitations to
   become accomplished Torah scholars: Many had large followings
   of students and others published works of Torah which are still
   used today wherever people learn Torah.
   
3. There are several ways to explain why it is possible to learn
   Torah successfully in spite of natural disadvantages. The Chazon
   Ish (based on the writings of the Arizal) elaborates on the
   subject: The reason that a person does not want, or is not able,
   to perform a particular element of Hashem’s service often
   derives from the fact that the root-source of his spiritual
   personality identifies more directly with certain facets of
   Hashem’s will and not with others.
   Nonetheless a person is still obliged to at least make an
   effort to serve Hashem in those areas as well. The result of his
   efforts will be that Hashem will reward him by adding extra
   elements to his spiritual make-up; the ones which he was lacking
   until then. He will then discover that he does have the
   inclination and the abilities to perform those tasks which
   beforehand did not appeal to him.
4. There are other reasons too why a person can experience a
   radical spiritual change. It is axiomatic that Hashem can do
   everything; the term impossible does not exist for Him. When
   Hashem sees a man sincerely straining himself to do what He
   wants him to, He will take pity on him and give him all the tools
   he needs to perform His will in an exemplary manner.
5. There is another suggestion in the Gemara ( ‫ב‬ ” ‫ע‬ ‫ט‬ ” ‫צ‬ ‫סנהדרין‬
   and Rashi ad loc) which helps explain the phenomenon of
   people who achieve far more that their apparent potential: Our
   Sages say that when a person exerts himself for Torah, the
   spiritual lights of the Torah go and beseech Hashem to help him
   to be successful in his learning.
   
6. It is known that the Chazon Ish said that every bachur who is
   wholly committed to Torah has the potential to become one of
   the Torah leaders of the generation. There are no other
   conditions attached to becoming great in Torah learning. The
   only requirement is the basic one; to be constantly busy learning
   Torah and striving to be a true servant of Hashem. It is a
   condition that every individual can aspire for. It is dependent on
   no-one but himself, and no-one is able to prevent him fulfilling
   it.
7. We have just explained that every student can be successful
   learning Torah and become a Torah scholar. At the same time,
   we do not want to detract from the merits of natural
   intelligence. For the truth is that someone who has been blessed
   with superior intelligence should know and appreciate that it is
   a gift from Hashem and was given to him to use in full for
   learning Torah.
   The Chofetz Chaim wrote that people who are born with an
   abundance of natural intelligence can go very far indeed and
   reach awe-inspiring heights if they exert themselves. The
   converse is also true; if ‫ו‬ ʺ ‫ח‬ they do not use their intelligence, or
   use it for other purposes, they will be very sorry indeed when
   their lives are over and they come to the next world. There they
   will realize the magnitude of what they could have accomplished
   in their lifetimes, including things which others of their
   generation could never have done. In the world-to-come they
   will understand that they were granted a very precious gift for a
   specific purpose, and will be filled with bitter remorse when
   they see the futility of the worldly vanities on which they wasted
   it instead. (Quoted from the Chofetz Chaim.)
   
8. Therefore, someone who is naturally inclined to diligent
   study should make use of that characteristic for learning Torah,
   and his accomplishments will be truly impressive – and how
   much more impressive will they be if he has been blessed with a
   quick mind as well as being studiously inclined.
   Even in the later generations we know of famous Torah
   personalities who were not particularly gifted intellectually, nor
   were they all naturally studious, yet they persevered and the
   result was that they became very great Torah scholars.