Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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The Gemara in Gittin (60b) says: “Rav Yochanan says: HKBH only created a brit
with Am Yisrael because of the Oral Law, as the verse says: “הלאה םירבדה יפ לע יכ
לארשי תאו תירב ךתא יתרכ (Shemot 34:27).”
בלה תובשחמ
The Written Law is Hashem’s direct word to us. Our job is to listen and receive.
The Oral Law is Hashem’s invitation to us to enter into a dialogue with Him. Our
job is to debate and to discuss.
The Gemara (Kiddushin 30b) says that when two people learn together, at first
they are enemies, but eventually “הז תא הז םיבהוא םישענ,“ they become lovers.
If this is true for chavrutas, how much more so is it true that the continuous
learning of the Torah she-ba’al peh for the last 3300 years has created a love affair
between Am Yisrael and Hashem. As the Midrash Tanchuma (Parshat Noah) says:
“Only one who loves HKBH learns the Oral Law.”
Many talmidim enter the yeshiva at the beginning of the year with the question:
Why is it important to learn Gemara? My hope is that by the end of this long
Winter Z’man, many are now beginning to realize that the learning of Gemara
is not merely a good way to hone your mind, but it is the way by which we enter
into a covenant with HKBH.