MAY 7, ‘25 // Questions & Answers from Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt”l’s Thursday Night Lecture Hobbies Q. Can a frum person, man or boy, have a hobby? Or is a hobby a gentile thing? How to acquire the happiness of Torah Learning Q. If we cannot understand this happiness in this world, then how can we achieve it? It means, the questioner means, if we don’t appreciate that learning, that gaining mental superiority in this world is happiness, then how can we ever get it? A. I want to explain something from the sefer called Shevet Musar. Shevet Musar is a very sharp musar sefer. It’s not popular today, but once upon a time it was quite popular. But among the many things that he says is as follows: If you need to take a walk in the park in order to regain yishuv ha’daas, some calmness of your mind, in order to restore some of your health or your correct frame of mind, it’s a mitzvah to do it. Now of course people tend to deceive themselves and think that they’re always doing it for a mitzvah. But there’s no question that sometimes it’s a mitzvah to have a good time. When a person is dejected, discouraged, t’nu sheichor l’oved, give a strong wine to a man who is morei nefesh. When a man is bitter and discouraged, give him a drink of strong wine. A strong wine might turn his head a little bit, make him a little drunk, but for him it’s good, takes his mind off his worries. Only you have to be capable of knowing when yes, and when not. So there’s no question, we have a right to have good times in this world, because that’s part of our mezonos; it’s part of our sustenance. Man must have some happiness in this world. So if the hobby is a little thing, doesn’t take up much time, is not expensive, and it helps him get back on the tracks again and get back to learning more… Could be, depends what it is, I can’t give a general hechsher for all kinds of hobbies. But in general, a person should know this principle and if they’re doing it l’shem Shomayim in order to be able to serve Hashem… So let’s say a person is dejected, I have told them many times, take a bottle of soda and a piece of chocolate cake and sit down now and get back on the tracks again. Why not? Although it’s nosherei, and may not be desirable for the porush, or the chossid, still, it is necessary in order to restore your peace of mind and doing it l’shem Shomayim; absolutely it’s a mitzvah to do. A. IWell, you see people who study difficult subjects. Here’s a person studying accounting. At the time, he doesn’t necessarily appreciate the great joys of accounting. He doesn’t find it the most pleasant thing in the world. Nevertheless, he does it because his seichel tells him that he might make a comfortable living subsequently. Therefore, our job is to tackle the study of wisdom, whether we appreciate it or not. But eventually, the truth is that after a while, it grows on you. When a person becomes an oheiv chochmah, he loves wisdom, then, lo yisbah chochmah, he’ll find he can never get enough, and even in this world, he’ll begin to love it. But don’t wait for that. Before you love wisdom, go ahead anyhow. Go and listen, let’s say, some place where there’s an old rabbi speaking, and he’s boring, and he speaks half words, like the Altar of Slabodka spoke half words, and between the words, people fell asleep, had a good nap between his words! But they didn’t fall asleep. When I came to Slabodka, I saw the menahel Reb Avrohom was saying a schmooze in the Altar style. He said a word, and then he retired. I was an American boy, I was tired by the trip too, so I fell asleep. Finally, the next word resounded, and I woke up again. But at this time, I couldn’t put the two words together. But the people there, I saw, were accustomed to it because they were trained to love wisdom. They didn’t love sleep; they loved wisdom. After a while, like the Gemara says, milsa al l’vishaya yakira, a garment becomes beloved to its wearer. If you wear the garment of wisdom long enough, after a while, you really enjoy it, and you wouldn’t take anything else. Reprinted with permission from “Ask Rabbi Miller”, compiled by Avrohom Tikotzky. Copyright 2019, Simchas Hachaim Publishing 718-258-7400 x103 To receive Mr. Tikotsky’s weekly email: tikotzky@gmail.com or www.rmillerqa.com Ask Rabbi Miller 70
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