According to what we said, we can explain how the words "אם בחקתי תלכו" mean "שתהיו עמלים בתורה" - this doesn't mean that the explanation of the pasuk is that it is referring to toiling in Torah because as we wrote, the pasuk is telling us to harness and align our nature with the will of Hashem. Rather, Chazal are telling us HOW to change our nature to fit with the will of Hashem. The OPTIMAL way to do that is to TOIL IN LEARNING TORAH!!!
This is expressed in the Braisa in Pirkei Avos [פרק ו]:
"אמר רבי מאיר הלומד תורה לשמה זוכה לדברים הרבה ... נקרא ריע וכו'".
"Rebbi Meir said that if someone learns Torah he merits many good things ... he is called a friend."
The Tiferes Yisrael explains that since he has sparkling middos, he is loved by all.
It also says that he loves people and causes them to be happy - אוהב את הבריות ומשמח את הבריות. Explains the Tiferes Yisrael, that he loves and makes happy even people who have no other virtues besides the fact that they are the בריות [creatures] of Hashem!
How else does someone act in such a way if he is does not have AMAZING middos?! That is what Torah does for a person.
The Braisa continues and says "מלבשתו ענוה" - He is enclothed with humility. Learning Torah properly makes one humble, which is the ROOT of all good middos [an allusion to this fact - "והאיש משה עניו מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה"]. It also says "ומכשרתו וכו' ישר" - It makes one straight. The Tiferes Yisrael explains that this means that he is not lazy or tense etc.
We see from all this that Torah Lishmah has a profound impact on ones character, so the more he toils in Torah, the greater the impact.
We can also understand the following מדרש:
א] "אם בחקתי תלכו"-- מלמד שהמקום מתאוה שיהיו ישראל עמלים בתורה. וכן הוא אומר (תהלים פא, יד): "לו עמי שומע לי ישראל בדרכי יהלכו כמעט אויביהם אכניע ועל צריהם אשיב ידי". ואומר: (ישעיהו מח, יח): " לוּא הִקְשַׁבְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָי וַיְהִי כַנָּהָר שְׁלוֹמֶךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ כְּגַלֵּי הַיָּם וַיְהִי כַחוֹל זַרְעֶךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי מֵעֶיךָ כִּמְעֹתָיו לֹא יִכָּרֵת וְלֹא יִשָּׁמֵד שְׁמוֹ מִלְּפָנָי". וכן הוא אומר: (דברים ה, כה): "מי יתן והיה לבבם זה להם ליראה אתי ולשמר את כל מצותי כל הימים למען ייטב להם ולבניהם לעולם"-- מלמד שהמקום מתאוה שיהיו עמלים בתורה.
"If in My statutes you walk, and My mitzvos you keep to do them," "If in My statutes you walk … (Vayikra 26:4) then I shall give your rains in their proper times, etc.": We are hereby taught that the Holy One Blessed be He yearns that Israel toil in Torah. And thus is it written (Tehillim 81:14-15) "Would that My people heeded Me, that Israel walked in My ways! In an instant I would humble their foes and against their oppressors turn My hand!" (Isaiah 18:19) "Would that you heeded My mitzvos — then your peace would be like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. And your seed would be like the sand and the issue of your loins like its innards. Its name would not be cut off and blotted out before Me!" And (Devarim 5:26) "Who would grant that this their heart would be in them to fear Me and to keep all My mitzvos all the days, so that it be good for them and for their children forever" — whence we learn that the Holy One Blessed be He yearns that they toil in Torah.
This מדרש is very difficult: Where do we see in the psukim that Hashem wants us to toil in Torah? All it says is that we should go in the path of Torah but not a word about toiling in Torah??!
The answer is as we said: The only way to insure that we will properly follow the Torah is if we toil in learning. אם בחקתי תלכו - If we toil in Torah, then and only then "ואת מצוותי תשמרו ועשיתם אותם" - we will keep the Torah. And when it says that Hashem is מתאוה that we learn Torah, the explanation is that since Hashem has a "תאוה" that we keep Torah, it automatically follows that he has a תאוה that we toil in Torah, because those are the necessary means.
We see this in the Gemara [Berachos 63b, Shabbos 83b, Gittin 57b] that quotes Resh Lakish as saying:
This is exactly what the Chazon Ish writes in a letter:
"אין התורה מתקיימת אלא במי שממית עצמו עליה"
"The Torah only exists for one who kills himself for it"
And the Gemara proves this from the pasuk "אדם כי ימות באהל" - "when a man dies in the tent", referring to the tent of Torah.
Resh Lakish is not talking about learning Torah but about the existence of Torah in a person. The only way Torah exists in a person is if he has good middos. Just like Rav Chaim Vital says that good middos are the root of all mitzvos ["כסא ויסוד ושורש אל הנפש העליונה השכלית אשר בה תלויים תרי"ג מצוות התורה"], they are also the root of the existence of Torah in a person. This is explicit in the Orchos Tzadikim in his preface:
"ושאין בידך מידות טובות, אין בידך תורה ומצוות, כי כל התורה תלויה בתיקון המידות"
"If a person has poor character, he doesn't have Torah and mitzvos, because the whole Torah depends on fixing your character".
"ידיעת התורה אין זה פשוטו של סוגיא בחיי אדם, כי הלא אמרו, 'אין דברי תורה מתקיימין אלא במי שממית עצמו עליה'. המיתה שבכאן הוא הנטיה מפשוטו של החיים, לעומקו של החיים, לתוך תוכו של החיים. כל שהאדם מרבה בשבירת המידות מרבה חיים, כי שבירת המידות היא הריגת החיים השטחיים, ומיתה של היצר, הממלא כל הגוף. הוא החיים המוליך בדרכה של תורה. מדות המושחתות רבות הנה, והם עצמו ובשרו של האדם, והממית אחת מהן המית את עצמו, ומקצת עצמו ככל עצמו. ואמנם מיתה זו תחיה בעליה ודברי תורה מתקיימין בידו".
Do you want Torah to exist in you? "Kill" your bad middos.
Rabbeinu Yonah writes this explicitly in Avos [3-17] that says "אם אין דרך ארץ אין תורה":
"רוצה לומר שצריך תחלה לתקן את עצמו במדות ובזה תשכון התורה עליו שאינה שוכנת לעולם בגוף שאינו בעל מדות טובות."
One has to first fix his middos, for Torah can only dwell in a body that has good middos.
There is a LOT more to say - hope we say it!
[עפ"י תורת מו"ר הגאון הגדול רבי ד"י מן זצ"ל]
