When we learn the words of the bracha over the mitzvah of Talmud Torah we learn about the essence and purpose of Torah study. The words in bold are the focus of the bracha.
(א) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה:
(1) Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to be involved with words of Torah.
Questions to consider:
1. What is the difference between "learning" and "being involved" in Torah?
2. Why does the bracha specifically use the language of being involved?
(ב) וְהַעֲרֶב נָא ה' אֱלהֵינוּ אֶת דִּבְרֵי תורָתְךָ בְּפִינוּ וּבְפִיּות עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל. וְנִהְיֶה אֲנַחְנוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵינוּ. וְצֶאֱצָאֵי צֶאֱצָאֵינוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל. כֻּלָּנוּ יודְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ וְלומְדֵי תורָתֶךָ לִשְׁמָהּ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' הַמְלַמֵּד תּורָה לְעַמּו יִשרָאֵל:
(2) And please, Lord, our God, make the words of Your Torah pleasant in our mouths and in the mouths of all of Your people, the House of Israel. And may we and our offspring [and the offspring of our offspring] and the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel - all of us - be knowing of Your Name and studying Your Torah for its sake. Blessed are You, Lord, Who teaches Torah to His people, Israel.
Questions to consider:
1. What kinds of things are preventing us from having a positive experience when we study Torah and live Torah?
2. How does the study of Torah contribute to Jewish continuity?
3. What is the difference between "knowing of" someone and "knowing" someone?
4. What does it mean to "know" Hashem? Think of the times when you feel like you "know of" Hashem and the times when you feel like you "know" Hashem.
5. How often do you learn Torah l'shma? How does it change the way you feel about Hashem and doing mitzvot?
6. What does it mean that Hashem is our teacher? In what ways does Hashem teach us Torah?
(ג) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת תּורָתו: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. נותֵן הַתּורָה:
(3) Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has chosen us from all of the nations and given us His Torah. Blessed are You, Lord, Who gives the Torah.
Questions to consider:
1. There are plenty of non-Jews who do nice things that for Jews are considered mitzvot. What is the difference between the role of a righteous non-Jew and a Jew when it comes to tikkun olam? (See Rav Melamed's explanation of Birkot HaTorah below for an interesting answer.)
2. What does it mean that Hashem is a giver of Torah (in present tense, not past tense!) In what ways do you receive the Torah in your daily life?
Pninei Halacha "The Laws of Tefila" - Rav Eliezer Melamed
02 – The Content of the Torah Blessings and the Ruling Regarding Ahavat Olam
Birkot HaTorah are comprised of three parts. In the first part, we bless Hashem who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to occupy ourselves with the study of Torah. In the second, we request that the Torah, which Hashem taught His nation Israel, be pleasant to us, that we merit learning it with desire, and that we and our offspring have the privilege of understanding the depth of its content.[1]
In the third part, we bless and thank Hashem for choosing us from among all the nations and giving us His Torah. The Chachamim say (Berachot 11b) that this is the prime berachah of Birkot HaTorah, since it mentions the unique virtue of the nation of Israel, that Hashem “chose us from among all the nations” and, because of this Divine selection, consequently “gave us His Torah.” This is the nature of Israel’s soul, that it is attached and devoted to Hashem and His Torah, and therefore only the nation of Israel can receive the Torah and with it illuminate the world. Among the nations of the world, there may be righteous and devout gentiles, but this is a personal piety of individual people who lack the ability to repair the entire world. As seen from our long history, only the nation of Israel can serve Hashem within a national framework and strive to uplift and rectify the world in the path of truth and kindness.
Based on this, it is clear why the Ahavat Olam berachah (“Ahavah Rabbah,” according to Nusach Ashkenaz), which we say before the recital of Shema, can replace Birkot HaTorah. The main part of this prayer refers to Hashem’s love for Israel and its conclusion is, “Who chooses His people Israel with love.” Additionally, the subject of Torah is mentioned at length, for Israel and the Torah are inseparable.
(א) [וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמר. דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרן וְאֶל בָּנָיו לֵאמר. כּה תְבָרְכוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשרָאֵל אָמור לָהֶם]:
(ב) יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: יִשּא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשם לְךָ שָׁלום:
(ג) אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שִׁעוּר. הַפֵּאָה וְהַבִּכּוּרִים וְהָרְאָיון וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים וְתַלְמוּד תּורָה:
(ד) אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם אוכֵל פֵּרותֵיהֶם בָּעולָם הַזֶּה וְהַקֶּרֶן קַיֶּמֶת לו לָעולָם הַבָּא. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן. כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם. וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים. וְהַשְׁכָּמַת בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ. שַׁחֲרִית וְעַרְבִית. וְהַכְנָסַת אורְחִים. וּבִקּוּר חולִים. וְהַכְנָסַת כַּלָּה. וּלְוָיַת הַמֵּת. וְעִיּוּן תפילה. וַהֲבָאַת שָׁלום בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרו וּבֵין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּו. וְתַלְמוּד תּורָה כְּנֶגֶד כֻּלָּם:
(4) These are the deeds that yield immediate fruit in This World and continue to yield fruit in the World to Come: honoring parents; doing deeds of lovingkindness; arriving the house of study early--morning and evening; providing hospitality; visiting the sick; helping the needy bride; attending to the dead; probing the meaning of prayer; making peace between one person and another, and between husband and wife. And the study of Torah outweighs them all.