Matos
The passuk states, Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven said, “גדרות צאן נבנה למקננו פה וערים לטפנו, let us build sheep enclosures for our livestock here, and cities for our children.” They mentioned that they needed an enclosure for their livestock to stay in, before they mentioned that they need living quarters for their children to dwell in. When Moshe reiterates this, and pronounces the agreement he proposed for them, he said, “בנו לכם ערים לטפכם וגדרות לצנאכם, build for yourselves cities for your children, and enclosures for your sheep. Moshe switches the order and mentions their children before their sheep. Rashi explains they were more concerned with their money than with their sons and daughters, as they mentioned their livestock before their children. Moshe said, this is incorrect, you must make the important thing, ikar, and the unimportant thing, taful, secondary. First build cities for your children to dwell in, who are important, and afterwards build enclosures for your sheep to stay in.
We find this concept when entering a Bais HaKneses to call someone. The Braisa brings: one cannot act lightheaded in Batei Knesios, and one cannot enter into them because of rain in the winter, or cold in the summer. The Gemara gives an example: Ravina and Rav Ada bar Masna were standing and Rava asked them a question. The rain started to pour down so they entered the Bais HaKneses. They said, “This which entered the Bais HaKneses is not because of the rain, rather because a person needs a clear mind with nothing disturbing to learn properly.”
The Gemara asks: if someone wants to call a person who is Bais HaKneses, since he cannot enter for no need, what shall he do? The Gemara answers: if he is a young Torah scholar, he should say a halacha, if he says over Mishnayos or Braysos, he should say a Mishna or Braisa. If he says pessukim, he should say a passuk. If he is none of the above, he should say to young child who would regularly say pessukim, say over a passuk to me. The last option is to sit and wait a bit inside the Bais HaKneses, then get up and call him. The Mechaber paskins, one should 1st enter and learn something and only afterwards call him. This way it would not look as though he entered for his own purposes. The Mishnah Berura explains one should not call the person 1st, before he learns a bit because then it will look as though learning the divrei Torah is unimportant and is only taful to the calling which is important. Rather the ikar should be the learning, and afterwards the taful, call the person.
The Mechaber paskins: after a person goes out of Bais HaKneses, he should go into a Bais Midrash and make a set time to learn daily, without skipping. The Mishna Berura brings b’shem the Gemara: one who does this will merit to greet the Shechinah, as it states, “ילכו מחיל אל חיל יראה אל אלקים בציון, they will go from strength to strength, G-d in Tziyon will be seen.” The Mishna Berura says the best is to learn immediately, the reason is, as it states ילכו מחיל אל חיל. Also, if he won’t learn immediately, we are worried he might be drawn into his dealings and be busy, and he will ruin his set time. I’d like to offer another reason: if a person learns the 1st thing in the day, then the rest of his day follows the learning. Learning Torah is ikar, the most important thing, and the rest of the day’s endeavors are secondary. However, if a person does his errands and works on his business 1st, then it reflects that his mundane matters are ikar, and are more important than his ruchniyos.
Let us remember that learning Torah and caring for our children are ikar, and other mundane matters are taful.
