Posted on 03/20/25
When I was learning in Lakewood, Rav Matisyahu Salomon used to remind us regularly, “As you rush to seder every day, keep in mind the ultimate purpose of your Torah learning. You are coming to the beis medrash to spend four hours immersed in learning, in order to create the ultimate kiddush Hashem. If you spend the five-minute drive to the yeshivah acting in a way that is not befitting a ben Torah — if you honk your horn rudely, cut off other drivers, tailgate, and act in other disrespectful or impolite ways — you will be doing the exact opposite of kiddush Hashem. Those five minutes could hurt the effect of the next four hours of learning!”
Rav Matisyahu adds that this is also how we can understand the concept of derech eretz kadmah l’Torah . How is it possible for anything to take precedence over Torah? The answer is that the purpose of Torah study is to bring about kiddush shem Shamayim. A person who lacks derech eretz cannot create a kiddush Hashem. His Torah study would be for naught if its ultimate purpose is not realized.
The Mesillas Yesharim (ch. 11) states that the more learned a person is, the greater responsibility he has to conduct himself in a way that is beyond reproach. Part of honoring the Torah, he explains, is for a person who studies it to excel in behaving in an upright, refined way. A person who fails to behave appropriately brings disgrace to Torah study and creates a chilul Hashem, for Hashem gave us the Torah as a vehicle for the attainment of perfection.
The power of a ben Torah to create a kiddush Hashem is especially potent. But his Torah knowledge must be coupled with derech eretz and midos tovos in order to effectively bring honor to Hashem. Both aspects of our service of Hashem are part of one unified package.
Rabbi Shraga Freedman is the author of Sefer Mekadshei Shemecha, Living Kiddush Hashem, and A Life Worth Living. Email LivingKiddushHashem@gmail.com