Michael el Chayil

I recently learned and wrote about ( TftD ) a Chazal (Brachos 21a) that apparently says straight out that there is no pleasure/enjoyment/ הנאה from learning Torah. I was surprised, but I gave it some thought and felt I had a good way to understand that Chazal. While discussing it with a member of the kollel, however, he pointed me to the introduction to the אגלי טל, who discusses the concept of "mitzvos were not given for our enjoyment." Long story short, the אגלי טל discusses in the introduction why the Rambam says that learning Torah for the wrong reasons will bring you to learning Torah for the right reasons, whereas doing miztvos for the wrong reasons won't bring you anywhere. Basically, the Rambam is of the opinion that in order to actually fulfill a mitzvah, it must be done with that intent. Since mitzvos were not given for our enjoyment, doing the mitzvah for any purpose other than fulfilling the mitzvah -- ie, for some side benefit -- is automatically not a fulfi...

When I learn Torah, I would say that more often than not I am filled with feelings of happy satisfaction and enjoyment. Yet there is an apparent machlokes between Chazal and every translation I can find for the word הנאה. Google translate says it quite well, I think: הנאה a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment And Chazal? We need a short introduction. There are only two brachos that are a Torah obligation: Birkas HaMazon and Birkas HaTorah: Rav Yehuda asks (rhetorically): How do we know there is a Torah obligation to make a bracha after eating? Because it says ואכלת ושבעת וברכת/(when) you eat and are satisfied, you will bless (Devarim 8:10). How do we know there is a Torah obligation to make a bracha before learning Torah? Because it says כי שם ה' אקרא הבו גדל לאלקינו/when I proclaim the name of HaShem, ascribe greatness to our G-d (Devarim 32:3) (Brachos 21a). So far, so good. R' Yochanon floats the idea that he can prove that there should be a Torah obligation to say ...