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Why doesn't Torah (תורה) study automatically transform every student into a tzaddik? The Ramchal identifies two preconditions: approaching Torah with proper reverence and maintaining ongoing personal rectification. Without these, even divine Torah becomes ordinary human speech lacking transformative power.
This shiur continues the Ramchal's analysis of Torah (תורה) study in Derech HaShem (ה׳), focusing on the specific requirements for Torah to have its intended spiritual impact. The Ramchal establishes that Torah represents the highest divine influence in creation - higher even than the crowns of priesthood and kingship. Unlike those hereditary roles limited to specific tribes, the crown of Torah is available to every Jew who chooses to pursue it. The discussion begins with the foundational principle that different levels of Torah comprehension yield correspondingly different levels of divine influence. Someone who merely understands the literal words receives influence, but far less than one who grasps deeper meanings. Remarkably, even reading Hebrew words without understanding transmits some degree of this divine influence, demonstrating God's love in making this highest spiritual force accessible to virtually every Jew.
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Derech HaShem Section 4, Chapter 2
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