– Q. See question above. Dear Rov, I asked the same question above also to other Rabbis and they stressed more the importance of learning Torah at night, even in my stressful condition. Are they really wrong?

A. Dear friend, when in doubt on a Shailah, first look into what the Shulchan Aruch rules. Indeed on Yore Deah, on the Halchos of Talmud Torah (246: 23) the Mechaber mentions: “Whoever desires to acquire the Crown of Torah, should be careful on all his nights and not loose even one of them for just sleeping, eating, drinking, conversation and likewise. He must spend them with the learning of wisdom and Torah.

Remah (ibid.) adds: (quoting from the Tur and Rambam) “Since one learns most of his wisdom at night.” He then aggregates: “That one should begin his night learning from Tu Beav (the Fifteenth of Av) onward”. Taz (ibid 25) mentions that the above, at least in some version, applies also to the short nights of the Summer.

Iyun Yaakov (Chagiga: 12b) explains that Torah learned at night is truly Torah for its own sake, since during the daytime a person may be learning so that others should see him, however, nighttime learning takes place often in seclusion and modesty.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a