By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
If a person reads Tanach but does not understand what he is reading is he yotzei the Mitzvah of Talmud Torah? In Shulchan Aruch 50:1 it says that Chazal were mesaken to say Eizeh Mekoman and Reb Yishmael Omer after the parsha of korban Tamid so that every person should learn Pesukim, Mishna and Gemara. The Mishna Berura brings in the name of the Magen Avraham that this reading of Braisah and Mishna does not count as limud HaTorah unless you understand what you are reading. If one reads it without understanding then one is not considered that he is learning,
Reb Chaim Kanievsky quotes his great uncle the Chazon Ish who was asked that if one said Birchas HaTorah and followed it by saying the Birchas Kohanim and Eilu Devarim and did not have in mind to understand what he is reading he is nevertheless yotzei. It would seem from this that the Chazon Ish would argue with the above Magen Avraham.
The Shulchan Aruch HoRav in Hilchos Talmud Torah 2:12,13 differentiates between Torah SheBiksav and Torah ShBaal Peh. If one says the words but does not have in mind the meaning he is Yotzei Limud HaTorah only if it is Torah SheBiksav but if it is Torah SheBaal peh it is not considered learning. With this Shulchan Aruch HoRav one can say that the Magen Avraham and Chazon Ish are not arguing. The Magen Avraham is talking about Torah SheBaal Peh which one is not yotzei if one says it without understanding. The Chazon Ish on the other hand is speaking about a case where he is saying Torah SheBiksav so he would be yotzei even if he does not understand it. The Chazon Ish was only referring to Birkas Kohanim which is Torah SheBiksav. The question was if he was yotzei Birchas HaTorah and the answer was that since he said Torah SheBiksav he was Yotzei.
It would stand to reason that reading Nach which is Torah SheBiksav one would be Yotzei Limud HaTorah even without understanding.
Some want to argue that one would not be Yotzei based on the Maharil Diskin that explains the Gemara in Megillah 3a which says we are mevatel Talmud Torah to read the Megillah. The question is how could we consider the Megillah bittul Torah? The Maharil Diskin explains it with Gemara in Megillah 18a that says we don’t know all the translations, of all the words, of the Megillah. There are words “HoAchashtranim benei HoRamachim” these are words we don’t know what they mean and during the time we read it we are mevatel Torah.
We can argue against the above based on the premise of Reb Shloma Zalman Auerbach that he says, if one hears Divrei Torah from another person has to say Birchas HaTorah despite the fact we pasken that hirhur alone is not mechayev Birchas HaTorah. The hesber is that when people learn it is normal for one to say and the other to listen and it has nothing to do with the concept of Shomea KeOneh. When one hears he is required to say Birchas HaTorah. When hearing the Megillah one is yotzei with Shomea KeOneh. So, we could explain that one who says the words of Torah SheBiksav is Yotzei Limud HaTorah even if he does not understand it. Whereas one who hears someone else say Torah SheBiksav and does not understand it he would not be yotzei Limud HaTorah even though he would be yotzei Krias HaMegillah via Shmea KeOneh. Since we don’t know the meaning of some words those who come to hear the Megillah will be mevatelTorah as they are not reading, but rather listening, thereby not being Yotzei Limud HaTorah for those words.
We see the great value of every second of learning Torah, that for those seconds we read some words we don’t understand the ones who are listening are being mevatel Torah. May we all be zocheh to learn Torah and not waste our precious time!
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