Torah Towers Above All Else
The famous Eiffel Tower, standing tall in Paris, draws thousands of tourists daily. They are intrigued by its unique architecture and find pleasure in climbing to its top and surveying the city.
I once asked someone who lives directly opposite this tower, “How do you feel upon awakening each morning to see this massive, impressive structure?”
L’havdil, I asked a man who lives directly across from the Beit Hakeneset how he feels upon arising each day to see it.
- The Eiffel Tower
The man who faces the Eiffel Tower said the sight fills him with pride in his nation. It is a constant reminder of Napoleon, the great warrior, who represents the victory of French culture.
The Jew who lives across from a Beit Hakeneset stated that his proximity to such a holy place obligates him to be a better person, to wake up on time for tefillah on Shabbat as well as during the week, to pray with concentration, and never to miss a prayer.
These diversely different responses set me thinking. The name Eiffel Tower, named for its architect, Mr. Eiffel ((אייפל, is too similar to אופל (to be darkened) to go unnoticed. It is this darkness, overshadowing the great Eiffel Tower, which obscures one’s vision. The Eiffel Tower impresses mankind with its amazing infrastructure, but eventually allows children to assimilate among the gentiles, rachmana litzlan.
Conversely, a place of Torah and tefillah protects one’s spirituality and brings him closer to Hashem.
The most beautiful scenery one can have outside his window is a landscape of Torah. Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma said in Avot (6:9), “Even if you give me all of the gold and silver and precious jewels in the world, I will live only in a place of Torah.”
