Our time is limited. How much time should we devote to prayer, and how much to Torah study? Which activity is more important?

We find the Talmudic scholars Rava and Rav Hamenuna disagreed about this very issue:

"Rava saw Rav Hamenuna praying at length. He commented to his colleague: They neglect "Chayei Olam" (eternal life, i.e., Torah study) and occupy themselves with "Chayei Sha'ah" (temporal life — prayer)! But Rav Hamenuna did not agree. He held that there is a time for prayer and a time for Torah study." (Shabbat 10a)

Why did Rava say that prayer is just "Chayei Sha'ah", of temporal value? And what exactly was Rav Hamenuna's defense for spending so much time in prayer, at the expense of his Torah studies?

Mind and Heart

Rashi explains that prayer is "Chayei Sha'ah" since we pray for worldly concerns — for health, peace, and livelihood. Yet this explanation is not fully satisfying, since we also pray for spiritual goals, such as knowledge, forgiveness, and redemption.

According to Rav Kook, the terms "Chayei Olam" and "Chayei Sha'ah" refer to the essential difference between these two forms of divine service. Torah study constantly provides us with new knowledge from the source of truth. Since it is based on our intellectual efforts to uncover eternal, unchanging truths, Torah is "Chayei Olam." 

While Torah enriches the mind, prayer targets the heart. Prayer does not supply us with new knowledge, but rather utilizes our emotional faculties to deepen the impact of ethical teachings and Torah knowledge on the soul. Prayer does not search for new truths, but rather aspires to absorb and internalize truths already acquired. Since prayer relates to the more volatile aspect of human nature — emotions and feelings that fluctuate with time — the Sages referred to prayer as "Chayei Sha'ah," belonging to temporal life.

Furthermore, it is precisely those images that are not intellectually rigorous that have the power to engage and excite the emotions. Since our emotional faculties are closer to our physical side, they have difficulty relating to the abstract concepts of the intellect and require the assistance of more concrete images. Therefore, in prayer we are permitted to utilize descriptions of God, out of recognition for their powerful impact on the emotions.

In summary, the terms "Chayei Olam" and "Chayei Sha'ah"  refer to the nature of the human faculty engaged as well as the relative quality of the knowledge. Torah study is based on eternal truths and uses our steady powers of reason and logic, while the goal of prayer is to reach out to the lower and less stable parts of the human psyche. For this reason, Rava criticized Rav Hamenuna's lengthy prayers, since they stole time from the eternal value of Torah study. "They neglect eternal life and occupy themselves with temporal life!" 

A Time for Prayer

Rav Hamenuna did not contest Rava's evaluation of the relative merits of Torah study and prayer. His reply was based on an understanding that each of these two forms of divine service has its own place.

The Sages taught an important axiom regarding Torah study: "One should always study that which his heart desires"  (Avodah Zarah 19a). The rabbis recognized that our inner inclination will lead us in the proper path. If one is drawn to a particular area of Torah, this is a sign that the state of one's soul currently requires spiritual sustenance from this area of study.

This principle also holds true when seeking the correct balance between Torah and prayer. The intellect is not fully capable of judging how much we should nourish ourselves from the profound depths of Torah knowledge, and how much we need to add the 'spices' of emotion and excitement. Here too, our inner inclination will guide us appropriately.

When one is drawn to Torah study, then this is 'the time for Torah' — the staple for spiritual advance for the individual and society as a whole. But if an individual feels from within a longing for the expanse of prayer, a yearning to pour out his soul before God, then this is a sign that his soul currently requires this form of spiritual service, even though others may be more elevated.

The Sages established set times for prayer. These times meet the needs of most people, but there is room to adapt to the needs of the individual. This understanding of how we should balance prayer and Torah study is the crux of Rav Hamenuna's teaching, "There is a time for prayer and there is a time for Torah." 

(adapted from Ein Eyah vol. III p. 3; Olat Re'iyah vol. I preface p. 20)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison