In addition, יהושע is singled out as the next chain in the מסורה, the tradition of תורה that was passed down from משה. Though there were other great people of יהושע's generation, such as פנחס and אלעזר, the משנה in אבות specifically says (א:א) ״משה קבל תורה מסיני ומסרה ליהושע״, identifying only יהושע as the recipient of משה's תורה. Why was יהושע selected? רש״י there explains that משה wanted to pass it down to יהושע who was unique in his dedication to learning and his diligence in staying with משה. Again we see that יהושע is given the reward of learning – because of his desire to learn.

What does it mean to be a true student of תורה? We learn from יהושע that it starts with a desire to learn. Once we have a desire to learn, we then need to be open to learning wherever we can. What can happen as a result is that we will find ourselves enjoying what we are learning, seeking out additional opportunities to learn, and findingmore fulfillment in our learning.

Perhaps that is why the פסוק refers to יהושע as a נער, a young man. The מפרשים agree that יהושע was not young in years, which makes the language of נער even more surprising. The lesson for us may be to approach our learning like younger students, who are inquisitive, curious, and naturally motivated to learn. If we tap into our inner נער and open ourselves up to learning, we can follow into the steps of יהושע, the quintessential student.

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Devorah Levinson