Soaring to New Heights

Then, at around 4,000 feet, the crew managed to restart engine #2. Thanks to their skill and calm under pressure, the pilots made a safe emergency landing in Miami. Amazingly, all 172 people aboard survived without injury.

Statistically, the odds of one engine failing midflight on this aircraft were about one in 1,000. Two engines? One in a million. All three? One in a billion. It seemed like a freak accident—or was it?

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated and discovered something shocking: it wasn’t random at all. The same mechanic had serviced all three engines and had made the same mistake on each – failing to seal the oil tanks properly with O-rings. Oil leaked from all three engines. This wasn’t the first time either. Internal documents showed he had made the same error multiple times before.

Now, let’s take this airborne catastrophe and apply it to Torah learning.

The Gemara in Taanis (7a) quotes Rebbe Chama b’Rebbe Chanina: “Just as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), so too two scholars who learn together sharpen one another.” Similarly, Rebbe Yosi b’Rebbe Chanina taught that sages who study alone deserve punishment by the sword – and worse, they become foolish.

In Makkos (10a), the Gemara emphasizes group learning again. Rav Ashi interprets a verse in Koheles (5:9): “Whoever loves a multitude will merit to acquire Torah.” The Maharsha adds that if someone claims to be part of a Torah study group but remains ignorant, he’s likely lying. Genuine group study leads to real growth.

But why does the Gemara go so far as to say that learning alone is not just ineffective but a disgrace to Torah?

The Maharsha explains that Torah is unlike any other body of knowledge. It’s filled with layers of meaning, deep logic, and divine wisdom. Without dialogue, questions, and debate, it’s easy to misinterpret or oversimplify. Someone who studies alone might think Torah is just another subject, like aviation mechanics – read the manual, memorize the content, pass the test. But Torah demands more. It’s not just knowledge; it’s a spiritual journey that thrives on collaboration.

And here’s where Flight 885 flies back into the picture.

The NTSB found that the same flawed approach repeated three times caused a near-tragedy. One mistake, multiplied. Similarly, a solo Torah learner can make one conceptual error and unknowingly build an entire worldview around it. No one is there to challenge him, to sharpen his thinking. As the Gemara warns: learning alone can lead to foolishness. It’s “plane” dangerous.

Of course, there are exceptions. If a person can’t find a suitable study partner or group, learning alone isn’t a disgrace, it’s a triumph. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (3:2) teaches that even someone who learns alone receives reward from Hashem. Rav Yaakov Emden underscores this idea: if there’s no available chavrusa, solo study is still valuable.

Interestingly, Rav Emden also wrote that learning in Eretz Yisrael can be more beneficial than learning with a chavrusa outside the land. Why? “The air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise.” The holiness of the land elevates the learning experience, even without a partner.

The Sefer Chasidim and the Pri Megadim also note that some individuals may thrive more in quiet, personal study, especially if they find the noise of a beis midrash distracting or can’t find the right teacher. History has shown that many great Torah scholars learned alone and succeeded brilliantly.

Still, all things being equal, the ideal is to learn in a group or with a chavrusa. Together, we soar higher.

Flying solo might work in some cases, but if you can join a chaburah, you’ll go from cruising altitude to spiritual lift-off. Torah needs regular maintenance – and sometimes a good co-pilot makes all the difference.