לא תאכל עליו חמץ שבעת ימים ... (טז-ג)
MASHAL: The esteemed Rav of Elizabeth, N.J., and leader of the Tzafnas Paneach Committee, R’ Pinchos Teitz zt”l, who in his youth was a ben bayis by the Rogatchover Gaon, R’ Yosef Rosen zt”l, testified that he saw with his own eyes how within one hour and sixteen minutes, the Gaon managed to answer twenty-two teshuvos in sixteen letters.
“His mouth literally did not stop speaking in learning,” writes another talmid R’ Shachne Zohn zt”l, “this is not an exaggeration.” In fact, it was said that the reason why the Rogatchover never cut his hair and it grew wild, was because he didn’t want to sit bareheaded while it was being cut and then he would have to stop learning. Once, when he was in Rogatchov, he himself told people that while sitting on a train traveling from Dvinsk, he recited half of Shas by heart and on his way back, he finished the other half ...
The Rogatchover once gave a shiur to a group of talmidim in which he brought amazing proofs that chametz is permitted to be eaten on Pesach. He then asked his students, all brilliant minds themselves, to refute his proofs. They tried in vain to do so. The talmidim were truly astounded. Finally, when they gave up, the Rogatchover opened a Chumash and read the words, "לא תאכל עליו חמץ" - “Do not eat chametz.” That, he said, is the only refutation necessary. All the intellectual gymnastics in the world cannot alter one sentence in the Torah.
NIMSHAL: A Yiddishe kop is trained to think deeply and understand important aspects from different angles. This is why Bnei Yisroel are the “am hanivchar” chosen above all other nations for our faith, loyalty, and intellect. But, nothing can change a single word in the Torah. No amount of intellect can alter one single word of Hashem’s Torah.