EXOD502 It was in Avoth itself that we learned that if any number sit and study Torah together, be it ten or two, the sh'chinah (Divine Presence) dwells in their midst (Avoth iii 7). So, too, does the world become worthwhile, justified on account of anyone who studies Torah for its own sake. Metaphorically he lights a candle in a world of spiritual night, to let some added measure of Godliness dwell here on earth, bringing a little closer the time when Divine illumination will reach everywhere. Vilna was holy because of the Vilna Gaon and the great scholars who followed. Radun acquired holiness because the Hafetz Hayyim lived there. The Almighty promised, "In every place where I will have My name mentioned, I will come to you and I will bless you" [this verse]. Holiness among American Jewry need not be limited to certain parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Torah and its study are portable: it can be transported and transplanted. In the wilderness the Almighty told Moses, "The place on which you are standing is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5)--because there and then Moses was about to receive His word. Wherever we open the page of Torah to receive His word, that place becomes hallowed.