The lone soul charting his or her path

From this line in Bavli Berachos 8a, which in the Schottenstein edition is on 8a⁴

the Holy One, Blessed is He, has nothing in His world but the four amos of halachah.

We read these notes from the commentators:

After the destruction of the Temple, the Divine Presence rests upon any place a scholar establishes for himself to plumb the Talmud [and it subsequent texts] and decide the halachah. He is in the place of the Sanhedrin (Maharsha).

Every item existing has a purpose for which it came into existence

The greatest of all truths and the pillar of all wisdoms is the knowledge of God. His Oneness and all fields of inquiry related to this. The purpose of other branches of knowledge is solely to prepare one to approach the study of Divine. Thus, man’s chief function is to comprehend Godliness.

Only a man who unites theory with practice has achieved the ideal.

Where may we learn the theory and where may we conclude the practice? In the words of our Sages. The words of our Sages blaze the trail before us, up the mountain of God, to the pinnacle of piety. The lone soul in the study hall poring over a Gemara, delving into the halachah, charting his own observance, he is the culmination of Creation. Thus, he is the final purpose, God’s portion from all His handiwork. The Holy One, Blessed is He, has nothing in His world but the four amos of halachah. (Rambam)

As I sit in my study reading the Talmud even though I am not Jewish and not part of a Yeshiva, I listen to the line from the Rambam, "The lone soul in the study hall poring over a Germara, delving into the halachah, charting his own observance, he is the culmination of Creation." While I certainly don't believe I am the "culmination of Creation," I do sense that I am part of something eternal and timeless, when I delve into the wonders of the Talmud.