Ramat Bet Shemesh, Or L’17 of Marcheshvan at Aish
Kodesh
The Gemarah in Brachot (35b) discusses the dispute between
Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi). These Amoraim explain the
apparent conflict between the Pasuk ואספת דגניך as opposed to the advice given to Yehoshua לא ימוש
ספר התורה הזה
מפיך.
Rabbi Yishmael says: Follow
the minhag Derech Eretz by working your land and learn Torah when you are not
working. Rashbi differs and says that the former Pasuk ואספת
דגניך is talking about when the Jews are not worthy,
and therefore they will have to work themselves, while the Pasuk in Yehoshua is
referring to the ideal situation, when Jews are doing the Mitzvot and then
their work will be carried out by others. The Gemarah then says that many tried
to follow Rashbi andלא עלו
בידן ,
while those who followed Rabbi Yishmael by working and learning, עלו בידן , succeeded.
In Menachot (99a) there
is a dispute between Amoraim on how to fulfill the mitzvah of לחם פנים
לפני תמיד . Does tamid mean constantly, every second, requiring the
Kohanim to insert the new breads while removing the old ones or does it mean
simply that a night cannot pass without the bread. (Rav Yossi)
In the context of Tamid,
The Pasuk from Yehoshua לא
ימוש ספר
התורה הזה
מפיך
is quoted and Rav Ami says- according to Rav Yossi, since tamid is not
literal, even if you only learn one Perek in the morning and evening (shema)
you fulfill לא ימוש. This is supported by Rashbi. Rabbi
Yishmael differs by discussing the learning of Greek wisdom (Chochma Yevanit).
He says that you need to find a time when is not night or day והגית בו
יומם ולילה and learn then, but since no such time
exists, you have not heter to learn it.
The Rishonim ask: In
Menachot it seems that that the opinions are the opposite of those in Brachot-
Rashbi in Brachot says Torah learning must be constant, while in Menachot he
seems to imply that you fulfill your requirements by reciting one perek in the
morning and one in the evening. Rabbi Yishmael also seems to be contradictory
as he requires constant learning in Menachot, while allowing Minhag Derech
Eretz in Brachot.
The answer is, that
Menachot is dealing with the minimal Halachik
requirements, while in Brachot the Gemarah is discussing Hashem’s true
desire, רצונו
של מקום. Rashbi holds that the minimal requirement is a perek in the
morning and evening, but Hashem’s true will, is for us to learn constantly.
The Shulchan Aruch in
Orach Chaim that after davening and
learning, one should engage in work. In Yoreh Deah, the Mechaber says
that if you learn one perek in the morning and one in the evening, you fulfill
your requirement. The Mechaber takes both kulot – Rabbi Yishmael in Brachot and
Rashbi in Menachot. The Rambam also describes the ideal situation as working
together with learning. He sets the number at 3 hours of work, 9 hours of
learning, but this situation one would be unable to support a household in our
days.
What is the great virtue
of working? יגיע
כפיך כי תאכל
אשריך וטוב
לך..
Do we in fact hold like
the Shulchan Aruch? The Beur Halacha explains that this psak is for the
majority of the people, but individuals who are able to, may devote their lives
to learning. He derives this from the words in Brachot: Many followed
Rashbi and …. Many (רבים) but not all. The Rambam hints to this too
(end of Shmita and Yovel).
We see that the default
position of the Shulchan Aruch is not to just sit and learn automatically after
high school, marriage etc, without working.
The Yissachar and Zevulun
pact was very specific – it was a private agreement agreed to beforehand. The
only paradigm we see the use of public funding for those sitting and learning
is Maaser for the Levi’im יורו
משפטיך ליעקב. However the Levi’im were a very small
percentage of Bnei Yisrael as their Shevet was very small in numbers. So too we
should assign a small percentage to learn, while the rest need to work. We also
see that the work ethic is the one praised by the Torah שמח
זבולון בצאתך
ויששכר
באהליך.
Were we to assign a
percentage of Jews to sit in Kollel, the questions become more complex: Do we
figure this percentage based on all Jews or only those Shomrei Torah Umitzvot?
The Gemarah says that we
are Mevatel Torah for a mitzvah that cannot be performed by others. This may
include כיבוד
אב ואם as well as other
personal issues.
How about family
commitments? The Shulchan Aruch in Siman 246 explains that כל איש
ישראל חייב
בתלמוד תורה
בין עני בין
עשיר...
and the Mechaber goes on to list those with difficulties such as ill, etc. The
highest level of hardship mentioned by the Mechaber is בעל
אשה ובנים implying that family commitments – helping with kids and family
etc, are a valid reason to suspend learning.
Story is told of R Hillel
Zaks a grandson of the Chafetz Cahim in Lakewood. The Mashgiach approached him
why he had been absent for minyan for several days. He told him about this poor
woman who had many little children and was barely managing. The Mashgiach
inquired who this lady was as he might also help with the chessed. Rav Zaks
replied: “My wife”. We can infer from here that helping in the house is דוחה Talmud
Torah - if it is דוחה
Tefilla Btzibur which is דוחה Talmud Torah, so too it must override Talmud
Torah.
Feminists are wrong when
they bemoan the fact that they have the task of watching the kids, “enabling”
the husband to learn. נשים
במאי קא
זכיין?
שמגדלין
בינהם לת"ת. They receive a great reward. (The fathers
should want to do carpools to get this merit.) Why doesn’t the Gemarah simply
answer that they do their own Mitzvot such as Niddah, Candles etc.
Another Gemorah says גדולה
הבטחה שהבטיח
הקב"ה לנשים
יותר מאנשים. Why?
Rashi and many other
Rishonim, in their explanation of שכר in this world (Va’etchanan) explain that
some people get more rewards in עולם
הזה
diminishing their rewards in עולם
הבא. Some
people get less in עולם
הזה
increasing their rewards in עולם
הבא.
This can be applied to
men and women. While men enjoy learning and the glory of being considered a lamdan
and being the spotlight in the Beit Midrash, the women work in the background.
Since the man gets his glory in this world, his reward is less in the next
world – it evens out. Women who got less reward in this world, get more in the
world to come. Therefore, the question of the Gemarah נשים
במאי קא
זכיין?
Is really – why do women get a greater merit than men in the world to come? The
answer is, that they did not get the reward for this mitzva in this world, so
in the world to come, their reward is greater.
There are certain
synagogues that recommend the reciting of שלא
עשני אשה quietly as not to insult the women (even when none are
present). Why do men say that Bracha – The Tosefta in Brachot says that since
men have more mitzvoth, they say this Bracha. Women have the great privilege
from Hashem to have children to allow the future of Klal Yisrael. He made womenכרצונו with
this unique ability. Therefore He exempted them from those mitzvot dependent on
time and those required all the time (Talmud Torah). Rav Soloveitchik said many
times that the level of Kedusha of men and women are equal.
In a harsh letter, Rav
Moshe Feinstein zt”l called the feminists “Kofrim” a term not usually used by
Rav Moshe, those who wanted to learn and be equal to men. Even in animals you
find that the mothers care for the children while the fathers go and supply
food. Hashem intended for this norm to be maintained by humans too.
This attitude towards
women is not apologetic or a cover-up. Hashem could have allowed men to have
children too, but in His infinite wisdom He designated that 50% of the population
should have children and therefore granted them certain privileges and
exemptions.
Practical Questions and
Suggestions: