BAIS HAVAAD ON THE PARSHA Parshas Ekev 5771: Learning & Earning

Learning in Kollel By: Rabbi Yitzchok Basser ”And it will be that you will listen to my commandments… and you will bring in your grain, wine and oil.” The Torah assures us that if we adhere to the word of Hashem there will be a plentiful crop, enabling us to bring in a bountiful harvest. However, implied in the Torah’s words are that we ourselves will be the ones doing the gathering. Indeed, that is how the Gemara (Brochos 35b) understands the intent of the Torah. The Gemara (ibid.) notes that at first glance this seems to run counter to the imperative mentioned in Sefer Yehoshua, “The [words of] this Torah shall not be removed from your mouth; you shall engage in it day and night”; one should constantly be learning Torah, to the exclusion of all other activities. The Gemara brings two approaches to resolve this apparent contradiction. Rabbi Yishmael answers that the possuk in Sefer Yehoshua is not intended to be understood literally. Rather, one should engage in a livelihood in addition to his main occupation, which is the study of Torah. Rabbi Shimon finds this concept difficult to accept. “Is it possible to plow, plant, harvest, thresh, and winnow, all at the appropriate times of the year? What will become of one’s Torah?” Therefore, Rabbi Shimon asserts that if the Jewish people truly fulfill the Will of Hashem, then others (i.e. the non Jews) will engage in commerce on their behalf. Accordingly, the possuk that we quoted earlier “and you will bring in your grain, wine and oil” is referring to an era that the Jewish nation is not properly fulfilling Hashem’s desire. The Gemara then quotes Abaye as saying that many tried to follow the view of Rabbi Shimon but were unsuccessful; many followed the view of Rabbi Yishmael and succeeded. Rava would implore his students to spend the months of Nissan and Tishrei (the time of harvest and wine production) providing for their families, so that the rest of the year they can be free to study properly. The Gemara seems to side with Rabbi Yishmael. Indeed, the Rambam (Laws of Talmud Torah 3:10) rules, “anyone who imagines that he will study Torah exclusively, not engaging in a livelihood, rather he will be sustained by Tzedaka, has thereby desecrated Hashem’s name, disgraced the Torah, extinguished the light of religion, caused himself bad, and removed himself from the world to come.”