Torah Study (7): Torah Study and Derekh Eretz (Part I)

I. "And you shall gather in your corn" – The Dispute between Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

            A Baraita in Berakhot states:

Our Rabbis taught: "And you shall gather in your corn" (Devarim 11:14). What does this come to teach? Since it says: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth" (Yehoshua 1:8), I might think that this injunction is to be taken literally. Therefore the verse teaches: "And you shall gather in your corn," implying that you are to combine the study of Torah with a worldly occupation (derekh eretz). This is the view of Rabbi Yishmael.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says: Is this possible? If a man plows in the plowing season, and sows in the sowing season, and reaps in the reaping season, and threshes in the threshing season, and winnows in the season of wind, what is to become of the Torah? No, but when Israel perform the will of the Omnipresent their work is performed by others, as it is stated: "And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks" (Yeshayahu 69:5). And when Israel do not perform the will of the Omnipresent, they must carry out their own work, as it is stated: "And you shall gather in your corn."  Nor is this all, but they also carry out the work of others, as it is stated: "And you shall serve your enemy, etc." (Devarim 28:48). (Berakhot 35b)

This Baraita presents us with two different approaches to the relationship between Torah and a worldly occupation.

Rabbi Yishmael maintains that the ideal path involves a combination of Torah and a worldly occupation. One should plow and plant during the proper times, and study Torah at the appropriate times as well.

The ultimate ideal according to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, on the other hand, is absolute dedication to Torah study. This approach is based on the verse: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth," which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai interprets in a literal sense.[1] Thus, one’s worldly matters will be performed by others.

According to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the verse, "And you shall gather in your corn," which is found in the framework of the second paragraph of Shema, should be understood as referring to a case in which the people of Israel are not performing God's will. This seems to contradict the plain meaning of the words. Alternatively, it may be argued that according to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, performing God's will[2] involves more than merely hearkening to His mitzvot;[3] it demands absolute dedication to God and His Torah.

II. The Contradiction from the Passage in Menachot

However, the positions presented in the passage in Berakhot seem to clash with the following positions, brought in the names of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Yishmael, in a passage in Menachot.

It is stated there in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai:

Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: Even if a man reads only the Shema in the morning and in the evening, he has thereby fulfilled the precept of "[This book of the law] shall not depart." It is forbidden, however, to say this in the presence of ignorant people. (Menachot 99b)

            This seems to contradict what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai himself says in the passage in Berakhot. Whereas in Berakhot he understands the verse, "It shall not depart," literally, meaning that the Torah shall never depart from one's mouth, in Menachot he says that this directive is fulfilled with the recitation of Shema in the morning and in the evening.

            On the other hand, the position of Rabbi Yishmael also appears to be reversed in the passage in Menachot:

Ben Dama the son of Rabbi Yishmael's sister once asked Rabbi Yishmael: May one such as I who has studied the whole Torah, study Greek wisdom? He thereupon read to him the following verse: "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night." Go then and find a time that is neither day nor night and learn then Greek wisdom. (Menachot 99b)

We see that while in the passage in Berakhot, Rabbi Yishmael rejects the literal understanding of the verse, "It shall not depart," and insists that one must "combine study with a worldly occupation," in this passage he requires that one study Torah all day and all night.

The Gemara in Menachot also cites a Baraita from the school of Rabbi Yishmael:

A Tanna of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The words of the Torah should not be unto you as a debt, but neither are you at liberty to desist from them. (Menachot 99b)

            Rashi (ad loc.) explains:

They shall not be unto you as a debt – like a person who has a debt and says: When will I pay it back and become exempt. So too one must not say: I will learn one chapter and be exempt, as you are not at liberty to desist from it.[4]

This explanation accords with what follows from Rabbi Yishmael’s position in the passage in Menachot, according to which one must engage in Torah study at all times, and one is never free of this obligation.

III. Various solutions

            The Tosafot propose two explanations which allow for a certain narrowing of the overwhelming obligation that is the result of the words of Rashi:

1. There is no obligation to learn the entire Torah.
2. Torah study should be combined with a worldly occupation.

The Tosafot formulate their first proposal as follows:

There is no obligation upon you to learn the entire Torah, as we learned in tractate Avot (2:16): "It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to [be entitled to] refrain therefrom. (Tosafot, Menachot 99b, s.v. lo)

The emphasis in this approach is that a person is obligated to study Torah at all times, but he is not bound to study the whole Torah – "It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work."

The Tosafot do not clarify the extent of the obligation to study Torah in terms of time. Does the narrowing of the scope of what one must learn stem from the recognition that a person cannot study all day long, in which case they also recognize a limit of the time one must invest in Torah study? Or is it that a person is indeed obligated to study all day long, only that he is not obligated to rush in order to learn everything, seeing that it is not incumbent upon him to finish the work?

In their second explanation, the Tosafot write as follows:

It can also be explained: There is no obligation upon you to engage exclusively in their study, but at the same time you are not at liberty to desist from studying them altogether. Rather it is proper to combine Torah study with a worldly occupation. (Tosafot, ibid.)

            According to this approach, a person can combine a worldly occupation together with Torah study. This approach accords, of course, with Rabbi Yishmael’s position in the passage in Berakhot, which states that "you are to combine the study of them with a worldly occupation." But it is not clear how this can be reconciled with the words of Rabbi Yishmael in the passage in Menachot, according to which there is no real option to study Greek wisdom because of the Torah's command, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth."

            Attempts have been made to deny the difficulty altogether. Some suggest that the Rashbi in the passage in Menachot is not Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, but rather Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak,[5] Rabbi Yochanan’s teacher. It has also been suggested that when Rabbi Yishmael told his nephew to find a time that is neither day nor night to study Greek wisdom, his intention was to encourage him to study Torah, and not to define the extent of the obligation to study Torah.[6]

            According to this, the positions of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Yishmael are those presented in the passage in Berakhot.

IV. The Keren Ora's explanation

            The Keren Ora in Menachot argues at length that there is no disagreement whatsoever among the Tannaim. According to him, the Tannaim relate to different groups found among those who serve God in this world in the current reality.

            God's original plan at the time of man's creation was that man would engage exclusively in Divine service, without having to tend to his own physical needs. This was the case with Adam in the Garden of Eden, who did not have to occupy himself with earthly matters.

            In the wake of Adam's sin, however, it was decreed that man would have to occupy himself with obtaining food and satisfying his other needs. At present, humankind is divided into three groups:

1. "Those who are mostly whole" – those must find a balance between the original Divine plan and man's physical needs.
2.  "The elite" – those occupy themselves exclusively in the study of Torah.
3.  "Amei ha-aretz (the ignorant)" – those occupy themselves primarily with worldly occupation.

The challenge that most people face today is finding the proper balance between fulfilling God's original plan for man and the worldly occupation that is necessary in order to satisfy one's physical needs. About this, Rabbi Yishmael says: "You are to combine Torah study with a worldly occupation."

The Keren Ora writes as follows:

One is forced to work a little also for himself, to plow and sow, but nevertheless it is still possible reach ultimate perfection. If he does not overly engage in material pursuits, but only in those which are necessary, his soul will also be pleased, even though this does not accord with its dignity. For the soul is holy, emanated from on high, and it has no interest in material pursuits. But since he does this only for the sake of its good desire, so that he will be able to meditate most of the time on the Torah and the service of heaven, out of necessity the soul will waive its dignity regarding this matter. This is the conduct of those who are mostly whole, prior to the arrival of the time of complete perfection. This is what Rabbi Yishmael said: Combine the study of Torah with a worldly occupation.[7] (Keren Ora, Menachot 98b)

            Nevertheless, even in our circumstances there is room for elite individuals. These individuals should embody the Divine idea of perfection even in our day, without occupying themselves whatsoever with material pursuits. All of the needs of this elite group will be satisfied by others:

But it is possible, even now, for there to be individuals who fully arrive at true perfection and the Divine will, and who are entirely free of material pursuits, and whose work is done by others. But there are not many such people. This is what Rabbi Shimon said: If a man plows… what is to become of the Torah? What he means is that if God forbid there are not individuals of the highest level, free of all material pursuits, what is to become of the Torah. What will bind the light of the Torah to Israel, if not these individuals who are bound and connected to loving it at all times? Through them its light will rest on those who are whole, but whose love for it is not so great, and who are separated from it at the necessary moments… About them Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: "I have seen the sons of heaven (benei aliya) and they are but few." They are called the sons of heaven, because their dwelling place is not in this world and in its affairs. (Ibid.)

According to him, an elite group is needed to connect members of the first group – the rest of the Jewish people, to the Torah and to God. Even those who occupy themselves with worldly occupation, the minimum that is required for physical survival, will merit God's closeness and cleaving to the Divine ideal.

At the other end, there is also a third group, and it too has a place among those who serve God. This is the group of amei ha-aretz, ignorant people, who occupy themselves with worldly occupation beyond what is necessary for human survival. With respect to this group, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says that even if a man only reads the Shema in the morning and in the evening, he has thereby fulfilled the precept of "this book of the law shall not depart," and he has a place among those who serve God:

There is another sector of Israel, referred to by the name amei ha-aretz, that is, people who work for their needs, not in a haphazard way, but rather they spend most of their days on this. Not only these are included among the amei ha-aretz… for even if one read [Torah] and learned [Mishna], but he didn't serve Torah sages, he is an am ha-aretz. This is because the essence of the perfection of the Torah is to bring to the love of and cleaving to the Creator, may He be blessed…

Therefore Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai came and said that in truth the amei ha-aretz also grow from the tree of life, and they are called leaves of the tree. As the Sages said (Chullin 92a): "Let the clusters pray for the leaves."[8] About them he said that even if one only reads the Shema in the morning and in the evening, that is to say, that in any case in the morning and in the evening he lovingly accepts upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven,[9] for this they too will receive the bounty of good, so that the leaves join with the fruit to derive nourishment from the tree of life. (Keren Ora, ibid.)

This group of the amei ha-aretz is connected to those who study Torah, by way of the connection that they maintain with the Torah, i.e. reading the Shema in the morning and in the evening. This reading of the Shema is like a connection to the roots; the Torah Sages.

As fitting as these words are, it seems to me that this explanation does not accord with the plain sense of the various passages. It seems far more reasonable to assume that we are dealing here with a fundamental disagreement about the way a person should conduct himself in this world, as we shall see in the next shiur.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)

 

 

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[1] It should be noted that Rabbi Yishmael's position is not stated explicitly in his own words, but rather presented by Rabbi Shimon as the way not to act: "If a man plows in the plowing season, etc." We find this similarly regarding the position of Rabbi Shimon, which is presented negatively by Rabbi Yishmael: "Since it is stated: 'This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth,' I might think that this injunction is to be taken literally."

In this manner the Gemara emphasizes that both sides are very aware of the alternatives. They each choose their respective positions not only because they are reasonable in their eyes, but also to reject the opposing position. In other words, each side claims that their opponent's view is untenable.

[2] Performing God's will according to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is altogether different from the classical understanding of the term.

With respect to Torah study,  we find in the Yerushalmi that according to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's definitions, he indeed occupies himself in Torah study, but others do not:

"Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: People like us who are occupied in Torah study do not interrupt even to read the Shema. Rabbi Yochanan said about himself: People like us who are not occupied in Torah study interrupt even for the Shemona Esrei prayer." (Yerushalmi, Shabbat 1:2)

Of course, Rabbi Yochanan, whose Torah fills both the Bavli and the Yerushalmi, cannot be counted among those who are not occupied in Torah study. What he means is that in comparison to the absolute demand made by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, this is not considered occupation with Torah.

[3] According to an alternative explanation, what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai means is that when Israel performs the will of God, the verse, "And you shall gather in your corn," is fulfilled by others, as it is written: "And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks," and when they don't perform His will, they will have to engage in gathering in their corn themselves.

The main point of the verse, "And you shall gather in your corn," is valid in all cases, but when Israel performs the will of God, the corn will be gathered in by others.

See Kovetz Kerem Shelomo (15, no. 3, p. 35), where Rav Yaakov Shor writes that when the Gemara says that "they must perform their own work, as it is stated: 'And you shall gather in your corn," this is an erroneous addition inserted by a disciple who did not understand Rabbi Shimon's intention:

"I saw also in Sifrei, Parashat Eikev, which is the source of this Baraita, that these words are missing. And what Rabbi Shimon means is that he disagrees with Rabbi Yishmael about the meaning of the verse, 'And you shall gather in your corn.' For Rabbi Yishmael interprets it in its plain sense, but Rabbi Shimon explains that 'And you shall gather in your corn' does not refers specifically to the person himself, because this wording can be used even when the work is performed by others at his request, as it says that Moshe made the Mishkan, even though it was done by others. And so explains the Gemara in Avoda Zara (23a) regarding: 'And she cut off her son's foreskin,' that this means by way of others. Here too, regarding 'And you shall gather in your corn,' Rabbi Shimon explains that when Israel perform the will of the Omnipresent, they need not interrupt their Torah study, as their corn will be gathered in by others, and so too all their work, as is stated explicitly by the prophets: 'And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks.' But when Israel does not perform the will of the Omnipresent, then not only will they have to perfrom their own work, but this too will not suffice for all their needs, and they will also have to perform the work of others. (Kerem Shelomo, 15, no. 3, p. 35)

[4] See also commentary of Rabbeinu Gershom, ad loc.

[5] See Shakh, Yoreh De'a 246, 1, where it seems that this was his reading in the passage. And so we find in She'iltot de-Rav Achai, no. 143 (in the She'iltot before us the reading is Rabbi Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak).

[6] The Chida in Birkei Yosef (Yoreh De'a 246) says this in the name of "a certain holy person." The Chida raises this argument and rejects it.

[7] From here it is clear that Rabbi Yishmael's answer to his nephew Dama ben Netina is that there is no room for any other occupation besides Torah, other than what is necessary for a person's physical survival.

[8] See Chullin 92a: "Let the clusters [the Torah scholars] pray for the leaves [the common people], for were it not for the leaves the clusters could not exist" (Chullin 92a). Rashi (ad loc.) explains: "The leaves of the vine suffer the wind and protect the clusters [of grapes] that they not be smitten by the heat, the sun or the wind. So too the amei ha-aretz plow, sow, and reap that which the Torah scholars eat."

[9] The Gemara in Menachot records a disagreement regarding the ruling that one who only reads the Shema in the morning and in the evening has fulfilled thereby the precept of "It shall not depart," whether one is forbidden to state it in the presence of amei ha-aretz or whether it is a mitzva to do so. The Keren Ora explains this disagreement as follows:

"For in truth the matter is is doubtful, for it is a mitzva to tell one who lovingly accepts the yoke of God's kingdom in the morning and in the evening . But there is concern about this lest he think that he has thus fulfilled his obligation, and that all day he is free to do what his heart desires."