[Avodah] Yissachar/Zevulun

[Yitzchok Levine]

I had always thought that Yissachar devoted all of his time to 
learning while being supported by Zevulun.  However, this does not 
seem to be correct in light of the commentary of Rabbi Shamshon 
Raphael Hirsch on the Pasuk "He saw that leisure is the good thing, 
and that the land is suited for it; so he bent his shoulder to bear 
and became one who pays the tribute imposed by landwork."  (Bereishis 
49:15)  Rav Hirsch writes

Yissachar is happy to work, but only to the extent and in such a way
that the work is of value to the Jewish people. While Yehudah is the
tribe of rulers and Zevulun the tribe of traders, Yissachar represents
the true nucleus of the Jewish people: the Jewish farmer. He does not
work so as to labor without letup and accumulate wealth. The Jewish
man of the people does not subjugate himself to his work; he works in
order to gain menucha He leaves it to Zevulun to earn millions with his
products; as for himself, he prefers to stay at home. He regards the
leisure he earned by his own labors as his greatest asset and most prized
possession. For leisure enables a person to stand tall and to find himself.

Yissachar therefore lowers his shoulder to bear burdens, leaving the
ruler's scepter to Yehudah and the merchantman's flag to Zevulun. Neither
military glory nor business profit attract him. He knows other
conquests, other treasures, which can be won and retained only in hours
of leisure .

Thus, it was the tribe of Yissachar that became the guardian of the
nation's spiritual treasures.

Knowledge of Torah and its practical application to current circumstances
are not attained by one who immerses himself in business.
Rather, they are attained by one who, in his hours of leisure, frees his
mind of all else, of whom it can be said that Vayar menucha ki tov , he regards
leisure as the true profit to be obtained from work; thus Oseh 
Torahso keva oo'malachto
aroi , he regards Torah study as the main goal, and work as merely an 
incidental means.

 From these comments of Rav Hirsch it is clear that Yissachar limited 
the time he spent working and devoted his leisure time to Torah 
study. But, Yissachar did indeed devote some time to working.  Thus, 
a true Yissachar-Zevulun relationship would seem to me to be one in 
which Yissachar devotes some hours to working and the rest of his 
time to Torah study, while Zevulun makes this lifestyle possible 
through his financial assistance.


Yitzchok Levine 
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