[Avodah] Torah Study vs. other contributions to soCIETY

[Samuel Svarc]

>From: David Riceman <driceman at att.net>
>Subject: Re: [Avodah] Torah Study vs. other contributions to soCIETY
>
>Zvi Lampel wrote:
>> It is not so poshut to go from the classical cases of temporarily
>> interrupting one's learning for doing an immediately necessary deed
>> that required no training, to the kind of training and more permanent
>> time commitment that preparing for Zaka requires, and certainly to
>> the time and effort needed to become a medic in preparation for
>> situations not yet in existence (although of course predictably they
>> will be). In the first case, Talmud Torah remains the kevius, as
>> opposed to in the other two cases.
>
>The Shulhan Arukh requires (YD 245:1) kvias ittim day and night.  It
>recommends (ibid. 21, especially in the Rama) that in order for divrei
>Torah to be "miskayymim" that one make them ikkar and other occupations
>tafel.  It is this second form of kevius that you are recommending, yet,
>as far as I can tell, there's no halachic requirement for a person to
>ensure that his divrei Torah be "miskayymim".
>
>Furthermore the prohibition of interrupting Talmud Torah is expressed as
>"hayah l'fanav" (ibid. 18). which seems to mean interrupting ittim
>kevuim rather than any potential opportunity to learn.

R' Riceman is confusing the chiyuvim of Talmud Torah, something that we were
not discussing, with the preference of Talmud Torah over other Mitzvos, the
topic we were discussing. So, one might not be obligated to learn all day (a
topic we will leave for another time), but it definitely is preferred over
other Mitzvos. R' Lampel was pointing out that the obligation to interrupt
Talmud Torah for an immediate necessary deed, does not extent to training
for that necessary deed. So one can't interrupt Talmud Torah to train for
Zaka. If one is not learning full time, like R' Riceman's doctor, then we
all agree that it's "admirable" to volunteer for gemilas chasadim.

KT,
MSS