[Avodah] Torah study vs. Other contributions to society

[Doron Beckerman]

Regarding Megilla 16b, RMB writes:

>> The pasuq being explained is "veratzui lerov echav". Thus, it's not
even worth as HQBH measures it, but worth in terms of how fellow members
of Anshei Keneses haGedolah do. <<

And:

>> The pasuq being explained is one of being ratzui to other people. It
therefore never crossed my mind when learning the gemara that the gemara
was explaining anything other than those other people's chiyuv of showing
him kavod. <<

That is not the case. The Gemara first quotes the Passuk of V'Ratzui L'Rov
Echav to show that a minority of the Sanhedrin distanced from him. The
Gemara then brings a new Meimra of Rav Yosef that Gadol Talmud Torah... from
where Mordechai is placed on the list.

The 'Rif' commentary to the Ein Yaakov asks - why was the dictum of Gadol TT
not proven from V'Ratzui L'Rov Echav? He answers - had it been for the first
Passuk we would think that that is the position of those members of the
Sanhedrin - but who says that Hashem agreed? He answers that the listing of
Mordechai in different places shows that Hashem Himself agreed!
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