[Avodah] Torah study vs.Other contributions to society

[Doron Beckerman]

RMB

>> I am befuddled by the amount of attention we're giving Megillah 16b.
After all, Mordechai himself, the subject of the discussion, chose
hatzalas hefashos. "Im la'eis kazos", even though he was sure that
others were available. "Rov echav", most of Anshei Keneses haGedolah
approved to the point of not thinking less of him. <<

But yet again you focus on that part of the Gemara and not on the one
immediately following where the Navi himself places Mordechai further down
the list! As I quoted, the "Rif' on the Ein Yaakov says that this Gemara is
to show that *Hashem Himself* agreed with those Miut Sanhedrin!



>> Clearly, the Taz holds our gemara is not prescriptive. <<

No, it is clear that he does, since he proves his reading from the fact that
Ezra did not go up until Baruch Ben Neriyah died, from which the Gemara
there proves, similar to our issue, that Ezra did the right thing, and
anyone in the same position should choose TT over Binyan BHM"K, and,
similarly, over Hatzalas Nefashos, if others will do it.

>> The Chasam Sofer (parashas Zachor, pg 193) writes that Mordechai got
the job of hatzalas nefashos because HQBH valued his learning less.
That's why Hashem put him in a place where his Torah study was
interrupted, rather than doing the same to theirs. And when Anshei
Kenesses haGedolah saw this, they demoted him one level. <<

Sure, if Hashem PUTS you in a situation where you will have your Torah study
interrupted to be Matzil Nefesh, you have to do it!


On Wed, May 16, 2007 7:28 pm, R Doron Beckerman wrote:
:>> What of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his group, who are granted
:>> Toraso Umanuso exemptions from Mitzvos Ma'asiyos?
:>> ... and whose talmidim didn't succeed and we are told not to follow?

: We are told not to follow his Derech for *the multitudes* (*Harbeh*
: Assu etc.), but the Biur Halachah (156) says that there are
: individuals who can...

 >> Nu, so that answers the BH's opinion of the Gra or what he would think
of the CI, if either really did live "ivory tower Torah" lives. It
says little about what anyone else should be doing. (For that matter,
it could mean that any negative statement about Mordechai might be
because he personally should have been a RSbY, and also not
generalizable.) <<

It means that one who CAN do so, should! And its not just the BH, it is the
Nefesh HaChaim and the Brisker Rav who say the same. R' Nehorai said that he
will not teach his son any trade, only Torah, since he wanted his son to
follow the path of RSHB"Y.

...
:>> So I reiterate my question -- how does this notion of focussing on
:>> one mitzvah not violate the mishnah of havi zahir, which seems to
:>> me to advocate as broad of a focus on mitzvos as possible?

: I think the Mishnah means not to be Mezalzel in any Mitzvah. Not to
: fulfill the Middas HaZehirus -rather one must be particular to keep
: it with all the Dikdukim etc. that one keeps the others....
...
: IOW, this Mishnah is LaAfukei a person who might ignore the obligation
: to stop learning to shake the Lulav because he is learning and racking
: up a million points a second instead of the thousand points for Lulav,
: Al Derech Mashal. But the Mishnah is not advocating anything beyond
: that.

>> But "that" is exactly nidon didan! <<

Not at all. The equivalent to being Mezalzel in Lulav and not taking it on
Succos is seeing someone dying when you have the wherewithal to help him and
you don't do it because you are earning more points (if you would know that
to be true) learning than saving the person. That he is obligated to do.


>> As it is, I'm convinced that since Mordechai did the right thing, even
if it was the lesser choice, there are at least two axis of value. I
did not put much thought to how one maps them to sechar. From a causal
perspective, the one with greater self-refinement, that changes the
person's "ba'asher hu sham" (to quote the leining for RH), would be
the one for which he is judged and thus associated with sechar.

What then of a case where Mordechai is told not to do the more
refining act? Is he to give up sechar because he followed halakhah?
How is that tzedeq? <<

Could be he did. And you brought up the S'char for Mordechai, not me. The
Chafetz Chaim said that the person learning accomplishes more spiritual
benefit. Whether that is for himself, or for the world, or something else, I
don't know.

Someone who can learn but does not, rather chooses to become a Zaka worker,
is not following any Halachah.
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