[Avodah] Daas Torah Rerere...redux - Pesachim 112a

[Zev Sero]

On 10/05/2012 6:05 PM, Micha Berger wrote:
> I read teridin as a constant description, "they are always busy with their
> texts instead of what people are doing."

Rashi's language is: "he is busy learning and not in the public matters";
"milei detzibura" does not mean "what people are doing", it means public
works of the sort that "mefakchin al tzorchei tzibur beshabbos".  I.e.
fixing the potholes.


What are "mili detzibura"?  See BM 85a.  R Elazar (or R Ilai) was
occupied with these things, and R Zeira was afraid that he would be
next in line to be saddled with them.   So we see that "mili detzibura"
is a chore that needs to be done, and takes time away from learning,
rather than a subject, a field of knowledge, "what people are doing",
that one needs to know.

http://images.e-daf.com/DafImg.asp?ID=3194&size=2

-- 
Zev Sero        "Natural resources are not finite in any meaningful
zev at sero.name    economic sense, mind-boggling though this assertion