[Avodah] Holier Than Thou

[Rafi and Shifra Goldmeier]

I, the author of the original email, also have no problem with the kid 
playing basketball and taking time off of learning. I waste much time, 
and am not really concerned about bittul torah when something else needs 
to be done.

My question was not should one stop learning to go to the levaya. I know 
the answer is yes (qualified - if one is able to). I went and my kids 
went to Rav Elyashiv's levaya. What did bother me a bit was that because 
the levaya finished so late, my kids slept through most of the next 
morning missing a lot of learning the next day (along with zman tfillah).

kol tuv
Rafi Goldmeier

---------
Goldmeier
goldmeier.family at gmail.com

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On 22/7/2012 2:18 PM, cantorwolberg at cox.net wrote:
>> Some people consider basketball or other exercise to be an unwarranted
>> waste of time when youngsters could be learning every moment of every day.
>> Others believe that a break from learning can help youngsters go back to their
>> learning later refreshed and healthy, with a new enthusiasm.  I am with
>> the  latter group.
> So am I!
>
>> I reject completely the validity of this subject line:  "bittul torah  for
>> a talmid chochom's levaya."
> So do I. When I saw the subject to begin with, I couldn't believe
> the nit picking. What often lacks in topics such as these is common
> sense. Why is it that nobody raises the question of bittul Torah
> regarding other mitzvot, such as hachnosess orchim, bikur cholim and
> hachnosess kallah? Did you forget that l'vayas hameis is also a mitzvah,
> (let alone one for a godol hador)?
>
> What makes me laugh is that there is such irrationality regarding the
> subject of this topic and yet you don't see discussions on the aveira
> of overeating to the point of slowly killing yourself and the aveira of
> smoking due to harming yourself. Also, anything done for your health,
> such as youngsters exercising, is a mitzvah and yet there are those who
> look upon it as bittul Torah.
>