[Avodah] Talmud Torah vs Mitzvah Maasis

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

Another data point... AhS EhE 65:4 says "mevatlin talmud Torah lehakhnasas
kalah lechupah", even toraso umenaso. But limited to someone who sees them
going to the chupah. If you just know of a wedding in town, you aren't
obligated to stop learning to go.

For sources, the end of the se'if cites

1- Semachos 11[:7], which RYME summarizes as "dema'aseh qodem leTT". The
mishnah itselces cites both Aba Sha'ul and Rabbi Yehudah, that "hama'aseh
qodem letalmud". (Rabbi Yehudah would enjoin his talmidim to participate
as well.)

2- Qiddushin 40b which discusses whether talmud gadol or ma'aseh gadol.
R' Tarfon: ma'aseh
R' Aqiva: talmud
"Ne'enu kulam ve'amru: talmud gadol" because talmud leads to ma'aseh. (And
    so on, discussion elided.)
This gemara concludes that talmud is greater.

3- And for exaplanation of how to resolve Semachos vs Qiddushin, he
points you to Tosafos BQ 17[a] "veha'amar".

The gemara there says "gadol limud Torah shemeivi liydei ma'adeh",
much like Qiddushim.

Rashi says "alma ma'aseh adif". R' Tam asks on Rashi, from the gemara
in Qiddushin. Tosafos then explains the gemara's distinction between
learning and teaching in two opposite ways:
1- It's teaching which has priority, because it brings the masses to
action. Whereas one's own learning or acting are one person either way.
2- It's learning, which tells one how to act, that has priority. But
since teaching doesn't inform the teacher how to fulfilll a mitzvah,
it does not.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A pious Jew is not one who worries about his fellow
micha at aishdas.org        man's soul and his own stomach; a pious Jew worries
http://www.aishdas.org   about his own soul and his fellow man's stomach.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                       - Rav Yisrael Salanter