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<DIV>In a message dated 5/27/2007 R Doron Beckerman
wrote: </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>> ....from which the Gemara<BR>there proves, similar to our issue,
that Ezra did the right thing, and<BR>anyone in the same position should choose
TT over Binyan BHM"K, and,<BR>similarly, over Hatzalas Nefashos, if others will
do it.....<BR><BR><BR>....It means that one who CAN do so, should! And its not
just the BH, it is the<BR>Nefesh HaChaim and the Brisker Rav who say the same.
R' Nehorai said that he<BR>will not teach his son any trade, only Torah, since
he wanted his son to<BR>follow the path of RSHB"Y....<BR><BR>....The Chafetz
Chaim said that the person learning accomplishes more spiritual<BR>benefit.
Whether that is for himself, or for the world, or something else, I<BR>don't
know.<BR><BR>Someone who can learn but does not, rather chooses to become a Zaka
worker,<BR>is not following any Halachah.<<<BR></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV>The rav of my shul is a major talmid chacham but he is also the rav of a
shul. He spends most of his time learning but not every single minute of
every day -- since he does have baalei batim who sometimes need his
attention. I can't mention his name because he once found out somehow that
I quote him on the internet, and he specifically requested that I not do so
again. (To say he was displeased is putting it mildly.) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Anyway, he once said in a shiur that one who works for the tzibbur -- the
rav of a kehillah for example, or a rebbe who gives shiurim to talmidim
when he could be learning on a much higher level by himself -- is compensated in
Shomayim for the Torah learning that he was not able to accomplish in his
lifetime. In Gan Eden, HKB'H Himself teaches this person the Torah he
would have learned here on earth had he not devoted himself to the
tzibbur. I found this very comforting because my father z'l once said
in a drasha that baalei batim don't appreciate how much a rav has to
sacrifice of his own time for them -- when he really yearns to learn
Torah but his time is not his own. I assume my father is now learning all
the pages of Gemara he never got to down here.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't know whether this Heavenly compensation also applies to Zaka and
Hatzala workers, or to those who do other forms of chessed, but it seems to
me likely that it does.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As for the person who took time off his learning in order to earn
parnassah, my rav says that working for a living is a mitzva and that the time a
person spends working is not considered batala. However, he is very strict
about every non-working minute -- every minute not working should be spent
learning -- and he would highly disapprove of reading secular literature --
or spending time on the 'net. (He does glance at the NY Times, probably in
the room the Gra used to study math, probably because he holds there is to'eles
in being an informed person, or possibly because he could not otherwise distract
himself from having hirhurim of Torah in an inappropriate place.)</DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B><BR></B><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</B></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>