<div dir="ltr"><div><br>Again on this Gemara, as per the Shulchan Aruch Harav in Hilchos Talmud Torah this Gemara is talking about how to achieve greatness in Torah, and is not necessarily a general guideline for what path one must take in life. It is a Machlokes on what is the better path to achieve greatness in Torah. The multitudes are better off following RY, concludes the Gemara. Someone who does not think about Torah constantly, but is a good Jew who is koveia Ittim in whatever sources he can hack, and is Nosei V'nosein BeEmunah, is on neither path to greatness in Torah, as per the Nefesh Hachaim's explanation of Rabbi Yishmael, but he may very well be a very fine Jew. </div>
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<div>[ Reminds me of the story about the Netziv, who said that had he not begged his parents not to turn him into a shoemaker's apprentice he would have been asked after 120 "where is your Haamek Sheela/Beracha/Davar etc. I forgot who it was, but a Rosh Yeshiva once told someone who was frittering his time away in Yeshiva - after 120 they'll ask you - "where are your shoes"? ]</div>
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<div>I'll add something from Sefer Binyan Olam (the Mussar Sefer on the importance of Torah study), page 62. He quotes from Sefer Menuchah UKedushah,who, after quoting R' Chaim Volozhiner (he says it is actually from the GRA), writes - "Know my sons that I have already stumbled in interpreting the Gemara as its simple meaning, and I went away from permanence in Torah study after I had already clung to it well, as is appropriate, for two consecutive years, and I merited then the pleasantness of its sweetness. And after the two years (which was my initial intent when I left my home) and I searched through the Gemara and all the Poskim, and I saw them unanimously say that one should be involved in Derech Eretz along with Torah, and they wrote it without elaboration, and I did not understand their interpretation that they also meant like Rav Chaim (Volozhiner) because the Sefer Nefesh Hachaim had not yet been published then, and had I seen it I certainly would have listened to him and I would have been a big Talmid Chacham and a Tzaddik etc. Maybe Hashem will see my impoverished state and will grant that my descendants listen to my advice to them in this Sefer of mine, revealing to them my error so that they will avoid it, and to choose the path of truth, etc."</div>
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<div>(This may run counter to the Shulchan Aruch Harav and says that R' Chaim means it for everyone Mamesh, but it isn't Muchrach. I'm not sure).</div>
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