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<font size=3>I had always thought that Yissachar devoted <b>all</b> of
his time to learning while being supported by Zevulun. However,
this does not seem to be correct in light of the commentary of Rabbi
Shamshon Raphael Hirsch on the Pasuk "<b><i>He saw that leisure is
the good thing, and that the land is suited for it; so he bent his
shoulder to bear and became one who pays the tribute imposed by
landwork." (</i></b>Bereishis 49:15) Rav Hirsch
writes<br><br>
Yissachar is happy to work, but only to the extent and in such a way<br>
that the work is of value to the Jewish people. While Yehudah is the<br>
tribe of rulers and Zevulun the tribe of traders, Yissachar
represents<br>
the true nucleus of the Jewish people: the <i>Jewish farmer</i>. He does
not<br>
work so as to labor <i>without letup </i>and accumulate wealth. The
<i>Jewish<br>
</i>man of the people does not subjugate himself to his work; <i>he works
in<br>
order to gain menucha</i> He leaves it to Zevulun to earn millions with
his<br>
products; as for himself, he prefers to stay at home. He regards
<i>the<br>
leisure he earned by his own labors </i>as his greatest asset and most
prized<br>
possession. For leisure enables a person to stand tall <i>and to find
himself</i>.<br><br>
Yissachar therefore lowers his shoulder to bear burdens, leaving the<br>
ruler’s scepter to Yehudah and the merchantman’s flag to Zevulun.
Neither<br>
military glory nor business profit attract him. He knows other<br>
conquests, other treasures, which can be won and retained only in
hours<br>
of <i>leisure</i> .<br><br>
Thus, it was the tribe of Yissachar that became <i>the guardian of
the<br>
nation’s spiritual treasures</i>.<br><br>
Knowledge of Torah and its practical application to current
circumstances<br>
are not attained by one who immerses himself in business.<br>
Rather, they are attained by one who, in his hours of leisure, frees
his<br>
mind of all else, of whom it can be said that <i>Vayar menucha ki tov
</i>, he regards<br>
leisure as the true profit to be obtained from work; thus <i>Oseh Torahso
keva oo'malachto <br>
aroi </i>, he regards Torah study as the main goal, and work as merely an
incidental means.<br><br>
From these comments of Rav Hirsch it is clear that Yissachar limited the
time he spent working and devoted his leisure time to Torah study. But,
Yissachar did indeed devote some time to working. Thus, a true
Yissachar-Zevulun relationship would seem to me to be one in which
Yissachar devotes some hours to working and the rest of his time to Torah
study, while Zevulun makes this lifestyle possible through his financial
assistance. <br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Yitzchok Levine</font></body>
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