Tanis (21a) Ilfa and R. Johanan studied together the Torah and they found themselves in great want and they said one to another, Let us go and engage in commerce so that of us may be fulfilled the verse, Howbeit there shall be no need among you. They went and sat down under a ruinous wall and while they were having their meal two ministering angels came and R. Johanan overheard one saying to the other, Let us throw this wall upon these people and kill them, because they forsake life eternal and occupy themselves with life temporal. The other angel replied: Leave them alone because one of them has still much to achieve.
It supports Torah Im derech eretz
ReplyDeleteMeaning that you hold this principle overrides danger?
ReplyDeleteGood point. I'm not on a level to hold anything. I may have misread the agaddah, thinking the 2nd view was victorious.
ReplyDeleteאָמְרוּ לוֹ: אִי אִתִּיב מָר וְגָרֵיס, לָא הֲוָה מָלֵיךְ מָר. אֲזַל תְּלָא נַפְשֵׁיהּ בְּאַסְקַרְיָא דִסְפִינְתָּא, אֲמַר: אִי אִיכָּא דְּשָׁאֵיל לִי בְּמַתְנִיתָא דְּרַבִּי חִיָּיא וְרַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא וְלָא פָּשֵׁיטְנָא לֵיהּ מִמַּתְנִיתִין, נָפֵילְנָא מֵאַסְקַרְיָא דִסְפִינְתָּא וְטָבַעְנָא
ReplyDeleteThe story ends with Ilfa retaining his knowledge.
Might it depend who leaves kollel? If it's a Rabbi Yochanan that's one thing. If it's your average bench warmer who's just there to avoid army service and frequently misses shiurim because he's atacking people at the Kotel, maybe it's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteNot many rabbi Yochanans in this world, for him it was important to stay. The original agreement between Ben gurion and the chazon Ish was for a few hundred outstanding scholars to be exempt from army service. The upshot of this story is that Ilfa succeeds in Torah and in secular business.
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