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Thursday

י"ח אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

Thursday
י"ח אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

חיפוש בארכיון

477. Torah (6)

Even a poor person who is unable to support his family, should suffer a little with them and teach them Torah until they grow up.  The Torah will stand up for them to feed them and support them with a good livelihood, in a permitted way, in comfort, ease and with honor. Even if the children do not become great sages and teachers in Israel, nonetheless they will be able to be cantors and teachers of the young and will be a righteous public influence like stars. They will be occupied with the work of heaven and their portion will be amongst those who sit in the Beis Medrash and not amongst those who sit in the corners.

Even though the world can certainly not exist without merchants, he can leave others to deal with this.  Happy is he whose work is heavenly work and happy is he whose portion is amongst those who sit in the Beis Medrash.  Every person has to say “I am leaving all crafts in the world and I am only teaching my son Torah.”  If the world needs merchants, let the world exist through other people.

A man who is a merchant, and whose time for being one who sits in the Beis Medrash has passed, should do all he is capable of doing. His desire should be in the Torah of Hashem.  At any time when he is free, he should study what he knows, or he should go to wise people to hear them learning in order to keep and to do and to fulfil.  He should not refrain from praying with the community three times a day and from setting aside fixed times for Torah by day and by night.  He should sacrifice himself so that his children should be Sages and he should support the hands of those who study Torah for then his portion will be like the portion of those who study Torah.  He should do any good deed that he can and he should be scared of sin as he would be scared of a sword and all his deeds should be for the sake of Heaven.  If he acts in this way, great is he who derives benefit from his own toil. He will be happy in this world and it will be good for him in the world to come.

“My brothers and my nation, take this sefer Torah, and with this, and like this learn well, so that you should have it good; listen and enliven your soul, and achieve gladness and joy in this world and the world to come” (From the author’s intro.)