This is believe it or not not obvious. You can read statements from the sages of the Talmud about not learning for the sake that people should give one honor. But to get an explicit statement is hard.
[In those days there was no profession of having ordination and getting money through Torah. Rather if one was recognized as being learned then it was a mitzvah to patronize his store.]
We find programs oriented towards getting semicha [ordination].
However I want to argue here that in fact it is forbidden to learn Torah for the sake of eith making money by doing so (kollel) or becoming qualified to gain ordination in order to make money. . This is in spite of the fact that my opinion is against what is considered to be common knowledge
I base my idea on a small book of sayings of the Gra called "Even Shelema" .
In chapter 5 paragraph 16 we find him quoting the Gra that when the evil inclination tries to seduce one to learn Torah for the sake of some physical benefit or in order to become a rabbi it is better to learn books of Musar.
The actual statement of the Gra supports this. It come from Proverbs chapter 21 verses 5 and 6.
And the whole statement certainly supports Rav Meltzan.
In money issues is where the whole religious thing goes wrong because people change what the Torah says and lie about it in order to keep the money rolling in.
If you are part of such a system then vote with your feet and be willing to be an outcast rather than betray the Torah.
[In those days there was no profession of having ordination and getting money through Torah. Rather if one was recognized as being learned then it was a mitzvah to patronize his store.]
We find programs oriented towards getting semicha [ordination].
However I want to argue here that in fact it is forbidden to learn Torah for the sake of eith making money by doing so (kollel) or becoming qualified to gain ordination in order to make money. . This is in spite of the fact that my opinion is against what is considered to be common knowledge
I base my idea on a small book of sayings of the Gra called "Even Shelema" .
In chapter 5 paragraph 16 we find him quoting the Gra that when the evil inclination tries to seduce one to learn Torah for the sake of some physical benefit or in order to become a rabbi it is better to learn books of Musar.
The actual statement of the Gra supports this. It come from Proverbs chapter 21 verses 5 and 6.
And the whole statement certainly supports Rav Meltzan.
In money issues is where the whole religious thing goes wrong because people change what the Torah says and lie about it in order to keep the money rolling in.
If you are part of such a system then vote with your feet and be willing to be an outcast rather than betray the Torah.
