It looks like the Gra is saying something like what we see today in Lithuanian yeshivas.
This comes up as we know in the Nefesh Hachaim of his disciple volume IV in the most powerful way possible. But in the Gra's writings themselves we see this idea, that (1) Every spare minute should be devoted to learning Torah. And also that: (2) People that are learning Torah should be supported, and not have to work.--Even though (3) They should not be learning for the sake of making a living..
What the Lithuanian yeshivas in Israel and in Brooklyn have done is simply put what the Gra said into action.
This path seems different than that of the Rambam. Maybe I should just accept the fact that this seems to be an argument among Rishonim and leave it at that. This is not any different than I would think about any other argument among Rishonim like between Rashi and Tosphot. Clearly arguments between Rashi and Tosphot don't bother me.
I think what bothered me the most was that for a long time I did not see any support for the yeshiva path. It was not just that it did not look like the Rambam, but it did not look like any Rishonim. [Even the Tashbatz or the Keseph Mishna.]
Furthermore I was unhappy with the way yeshivas were being run. In Uman you can find a wide spectrum of people that agree with me on this point. [Yeshivas often throw out people they feel do not bring something to the table. This hurts people's feelings that when young and successful were welcome but get older and have problems and are not welcome. But you can say that yeshivas have the right to protect themselves from bad influences.]
But seeing that in fact the Gra is saying pretty much what you see on the ground in the yeshiva world I have to retract my complaint. I guess we will just have to go with the idea that any human institution can and will be abused.
But abuse does not cancel use.
This path seems different than that of the Rambam. Maybe I should just accept the fact that this seems to be an argument among Rishonim and leave it at that. This is not any different than I would think about any other argument among Rishonim like between Rashi and Tosphot. Clearly arguments between Rashi and Tosphot don't bother me.
I think what bothered me the most was that for a long time I did not see any support for the yeshiva path. It was not just that it did not look like the Rambam, but it did not look like any Rishonim. [Even the Tashbatz or the Keseph Mishna.]
Furthermore I was unhappy with the way yeshivas were being run. In Uman you can find a wide spectrum of people that agree with me on this point. [Yeshivas often throw out people they feel do not bring something to the table. This hurts people's feelings that when young and successful were welcome but get older and have problems and are not welcome. But you can say that yeshivas have the right to protect themselves from bad influences.]
But seeing that in fact the Gra is saying pretty much what you see on the ground in the yeshiva world I have to retract my complaint. I guess we will just have to go with the idea that any human institution can and will be abused.
But abuse does not cancel use.
