In Shar Yashuv [my first yeshiva in NY, Far Rockaway] and also in the Mir Yeshiva in NY there was a general approach that said if you devote your life to learning Torah and trust in God, He will take care of everything.
Just last night I was reading the חובות לבבות [Obligations of the Heart] that more or less was saying a similar kind of thing. [The idea of the Obligations of the Heart is when one accepts the yoke of service towards God, then God takes care of things. Certainly not in the way you would expect--but still in his own way.]
This idea stuck with me. I still think it is true. I see very little reason to devote time toward making money. I still think that the claim is true--trust in God and you will be helped.
But my idea of what constitutes learning Torah has expanded to include Physics and Metaphysics.
That is the Physics thing is stated openly by Maimonides but this approach definitely think this is something that my parents were trying to convene to me without saying so openly.
You can see variations of this in the Gra, and מעלות המדות- Saadia Gaon, and חובות הלבבות
[Not saying the Ramban (Nahmanides- Moshe ben Nahman) would have agreed or many of the other Rishonim.]
The Obligations of the Heart divides wisdom into three parts natural, applied, and חכמת האלהות.{The author uses the Arabic term for "metaphysics"} Ibn Tibon calls the second division חכמת השימוש. So this is not what we would usually call the seven wisdoms. That is I think the Obligations of the Heart is creating a new category of wisdoms that use natural science in order to make practical stuff. [He must have been aware of Sancta Sofia.He might also have been thinking about medicine.]
At any rate, I am pretty sure that The Obligations of the Heart and Maimonides are both thinking of Aristotle's Metaphysics.
Christians obviously when they think about serving God are thinking more along lines of charity. But I think the same principle applies. You do you best to figure out what the service of God is for you in your situation and do it and then leave everything else in your life up to God.
People in the Mir yeshiva and Far Rockaway were certainly not thinking about Physics and Metaphysics as being a part of learning Torah because the entire approach to Torah really went into two directions. One the more rational Maimonides approach and the mystical approach of Nahmanides. The world of Litvak yeshivas definitely goes in the direction of Nahmanides.
I asked Rav Eliyahu Silverman the rosh yeshiva of Aderet Eliyahu in Old City of Jerusalem (a yeshiva that goes by the Gra) if learning Electrical Engineering is included in the Rambam's idea of learning Physics and he said yes.
Just last night I was reading the חובות לבבות [Obligations of the Heart] that more or less was saying a similar kind of thing. [The idea of the Obligations of the Heart is when one accepts the yoke of service towards God, then God takes care of things. Certainly not in the way you would expect--but still in his own way.]
This idea stuck with me. I still think it is true. I see very little reason to devote time toward making money. I still think that the claim is true--trust in God and you will be helped.
But my idea of what constitutes learning Torah has expanded to include Physics and Metaphysics.
That is the Physics thing is stated openly by Maimonides but this approach definitely think this is something that my parents were trying to convene to me without saying so openly.
You can see variations of this in the Gra, and מעלות המדות- Saadia Gaon, and חובות הלבבות
[Not saying the Ramban (Nahmanides- Moshe ben Nahman) would have agreed or many of the other Rishonim.]
The Obligations of the Heart divides wisdom into three parts natural, applied, and חכמת האלהות.{The author uses the Arabic term for "metaphysics"} Ibn Tibon calls the second division חכמת השימוש. So this is not what we would usually call the seven wisdoms. That is I think the Obligations of the Heart is creating a new category of wisdoms that use natural science in order to make practical stuff. [He must have been aware of Sancta Sofia.He might also have been thinking about medicine.]
At any rate, I am pretty sure that The Obligations of the Heart and Maimonides are both thinking of Aristotle's Metaphysics.
Christians obviously when they think about serving God are thinking more along lines of charity. But I think the same principle applies. You do you best to figure out what the service of God is for you in your situation and do it and then leave everything else in your life up to God.
People in the Mir yeshiva and Far Rockaway were certainly not thinking about Physics and Metaphysics as being a part of learning Torah because the entire approach to Torah really went into two directions. One the more rational Maimonides approach and the mystical approach of Nahmanides. The world of Litvak yeshivas definitely goes in the direction of Nahmanides.
I asked Rav Eliyahu Silverman the rosh yeshiva of Aderet Eliyahu in Old City of Jerusalem (a yeshiva that goes by the Gra) if learning Electrical Engineering is included in the Rambam's idea of learning Physics and he said yes.
