The mouthpiece of the Lithuanian haredi sect, Yated Ne'eman, published a statement by a leader of the Lithuanian sect, Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman (who effectively replaced the recently hospitalized Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv) saying that "everybody knows that it is only thanks to the Torah and its students that the world exists. It is a holy duty to allow anyone who is able to study Torah to do so — we must not exclude a single yeshiva student. There can be no compromise on this."
Rabbi Shteinman is correct, "It is a holy duty to allow anyone who is able to study Torah to do so."
HOWEVER
Studying Torah, in Rabbi Shteinman's world that means Torah ba'al pei, a/k/a Talmud, need NOT be a full-time occupation. Rabbis greater than Rabbi Shteinman spent time supporting their families with - dare I write it - work. Granted, in some cases the hakhamim were business owners who had others to do the menial work, but they still had - and performed - business responsibilities. According to "Masters of the Talmud" by Alfred J. Kolatch *, many of the luminaries of the Talmudic period worked. A small sampling includes:
ABBA SAUL: grave digger (Niddah 24b)
ABBA UMANA: blood cupper (once a common practice reflected today by barber poles' red and white stripes)
ABBAHU (AVAHU): clothing manufacturer, orchard owner (in partnership with Yosi ben Chanina II and Shimon ben Lakish)
ASHI'AN (HA-NAGGARA): Carpenter
YOHANAN BAR NAPPACHA: Blacksmith, landowner and farmer
It might be noted that Abba of Sidon suggested to parents that there are certain professions their sons should avoid, including being camel drivers, barbers, sailors and tavern keeper. Camel drivers and sailors - which kept husbands from their wives for extended periods, are obvious, but barbers and tavern keepers?
Many of the luminaries were teachers or judges.
Not every yeshiva student is destined to be a talmud hakham and those that lack the skills should be sent away. That should not imply that even a "am ha'aretz" should not study Torah; it simply means that the person's study time should be limited to time available after providing for the person's family. There are thousands of people involved in Daf Yomi groups and thousands more who study one aliyah-a-day with a study partner. It might be for an hour or it might be for several hours. It might be before the day's work begins or it might be after the evening prayers.
In Israel, the yeshiva "boys," some with beards as grey as mine, would serve in special "datee" units or do national service. In both instances, there would be lots of time for study.
As an aside, there ARE "datee" men - and women - who serve in the IDF as regular soldiers.
Israel needs Torah study; no one will argue that point.
But Israel does also needs men and women - datee men and women - to participate in the life of the nation. These haredim need to remember that they have an obligation to set an example for all Jews. Hiding within a yeshiva, doing nothing for the country that provides them the right - and finances - to sit in yeshiva, is NOT an acceptable example.
R. Shteinman's comment - at least in the given translation, I did not see the original Hebrew - also is telling as it includes the worlds "allow anyone who is able to study Torah to do so." (My emphasis.) In the most basic terms, that could be almost anyone, but in truth it ought to mean men - women within haredi circiles are prohibited from learning Torah - with the capabilities of learning and teaching Torah; applying the Torah to today's world; men who will be able to interpret the Torah as it applies to 2012 (vs. 1700 in Poland). How many gaonim can be found in Israel's yeshivot? A handful at most. How many will become a Messas, a Pinto, a Rambam, a Kaduri, a Soloveitchik, a Feinstein, or an Abuhatzeira?
Unless the yeshiva "boys" start taking part in Israel's day-to-day life, the non-yeshiva Jews will pressure the government to reduce or cancel stipends to yeshivot and yeshiva students.
It's time to compromise. The State is offering the haredim a break on the length of military or national service.
As for Mea Sharim - give it back to Jordan.
* Masters of the Talmud, Alfred J. Koltach, Jon. David Publishers, ISBN 0-8246-0434-2 © 2003
