Q:
If one has the opportunity to choose two careers, one of making money and being a baal tzedaka, or remaining in the Torah world and acquiring shleimus in Torah, which should he choose?
A:
There’s no question, תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם. You choose Torah because the person who has shleimus in tzedaka, if he lacks the shleimus of Torah, he’s lacking a bigger shleimus. There’s no question that the shleimus of Torah is much greater.
I’ll give one little example. This doesn’t even begin to treat the subject. There are people who give tzedaka and don’t even have the shleimus of tzedaka, because they didn’t study what the Torah says about tzedaka. So sometimes they give tzedaka just like a rich gentile gives. Whereas a ben Torah knows what it means to give to Torah and to tzedaka, and even though he doesn’t have, still he has the opportunity to get at least the desire to do it; whereas there are some rich people who don’t even have any interest in the subject. To them, it’s just an opportunity to get rid of people who bother them. It’s only when a man has both, Torah and he gives tzedaka, then he can do it in a perfect way.
But there are many other reasons. תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם! There’s no question! Nowhere do we find recommended that people should go into business in order to give tzedaka. If you’re in business, then see to it that you’re a baal tzedaka. But the best business of life is the business of becoming great in knowing Torah.
(December 1973)
