Everyone wants to set up a Torah home, but many seem to be lacking the understanding of what it takes and what Hashem wants from us.
The Torah in Parshas Berashis Chapter 2 pasuk 15 Hashem said:
וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעׇבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשׇׁמְרָֽה
The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to work it and to guard it.
Adam was placed in Gan Eden, and he was told that he must protect and work the land so that everything can continue growing, this is even before Adam has sinned by eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge.
In the Aseret HaDibrot – 4th of the 10 commandments, זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Hashem ordered us to work all week long and rest on Shabbat.
Not only do we need to rest, but our family, nannies, maids and any other employee must also stop working and rest. Shabbos is a time for all to eat good food, sing, learn Torah and rest.
Hashem set up the world so that a person must work, how much he chooses to work is up to him and his level of Emunah.
We see in the Gemurah that almost all Torah giants worked or ran their own business. Some worked half a day or until they had enough money for food for the day and then they closed shop and went to learn Torah.
In Gemurah Kiddushin 29a:
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְלַמֵּד אֶת בְּנוֹ אוּמָּנוּת מְלַמְּדוֹ לִיסְטוּת לִיסְטוּת סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ אֶלָּא כְּאִילּוּ מְלַמְּדוֹ לִיסְטוּת
Rabbi Yehuda says: Any father who does not teach his son a trade teaches him banditry [listut].
Rav Yehuda explains that since the son has no profession with which to support himself, he is likely to turn to theft for a livelihood.
The Rambam says in Hichos Talmid Torah Perek 3 halacha 10 and 11:
רמב”ם משנה תורה, הלכות תלמוד תורה ג׳ הלכה י- יא:
כָּל הַמֵּשִׂים עַל לִבּוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וְיִתְפַּרְנֵס מִן הַצְּדָקָה הֲרֵי זֶה חִלֵּל אֶת הַשֵּׁם וּבִזָּה אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְכִבָּה מֵאוֹר הַדָּת וְגָרַם רָעָה לְעַצְמוֹ וְנָטַל חַיָּיו מִן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. לְפִי שֶׁאָסוּר לֵהָנוֹת מִדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים (משנה אבות ד ה) “כָּל הַנֶּהֱנֶה מִדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה נָטַל חַיָּיו מִן הָעוֹלָם”. וְעוֹד צִוּוּ וְאָמְרוּ (משנה אבות ד ה) “אַל תַּעֲשֵׂם עֲטָרָה לְהִתְגַּדֵּל בָּהֶן וְלֹא קַרְדֹּם לַחְפֹּר בָּהֶן”. וְעוֹד צִוּוּ וְאָמְרוּ (משנה אבות א י) “אֱהֹב אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה וּשְׂנָא אֶת הָרַבָּנוּת”, (משנה אבות ב ב) “וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן”. וְסוֹף אָדָם זֶה שֶׁיְּהֵא מְלַסְטֵם אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת:
“Whosoever sets his heart to pursue the study of the Torah but do no secular work at all, and permits himself to be supported by charity, behold him, he blasphemed the Name, and degraded the Torah, and shadowed the light of religion, and caused evil to be brought upon himself, and deprived his own life from its share in the world to come; because it is forbidden to enjoy aught in this world in return of the study of the words of the Torah.”
The sages said: “Whosoever enjoys aught in return of the study of the words of the Torah takes his own life away from the world” (Pirke Abos, 4.5). They have, moreover, commanded and said: “Thou shalt not make them a garland by which to be considered great nor a spade to dig with them” (Ibid.). Again they have commanded and said: “Love manual labor and hate rank”.
“Whosoever studies the Torah and does not acquire at the same time a manual trade his knowledge of the Torah will be nullified and bring about sin” (Ibid. 2.2.). The end of this will be that he will rob people for his living.”
י”א
מַעֲלָה גְּדוֹלָה הִיא לְמִי שֶׁהוּא מִתְפַּרְנֵס מִמַּעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו. וּמִדַּת חֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הִיא. וּבָזֶה זוֹכֶה לְכָל כָּבוֹד וְטוֹבָה שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְלָעוֹלָם הַבָּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים קכח ב) “יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ” (משנה אבות ו ד) “אַשְׁרֶיךָ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְטוֹב לָךְ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא” שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ טוֹב
He who supports himself by the labor of his own hands attains a high degree. It is an ethical conduct of the pious man of yore. There with one acquires all honor and good that is in this world and in the world to come, even as it is said in Tehillim 1.28 b “If you eat the toil of your hands, you are praiseworthy, and it is good for you.” In Avos 6 4 it says: “happy shalt thou be in this world, and the good shall be with thee in the world to come, which is entirely good.”
It is clear from the Rambam above that it is a grave transgression to study Torah all day while being supported financially by others.
Hashem set up the word so that we have to work to earn a living so work in it of itself is a Mitzvah, it is our job to set our goals and priorities in life.
While working, our goal and pursuit should be to Be Mekadish Shem Shumayim, do Chessed, to support our family, to give Masser and do other Mitzvahs. Our goal and focus needs to be to learn and fulfil the Torah and Mitzvas not for the sake or pursuit of materialistic things.
