Q&A: Studying Jewish Law
Studying Jewish Law
Question
How is it possible that people devote a very large amount of time to studying the Talmud and to character refinement, but do not devote as much time as possible to studying Jewish law so as not to violate prohibitions?
In practice nowadays, it would seem that many people end up stumbling because of this in many areas of Jewish law.
Answer
The assumption is that people know the basic laws, or ask. People do not easily stumble into violations.
Beyond that, the allocation of time is not always according to the proportion of importance. Just as the state budget is not allocated entirely to health, but also gives to sports and culture, etc.
And beyond that, there is importance to study in and of itself, and it is not true that practical study necessarily takes precedence.
And finally, I do not accept the very distinction between study for practice and theoretical study. It is the same thing; it is just that at the bottom line of the study, one must arrive at practical conclusions.
Discussion on Answer
Even on that I disagree. Any topic can be relevant to practice to the same degree, since its indirect implications can appear in any context.
Regarding the last claim the Rabbi wrote, one can still argue against many people: why are you not studying topics whose conclusions are more relevant to practice?
Now regarding the comparison to the state budget, there is a major distinction, because a sick person will certainly devote most of his money to health, whereas the state, as a state, is not obligated to do that.