Q&A: "The Rabbis Do Not Need Protection" — Explaining the Talmudic Passage
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This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
"The Rabbis Do Not Need Protection" — Explaining the Talmudic Passage
Question
Hello. Unrelated to the enlistment issue, I’m trying to understand the plain meaning of the Talmudic passage (Daf Yomi). Did Reish Lakish think that it couldn’t happen that something would be stolen from a Torah scholar, or that he could be harmed by something? To the point of exempting him from payment? Reality has proven otherwise… Thanks.
Answer
I think that here the stated reason really is not the actual reason. It’s just a manner of speaking. Essentially, this is about granting a privilege to Torah scholars for educational reasons.