Joodse traditie als permanent leren

205.

individuals, and whether it be a fixed tax or not. The other citizens must pay these taxes for them, even if the taxes were imposed on the individual.

All this applies only if the scholar is a professional Rabbinical scholar; otherwise, he must do his share with the others. He is regarded as a professional Rabbinical scholar if he is only slightly engaged in some business occupation that suffices to keep him with the necessities of life without his making money, and every hour that he can spare from this business he devotes regularly to study of the Torah.

There are some places where it is customary and others where it is not customary to free the professional Rabbinical scholar from the payment of taxes.

243,3. A scholar who disregards the commands of the law, and who is not God-fearing is reckoned as the least of the members of the community.

242, 14. A scholar who is qualified to teach the law and does not do so, is guilty of withholding Torah and of putting stumbling blocks in the path of the community.

((Honor due the Scholar))

243, 6. It is a great sin to treat a scholar with contempt, or to hate him. Anyone who treats the learned with contempt has no share in the world to come, and to him apply the words, "For the word of the Lord he has despised" (Num. 15:31).

244, 1. It is a positive command (Lev. 19:32) to stand up before any scholar even though he be only a young man. Even though the scholar be not one's own teacher, one must stand up before him, if he be the superior in knowledge.

Similarly it is a positive command to rise up before the hoary head, that is, a man of seventy years.

This applies to an old man though he be not learned, so long as he is not bad of character.

244,2. From what moment must one stand up before the learned or the aged? From the time when they come within a distance of four cubits until they have passed by. This holds whether they are riding or on foot.

244, 3. When the scholar is approaching within the four cubits it is