Shabbat Parashat Shemot 5785

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: The Importance of Vocational Training – #289

Recipient and Background: Rav Yonatan Binyamin Horowitz. Rav Horowitz was a product of the Chatam Sofer community, and originally served as a rabbi in Slovakia. After moving to Eretz Yisrael, he served as an administrator of communal funds (Kollels) and as a representative of Agudat Yisrael. He was, mainly later, a confidante of Rav Kook, who had a major part in organizing and documenting the trip of rabbis, including Rav Kook and Rav Zonnenfeld, through the New Yishuv.

Body: I have received your dear letter and impressive pamphlet (apparently about a vocational project with which he was involved). You, my friend, deserve a yasher koach for the contribution you are making for those who live in Zion. May it be His will that all will soon realize and know that we must follow the path of life with truth and leave the path of darkness (opposition to people working for a living). That path is the opposite of the path that Hashem commanded us to follow, which is to choose a life of honor and [vocational] skills.

Who is influential enough [in the eyes of Heaven] (see Moed Katan 28a) that he can create a prohibition against this great mitzva [of teaching a trade]?! After all, it is permitted to speak, due to this mitzva, about financial arrangements [for vocational training] on Shabbat (Shabbat 150a). [Let us look at] the simple language of the Talmudic passage. Rav Shmuel ben Nachmani says that it is permitted to go to a variety of mundane, public venues to inspect communal activities on Shabbat. The gemara then brings a Baraita that one can make shidduchim for his child on Shabbat and can arrange his learning a craft. It would seem that the former opinion agrees with the latter (that it is permitted to arrange vocational training on Shabbat). The Yerushalmi (Shabbat 15:3) brings in the former’s name that Shabbat is specifically for eating and drinking, and because the mouth may start to smell, they allowed him to take part in Torah study. We see that even though he was so strict about speaking on Shabbat, to the extent he felt a need to find special justification to allow speaking divrei Torah on Shabbat, still he said that one can make monetary arrangements regarding vocations. We see that it is equivalent to Torah. Certainly, we cannot compare many involved in Torah to individuals doing so (apparently, group vocational training). Therefore, how is it possible to create prohibitions [against vocational training]? This is especially true in a time like this when it is necessary to take steps on Hashem’s behalf, to strengthen those who believe in Hashem in all ways they can be strengthened, such as in creating power in the ways of life.

I also wrote a few ideas about Shemitta; because of my preoccupation with various matters, I was compelled to be brief, and I ask your forgiveness. [In the coming installments we will bring those words on Shemitta                                                                             

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