Thursday, May 10, 2012

He Omitted Mitzvos! Or Did He?

The gemara cites Rav Yehuda who says that a person should learn Torah and do mitzvos she-lo lishma because from the she-lo lishma one will come to li-shma [Pesachim 50]. This is wonderful! I don't have to start out with pure motivations.

Now the problems begin....

The Rambam in hilchos talmud torah paskens that one should learn torah li-shma because from the lo lishma one will come to li-shma. Great! Glatt!! Just like the gemara.

Not!

The gemara makes her statement [never thought of the gemara as a "her" before? It happens to be לשון נקבה] about both Torah and mitzvos but the Rambam codifies only the Torah part and omits the "mitzvos" part. Why?

Suggests Maran in the Pachad Yitzchak [Shavuos Maamar 6]: There is no PROHIBITION against keeping mitzvos she-lo lishma so there is no reason to codify the law becasue it is self understood. But learning Torah is different. Torah must be learned כנתיתנה -as it was given. Just as the Torah was received li-shmah so it must be learned. That is the novelty of the teaching of Rav Yehuda: Despite the fact that one should learn li-shma as it was received, nevertheless it is not forbidden to do so. This chiddush is what compelled the Rambam to codify specifically the law about Talmud Torah. עיין שם where he asks a bomb [in Yiddish a bomb is called a "bomba". I LOVE that word. Remind me to tell you the famous "bomba" story about Rav Hutner, Rav Moshe Feinstein, the Mossad and Menachem Begin] kashya on Rav Chaim Volozhiner.

Question: The Rambam in hilchos tshuva [10/8] says that both Torah and mitzvos should be done she-lo lishma [at first] as it will lead to li-shma. That would seem to debunk the aforementioned theory.

So with great apprehension I suggest: In hilchos talmud torah the Rambam taught us the law germane to talmud torah and omitted mitzvos. In hilchos tshuva the Rambam mentioned both Torah and mitzvos because that is germane to hilchos tshuva.

I write with little thought and less research. ברצות השם I will look into over Shabbos and will probably change my mind.

Would love to hear any thoughts....:-)

Love and blessings