For donations Click Here

Learning to Benefit Another

A fiend of mine who’s working told me to “have him in mind” (i.e. learn as a zchus for him) when I learn and he’ll give me money i.e. pay me a small stipend or allowance per week. I know that according to R Moshe, , Yissachar needs to be relying on this money in order to enable him learn, and in order for Yissachar and Zevulun agreement to be binding and not an asmachta, Yissachar needs to give half his Schar limud haTorah and Zevulun half his income. But this agreement between my friend and I is not me giving him my schar, it’s just me learning and having him in mind that my learning should be a zchus for him. Is there such a thing as having him in mind/learning as a zchus for him, and if there is, then am I allowed (also is it proper ) to get payed for it even though I can support my self B”H and stay in learning without his “stipend”? (Although it would be good “extra pocket money” that would come in handy) ? Answer: There are 2 basic approaches to the concept of a Yessachar – Zevulun deal. One, is that there is an actual deal taking place between the 2, splitting the money and reward evenly. The other is that by giving charity to support Torah learning one gets the special status of a Zevulun. Even if it is not a Yissochor-Zevulun partnership, giving money to support learning is the highest form of Tzeddaka. This is a valid cause to take money for, and will be a great zchus for your supporter. The fact that you could survive without the money does not change the above. However your financial situation should be clear to your benefactor, i.e. he should not be under the impression that you need the money to survive.

Join the Conversation

4 Comments

  1. How do I go about learning as a zchus for him? Read his name ben his fathers name when I start my learning day? Do I have to occasionally remind myself about it? Could I just say once that from now on my learning should be a zchus for him ? Also, do I lose any schar limud as a result?

    1. by helping you learn he will get the zchusim, however you should occasionally mention that it should be a zchus for him, and perhaps daven for his success

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *