יורה דעה רמ״גYoreh De'ah 243

Se’if 1א׳

תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים לֹא הָיוּ יוֹצְאִין בְּעַצְמָם עִם שְׁאָר הָעָם לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּבִנְיָן וּבַחֲפִירוֹת הָעִיר וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, שֶׁלֹּא יִתְבַּזּוּ בִּפְנֵי עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהֵם פְּטוּרִים אֲפִלּוּ אֲחֵרִים בִּמְקוֹמָם אֵין שׂוֹכְרִין.

Torah scholars would not go out in person with the rest of the people to work on building and on the digging of the trenches of the city and the like, so that they should not be degraded before the amei ha-aretz (those unlearned in the Torah); and since they are exempt, they do not hire others in their place either.

Se’if 2ב׳

בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים, כְּשֶׁכָּל אָדָם יוֹצֵא בְּעַצְמוֹ. אֲבָל אִם אֵין יוֹצְאִין בְּעַצְמָם, אֶלָּא שׂוֹכְרִים אֲחֵרִים בִּמְקוֹמָם אוֹ גּוֹבִים מָמוֹן מִבְּנֵי הָעִיר לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ, אִם דָּבָר שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְחַיֵּי הָאָדָם כְּגוֹן בְּאֵרוֹת מַיִם וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם, חַיָּבִים לָתֵת חֶלְקָם. וְאִם בִּתְחִלָּה הָלְכוּ בְּעַצְמָן, וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִמְלְכוּ לִשְׂכֹּר אֲחֵרִים, תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים חַיָּבִים לִתֵּן חֶלְקָם (תשו' מהר"מ בְּמָרְדְּכַי פ' הַשֻּׁתָּפִין). אֲבָל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא צָרִיךְ לִשְׁמִירַת הָעִיר, כְּגוֹן חוֹמוֹת הָעִיר וּמִגְדְּלוֹתֶיהָ. וּשְׂכַר הַשּׁוֹמְרִים, אֵין חַיָּבִין לָתֵת לָהֶם כְּלוּם, שֶׁאֵין צְרִיכִין שְׁמִירָה, שֶׁתּוֹרָתָן שְׁמִירָתָם. וְלָכֵן פְּטוּרִים מִכָּל מִינֵי מִסִים, בֵּין מִסִים הַקְּצוּבִים עַל כָּל בְּנֵי הָעִיר, בֵּין מַס שֶׁהוּא קָצוּב עַל כָּל אִישׁ לְבַדּוֹ, בֵּין הַקְּבוּעִים בֵּין שֶׁאֵינָם קְבוּעִים, וְחַיָּבִים בְּנֵי הָעִיר לִפְרֹעַ בִּשְׁבִילָם אֲפִלּוּ הַקְּבוּעִים עַל כָּל אִישׁ וְאִישׁ. הַגָּה: וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁתַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים עַצְמָם יִתְּנוּ, חַיָּב הַצִּבּוּר לָתֵת בַּעֲדָם. וְאִם הֶחֱרִימוּ הַצִּבּוּר עַל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם לִתֵּן, אֵין בַּחֵרֶם שֶׁלָּהֶם כְּלוּם. וְתַלְמִיד חָכָם יָכוֹל לְהַחֲרִים וּלְשַׁמֵּת הַצִּבּוּר שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ בַּעֲדוֹ דָּמָיו. (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם ת' ה"ר נְחֶמְיָה באלשקר סי' י"ט). וְאֵין חִלּוּק אִם הַתַּלְמִיד חָכָם עָשִׁיר אוֹ עָנִי. (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם הָרַמְבַּ"ם ורמ"ה וְר"י הַלֵּוִי). וְדַוְקָא תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים שֶׁתּוֹרָתָם אֻמָּנוּתָם, אֲבָל אֵין תּוֹרָתָם אֻמָּנוּתָם, חַיָּבִים. וּמִיהוּ אִם יֵשׁ לוֹ מְעַט אֻמָּנוּת, אוֹ מְעַט מַשָּׁא וּמַתָּן לְהִתְפַּרְנֵס בּוֹ כְּדֵי חַיָּיו וְלֹא לְהִתְעַשֵּׁר, וּבְכָל שָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא פָּנוּי מֵעֲסָקָיו חוֹזֵר עַל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְלוֹמֵד תָּדִיר, נִקְרָא תּוֹרָתוֹ אֻמָּנוּתוֹ. הַגָּה: וְאֵין חִלּוּק בֵּין שֶׁהוּא תּוֹפֵס יְשִׁיבָה אוֹ לֹא, רַק שֶׁהוּא מֻחְזָק לְתַלְמִיד חָכָם בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לִשָּׂא וְלִתֵּן בַּתּוֹרָה, וּמֵבִין מִדַּעְתּוֹ בְּרֹב מְקוֹמוֹת הַתַּלְמוּד וּפֵרוּשָׁיו וּבְפִסְקֵי הַגְּאוֹנִים, וְתוֹרָתוֹ אֻמָּנוּתוֹ כַּדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר. (ת"ה סִימָן שמ"ב). וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאֵין בְּדוֹרֵנוּ עַכְשָׁו חָכָם לְעִנְיָן שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לוֹ לִטְרָא דְּדַהֲבָא אִם מְבַיְּשׁוֹ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם לְעִנְיַן לְפָטְרוֹ מִמַּס אֵין מְדַקְדְּקִין בָּזֶה, רַק שֶׁיְּהֵא מֻחְזָק לְתַלְמִיד חָכָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר. (שָׁם סִימָן שמ"א). וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם יֵשׁ מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ לִפְטֹר תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מִמַּס, וְיֵשׁ מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְפָטְרָן (שָׁם שמ"ב).

In what case is this said? When every person goes out in person. But if they do not go out in person, but rather hire others in their place or collect money from the people of the city to do it — if it is a thing that is needed for the life of man, such as wells of water and the like, they are obliged to give their share. And if at first they went in person and afterwards they reconsidered and hired others, Torah scholars are obliged to give their share (a responsum of the Maharam in Mordechai, chapter "The partners"). But a thing that is needed for the guarding of the city, such as the walls of the city and its towers and the wages of the watchmen — they are not obliged to give anything toward them, for they do not need guarding, since their Torah is their guarding. And therefore they are exempt from every kind of tax, whether taxes that are fixed upon all the people of the city or a tax that is fixed upon each man by himself, whether fixed or not fixed; and the people of the city are obliged to pay on their behalf, even those fixed upon each and every man. Hagah [Rema]: And even if the king said that the Torah scholars themselves shall give, the congregation is obliged to give on their behalf. And if the congregation laid a cherem (the severer form of the ban) upon a Torah scholar to give, there is nothing in their cherem. And a Torah scholar can lay a cherem and a ban upon the congregation, that they give his payment on his behalf (Beit Yosef in the name of a responsum of Rabbi Nechemyah, in Alashkar, siman 19). And there is no difference whether the Torah scholar is rich or poor (Beit Yosef in the name of the Rambam and the Ramah and the Ri haLevi). And this is specifically Torah scholars whose Torah is their occupation; but those whose Torah is not their occupation are obliged. However, if he has a little craft, or a little business by which to support himself for his living and not to grow rich, and at every hour that he is free from his affairs he goes back over the words of Torah and studies constantly, his Torah is called his occupation. Hagah [Rema]: And there is no difference whether he holds a yeshivah or not, only that he is established as a Torah scholar in his generation, who knows how to give and take in the Torah and understands by his own mind most places of the Talmud and its commentaries and the rulings of the Geonim, and his Torah is his occupation in the way that has been explained (Terumat haDeshen, siman 342). And even though in our generation now there is no sage with respect to their giving him a litra of gold if one shames him, nevertheless with respect to exempting him from tax they are not particular in this, only that he be established as a Torah scholar, as has been explained (there, siman 341). And nevertheless there are places that were accustomed to exempt Torah scholars from tax, and there are places that were accustomed not to exempt them (there, 342).

Se’if 3ג׳

וְתַלְמִיד חָכָם הַמְזַלְזֵל בְּמִצְוֹת וְאֵין בּוֹ יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, הֲרֵי הוּא כְּקַל שֶׁבַּצִּבּוּר.

And a Torah scholar who makes light of the mitzvot and has no fear of Heaven in him — behold, he is like the lightest of the congregation.