Chazal relate (Bava Basra 8A) that during a time of famine, Rav Yehuda Hanasi opened his storage houses and said that anyone who learned Mikrah, Gemara, Halacha, or Agadah could enter, but ignorant people may not. Rav Yonason ben Amram pushed forward to enter and asked for sustenance. Rebbi asked him if he had learned Mikrah, and (in his humility) he answered that he had not. Rebbi asked, “If so, why should I sustain you?”
Rav Yonason answered, “You should sustain me like you would a dog or a raven.”
Sefer Imrei Noam (Parshas Emor) says that we see from here that a person can merit parnassah even if he is unlearned, as he is no worse than an animal. This is stated in the verse (Tehillim 36:7): “Man and animal is saved by Hashem.” Man is at least not worse than an animal. Even if a person is a baal taivoh who runs after his desires, he still is not inferior to an animal.
However, if a person uses his mouth to speak lashon hara and profanity, he is worse than an animal, as animals don’t do that. Thus, misuse of the tongue could lead one to be undeserving of parnassah.
