What Happens If Yissachar Learns Lo Lishmah [Not for the Sake of Torah]
What happens if one sets up a Yissachar‐Zevulun partnership, and in the end the Yissachar ends up learning lo lishmah. Chazal tell us, that if one learns lo lishmah it would have been better that he was never created. Chazal also say, if one learns lekanter, so that he can argue with people, not only does he miss out on a mitzvah, he commits an aveirah as well. There are numerous teachings of Chazal which say bad things about one who learns lo lishmah. What happens to Zevulun’s reward if he supports a Yissochar and makes it easy for him to learn with peace and tranquility, lishma etc. etc. and in the end, Yissachar abuses the partnership and learns lo lishmah? Yissachar obviously doesn’t get any reward, but what is with Zevulun?
The Rishonim and Achronim already discuss the above, and it would seem that it depends on the two approaches we outlined above.
Zevulun Receives the Same Amount Regardless
Many Rishonim hold that Zevulun doesn’t lose out when Yissachar learns lo lishmah, and although for Yissachar the Torah may be sam hamoves [poisonous], Zevulun receives full reward.
These Rishonim (see the Chida’s, Rosh Dovid to Parshas Kedoshim and V’zois HaBerachah) cite proof from the Gemara in Berachos (17a) which says:
גדולה הבטחה שהבטיח הקב "ה לנשים יותר מן האנשים שנאמר נשים שאננות קומנה שמענה קולי בנות בוטחות האזנה אמרתי - “Greater is the promise made by the Holy One, Blessed be He, to women than to men, as it is stated: “Rise up, women at ease; hear My voice, confident daughters, listen to what I say”. This promise of ease and confidence is not given to men. The question is, what havtocha [promise] are we talking about, and why is the women’s havtocha greater than the man’s?
These Rishonim explain, that we are talking about reward in Oilam HaBah [the World to Come] for those who do the will of Hashem. Women have a more guaranteed portion than men, as when a woman helps her husband go and learn and ensures that her husband can learn with peace of mind, even if the husband ends up learning lo lishmah and he himself doesn’t get rewarded, nonetheless, the woman receives full reward as she did all she could to ensure her husband goes to learn. Therefore, her reward is more guaranteed than the man, as a woman gets reward whatever happens, whereas a man actually has to learn lishmah in order to receive reward.
These Rishonim explain, that the same thing is with Yissachar‐Zevulun partnerships, and Zevulun’s reward is more guaranteed than Yissachar’s, as whatever happens Zevulun gets rewarded, Yissachar on the other hand only gets rewarded if he ends up learning lishmah.
Similarly, Rav Hai Gaon that we mentioned earlier writes, “Those who help people to learn receive great reward, however, the one who is actually learning sometimes gets rewarded, sometimes he doesn’t.” The Minchas Yitzchok (6:100) explains, Rav Hai Gaon is saying, that the reward for those who support Torah is always great, however, the reward for the talmud chocham himself depends on whether he learns lishma or not.
We see that there are Rishonim and Geonim who hold that even if Yissachar doesn’t learn lishmah, Zevulun still receives full reward.
שמח זבולון בצאתך - “Be Joyful Zevulun In Your Going Forth”
The Chida in Rosh Dovid (V’zois HaBerachah pasuk 33) asks on the pasuk, שמח זבולון בצאתך - “Be joyful Zevulun in your going forth”: Why did Moshe Rabbeinu need to give Zevulun a berachah that he would be happy, why did he think that he would be sad? Based on the above, the Chida answers that Zevulun was scared that Yissachar would learn lo lishmah, and they would end up not getting any reward in Oilam HaBah, and all their hard work would be for nothing. Moshe therefore gave them encouragement and said, שמח זבולון בצאתך - “Be joyful Zevulun in your going forth”, don’t worry about anything, you have guaranteed reward. As long as your support Yissachar, whether he learns lishmah or not, don’t worry, you meant good and you wanted to support Torah lishmah, therefore, you will be rewarded.
Peshat from the Satmar Rebbe
The Satmar Rebbe (Divrei Yoel, Devorim 33:18) explains the pasuk in a slightly different way, which brings out the same idea. He asks why the pasuk mentions Zevulun before Yissachar and explains, that to receive full reward for learning Torah is very difficult. Learning lo lishmah leads to lishmah but it takes time. At the beginning it’s very difficult to get full reward. By Zevulun however, as soon as he supports Torah he receives the full reward. Since it’s easier for Zevulun to receive full reward, the pasuk puts him first.
Chasam Sofer
Similarly, the Chasam Sofer (Toras Moshe, Emor 21:7) writes: “The truth is, it’s very good for those people who support Torah, as besides for the fact that they get a portion in the reward, they are even better off, because if chas vesholam the talmud chocham ends up not being such a talmid chocham, nonetheless the one that supports him gets rewarded, as what else could he do and why should he lose out”. It’s clear that the Chasam Sofer holds, that even if talmud chocham doesn’t learn so well, the Zevulun stills gets rewarded.
Zevulun Loses Out
Although we mentioned that there are many Rishonim and even Geonim who maintain that Zevuln doesn’t lose out, there are those who disagree and maintain that he does.
The Achronim (see Imrei Shefer Derush to Parsha Behar, and Rosh Dovid, Kedoshim pg. 83) cite the Maharash Primo who maintains that if Yissachar learns lo lishmah and doesn’t receive reward, then Zevulun who supports him also doesn’t, and they both lose out.
He explains that the reward that Zevulun receives comes from the reward of Yissachar, therefore, if Yissachar learns lo lishmah and has no reward, there is nothing to share with Zevulun.
The way the Chida in Rosh Dovid puts it is: אם התורה היא שלא לשמה גם המחזיק בידו אין לו שבר יען כי מ כוחו בא לו ואם המקור מושחת מאין ימצא מים במורד – “If the Torah is learnt not for the sake of Torah, then the one who supports it will also not receive any reward. His reward comes from the one learning, and if the source is empty, where should he draw water from”.
Proof
The Maharash Primo cites proof from a Gemara in Bava Kamma (16b), the Gemara is coming to explain Yirmiyohu HaNavi’s tefillah on his enemies: דרש רבא מאי דכתיב: יהיו מכשלים לפניך בעת אפך עשה בהם אמר ירמיה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא: רבונו של עולם אפילו בשעה שעושין צדקה הכשילם בבני אדם שאינן מהוגנים כדי שלא יקבלו עליהן שכר – “Rava interpreted: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Let them be made to stumble before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger” (Yirmiyah 18:23)? It means that Yirmiyah said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, even at a time when they try to perform acts of charity, make them stumble by ensuring that they do so with people who are unworthy of charity in order that they should not receive the reward for helping them.”
Yirmiyah was very upset, he davened to Hashem, that He should ensure that his enemies have no way of fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedokah. The way to do this, is to make it that when they give tzedokah they end up giving to people who are unworthy, therefore, they get no mitzvah. The question is, why would this make a difference,
It’s worthwhile checking up the Maharit Elgazi in his sefer Kedushas Yom Tov (pg. 83) where he says one who supports a talmid chocham gets rewarded even when the talmud chocham isn’t learning. He adds, that when a talmid chocham gets old and suffers with yissurin and is unable to learn the one who supports him still gets rewarded, whereas the talmid chocham himself, although he gets some reward, he doesn’t get full reward, as in the end of the day he never learnt.
