Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 1:7

משנה: רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן מְנַסְיָא אוֹמֵר אֵיזֶהוּ מְעוּוָּת שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִתְקוֹן זֶה הַבָּא עַל הָעֶרְוָה וְהוֹלִיד מַמְזֵר. אִם תֹּאמַר בְּגַנָּב וְגַזְלָן יָכוֹל הוּא לַחֲזוֹר וּלְתַקֵּן. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן מְנַסְיָא אוֹמֵר אֵין קוֹרִין מְעוּוָּת אֶלָּא לְמִי שֶׁהָיָה מְתוּקָּן מִתְּחִילָּה וְנִתְעַווֵת. וְאֵיזֶה זֶה תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁפִּירֵשׁ מִן הַתּוֹרָה׃ MISHNAH: Rebbi Simeon ben Menassiah says, who is distorted cannot be repaired? This is one committing incest or adultery and producing a bastard. If you would say a thief or robber, that one may repent and repair. Rebbi Simeon ben Menassia¹³⁶In all other sources: R. Simeon ben Yohai. says, one calls distorted only what was correct before and became distorted. Who is that? This is a scholar who separated from the Torah.

הלכה: תַּנֵּי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי. אִם רָאִיתָ עֲייָרוֹת שֶׁנִּתְלְשׁוּ מִמְּקוֹמָן בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל דַּע שֶׁלֹּא הֶחֱזִיקוּ בִּשְׂכַר סוֹפְרִים וּמַשְׁנִים. מַה טַעַם. עַל־מָה֙ אָֽבְדָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ נִצְּתָ֥ה כַמִּדְבָּר֭ מִבְּלִי֭ יוֹשֶׁב׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר י֙י עַל־עָזְבָם֙ אֶת־תּ֣וֹרָתִ֔י. HALAKHAH: Rebbi Simeon ben Yoḥai stated: When you see towns in the Land of Israel uprooted from their place, know that they did not contribute to the wages of Bible and Mishnah teachers¹³⁷Since at least since the time of the High Priest Joshua ben Gamla providing for elementary schooling is a communal responsibility. Petihta Thr. rabbati (2).. What is the reason? Why is the land ruined, torn down like an uninhabited wilderness? The Eternal said, because they abandoned My Torah¹³⁸Jer. 9:11-12..

רִבִּי יוּדָן נְשִׂייָא שְׁלַח לְרִבִּי חִייָה וּלְרִבִּי אַסִּי וּלְרִבִּי אִמִּי לְמִיעֲבוֹר בַּקִּרֵייָתָא דְּאַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לִמְתַקְנָא לוֹן סָֽפְרִין וּמַתְנִייָנִין. עֲלוֹן לְחַד אֲתַר וְלָא אַשְׁכְּחוֹן לָא סְפַר וְלָא מַתְנִייָן. אָֽמְרִין לוֹן. אַייתוֹן לָן נְטוּרֵי קַרְתָּא. אַייְתוֹן לוֹן סַנְטוּרֵי קַרְתָּא. אָֽמְרוּן לוֹן. אֵילֵּין אֵינּוּן נְטוּרֵי קַרְתָּא. לֵית אֵילֵּין אֶלָּא חָרוּבֵי קַרְתָּא. אָמְרִין לוֹן. וּמָאן אִינּוּן נְטוּרֵי קַרְתָּא. אָֽמְרוּן לוֹן. סַפְרַייָא וּמַתְנִייָנַיָּא. הָדָא הִיא דִּכְתִיב אִם י֙י לֹא־יִבְנֶ֬ה בַ֗יִת וגו׳. Rebbi Judah the Prince¹³⁹R. Judah II, the grandson of Rebbi. sent Rebbi Ḥiyya¹⁴⁰R. Hiyya bar Abba., Rebbi Assi¹⁴¹His Babylonian name. In the Yerushalmi he usually appears as R. Yasa., and Rebbi Immi to tour the towns of the Land of Israel in order to give them Bible and Mishnah teachers. They came to one place where they found neither Bible nor Mishnah teacher. They said to them, bring us the watchmen of the town. They brought them the stewards¹⁴²Identified by S. Liebermann as Latin saltuarius, administrator of an agricultural domain. of the town. They told them, these are not the watchmen of the town, they are the destroyers of the town¹⁴³Since they did not include the wages of elementary school teachers in the communal budget.. They asked them, and who would be the watchmen of the town? They told them, the Bible and Mishnah teachers. That is what is written, if the Eternal would not build the house¹⁴⁴Ps. 127:1., etc.

רִבִּי חוּנָה רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק. מָצָאנוּ שֶׁוִּיתֶּר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְעַל גִּילּוּי עֲרָיוֹת וְעַל שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים. וְעַל מְאָסָם בַּתּוֹרָה לֹא ווִיתֵּר. מַה טַעָם. וַיֹּאמֶר י֙י עַל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְגִילּוּי עֲרָיוֹת וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים אֵין כָּתוּב כָּאן. אֶלָּא וַיֹּ֣אמֶר י֙י עַל־עָזְבָם֙ אֶת־תּ֣וֹרָתִ֔י. אָמַר רִבִּי חִייָה בַּר בָּא. אוֹתִי עָֽזְבוּ אַווַתְּרָה. שֶׁמָּא אֶת תּוֹרָתִי שָׁמָרוּ. שֶׁאִילּוֹ אוֹתִי עָֽזְבוּ וְתוֹרָתִי שָׁמָרוּ הַשְּׂאוֹר שֶׁבָּהּ הָיָה מְקָֽרְבָן אֶצְלִי. רַב חוּנָה אָמַר. לַמֵּד תּוֹרָה שְׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ. שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ שְׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ אַתְּ בָּא לִשְׁמָהּ. Rebbi Ḥuna, Rebbi Jeremiah in the name of Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac: We find that the Holy One, praise to Him, did forego¹⁴⁵He did forego meting out punishment. for Israel about idol worship, incest and adultery, and bloodshed¹⁴⁶The three cardinal sins.. But for their rejection of the Torah he did not forego. What is the reason? It is not written here “The Eternal said, because they committed idol worship, incest and adultery, and bloodshed,” but the Eternal said, because they abandoned My Torah. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, that they abandoned Me I could forego, maybe they would keep My Torah¹⁴⁷A sermon on Jer. 32:23., since if they abandoned Me but kept My Torah, the leavening in it would bring them close to Me. Rav Ḥuna said, study Torah even not for its own merit, since through {studying} not for its own merit you come to {study} for its own¹⁴⁸Babli Pesahim 50b, Sotah 22b,47a, Nazir 23b, Sanhedrin 105a, Horaiot 10b,. Arakhin 16b..

רִבִּי יְהוּדָה כְּשְׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה אֶת הַמֵּת וְאֶת הַכַּלָּה מִתְקַלְּסִין הָיָה נוֹתֵן עֵינָיו בַּתַּלְמִידִים וְאוֹמֵר. הַמַעֲשֶׂה קוֹדֵם לַתַּלְמוּד. ¹⁴⁹This is the introduction to the next paragraph, about the relative merits of Torah study and good deeds. Babli Megillah 29a. When Rebbi Jehudah saw a funeral procession or the acclamation of a bride he looked at the students and said, deed precedes study.

נִמְנוּ בַּעֲלִייַת בֵּית אָרִיֹס. הַתַּלְמוּד קוֹדֵם לַמַּעֲשֶׂה. רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ הֲוָה בְקַיְסָרִין. שָׁלַח לְרִבִּי חֲנִינָה בְרֵיהּ מַזְכֵּי בְטִיבֵּרִיָּה. שָֽׁלְחוֹן וְאָֽמְרוּן לֵיהּ. גְּמַל הוּא חֶסֶד. שְׁלַח כָּתַב לֵיהּ. הֲמִבְּלִי אֵין קְבָרִים בְּקַיְסָרִין שְׁלַחְתִּיךָ לְטִיבֵּרִיָּא. כְּבָר נִמְנוּ בַּעֲלִייַת בֵּית אָרִיֹס בְּלוֹד הַתַּלְמוּד קוֹדֵם לַמַּעֲשֶׂה. רַבָּנִן דְּקַיְסָרִין אָֽמְרִין. הָדָא דְאַתְּ אֲמַר. בְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם מִי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה. אֲבָל אִם אֵין שָׁם מִי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה הַמַּעֲשֶׂה קוֹדֵם לַתַּלְמוּד. דְּלֹמָא. רִבִּי חִייָה רִבִּי יָסָא רִבִּי אִמִּי עַנְיָן מֵיתֵי לְגַבֵּי רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. אֲמַר לוֹן. אָן הֲוִיתוֹן יוֹמָא דֵין. אָֽמְרוֹן לֵיהּ. גְּמַל חֶסֶד. אֲמַר לוֹן. וְלָא הֲוָה תַמָּן חוֹרָנִין. אָֽמְרִין לֵיהּ. מָגִיר הֲוָה. ¹⁵⁰This text essentially is from Pesahim 3:7, Notes 142-148.They voted in the upper floor of the house of Arius that study precedes action¹⁵¹According to the Babli, Qiddušin 40b, this was an early Tannaitic decision following R. Aqiba against R. Tarphon. Hagigah 1:7.. Rebbi Abbahu dwelt in Caesarea. He sent his son Rebbi Ḥanina to acquire merit in Tiberias. They sent and said to him, he does works of charity¹⁵²Burying the dead.. He wrote to him, are there no graves in Caesarea¹⁵³A reference to Ex. 14:11. that I sent you to Tiberias? For they already voted in the upper floor of the house of Arius in Lydda that study precedes action¹⁵⁴Therefore he has to spend his time studying in the Academy there.. The rabbis of Caesaria say, that is, if there is somebody there who will do it. But if nobody is there who will do it, the action has precedence¹⁵⁵In particular, religious obligations of a personal nature, which cannot be delegated, have precedence over study. Babli Moed Qatan 9b.. Example. Rebbi Ḥiyya, Rebbi Yasa, Rebbi Immi, were late in coming to Rebbi Eleazar. He asked them, where have you been? They told him, performing an act of charity. He asked them, where there no others? They answered him, it was a neighbor¹⁵⁶It was an obligation irrespective of the number of attendees at the funeral..