משנה
משנה

Chasidut על אבות 2:2

Chovat HaTalmidim

This is the matter about which we must warn you the most. We know very well that you will be careful even on your own against the inciters who explicitly want to push you away, God forbid, from the path of God, to the nethermost pit, the dark place of the other side, God forbid. Their words will be like a stinging fire and like the slings of arrows to you; so you will certainly keep your distance from them and anyone associated with them. Rather we must warn you strenuously about the hypocrites. They will come to you with the guise of innocence, saying, "We also fear the God of our fathers and we serve Him just like you. However this too is the will of God now at this time, that we compromise a little. You have already studied Torah. Now you should study a craft or business." And they will even have the temerity to use our holy words and say, "Even the Mishnah says (Avot 2:2), "It is good for the Torah to be with the way of the world (derekh eretz, usually understood as work)." And they will even seduce you to compromise about divine service by saying, "The times have changed, and we no longer need to be so particular about all of the commandments and Jewish practices and keep so much distance from murkiness, as we did in the past" - and that which is similar to this. And you should not argue or fight with them. Rather answer your words to them in your heart: "If what you are saying is true that times have changed, they have only changed for the worse. Earlier, even the businessman and the craftsman served God. But now, in almost all cases, as soon as the youth leave the yeshiva to do business or work a trade, they fall into the nethermost pit. Do you want to murder me too, to burn my pure soul in the fire of Gehinnom, and to throw my body - the pure young dove - into the cauldron of boiling dung? I will not listen to you! Under no circumstances will I agree to you! I will grab onto the Sefer Torah in which God resides and hug Him - as it were - through it with both of my arms. And I will not release it so long as my soul is within me.
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