Some would have us believe that going to work or even planning for it is something a frum person should do only as a last resort. They glibly declare that most people should make Torah their livelihood and that this has always been how our nation functioned. However, the Gemara testifies (Brachos 35b) , “Harbeh Asu…V’lo Alsah B’yadan”, this is not how the majority should live for they will fail and not even have Torah from it. It’s the proper way only of the select minority who are capable of it.
Pretending that this somehow doesn’t apply to us has led to the intolerable Chillul Hashem we’ve been forced to endure, where we have to read:
“‘We have a failure in our community that we have to address,’ Rabbi Aaron Kotler, leader of the world’s largest yeshiva outside of Israel told NJ.com. ‘Theft is wrong. We need to do better to educate people.'”