Before we discuss halachah or psak, let’s first get the Rambam straight. He really lays into the one who wants to learn without working. Why? His addition as a source from the Mishna in Avos not to make a crown out of the Torah, is both interesting and telling. One would assume that that Mishna refers to one who is not learned pretending as he is learned. So there seems to be two major chiddusim in the Mishna. At least according to the Rambam. 1. The unlearned are not penalized for pretending to be glorified learners. 2. The learners are penalized for crowning themselves to be real learners. This seems unbelievable. But it is only the first impression. We could destruct this premise, but then we would have to reassemble a lot of the puzzle. So to reiterate, what bothers the Rambam so much about this person?
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