Torah and Derech Eretz
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(English follows)
רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא אוֹמֵר, יָפֶה תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה עִם דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, שֶׁיְּגִיעַת שְׁנֵיהֶם מְשַׁכַּחַת עָוֹן. וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה, סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן. וְכָל הָעֲמֵלִים עִם הַצִּבּוּר, יִהְיוּ עֲמֵלִים עִמָּהֶם לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁזְּכוּת אֲבוֹתָם מְסַיַּעְתָּן וְצִדְקָתָם עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד. וְאַתֶּם, מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה כְּאִלּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם:
Rabban Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah Hanasi said: excellent is the study of the Torah when combined with a worldly occupation, for toil in them both keeps sin out of one’s mind; But [study of the] Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation, in the end comes to be neglected and becomes the cause of sin.
There's a debate between Rambam and Abarbanel about this mishna. Rambam says:
ר"ל בדרך ארץ הנה העוסק בפרנסה ואמרו וגוררת עון כמו שבארנו במקום אחר אמרו סופו שהוא מלסטם את הבריות
By derekh erets (the way of the world), he meant involvement in a livelihood. And his saying, "and leads to sin" is as I explained it in another place [about] their saying (Kiddushin 29a), "In the end he will steal from the creatures."
Abarbanel counters:
'דרך ארץ ומלאכה' לא כיון אומנות הידיים כי אם על החכמה המדינית וידיעת המדות המשובחות והנהגתם. כי על זה נאמר באמת "דרך ארץ" ושם "מלאכה" עליו נאמר גם כן, לפי שהידיעה המדותיית תכליתה המעשה.
"derekh eretz and melakha" doesn't mean labor with the hands, but political wisdom and knowing the virtues and attaining them. For on this it is truly said "derekh eretz" and there "melakha" is also said, because knowing of virtues its essence is in the deed."
On the one hand, as a working class Jew I've always felt strongly drawn to Rambam's interpretation, that a Torah teacher must also work in a trade and not be reliant on payment for Torah lest he is corrupted, and so that he would have experience making a living.
But Abarbanel's position that Derech Eretz means that a leader of the people must understand politics in addition to knowing Torah so that he would be able to deal with the malchus—and (my addition) not mislead the people into the arms of charlatans and con men, especially appealing today...
I do really think that the dialectic of Torah-Derekh Eretz can contain both interpretations, they're just applicable in slightly different areas of the responsibility of a leader.
