אות - רלט

I heard from R.A. of Teplik that he said to him regarding the matter that Rabbainu's, o.b.m., will was that one should not be a teacher [melamed], as mentioned. And he argued to him that it is better to be a teacher and told him in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, o.b.m., that they relate in his name that it is good to be a teacher.[428] He answered and said, Rabbainu, o.b.m.: I do not know if the Baal Shem Tov, o.b.m., said this. And even if he said this — every Tzadik of the generation has the power to make fences and to guide the world according to those generations. And I say now that for the service of the Creator Yisburach it is not good to be a teacher.[429] The man mentioned above related this to me with some variation of language, but this is the substance of his words. And once he spoke with one of his people who was a teacher, and asked him: How much do you receive for teaching for a period? He answered him: Such and such. And he calculated with him how much that comes to per day — certainly it amounts to a very small sum. And he said to him: If so, calculate further how much per hour your teaching wages come to — it will certainly come to no more than a trifle. If so, when you waste one hour from your teaching, you are losing the World to Come for a trifle, for one or two biggies. But when you engage in commerce and you steal, Heaven forbid, from your fellow in commerce some trifle of one or two biggies through some duress — because it is impossible to be careful and precise about every last penny — certainly he will forgive you. But the hour you are wasting from your study — certainly the Master will not forgive you under any circumstances. 428. RAK: The Baal Shem Tov himself was a teacher of children in his youth. (Shivchei HaBeSHT, section 43.) 429. RAK: Chayai Moharan, Service of Hashem, section 22; Alim LiTerufah, letter 163. See Sanhedrin 104a; Likutay Moharan 37.