Maimonides' Code - The Book of Knowledge
The Laws of Torah Study
By the grace
of G-d
Copyright © 2014 Nathaniel
Segal
The explanation of all these
commandments [laws]
are in [seven] chapters —
Chapter 4
-
1. We only teach Torah to a fitting student or to a
beginner.
However, if he [either one of these] heads in a
way that is not good, we bring him back to goodness, we
instruct him in the straight way, and we test him.
Only afterwards do we bring him into the House of Study
and we teach him.
More details
from this chapter will be presented (G-d willing)
during 2017.
Translator's Notes:
Chapter 4, Law 1
We only teach Torah to a fitting student - G-d-fearing;
inclined to become a credit to the community; someone who
has no malevolent agenda. Of reasonably good
character -- study of Torah and association with good
students and with the teachers is likely to improve his
character. However, if he is already associating with shady
characters, he's probably not a good candidate for enrollment in
the House of Study. This may demonstrate that he does not
have sufficient fear of G-d. He's liable to
become a bad influence on the students rather than their being a
good influence on him.
Any number of misfortunes has happened when the
student was not of reasonably good character. Please be
patient until I elaborate.
The Two Commandments Explained in this Section
This section – "The Laws of Torah
Study" – contains two commands for Jews:
Two positive commandments [what we
should do]:
- To learn Torah,
- To honor those who learn and those who know [Torah].