{"id":9528,"date":"2014-09-02T07:00:41","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T04:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=9528"},"modified":"2019-11-21T10:10:11","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T08:10:11","slug":"14-02-07","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/14-02-07\/","title":{"rendered":"07. The Times of <em>Ona<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The mitzva of <em>ona<\/em> depends on a husband\u2019s stamina as well as his profession, as the Sages say in the Mishna: \u201cThe <em>ona <\/em>of which the Torah speaks is daily for <em>tayalim <\/em>(see below for a definition), twice a week for laborers, once a week for donkey drivers, once in thirty days for camel drivers, and once every six months for sailors\u201d (<em>m. Ketubot<\/em> 5:6, 61b).<\/p>\n<p>Some say that <em>tayalim<\/em> were healthy people whose jobs were easy and stress-free, for whom, therefore, the mitzva was each night. R. Shmuel bar Shilat is cited as an example. He taught schoolchildren near his home, his income was so modest that the king\u2019s tax collectors left him alone, and his life was tranquil and secure (Rif and Rosh). Others say that <em>tayalim<\/em> were people who were so secure financially that they did not need to work at all, aside from some occasional management of their economic affairs that did not disturb their peace of mind (Rambam, Ri\u2019az, Rabbeinu Yeru\u1e25am, and <em>Smag<\/em>).<sup><a href='#_te01ftn2_5' id='_te01ftnref2_5' class='aup1'>[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Laborers who worked locally had the mitzva of <em>ona <\/em>twice a week. Laborers who did not work locally, even if they returned home every night, had the mitzva once a week, since traveling is very draining. Donkey drivers, who transported produce from villages to markets, were generally away from home six days of the week, so their mitzva was only once a week. Camel drivers, who generally transported merchandise across long distances, would usually only return home once a month, so their mitzva of <em>ona <\/em>was once a month. Sailors, who would be at sea for half a year, had the mitzva of <em>ona <\/em>once every six months (<em>Ketubot<\/em> 62a-b; SA EH 76:5). Torah scholars, whose Torah study exhausts them, had a mitzva of <em>ona <\/em>on the eves of Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Rosh \u1e24odesh (SA <em>ad loc<\/em>; MA 240:3). Some of the greatest A\u1e25aronim write that it is better for Torah scholars to fulfill the mitzva of <em>ona<\/em> twice a week (<em>Me\u2019il Tzedaka<\/em> \u00a751; <em>Pit\u1e25ei Teshuva<\/em>, EH 76:3; BHL 240:1).<\/p>\n<p>A married <em>tayal<\/em> could not become a laborer without his wife\u2019s agreement, even if his new job would improve their financial situation. Since she married him with the understanding that he was a <em>tayal<\/em>, he could not reduce the <em>ona<\/em> to which she was entitled without her consent. Similarly, a laborer whose obligation of <em>ona<\/em> was twice a week could not become a donkey driver whose obligation was once a week without his wife\u2019s consent. Likewise, a donkey driver who wanted to become a camel driver or a camel driver who wanted to become a sailor had to ask his wife\u2019s permission. However, a <em>tayal<\/em> who wanted to become a Torah scholar could do so due to the greatness of the mitzva of studying Torah; his wife could not protest, even though he would be reducing her <em>ona<\/em> (<em>Ketubot<\/em> 62b; SA EH 76:5; <em>Beit Shmuel<\/em> <em>ad loc<\/em>. 8).<\/p>\n<p>These rulings were formulated in an age that was very different from the one we live in today. On one hand, most men work fewer hours than in the past, doing jobs that are less physically demanding. In this sense, they are most similar to <em>tayalim<\/em>. Even those who commute to work do so by car, bus, or train and are akin to local laborers, and perhaps even <em>tayalim<\/em>, as long as their commute is not terribly exhausting. On the other hand, life has become more stressful due to the competitive labor market and increased interest in news reports, sources of information, and communications media. As a result, people sleep less, which reduces their natural desire to fulfill the mitzva.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, it seems that the obligation of <em>ona <\/em>for most men is twice a week, perhaps a bit more frequent for younger people. Those whose work is particularly taxing, whether physically or emotionally, are obligated only once a week. In contrast, men who work in exceptionally easy professions are obligated more than twice a week, and perhaps even daily, like <em>tayalim<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr size=\"1\" \/>\n<div>\n<a href='#_te01ftnref2_5' id='_te01ftn2_5'>[5]<\/a>. Even though <em>tayalim <\/em>have a mitzva every night, a <em>tayal<\/em> who wishes to act piously and ascetically can ask his wife\u2019s permission to limit his <em>ona <\/em>to four or five times a week. If she consents, he may do so. This does not detract from the mitzva, as the Raavad applies to <em>tayalim<\/em>\u2019s set times the Sages\u2019 advice about how to respond to the evil inclination: \u201cThe left hand should push it away, while the right hand should draw it close\u201d (<em>Sanhedrin<\/em> 107b). <em>Tur<\/em> records Raavad\u2019s view as <em>halakha<\/em> (240, EH 25). <em>Me\u2019il Tzedaka<\/em> \u00a743 takes this approach as well. However, a laborer, whose set time of <em>ona<\/em> is twice a week, should not reduce his mitzva even if his wife agrees. The Talmud in <em>Ketubot<\/em> 62a also discusses a related issue: according to Rava, married students who study in <em>yeshivot<\/em> near their homes are considered <em>tayalim<\/em>, with a daily mitzva of <em>ona<\/em>. Abaye rejects Rava\u2019s opinion on the grounds that yeshiva students need to invest heavily in their studies in terms of both time and effort, so they are not similar to <em>tayalim<\/em>. However, if they study Torah only part of the day without exerting great effort, they have the status of <em>tayalim<\/em> (see <em>Igrot Moshe<\/em>, EH 3:28).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The mitzva of ona depends on a husband\u2019s stamina as well as his profession, as the Sages say in the Mishna: \u201cThe ona of which the Torah speaks is daily for tayalim (see below for a definition), twice a week for laborers, once a week for donkey drivers, once in thirty days for camel drivers, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-14-02"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>07. 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