List of Gedolim who earned a honest living - please add

[real jew]

After reading the vast majority of orthodox publications on the Israeli draft, and seeing that almost all accepted the fact that full time torah learning for married men (with families) is not only customary but mandatory, and this practice is what held us as a nation for the past 2000 years in exile – and that even the secular Jews should know better than drafting torah learning Jews into the army, I decided to do some research on when this life style really began, to my amazement I found that not only is there nothing in torah supporting this lifestyle these is a outright ban on learning full time and accepting stipends to support your family.

Although there are some acceptations to the halacha (based on הפרו תורתך עת לעשות לה') for a rav, machbar sefroim, marbitz torah etc. there is no heter for a one who punches the clock, learns all the sedroim, and never misses a seder in kollel to learn full time and accept kollel money. The Satmar Ruv ZT”L did not allow Satmar to open a kollel until close to 1930 when some of his best yungerleit when to Other kollelim and he was forced to open a kollel to keep his yungerleit from going elsewhere.

There is a letter from Rebbe Asher Perlow (the first of Stolin 1760–1826 - son of Rebbe Aaron HaGadol) that says is more important for a Jewish young man to work and do mitzvah’s than to learn full time. Never was this the norm is Judaism, this life style has nothing with torah and mitzvos.

The following is a list of a few of the many godolim who earned a honest living and were not ashamed to work:

Tzvi Hirsch ben Yaakov Ashkenazi (1656 - 1718) Chacham Tzvi
On the advice of his father-in-law he went in 1690 to Altona, where the leading members of the congregation founded a study-house (Klaus) and installed Ashkenazi as rabbi. His yeshiva became celebrated, and pupils assembled from all parts to hear him; but his income as rabbi of the Klaus was only 60 thalers annually, so that he was compelled to defray his living expenses by engaging in various business pursuits (e.g. dealing in jewelry). After the death of his father-in-law, whom Ashkenazi had latterly aided in his official duties, one party in the Jewish community wished to have Ashkenazi installed as rabbi of the three congregations (the unity known as AH"U), while another party favored the election of Moses ben Alexander Rothenburg. Finally it was decided that both candidates should serve, but alternately, each for a period of six months. Friction and strife over religious questions ensued, and finally became so intense that, in 1709, Ashkenazi deemed it advisable to resign and resume his duties as rabbi of the Klaus

Jacob Emden also known as Ya'avetz, (June 4, 1697 - April 19, 1776),
Emden spent three years at Ungarisch-Brod, where he held the office of private lecturer in Talmud. Later he became a dealer in jewelry and other articles, an occupation which compelled him to travel. He generally declined to accept the office of rabbi, though in 1728 he was induced to accept the rabbinate of Emden, from which place he took his name.

Ephraim Zalman Margolis (December 19, 1762–August 24, 1828)
He received his Talmudic education at different yeshivas, in which he distinuished himself for the acuteness of his intellect and for his astonishing memory. His correspondence with Ezekiel Landau and other leading Talmudists soon gained for him a high reputation. He established a banking-house which proved so successful that within a short time he became quite wealthy. In 1785 he published his responsa entitled Bet Hadash ha-Hadashot, and in the following year the rabbis of Brody elected him one of their number. Being of independent means, he opened in his house a yeshivah of which he was the head; several of his pupils became eminent rabbis.

Joseph Saul Nathansohn (1808 - 1875)
was very wealthy, and was known for his activity as a philanthropist

Rabbi Menachem Ziemba 1883–1943
When his father-in-law died, Rabbi Ziemba found it necessary to help out in the former's store in order to continue supporting his family. He rejected numerous offers to serve as rabbi in many towns and cities, saying that he had more time to study while working than as a communal rabbi.
Between 1930 and 1935, the world economic depression affected Rabbi Ziemba. His store was forced to close. He was offered the prestigious position of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, but turned it down. After the untimely death of Rabbi Meir Shapiro, Rabbi Ziemba was offered the position as his successor as both Rabbi of Lublin and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. For unknown reasons, this never came to pass.

Yosef Dov Soloveitchik ( 1820 – 1892) (Beis Halevi)
Owned real estates and earned money through business

Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (1847–1905 Sfas Emes)
Sold seforim in his early years

Source Wikipedia

וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה, סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן”

כל המשים על לבו שיעסוק בתורה ולא יעשה מלאכה ויתפרנס מן הצדקה הרי זה חלל את השם ובזה את התורה וכבה מאור הדת וגרם רעה לעצמו ונטל חייו מן העולם הבא. לפי שאסור ליהנות מדברי תורה בעולם הזה. אמרו חכמים כל הנהנה מדברי תורה נטל חייו מן העולם.