דברים שאין בני אדם עומדין עליהם אלא אם כן נכשלים בהן ישנן תחת ידיך, ״קצין תהיה לנו״. ״ישא ביום ההוא לאמר לא אהיה חובש וגו׳״ — אין ישא אלא לשון שבועה, וכן הוא אומר ״לא תשא את שם ה׳״. ״לא אהיה חובש״ — לא אהיה מחובשי עצמן בבית המדרש. ״ובביתי אין לחם ואין שמלה״ — שאין בידי לא מקרא ולא משנה ולא גמרא. וממאי? דילמא שאני התם, דאי אמר להו גמירנא, אמרו ליה: אימא לן. הוה ליה למימר גמר ושכח, מאי ״לא אהיה חובש״? כלל! לא קשיא: כאן בדברי תורה, כאן במשא ומתן.
Matters of Torah that people do not ascertain unless they misunderstand them are in your hands; therefore, be a chief over us. It is stated later on in that passage: “He will rise [yissa] on that day, saying, I will not be a ruler while in my house there is no bread and no garment, you should not appoint me as chief of the people” (Isaiah 3:7). The term rise [yissa] means nothing other than an oath, as it says: “Do not raise [tissa] the name of YHWH your God in vain” (Exodus 20:17). I will not be a ruler, means: I will not be one of those who close themselves up in the study hall, as I do not regularly do so, while in my house there is no bread and no garment, for I have neither Bible nor Mishnah nor Talmud in my hands. According to this explanation, there were people of faith who truthfully admitted that they did not study Torah, even during the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The Talmud rejects this: And from what do you conclude that this admission was due to their faithfulness? Perhaps it is different in that case, as had he told them: I studied Torah, they would have said to him: Tell us what you studied. As he would not know to respond, he would have no choice other than to admit that he did not study. The Talmud rejects this: That is not difficult, as he could have at least said he learned and forgot. The Talmud asks: Therefore, what is: I will not be a ruler? It means that he is telling the truth and although he could have lied, he admits that he did not study Torah at all. The Talmud answers: This is not difficult. Here, where it was taught that they were faithful, that was with regard to matters of Torah; whereas here, where it was taught that there were no more people of faith in Jerusalem, that was with regard to matters of business.