Commentary for Berakhot 33:1
בפמליא של מעלה ובפמליא של מטה ובין התלמידים העוסקים בתורתך בין עוסקין לשמה בין עוסקין שלא לשמה וכל העוסקין שלא לשמה יהי רצון שיהו עוסקין לשמה.
in the household above and the household below, and among the students who occupy themselves with Thy Torah, whether they devote themselves thereto for its own sake or not for its own sake; and as for them that devote themselves thereto not for its own sake, may it be Thy will that they do devote themselves thereto for its own sake.
Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
The "household above" is the angelic host whose dissensions lead to quarrels on earth. The "household below" is either mankind generally or the Sages of Israel.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
But for the prestige it brings them. Cf. Abot iv. 7: "Make not of the Torah a crown wherewith to aggrandise thyself, nor a spade wherewith to dig. So also used Hillel to say, He who makes a worldly use of the crown of the Torah shall waste away. Hence thou mayest infer that whosoever derives a profit for himself from the words of the Torah is helping on his own destruction." Singer, p. 196. See Schechter, Aspects, pp. 159 ff.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy