Gedolei HaTorah are that only in the strictest sense right now, in my mind. People are so focused on Gemara to the exclusion of everything else, the situation with Gush and everything else gets ignored. A friend of mine asked a friend learning in Israel about the situation. The person responded "Forget about it. Bittul Torah." You cant expect people to focus solely on Torah & ignore the world and then expect them to do something to change the world, even when their abdication of everything non-Gemara means other Jews are getting hurt and the entire country is at stake. Torah has become defined as Gemara (for men) and Chumash (for women). You're right - if they were Gedolei HaTorah in the broad meaning - meaning Torah as the blueprint of the Universe, representing justice & truth - they would be doing more. They are Gedolei HaGemara. Doing something besides sitting and collecting money would be "Bittul Torah."
Someone who learns Torah at the expense of everything is is not a TalmId Chacham in my mind - but a TalmUdChacham. Give them credit, they know a lot. But they're students of Talmud, not Torah. Of course there are people who are both. There are lots of frum people involved serious issues and matters besides Gemara. But anyone who focuses on learning to the exclusion of everything else is not on the path of Torah – because learning Torah is the greatest mitzvah because it leads to every other mitzvah. If and when it doesn’t lead to other mitzvot, something is wrong in my mind. It may be information, it may be of Torah content, but don’t call it Torah.
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