כל איש ישראל חייב בתלמוד תורה בין עני בין עשיר בין שלם בגופו בין בעל יסורים בין בחור בין זקן גדול אפי' עני המחזר על הפתחים אפילו בעל אשה ובנים חייב לקבוע לו זמן לתלמוד תורה ביום ובלילה שנאמר והגית בו יומם ולילה. (ובשעת הדחק אפילו לא קרא רק ק"ש שחרית וערבית לא ימושו מפיך קרינן ביה) (הגהות מיימוני פ"א וסמ"ג עשין י"ב) ומי שא"א לו ללמוד מפני שאינו יודע כלל ללמוד או מפני הטרדות שיש לו יספיק לאחרים הלומדים: הגה ותחשב לו כאילו לומד בעצמו (טור) ויכול אדם להתנות עם חבירו שהוא יעסוק בתורה והוא ימציא לו פרנסה ויחלוק עמו בשכר אבל אם כבר עסק בתורה אינו יכול למכור לו חלקו בשביל ממון שיתן לו (תא"ו נתיב ב' מש"ס דסוטה):

Every Jewish man is obligated in studying Torah, whether poor or rich, whether completely healthy or suffering, whether young or very old. Even a poor man who frequents doorways (to beg) and even one with a wife and children is obligated to set a time for himself to study Torah, by day or by night, as it says, "And you shall meditate in it day and night." (And in a pressing time, even if he only read Shem"a in the morning or evening, it is called "It shall not depart from your mouth" (HG"M 1 SM"G Asin 12). And one that it is impossible for him to learn because he does not know how to at all or because of troubles that he has, should support others who study. Rema: And it will be considered for him as if he learned himself (Tur) And a person is able to make a condition with his friend, that he will study Torah and he will support him, and he will split the reward with him. But if he already toiled in Torah, he is unable to sell him his portion for the money he will give to him. (Toldot Adam VeChava, Netiv 2, from the Gemara in Sotah)

A person should learn Torah first and then marry a woman, because if he married a woman first, it would be impossible for him to study Torah after with a millstone hanging around his neck. But if it is impossible for him to live without a wife because his inclination overpowers him, he should marry a woman first.

Until when is one obligated to study? Until the day of one's death, as it is stated: "Lest they be removed from your heart, all the days of your life" (Deuteronomy 4:9). And any time that one does not engage in Torah study, one forgets.

One is obligated to divide his learning schedule into thirds: one third in Written Torah; that is, the twenty-four [books of the Tanach]; one third in Mishna, that is, the Torah She'b'al Peh, and the explanations of the Written Torah are included herein; [and] one third to Talmud, that is understanding and conceptualizing the end of a matter from its beginnings, to derive one matter from another, to compare cases, and to reason through the principles by which the Torah is expounded, until he knows how the core of the mitzvot is determined and how rulings regarding what is forbidden and permitted emerge, and similar matters received through tradition. For example, if a person is a craftsman and works three hours a day and devotes nine hours to Torah, he should spend three hours on Scripture, three on Mishnah, and three on Talmudic analysis. When does this apply? At the outset of ones learning; however, when one grows in Torah and no longer needs to learn the Written Torah nor needs to constantly review the Torah She'b'al Peh, he may read as fixed times the Written Torah and the words of Torah She'b'al Peh, so that he doesn't forget one thing from the laws of the Torah, and avail the rest of his days to Talmud alone, to the extent of his abilities and ability to focus. Rema: There are those who say that through studying the Babylonian Talmud—which contains within it Scripture, Mishnah, and Gemara—one fulfills all aspects of this obligation (Tur in the name of Rabbeinu Tam, and as explained above in Siman 245:6). A person should not study anything except Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud, and the halachic authorities who follow them, and through this he will acquire both this world and the World to Come. However, one should not engage in the study of other wisdoms (secular knowledge) as a primary focus (Responsa of the Rivash §45 and the students of the Rashba). Nevertheless, it is permitted to study other branches of knowledge on occasion, so long as the works are not heretical. This is what the sages referred to as "a stroll through the orchard" (tiyul b’pardes), and one should not stroll in the orchard until he has filled his belly with meat and wine—that is, until he has thoroughly learned the laws of what is permitted and forbidden, and the laws of the mitzvot (Rambam, end of Sefer HaMada, chapter 4 of Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah).

In a place where it is customary to teach the Written Torah for payment, it is permitted to teach for payment. However, the Oral Torah is forbidden to be taught for payment. If one could not find someone to teach him for free, he should learn for payment. Even though he was required to learn for payment, he should not say, "Just as I learned for payment, so too will I teach for payment," rather, he should teach others for free. And the current custom to teach everything for payment is permitted if one does not have anything to support himself, and even if he does, if it is clear that the payment is for lost time, that one ceases all of his business and dealings, it is permitted. (And all innovations of the scribes, meaning what was instituted from the Rabbis, it is permitted to take payment to teach it.) (Hagahot Maimoni, Chapter 1)

A woman who studied Torah receives a reward, but not like that of a man, because she is not obligated yet performs the commandment. And even though she earns a reward, our rabbis have commanded that one should not teach his daughter Torah, because the majority of women are not intellectual prepared to be taught, and remove words of Torah to words of emptiness due to their intellectual limitations. The rabbis said: One who teaches his daughter Torah is as if he taught her frivolity. When is this stated? In regard to the oral Torah. However, in regard to the written Torah one should preferably not teach her, but if he did so it is not comparable to frivolity. Rema: Nonetheless, a woman is obligated to study laws that are relevant to her. And a woman is not obligated to teach her son Torah. Nonetheless, if she assists her son or husband to study Torah, she receives reward along with them.

One should not teach a student who is not fit; rather, one should return him to the good, guide him in a straight path, and examine him, and afterward bring him into the study hall (beit midrash) and teach him.

A rabbi who does not walk in a good path, even though he is a great scholar and all the people need him, one should not learn from him until he returns to the good.

How do we teach? The rabbi sits at the head, and the students are before him, surrounding him like a crown, so that they all see the rabbi and hear his words. The rabbi should not sit on a chair with his students on the ground; rather, either everyone is on the ground or everyone is on chairs. Rema: And some say that this is specifically when the students have reached the level of ordination. (Haran, Chapter 2 of Megillah) And a rabbi who teaches through an interpreter, his rulings will be explained later, and they were not written by the rabbi because they are not common.

A rabbi who taught, and the students did not understand should not be angry with them; rather, he should review and repeat the matter many times until they understand the depth of the halacha. The student should not say, "I understand," when he does not understand; rather, he should ask and repeat and ask many times. If his rabbi is angry with him, he should say to him, "Rabbi, it is Torah, and I need to learn, and my understanding is limited."

A student should not be embarrassed before his fellow students who learned the material the first or second time when he did not learn it even after many times, for if he is embarrassed because of this, he will be found entering and exiting the study hall without having learned anything. Therefore, the Sages said, "The bashful one cannot learn, nor can the impatient one teach." What are these things referring to? When the students did not understand the matter because of its depth or because their understanding is limited. But if it is apparent to the rabbi that they are negligent in the words of Torah and are lax about them, and therefore they do not understand, he is obligated to be angry with them and to shame them with words in order to sharpen them. Regarding this, the Sages said, "Throw bitterness among the students." Therefore, it is not proper for a rabbi to engage in levity before the students, nor to joke before them, nor to eat and drink with them, so that his fear will be upon them and they will learn from him quickly.

One should not ask the rabbi immediately upon his entrance to the study hall until his mind is settled. The student should not ask upon his entrance until he sits and rests. Two people should not ask at once. One should not ask the rabbi about a different topic, but only about the topic that they are dealing with, so that he not be embarrassed. The rabbi is permitted to mislead the students with his questions and with the actions that he does before them in order to sharpen them and in order to know if they remember what they are learning. It goes without saying that he has permission to ask them about a different topic that they are not dealing with in order to motivate them.

One should not ask while standing, and one should not answer while standing. And some say that when one asks a matter of halacha, one needs to stand. (Tosafot, Chapter Pesulei HaMukdashin, in the name of the Yerushalmi) One should not ask from a high place, nor from a distance, nor from behind the elders. One should only ask about the topic at hand. One should only ask out of fear. One should not ask more than three halachot about the topic.

If two people asked, one asked about the topic at hand and one asked not about the topic at hand, we address the one about the topic at hand. [If one asked about] a practical matter and [one asked about] a non-practical matter, we address the practical matter. [If one asked about] halacha and midrash, we address the halacha. [If one asked about] midrash and aggadah, we address the midrash. [If one asked about] aggadah and a kal vachomer (a fortiori argument), we address the kal vachomer. [If one asked about] a kal vachomer and a gezeirah shavah (verbal analogy), we address the kal vachomer.

If the ones asking were one a sage (chacham) and one a Torah scholar (talmid chacham), we address the sage. [If one was a] Torah scholar and one an am ha'aretz (ignoramus), we address the Torah scholar. [If] both were sages, both were students, both were amei ha'aretz, [and] they asked two people about two halachot, or about two questions, two answers, two practical matters, the prerogative is in the hand of the one answering; to whomever he wants, he may give precedence. A mamzer (a child born of an illicit relationship) who is a Torah scholar takes precedence over a High Priest who is an am ha'aretz.(The language of the Tur in the name of the Sages)

One should not sleep in the study hall. Anyone who dozes in the study hall, his wisdom becomes torn into pieces, as it says, "Slumber will clothe one in rags" (Proverbs 23:21).

One should not converse in the study hall except about matters of Torah. Even one who sneezed, one should not say to him, "Refuah" (Bless you), in the study hall. The sanctity of the study hall is more stringent than the sanctity of a synagogue.

Torah study is weighed against all the commandments. If one has before him the performance of a mitzvah and Torah study, if it is possible for the mitzvah to be performed by others, he should not interrupt his study. If not, he should perform the mitzvah and return to his Torah.

The first judgment of a person is regarding Torah study, and afterward regarding his other actions.

A person should always engage in Torah, even if not for its own sake (shelo lishmah), for from not for its own sake comes for its own sake (lishmah).

The words of Torah are not upheld in one who makes himself lax about them, nor in those who learn amidst luxury and amidst eating and drinking, but rather in one who kills himself over it and constantly afflicts his body, and does not give sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids. [Rema]: A person should not think to engage in Torah and to acquire wealth and honor along with the learning, for one who raises this thought in his heart will not merit the crown of Torah; rather, he should make his Torah fixed and his work occasional, and minimize business and engage in Torah. He should remove the pleasures of the time from his heart and do work each day as much as he needs to sustain himself if he does not have what to eat, and the rest of the day and night he should engage in Torah. There is a great virtue for one who supports himself from the labor of his hands, as it says, "If you eat the labor of your hands" etc. (Psalms 128:2) Anyone who resolves in his heart to engage in Torah and not to do work and to be supported by charity, this person profanes the Name and disgraces the Torah, for it is forbidden to benefit from the words of Torah. Any Torah that is not accompanied by work leads to sin and in the end he will steal from people. (The language of the Tur) All of this is regarding a healthy person who is able to work in his craft or in some other way to sustain himself, (Rabbeinu Yonah and Rabbeinu Yerucham, Nativ 2, and so wrote the Ramah) but an elderly person or a sick person is permitted to benefit from his Torah and to be supported. (According to everyone) And some say that even a healthy person is permitted. (Beit Yosef in the name of a responsa of Rashbatz) Therefore, it is the custom in all places of Israel that the rabbi of a city has an income and support from the people of the city so that he will not need to engage in work before people and the Torah will be disgraced before the masses.(Abarbanel in his commentary on Tractate Avot) And this is only regarding a sage who needs this, but a wealthy person is forbidden. And some are even more lenient, saying that it is permitted for a sage and his students to receive support from those who give in order to uphold the hands of those who study Torah, for through this they are able to engage in Torah with ease. However, one who is able to support himself well from the work of his hands and to engage in Torah, this is the way of piety and a gift from God, but this is not the way of every person, for it is not possible for every person to engage in Torah and to become wise in it and to support himself. (This is also in the aforementioned responsa)And all of this that is permitted is when one takes a stipend from the community or a set support, but one should not accept gifts from people. And regarding that which we say, "Anyone who brings a gift to a sage, it is as if he is offering first fruits," this is regarding small gifts, for it is the way of people to bring a small gift to an important person, even if he is an am ha'aretz. (Rabbeinu Yerucham in the name of Rabbeinu Yonah) It is permitted for a Torah scholar to taste something from his ruling in order to clarify his ruling, but to take a substantial gift because of what he permitted is forbidden. (Hagahot Ashri, Chapter 1 of Avodah Zarah) "One who makes illicit use of the crown (of Torah) passes away." (Hagahot Maimoni and Semag). And some say that this is one who makes use of names (i.e., performs miracles with Divine Names). (Ibid. in the name of Avot D'Rabbi Natan) It is permitted for a Torah scholar to make himself known in a place where they do not know him (In Nedarim 62a, Semag, Hagahot Maimoni ibid., and Responsa of Rashba 84) if he needs to do so.

There is a covenant that anyone who learns in a synagogue does not quickly forget, and anyone who toils in his studies in private becomes wise, as it is said, "Wisdom is with the modest" (Proverbs 11:2). Anyone who raises his voice during his studies, it is upheld in his hand. But one who reads silently quickly forgets.

One who wants to merit the crown of Torah should be careful in all of his nights and not waste even one of them in sleep, eating, drinking, conversation, and the like, but rather in words of wisdom and Torah study. Rema: For a person does not learn most of his wisdom except at night. (The language of the Tur from Rambam) A person should begin to learn at night from the 15th of Av onward, and one who does not add, will cease.(Nimukei Yosef, Chapter Yesh Nochelin, Talmud and Rashbam there, 121b, and the end of Ta'anit, see there)

Any house in which the words of Torah are not heard at night, fire will consume it.

Anyone who is able to engage in Torah and does not engage, or who read and learned and then turned to the vanities of the world and abandoned his studies and left it, this person is included in "For he has despised the word of the Lord" (Numbers 15:31). (It is forbidden to speak idle chatter.)(Hagahot Maimoni, Chapter 4, in the name of the Sages). See Orach Chayim, Siman 307, Se'if 16.

Anyone who abandons the Torah due to wealth, in the end will abandon it due to poverty. Anyone who fulfills the Torah in poverty, in the end will fulfill it in wealth. Rema: When one completes a tractate, it is a mitzvah to rejoice and to make a meal, and it is called a seudat mitzvah (a meal associated with a mitzvah).(Nimukei Yosef, Chapter Yesh Nochelin, and a statement of Abaye, Chapter Kol Kitvei) It is forbidden to engage in words of Torah in filthy places, and therefore they said that it is forbidden for a Torah scholar to stand in filthy places, lest he contemplate words of Torah. (Clearly, Chapter Mi SheMet)However, it is permitted to enter a bathhouse even while thinking about a halacha that is not a verse, (Terumat HaDeshen 41) and we are not concerned that he will contemplate, for in the bathhouse he guards himself from contemplating Torah. (The opinion of the rabbi, and not like the conclusion of Terumat HaDeshen, which is uncertain about this).