Since an entrance fee was mandatory to enter the beis midrash, is the reason that Hillel was permitted to listen from the roof the fact that he didn't enter the beis midrash, and thus was not obligated to pay the entrance fee? Or was the fee simply to enable one to hear the shiur, which presumably he would have to pay even if he was listening from the roof?
Answer
Great question.
The Sha"ch Choshen Mishpat 292/35 rules that "stealing" and learning Torah knowledge is permissible, when it is not accessible otherwise. He quotes a Tosefta that says that one that does so, can even become a leader of others. Rav Menashe Klein in Mishneh Halachos [Vol. 17 at the end of #148] writes, that the source of the Tosefta could be this story of Hillel who "stole" Torah and became a leader.
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