Kiddushin, Daf Lammed Bet, Part 6

 

Introduction

Since we have been discussing honor, the Talmud moves on to a discussion of the Torah s commandment that one stand before an elder. The full verse from Leviticus 19:32 reads, Before a hoary head you shall stand, and you should show deference to an elder; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

 

ת"ר (ויקרא יט, לב) מפני שיבה תקום יכול אפילו מפני זקן אשמאי ת"ל זקן ואין זקן אלא חכם שנאמר (במדבר יא, טז) אספה לי שבעים איש מזקני ישראל

רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר אין זקן אלא מי שקנה חכמה שנאמר (משלי ח, כב) ה’ קנני ראשית דרכו

 

Our Rabbis taught: Before a hoary head you shall stand (Leviticus 19:32): I might have thought even before an aged sinner; therefore Scripture says, elder (zaken) and zaken can only refer to a Sage, for it is said: Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel (Numbers 11:16).

R. Yose the Galilean said: Zaken [means] only he who has acquired wisdom, for it is said: The Lord acquired me [wisdom] as the beginning of his way (Proverbs 8:22).

 

Two tannaim use two different prooftexts to prove that the obligation to stand in front of an elder refers to a sage, and not just any old person.

 

יכול יעמוד מפניו ממקום רחוק ת"ל תקום והדרת לא אמרתי קימה אלא במקום שיש הידור

יכול יהדרנו בממון ת"ל תקום והדרת מה קימה שאין בה חסרון כיס אף הידור שאין בו חסרון כיס

יכול יעמוד מפניו מבית הכסא ומבית המרחץ ת"ל תקום והדרת לא אמרתי קימה אלא במקום שיש הידור

יכול יעצים עיניו כמי שלא ראהו ת"ל תקום ויראת דבר המסור ללב נאמר בו (ויקרא יט, יד) ויראת מאלהיך

 

I might have thought that one must stand up before him [even] at a great distance: Scripture says, You shall rise up, and You shall honor, [implying], I said to rise up only where there is honor.

I might have thought that one must honor him with money, Scripture says: You shall rise up, and You shall honor, just as rising up involves no monetary loss, so does honoring involve no monetary loss.

I might have thought that one must rise up before him out in a privy or a bathhouse, Scripture says, You shall rise up, and You shall honor, , [implying] I said to rise up only where there is honor.

I might have thought that one may shut his eyes as though he has not seen him: Scripture says, You shall rise up and You shall fear your God ; about anything which is known only to the heart it is said, And you shall fear your God.

 

The baraita teaches four things:

1)     One does not need to rise in front of a sage who is far away since this does not really honor him.

2)     One does not need to honor the sage by giving him money (although I m sure he d be delighted to receive it).

3)     One does not rise in a place like a bathroom or bathhouse. These are not places of reverence.

4)     It is not okay to pretend one did not see the elder and thereby avoid rising. This is why the Torah states, and you shall fear your God. God will know whether you re telling the truth or not.

 

רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר מנין לזקן שלא יטריח ת"ל זקן ויראת

איסי בן יהודה אומר מפני שיבה תקום אפילו כל שיבה במשמע

 

R. Shimon b. Elazar said: How do we know that the Sage must not trouble [others to rise]? Scripture says, Elder and you shall fear.

Issi b. Judah said: You shall rise up before the hoary head implies any hoary head.

 

R. Shimon b. Elazar adds that the elder should not put himself into a position whereby he forces others to rise.

Issi b. Judah disagrees with the definition of an elder from the beginning of the baraita. He holds that one must rise before any old person, even if he is not an elder.

 

רבי יוסי הגלילי היינו תנא קמא

איכא בינייהו יניק וחכים ת"ק סבר יניק וחכים לא רבי יוסי הגלילי סבר אפילו יניק וחכים

 

But is not R. Yose the Galilean the same opinion as the first Tanna?

They differ in respect to a young sage: the first Tanna holds that a young sage is not [included in the mitzvah], whereas R. Yose the Galilean holds that he is.

 

R. Yose the Galilean and the first opinion in the baraita seem to hold the same opinion but merely derive it from a different source. Both hold that the word elder means sage and not just an old person.

The Talmud posits that they disagree about a young sage. According to the first opinion, for the mitzvah to apply the sage must also be an elder. In other words, they read two things into the word elder sage and old.

R. Yose the Galilean holds that one must stand even in front of a young sage.

 

מ"ט דרבי יוסי הגלילי אמר לך אי ס"ד כדקאמר ת"ק א"כ נכתוב רחמנא מפני שיבה זקן תקום והדרת מ"ש דפלגינהו רחמנא למימר דהאי לאו האי והאי לאו האי ש"מ אפי’ יניק וחכים

 

 

What is R. Yose the Galilean s reason?

He could say to you: If you should have thought as the first Tanna says, if so, the Torah should have written: You shall rise up before the hoary headed zaken and honor [him] ; why did the Torah divide them? To teach that this one is not that one, and that one is not this one. This proves that even a young sage [is included].

 

R. Yose the Galilean bases his opinion on the fact that the Torah uses two phrases the first referring to the hoary head, and the second to the elder. This implies that they are different, and that the commandment to honor includes even a young sage.

ות"ק משום דבעי למיסמך זקן ויראת

 

And the first Tanna? That is because it is wanted to place zaken in proximity to and you shall fear.

 

The first Tanna responds to R. Yose the Galilean the reason that the Torah split them up was to make sure that the word you shall fear is near the elder. This teaches us that the elder (sage) should not make things difficult for others.

ותנא קמא מ"ט אי ס"ד כדקאמר רבי יוסי הגלילי א"כ נכתוב רחמנא

מפני שיבה תקום והדרת תקום והדרת פני זקן ומדלא כתב הכי ש"מ חד הוא

And what is the first Tanna’s reason? Should you have thought as R. Yose the Galilean said, if so, the Torah should have written, In front of the hoary head you should rise up, and revere; you shall rise up before and revere the zaken. And since it is not written thus, we learn from this that they are identical.

 

The rabbis claim that had the verse referred to two different people it should have applied both verbs to both types of people the young and old sage. The fact that one verb applies to each implies that they are identical.

We should note that the Talmud spends a lot of time discussing honoring the young sage. It seems to ignore the opinion that the verse refers to any old person, even one who is not a sage.