Kiddushin, Lammed Gimmel, Part 3
תנא איזוהי קימה שיש בה הידור הוי אומר זה ד’ אמות
אמר אביי לא אמרן אלא ברבו שאינו מובהק אבל ברבו המובהק מלא עיניו
אביי מכי הוה חזי ליה לאודניה דחמרא דרב יוסף דאתי הוה קאים
אביי הוה רכיב חמרא וקא מסגי אגודא דנהר סגיא יתיב רב משרשיא ורבנן באידך גיסא ולא קמו מקמיה אמר להו ולאו רב מובהק אנא
אמרו ליה לאו אדעתין:
A tanna taught: What kind of rising shows reverence? Say, that is four cubits.
Abaye said: That was said only of one who is not his primary teacher; but as for his primary teacher [he is obligated to rise] as far as his eyes reach.
Abaye used to rise as soon as he saw the ear of R. Joseph’s donkey approaching.
Abaye was riding a donkey, and going along on the bank of the River Sagya.
R. Mesharsheya and other rabbis were sitting on the opposite bank, and they did not rise before him.
He said to them: Am I not your primary teacher!
They said to him: We didn t think of it.
How close to one s teacher must one be for one to be obligated to rise? The baraita rules four amot, but Abaye restricts this to a regular teacher. If the teacher is his primary teacher, he must rise if he is anywhere within his sight.
The story here seems to illustrate that while some rabbis took this mitzvah seriously, not all did.
ר’ שמעון בן אלעזר אומר מנין לזקן שלא יטריח ת"ל זקן ויראת
אמר אביי נקטינן דאי מקיף חיי
אביי מקיף רבי זירא מקיף
R. Shimon b. Elazar said: How do we know that the sage must not trouble [the people to rise]? From the verse: Elder and you shall fear.
Abaye said: We have a tradition that if he [the Sage] walks around, he will live [long].
Abaye would walk around. R. Zera would walk around.
The baraita had taught that the sage should not trouble the people to rise in front of him. Abaye adds that a sage will live longer by not making other people rise. It seems that there is some sort of measure for measure reward in this idea. Making people stand in order to honor oneself means using their energy, in a sense shortening their lives. Avoiding using other people for one s own ends brings one longer life.
רבינא הוה יתיב קמיה דר’ ירמיה מדיפתי חלף ההוא גברא קמיה ולא מיכסי רישא
אמר כמה חציף הא גברא
א"ל דלמא ממתא מחסיא ניהו דגיסי בה רבנן
Ravina was sitting before R. Yirmiyah of Difti when a certain man passed by without covering his head.
He exclaimed: How much chutzpah does that man have! He said to him: Perhaps he is from the town of Mehasia, where rabbis are common.
Evidently being in the presence of a rabbi requires one to cover one s head. R. Yirmiyah of Difti calls a man chutzpadik for not covering his head in his presence. But, it turns out that if you are from a place full of rabbis, then maybe you have an excuse.
איסי בן יהודה אומר מפני שיבה תקום ואפילו כל שיבה במשמע
אמר ר’ יוחנן הלכה כאיסי בן יהודה
Issi b. Judah said: Before the hoary head, you shall rise this implies any hoary head.
R. Yohanan said: The halakhah accords with Issi b. Judah.
The halakhah follows Issi who said that one must stand before any old person, not just a sage.
ר’ יוחנן הוה קאי מקמי סבי דארמאי
אמר כמה הרפתקי עדו עלייהו דהני
רבא מיקם לא קאי הידור עבד להו
R. Yohanan used to rise before a non-Jewish elder, saying: How many experiences have passed over these!
Rava would not rise up, yet he showed them respect.
Some rabbis even rose up in front of non-Jewish elders. After all, the non-Jewish elder has undergone just as many life experiences as has the Jew. Rava found a compromise and would show them respect but not rise up.
אביי יהיב ידא לסבי
רבא משדר שלוחיה רב נחמן משדר גוזאי אמר אי לאו תורה כמה נחמן בר אבא איכא בשוקא
Abaye used to give his hand to the aged.
Rava sent his agent.
R. Nahman sent his guardsmen, [for] he said: Were it not for the Torah, how many Nahman b. Abba are there in the market place!
These other rabbis found other ways to help the elders. Abaye would give them a hand so that they could lean on him. R. Nahman does not want to help them himself and instead finds agents to do so. He reasons that his Torah learning is irreplaceable and therefore it is better for him to perform the mitzvah through others.