Eruvin 63 – Respect for one’s teacher

As a sign of respect, the student should not render decisions in matters of Torah law in the town or vicinity of his teacher, but should rather defer the question to his teacher’s judgment. This was especially applicable in the times of the Talmud, because often a student would receive all of his Torah knowledge from one teacher, rather than from a school or from multiple published books, and also because the Sages of the Talmud were on a very high level of personal integrity and actually fulfilled in their lives what they taught in their lessons.

As an example, when Eldad and Meidad were not selected into the Sanhedrin, they became prophesying that Moses will not enter the Land of Israel but will die in the desert, and that Yehoshua will lead the Jews. On hearing this, Yehoshua did not contain himself and said “My master Moses, lock them up!” Since this was a legal decision that Moses had to make, Yehoshua was punished by not leaving over any sons to carry on his name.

Art: A teacher and his student in an interior by (after) Pieter Aertsen