Respect and Deference (part 1) — BT Sanhedrin 24a — #71

Come and see how much [the sages of Eretz Yisrael] value one another, such as [the instance when] Rabbi [Yehudah ha-Nasi] was sitting [and teaching] and said, “It is forbidden to insulate cold [water on shabbat].” R. Yishmael the son of R. Yose said before him, “My father permitted insulating cold [water on shabbat].” Rabbi said to them, “An elder has already ruled [on this matter] [i.e., his opinion overrules mine].” Rav Pappa said, “Come and see how how [the sages of Eretz Yisrael] value one another, for had R. Yose been alive, he would have bent [in submission to the authority of Rabbi] and sat before Rabbi; since R. Yishmael the son of R. Yose fills the place of his father and he sat [in submission to the authority] of Rabbi, yet Rabbi said, ‘An elder has already ruled [on this matter].’”

INTRODUCTION
This unusual interchange between R. Yehudah ha-Nasi and R. Yishmael, as well as Rav Pappa’s observation about it, is part of a larger conversation inspired by a mishnah attributed to R. Meir. The mishnah lists people who, because of their profession rather than individual character, are excluded from serving as witnesses in court: gamblers, money-lenders who take interest, and those who sell sabbatical year produce. Gemara records that Resh Lakish vociferously disagreed with R. Meir’s view because it amounts to an arbitrary rejection of valuable witnesses, Gemara quotes Resh Lakish as saying: “Can a holy mouth [such as R. Meir] say such a thing?”  

How remarkable, Gemara notes, that Resh Lakish, who would routinely “uproot mountains and grind them against one another” in the bet midrash (study house) when arguing halakhah, would speak with such deference of R. Meir. Not remarkable at all, Ravina responds, since R. Meir argued his opinions in precisely the same manner. 

This leads directly to the passage above, which provides an anecdote illustrating how deeply the sages of Eretz Yisrael valued one another and, as a result, treated one another with respect and deference, even when they strenuously disagreed on matters of halakhah.

COMMENTARY

It helps to understand who the players are:

R. Yose b. Chalafta was a fourth generation tanna who lived in Eretz Yisrael. He, a student of R. Akiba, the “second Moses” who crafted the principles of halakhah, founded a school in Tzippori that attracted many students, among them R. Yehudah ha-Nasi. R. Yose was a highly regarded scholar in his own day and is extensively quoted in the Mishnah. This is not surprising given both his own erudition and the fact that the Mishnah’s compiler was R. Yehudah ha-Nasi.

R. Yehudah ha-Nasi, whom the Talmud refers to as “Rabbi,” was a second century nasi (“prince”), and leader of the Jewish community. He was the son of Shimon b. Gamliel II.

R. Yishmael b. R. Yose, the oldest son of R. Yose b. Chalafta, lived in the beginning of the third century CE. By the time the incident described in the Gemara occurred, R. Yose was no longer alive, but his son R. Ishmael was present for R. Yehudah ha-Nasi’s lesson about keeping water cool through shabbat.

The incident recounted in Sanhedrin 24a concerns a halakhic disagreement that was ameliorated by the exceptional respect the sages of Eretz Yisrael had for one another and the gracious way they treated one another. One day, R. Yehudah ha-Nasi taught that it is forbidden to insulate cold water on shabbat. (Rashi explains this to refer to a prohibition of placing a water jug in cold sand in order to keep the water cool throughout shabbat.) R. Yishmael was present on that occasion and stated that his father, R. Yose, who has been Rabbi’s teacher, permitted it. Rabbi immediately deferred to R. Yose’s ruling, declaring, “An elder has already ruled [on this matter].” That is the entire anecdote.

We are hear Rav Pappa’s observation that this incident demonstrates the extent to which the sages of Eretz Yisrael valued one another (the Hebrew term is m’chab’vim). How do we know this? Had R. Yose been alive, he would have accepted the ruling of Rabbi, his student, out of deference to the authority of Rabbi’s superior position as the Nasi. R. Yishmael, Rav Pappa notes, operates as did his father: he is prepared to accept Rabbi’s ruling out of respect for his position, even though his father had taught the halakhic rule differently. Rabbi, however, so respects and values his colleagues—both his teacher, R. Yose, and his student, R. Yishmael—that he defers to R. Yose’s opinion and elevates it above his own. Therefore, the halakhah is as R. Yishmael reports his father, R. Yose, ruled. This anecdote, Rav Pappa tells us, is paradigmatic of how the sages of Eretz Yisrael valued one another.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS

1. Have you ever deferred to the opinion of someone else out of respect for their position, even  though you disagreed in principle with their view? Has someone who disagreed with you ever deferred to you out of respect for the authority invest in your position? How did that impact your work, and personal, relationship?
2. Maya Angelou is reported to have said, “If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.” When and where do you believe this is true? Is her observation reflected in society today?
3. When is it more important to show respect and deference, and when is it more important to promote what you believe to be correct and true?