Study Kiddushin folio 33B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אין תלמיד חכם רשאי לעמוד מפני רבו אלא שחרית וערבית, כדי שלא יהיה כבודו מרובה מכבוד שמים. מיתיבי, רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר: מנין לזקן שלא יטריח – תלמוד לומר: ״זקן ויראת״.
A Torah scholar is permitted to stand before his teacher only once in the morning and once in the evening, so that the teacher’s honor should not be greater than the honor of Heaven, as one recites the Shema, which is tantamount to greeting God, once in the morning and once in the evening. The Talmud raises an objection from an aforementioned opinion. R' Shimon ben Elazar says: From where is it derived that an elder should not trouble others to honor him? The verse states: “An elder, and you should fear” (Leviticus 19:32). The collocation of these words comes to teach that the elder, too, must fear God.
ואי אמרת שחרית וערבית בלבד, אמאי לא ניטרח? חיובא הוא! אלא לאו כולי יומא! לא, לעולם שחרית וערבית בלבד, ואפילו הכי כמה דאפשר ליה – לא ניטרח.
The Talmud explains the objection: And if you say one may stand only in the morning and evening, why does the baraita say an elder should not trouble others? Standing for an elder only twice a day is an obligation for the people, not an imposition. Rather, is it not correct to say that one is obligated to stand before one’s teacher at any point during the day? The Talmud answers: No; actually one is obligated to stand only in the morning and evening, and even so, as much as it is possible for the elder, he should not trouble the people to stand.
אמר רבי אלעזר: כל תלמיד חכם שאין עומד מפני רבו נקרא רשע, ואינו מאריך ימים, ותלמודו משתכח, שנאמר: ״וטוב לא יהיה לרשע ולא יאריך ימים כצל אשר איננו ירא מלפני האלהים״, מורא זו איני יודע מהו – כשהוא אומר ״ויראת מאלהיך״ – הרי מורא זו קימה.
§ R' Elazar said: Any Torah scholar who does not stand before his teacher is called wicked, and he will not live a long life, and his studies will be forgotten, as it is stated: “But it should not be well for the wicked, neither should he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before [millifnei] God” (Ecclesiastes 8:13). This fear mentioned in the verse, I do not know what it is. When the verse states: “And you should revere the face [penei] of an elder, and you should fear your God” (Leviticus 19:32), one can deduce that this fear mentioned in the verse is referring to standing. Consequently, this verse teaches with regard to one who does not stand that he is called wicked, he will not live a long life, and his studies will be forgotten, as indicated by the phrase: “It should not be well.”