Study Moed Katan folio 26A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ואלו קרעין שאין מתאחין: הקורע על אביו ועל אמו, ועל רבו שלימדו תורה, ועל נשיא ועל אב בית דין, ועל שמועות הרעות, ועל ברכת השם, ועל ספר תורה שנשרף, ועל ערי יהודה ועל המקדש ועל ירושלים. וקורע על מקדש, ומוסיף על ירושלים.
And these are the rents of mourning that may never be properly mended: One who rends his garments for the death his father, or for his mother, or for his teacher who taught him Torah, or for the Nasi, or for the president of the court; or upon hearing evil tidings; or hearing God’s name being blessed, which is a euphemism for hearing God’s name being cursed; or when a Torah scroll has been burned; or upon seeing the cities of Judea that were destroyed or the destroyed Temple or Jerusalem in ruins. This is the way one conducts himself when approaching Jerusalem when it lies in ruin: He first rends his garments for the Temple and then extends the rent for Jerusalem.
אביו ואמו ורבו שלימדו תורה מנלן — דכתיב: ״ואלישע ראה והוא מצעק אבי אבי רכב ישראל ופרשיו״. ״אבי אבי״ — זה אביו ואמו, ״רכב ישראל ופרשיו״ — זה רבו שלימדו תורה.
The Talmud elaborates upon the halakhot mentioned in this baraita: From where do we derive that one must rend his clothing for his father, his mother, and his teacher who taught him Torah? As it is written with regard to the prophet Elijah, when he ascended to Heaven in a tempest: “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen” (II Kings 2:12). The Talmud interprets this verse as follows: “My father, my father”; this comes to teach that one must rend his garments for the death of his father or mother. “The chariots of Israel and their horsemen”; this comes to include also one’s teacher who taught him Torah.
מאי משמע? כדמתרגם רב יוסף: רבי רבי דטב להון לישראל בצלותיה מרתיכין ופרשין.
The Talmud asks: From where may it be inferred that this is referring to one’s teacher? The Talmud explains: As the verse was translated by Rav Yosef: my teacher! my teacher! who was better for the protection of the Jewish people with his prayers than an army with chariots and horsemen.