Shabbat 55A

זקנים מה חטאו? אלא אימא: על זקנים, שלא מיחו בשרים.

what did the Elders, i.e., the rabbis of that generation, do that was considered a sin? Rather, say: God will enter into judgment with the Elders because they did not protest the sinful conduct of the princes.

רב יהודה הוה יתיב קמיה דשמואל. אתאי ההיא איתתא קא צווחה קמיה, ולא הוה משגח בה. אמר ליה: לא סבר ליה מר: ״אוטם אזנו מזעקת דל גם הוא יקרא ולא יענה״? אמר ליה: שיננא, רישך בקרירי, רישא דרישיך בחמימי. הא יתיב מר עוקבא אב בית דין.

The Talmud relates: Rav Yehuda was sitting before Shmuel when this woman came and cried before Shmuel about an injustice that had been committed against her, and Shmuel paid no attention to her. Rav Yehuda said to Shmuel: Doesn’t the Master hold in accordance with the verse: “Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he also should cry himself, but should not be heard” (Proverbs 21:13)? He said to him: Big-toothed one, your superior, i.e., I, your teacher, will be punished in cold water. The superior of your superior will be punished in hot water. Mar Ukva, who sits as president of the court, is responsible for those matters.

דכתיב: ״בית דוד כה אמר ה׳ דינו לבקר משפט והצילו גזול מיד עושק פן תצא כאש חמתי ובערה ואין מכבה מפני רוע מעלליהם וגו׳״.

And from where is it derived that this responsibility is incumbent upon the house of the Exilarch? As it is written: “House of David, so says YHWH: Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 21:12). The Exilarch is a direct descendant of the house of David.

אמר ליה רבי זירא לרבי סימון: לוכחינהו מר להני דבי ריש גלותא. אמר ליה: לא מקבלי מינאי. אמר ליה: אף על גב דלא מקבלי לוכחינהו מר.

With regard to the issue of reprimand, it was related that R' Zeira said to R' Simon: Let the Master reprimand the members of the house of the Exilarch, as R' Simon had some influence over them. R' Simon said to him: They will not accept reprimand from me. R' Zeira said to him: Let my master reprimand them even if they do not accept it.