Teachers and Learners

There are four types who sit before the sages: the sponge, the funnel, the strainer, and the sieve. The sponge - because it absorbs everything; the funnel - because it let's in at one end and out the other; the strainer - because it lets the wine out and retains the sediment; the sieve - because it lets out the bran and retains the fine flour.

Yosei ben Yoezer of Tzreida and Yosef ben Yochanan of Yerushalayim received from him. Yosei ben Yoezer of Tzreida says, Make your house a meeting house for the sages; and get sooty in the dust of their feet, and drink with thirst their words.

Yehoshua ben Perachiah and Nittai of Arbel received the transmission from them. Yehoshua ben Perachia said, Make for yourself a rabbi, acquire for yourself a friend; and judge every person in their favor.

Avtaloyon said: Sages, be careful with your words, unless you are exiled to a place of evil water [heretic teachings; see note]. The following students might drink and profane the name of the Heavens.

Rabban Gamliel used to say: Provide for yourself a teacher. And remove yourself from doubt. And do not make a habit of tithing by guesswork.

He would say, a brute does not fear sin, one who is ignorant cannot be devout, one who is bashful does not learn, one who is impatient cannot teach, one who engages in commerce excessively does not become wise. And in a place where there are no men [to do what is right]; strive to be that man.

Rabbi Elazar of Bartuta says: Give Him what is His, for you and yours are His. And so says David, "For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee" (I Chronicles 29:14). Rabbi Shimon says: He who is walking on his way while repeating his studies, and interrupts his studies and says, 'How lovely is this tree! And how lovely is this newly plowed field!' is deemed by Scripture to be as if he was guilty [of an offense punishable by the forfeiture] of his life. Rabbi Dostai son of Rabbi Yannai in the name of Rabbi Meir says, anyone who forgets one matter from his studies, the text (Torah) considers him as if he has committed a capital crime, as it is said (Numbers IV) "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw." It is possible that [this statement applies to] even one whose studies has defeated him (i.e. level of difficulty); therefore, the verse says, "and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life" - one does not commit a capital until he sits down and [intentionally] removes them (lessons from his studies) from his heart.

Ben Zoma says: Who is the wise one? He who learns from all men, as it says, "I have acquired understanding from all my teachers" (Psalms 119:99). Who is the mighty one? He who conquers his desire, as it says, "slowness to anger is better than a mighty person." (Proverbs 16:32). Who is the rich one? He who is happy with his lot, as it says, "When you eat [from] the work of your hands, you will be happy, and it will be well with you" (Psalms 128:2). "You will be happy" in this world, and "it will be well with you" in the world to come. Who is honored? He who honors the created beings, as it says, "For, those who honor Me, I will honor; and those who despise me will be held in little esteem" (I Samuel 2:30).

.Rabbi Yishmael [his son] would say: One who studies Torah in order to teach will be given the opportunity to both study and to teach. One who studies in order to practice will be given the opportunity to study, to teach, to observe, and to practice. Rabbi Tzadok used to say: Do not make the Torah into a crown with which to aggrandize yourself, and don't use it as a spade with which to dig into them. Like Hillel used to say: One who makes use of the crown of the Torah will perish. Which infers that any one who exploits the words of the Torah removes themselves from the living world.

.Rabbi Elazar son of Shamua said: Let the honor of your students be as your own, and the honor of your fellow be like the reverence of your teacher, and the reverence of your teacher be like the reverence of Heaven.

Rabbi Yehuda said: Be careful when teaching, for your errors in teaching are considered as intentional transgression. Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of the monarchy - but the crown of a good name outweighs them all.

One who learns from his friend one verse, or one rule, or one verse, or one word, or even one letter - he needs to show him honor...

Elisha ben Abuya says: One who learns as a child is compared to what? To ink written on new parchment. And one who learns as an elder is compared to what? To ink written on scraped parchment. Rabbi Yose bar Yehuda from the town of the Babylonian says: One who learns from young ones is compared to what? To one who eats unripe grapes and drinks wine from its press. And one who learns from elders is compared to what? To one who eats ripe grapes and drinks aged wine. Rabbi says: Do not look at the jug but rather at what is in it. For there are new jugs full of old, and old which don't even have new within them.