מפני שיבה תקום

(32) You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am ה׳.

12) (Vayikra 19:32) ("Before the hoary head you shall rise, and you shall honor the face of the elder. And you shall fear your G d; I am the L–rd.") "Before the hoary head you shall rise": I might think even for a wicked (old man); it is, therefore, written "elder, an elder being one who has acquired wisdom, viz. (Bamidbar 11:16) "Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel." R. Yossi Haglili says: An elder ("zaken") is one who has acquired ("zeh kanah") wisdom, viz. (Mishlei 8:22) "The L–rd has acquired me (wisdom), the beginning of His way."

The Gemara analyzes this baraita. Apparently the opinion of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili is the same as that of the first tanna, as they both say that an elder is a Torah scholar. What does Rabbi Yosei HaGelili add? The Gemara answers: There is a difference between them with regard to one who is young and wise. The first tanna maintains: One who is young and wise is not considered an elder, as the mitzva applies only to one who is both elderly and wise. Rabbi Yosei HaGelili maintains: It is even a mitzva to honor one who is young and wise. According to Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, the mitzva is not referring to old age at all, but only to wisdom.

In the presence of the elderly [one who understands the Torah] you shall rise and you shall respect an elder; you shall have fear of your God, I am Adonoy.

§ It was stated previously that Isi ben Yehuda says that as the verse states: “Before the hoary head you shall stand,” it indicates that even anyone of hoary head is included, not only a Torah scholar. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Isi ben Yehuda. The Gemara relates: Rabbi Yoḥanan himself would stand before Aramean, i.e., gentile, elders. He said: How many experiences [harpatkei] have occurred to these individuals. It is appropriate to honor them, due to the wisdom they have garnered from their long lives. Rava would not stand before them, but he displayed reverence to them.

[THOU SHALT RISE UP BEFORE THE HOARY HEAD.] Scripture mentions the hoary head because it earlier mentioned the dead and the aged are close to death, for the bodies of the old are considered dead. Note, our verse refers to all the old and to every hoary head.

THE reason of all precepts of the first class, viz., of the principles enumerated by us in the Hilkot yesode ha-torah, is obvious. Consider them one by one, and you will find that the lesson which every one of them contains is correct and demonstrable. It is also evident that the precepts which exhort and command us to learn and to teach are useful; for without wisdom there cannot be any good act or any true knowledge. The law which prescribes to honour the teachers of the Law is likewise useful; for if they were not considered by the people as great and honourable men, they would not be followed as guides in their principles and actions. The Law demands also that we be humble and modest [in their presence]. “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head” (Lev. 19:32).

The commandment to honor sages: To honor sages and to rise in front of them, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:32), “Before an elder rise” — and Onkelos translated [it as], “Before one who understands the Torah rise” — “and dignify the face of the aged (zaken).” They, may their memory be blessed, explained (Kiddushin 32b), “A zaken refers only [to] one who has acquired (shekanah) wisdom. And the reason that the verse expressed the sage with the language of “aged,” is because the young sage has seen with his wisdom that which the aged has seen from his many years.

מפני שיבה תקום THOU SHALT RISE UP BEFORE A HOARY HEAD — One might think this reverence is also due to an ignorant old man! Scripture however says זקן — "thou shalt honour the face of the ״זקן — and זקן denotes only one who has acquired wisdom (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 7 12;Kiddushin 32b).

THOU SHALT RISE UP BEFORE THE HOARY HEAD. “I might think that one is to rise before an uncultured old man; Scripture therefore states, and thou shalt honor the face of ‘zakein’ (the old man). Zakein [from the root kanah, acquire] means only one who has ‘acquired’ wisdom.” This is Rashi’s language. And the text of the Torath Kohanim, as it is taught in the Gemara of Tractate Kiddushin [is as follows: “I might think that one is to rise before an uncultured old man;] Scripture therefore states zakein, the word zakein meaning only one who is wise, as it is said, Gather unto Me seventy men ‘miziknei’ (of the elders) of Israel. And Rabbi Yosei the Galilean says: The word zakein means only one who has ‘acquired’ wisdom, as it is said, The Eternal ‘kanani’ (made me) [literally: acquired me, i.e., wisdom] at the beginning of His way.” Now according to the words of both of them [i.e., the First Sage in this Beraitha and Rabbi Yosei the Galilean], this commandment [of honoring the aged] applies only if he is a scholar. And Onkelos who rendered the verse before us: “thou shalt rise up before him who understands [the knowledge of] the Torah, and honor the face of the aged,” would also seem to agree with this opinion [that zakein is one who “acquired” wisdom]. Yet despite all this, the concluding opinion of the Gemara in accordance with the final decision of the law is not so, for the Rabbis have said [in the Gemara]: “Isi the son of Yehudah says: Any hoary head is included [under the terms of this commandment], and Rabbi Yochanan said: The final decision of the law is as Isi the son of Yehudah interpreted it.” Thus Scripture is commanding [in the first half of the verse] to honor any old man, even the uncultured, that is, the unlearned, and then [in the second half of the verse] it gives another commandment concerning the zakein, that is one who has acquired wisdom, even if he be young and learned. It is possible that this is also the opinion of Onkelos, except that he translated the hoary head as “young and learned” [and hence the first half of his translation reads, “thou shalt rise up before him who understands — the knowledge of the Torah,” meaning even if he is young and learned], since the term zakein [in the second half of the verse, which clearly means “one who has acquired wisdom”] came and indicated that the term hoary head includes all kinds of old age, whether old in the knowledge of the Torah or old in days.

We should stand before an old man of exceedingly advanced age, even if he is not a sage. Even a sage who is young is obligated to stand before an old man of exceedingly advanced age. Nevertheless, he need not rise to his full height, and need only show some token of respect.Even an old gentile should be addressed with words of respect, and a hand should be extended to support him, as [Leviticus 19:32] states: "Stand up before a white-haired [man]." Every white-haired man is included therein.

Standing and Showing Honor Before a Sage, Even If He Is Not One’s Teacher — with 18 Paragraphs: It is a positive commandment to stand up before any sage, even if he is not elderly but is a young scholar, and even if he is not one’s teacher (as long as he is greater than oneself and worthy of being learned from) (Tur quoting the Rambam and Ran, first chapter of Kiddushin). Likewise, it is a mitzvah to stand before an elderly person—i.e., someone aged seventy—even if he is an ignoramus, provided he is not wicked (Beit Yosef quoting Tosafot, Hagahot Maimoniyot ch. 6, Mordechai Kiddushin, Rabbeinu Yeruḥam, Ran, and Rabbeinu Tam).

From when is one obligated to stand before them? From the moment they enter within four cubits (about two meters) until they pass out of one’s line of sight. Someone riding is considered as walking.

Even a scholar who is a youth must stand before an exceptionally elderly person. However, he is not obligated to rise to his full height, only enough to show honor. Even for an elderly non-Jew, one honors him with words and offers him a hand for support.

8) And if the one before whom he spoke lashon hara or rechiluth were an elder and he demeaned him with this to his face, even if he were an elderly ignoramus, he also transgresses (Vayikra 19:32): "And you shall honor the face of the elder." (And even though the "elder" of the verse refers to one who is wise, Chazal have explained that "And you shall honor" also reverts to "the hoary head" (seivah) that precedes it), for "honor" refers to honoring with words, i.e., speaking to him with honor and respect. And if he demeans him, he certainly does not honor him. Likewise, if he is wise, even if he is not elderly, he also transgresses this positive commandment. For the "elder" [zaken] of the verse refers to a sage, as it is expounded: [zaken] "he who has acquired wisdom" (aside from his coming many times to transgress thereby the graver issur of shaming a Torah scholar, thereby entering the category of apikores [heretic] according to the din. We shall enlarge upon this, the L–rd willing.) And if he is an elder and also a sage, he transgresses "And you shall honor" doubly.