Rabbi Yochanan's Theme of Students, Colleagues, and Teachers

A short passage in Daf Yomi (Sanhedrin 106b-107a) today had me thinking how appropriate it was that Rabbi Yochanan expressed it. It was this:

וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: בַּתְּחִלָּה קָרָא דָּוִד לַאֲחִיתוֹפֶל רַבּוֹ, וּלְבַסּוֹף קְרָאוֹ חֲבֵירוֹ, וּלְבַסּוֹף קְרָאוֹ תַּלְמִידוֹ. בַּתְּחִלָּה קְרָאוֹ רַבּוֹ – ״וְאַתָּה אֱנוֹשׁ כְּעֶרְכִּי אַלּוּפִי וּמְיֻדָּעִי״. וּלְבַסּוֹף קְרָאוֹ חֲבֵרוֹ – ״אֲשֶׁר יַחְדָּו נַמְתִּיק סוֹד בְּבֵית אֱלֹהִים נְהַלֵּךְ בְּרָגֶשׁ״. וּלְבַסּוֹף קְרָאוֹ תַּלְמִידוֹ – ״גַּם אִישׁ שְׁלוֹמִי אֲשֶׁר בָּטַחְתִּי בוֹ

And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Initially, David called Ahithophel his teacher, and eventually, he called him his colleague, and ultimately, he called him his student. Initially, David called Ahithophel his teacher, as it is stated: “But it was you, a man my equal, my master [alufi], and my familiar friend” (Psalms 55:14); a teacher is known as aluf as he trains [me’alef ] his students. And eventually, he called him his colleague, as it is stated: “We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God with the throng” (Psalms 55:15); the term together indicates that they were equals. And ultimately, he called him his student, as it is stated: “Even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,

אוֹכֵל לַחְמִי הִגְדִּיל עָלַי עָקֵב״.

who did eat of my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Psalms 41:10). Bread is a metaphor for Torah knowledge.

Rabbi Yochanan seems to have an abiding interest in the roles of student, teacher, colleague. We see this in his communication with Shmuel after Rav’s death; and we see it in his taking umbrage at Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat being considered his colleague. As I’ve written in the past, perhaps his biography explains this. He lives between generations. He was orphaned at birth and raised for 15 years in the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, until the latter’s death. He is thus younger than Rabbi’s other students, yet considers himself a transitional Tanna / Amora.

I will reproduce those other two gemaras so that we can think about them. In terms of Shmuel after Rav’s death, in Chullin 95b:

כולהו שני דרב הוה כתב ליה רבי יוחנן לקדם רבינו שבבבל כי נח נפשיה הוה כתב לשמואל לקדם חבירינו שבבבל אמר לא ידע לי מידי דרביה אנא כתב שדר ליה עיבורא דשיתין שני אמר השתא חושבנא בעלמא ידע

The Gemara relates an incident when Rabbi Yoḥanan checked his luck based on a child’s verse. During all the years when Rav lived in Babylonia, Rabbi Yoḥanan, who lived in Eretz Yisrael, would write to him and begin with the greeting: To our Master who is in Babylonia. When Rav died, Rabbi Yoḥanan would write to Shmuel and begin with the greeting: To our colleague who is in Babylonia. Shmuel said: Does Rabbi Yoḥanan not know any matter in which I am his master? Shmuel wrote and sent to Rabbi Yoḥanan the calculation of the leap years for the next sixty years. Rabbi Yoḥanan was not impressed by this and said: Now he has merely demonstrated that he knows mathematics, which does not make him my master.

כתב שדר ליה תליסר גמלי ספקי טריפתא אמר אית לי רב בבבל איזיל איחזייה א"ל לינוקא פסוק לי פסוקיך אמר ליה (שמואל א כח, ג) ושמואל מת אמר ש"מ נח נפשיה דשמואל

Shmuel then wrote and sent to Rabbi Yoḥanan explications of uncertainties pertaining to tereifot that had to be transported on thirteen camels. Rabbi Yoḥanan was impressed by this and said: I have a Master in Babylonia; I will go and see him. Before departing on his journey, Rabbi Yoḥanan said to a child: Recite to me your verse that you studied today. The child recited the following verse to Rabbi Yoḥanan: “Now Samuel was dead” (I Samuel 28:3). Rabbi Yoḥanan said to himself: Learn from this that Shmuel has died. Therefore, Rabbi Yoḥanan did not go to see Shmuel.

And in Yevamot 96b:

אֲזַל רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אֲמַר לִשְׁמַעְתָּא בֵּי מִדְרְשָׁא, וְלָא אַמְרַהּ מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן. שְׁמַע רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אִיקְּפַד. עוּל לְגַבֵּיהּ רַבִּי אַמֵּי וְרַבִּי אַסִּי. אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: לֹא כָּךְ הָיָה הַמַּעֲשֶׂה בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת שֶׁל טְבֶרְיָא בְּנֶגֶר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ גְּלוֹסְטְרָא,

§ Rabbi Elazar went and said this halakha in the study hall, but he did not state it in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan. Instead, he issued the halakha without attribution. Rabbi Yoḥanan heard that Rabbi Elazar omitted mention of his name and became angry with him. Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi visited Rabbi Yoḥanan, to placate him so that he would not be annoyed with his beloved disciple. They said to him: Wasn’t there an incident in the synagogue of Tiberias involving a bolt that secures a door in place and that has a thick knob [gelustera] at its end? The question was whether it may be moved on Shabbat as a vessel, or whether it is considered muktze as raw material.

שֶׁנֶּחְלְקוּ בּוֹ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי, עַד שֶׁקָּרְעוּ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה בַּחֲמָתָן. קָרְעוּ סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ?! אֶלָּא אֵימָא שֶׁנִּקְרַע סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה בַּחֲמָתָן. וְהָיָה שָׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן קִיסְמָא, אָמַר: תָּמֵיהַּ אֲנִי אִם לֹא יִהְיֶה בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת זוֹ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. וְכֵן הֲוָה.

And it was stated that Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosei argued over this case until they became so upset with each other that they tore a Torah scroll in their anger. The Gemara interrupts this account to clarify exactly what happened: Tore? Can it enter your mind that such great Sages would intentionally tear a Torah scroll? Rather, you must say that a Torah scroll was torn through their anger. In the heat of their debate they pulled the scroll from one side to another until it tore. And Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma, who was there at the time, said: I would be surprised if this synagogue does not become a place of idolatrous worship. This unfortunate event is a sign that this place is unsuitable for a synagogue. And indeed this eventually occurred.

הֲדַר אִיקְּפַד טְפֵי, אֲמַר: חַבְרוּתָא נָמֵי?!

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi cited this baraita to hint to Rabbi Yoḥanan how careful one must be to avoid anger. However, Rabbi Yoḥanan grew even angrier, saying: You are even making us colleagues now? Those two Sages were peers, whereas Rabbi Elazar is merely my student.

עוּל לְגַבֵּיהּ רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אִידִי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: ״כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ כֵּן צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכֵן עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא הֵסִיר דָּבָר מִכׇּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה״, וְכִי עַל כׇּל דָּבָר שֶׁאָמַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הָיָה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם: כָּךְ אָמַר לִי מֹשֶׁה? אֶלָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ יוֹשֵׁב וְדוֹרֵשׁ סְתָם, וְהַכֹּל יוֹדְעִין שֶׁתּוֹרָתוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה הִיא. אַף רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר תַּלְמִידְךָ יוֹשֵׁב וְדוֹרֵשׁ סְתָם, וְהַכֹּל יוֹדְעִין כִּי שֶׁלְּךָ הִיא.

Rabbi Ya’akov bar Idi visited Rabbi Yoḥanan and said to him: The verse states: “As God commanded His servant Moses, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua, he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses” (Joshua 11:15). Now did Joshua, with regard to every matter that he said, say to the Jews: Thus Moses said to me? Rather, Joshua would sit and teach Torah without attributing his statements, and everyone would know that it was from the Torah of Moses. So too, your disciple Rabbi Elazar sits and teaches without attribution, and everyone knows that his teaching is from your instruction. Hearing this, Rabbi Yoḥanan was appeased.

אָמַר לָהֶם: מִפְּנֵי מָה אִי אַתֶּם יוֹדְעִין לְפַיֵּיס כְּבֶן אִידִי חֲבֵרֵינוּ.

Later, after calming down, he said to Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi: Why don’t you know how to appease me like our colleague ben Idi?

So see how colleague is an insult; though at the end, he refers to כְּבֶן אִידִי חֲבֵרֵינוּ, out colleague, about Rabbi Ya’akov bar Idi.