Standing for Talmidei Chachamim and the Elderly: Difference between revisions

# There is a positive mitzvah to stand for a Talmid Chacham who is more knowledgeable in Torah than most people and not simply a Yeshiva Bachur. <ref> S”A 244:1 rules that it is a positive mitzvah to stand for a Talmid Chacham. <br />

* Gemara Makot 22b bemoans how stupid some people are that they will stand up for a sefer torah and yet not stand up for a talmid chacham

# One should stand for a Talmid Chacham once he enters one's 4 amot until he leaves one's view.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 244:2

* When does the chiyuv start? Shach 244:6 adds that it is forbidden to stand before he enters one's 4 amot because there is no presentation of respect by standing at that distance. Birkei Yosef 244:11 agrees. Sh”t Yabea Omer 4:16 agrees and argues on Ben Ish Chai Ki Tetzei 13 who says that once the elder enters room one should stand as whole room is like 4 amot. [Kavod VeHiddur pg 63 writes that the din of the shach 244:6 applies to a elder and a talmid chacham.]

* When does the chiyuv end? S”A 244:2,9 based on Rambam says the chiyuv ends when they're no longer in front of one's face. Bach 244:5 based on Rashi says that one should be strict to continue to stand until they leave one's 4 amot. Shach 244:7 quotes this. Kavod VeHiddur pg 65 note 69 writes that there's no chiluk between elder and talmid chacham for this halacha. Birkei Yosef 244:12 holds like S”A.</ref>

# One should stand for one's Rebbe Muvhak once he enters one's eyesight until he leaves one's eyesight.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 242:16. Ran (Kiddushin 14a s.v. kemelo aynav) says that the reason that one needs to say for one’s rav muvhak when he sees him is because it is evident that one is standing in honor of one’s rebbe even though he is far away. The Rambam (Mamrim 6:3 as understood by the Griz Talmud Torah 5:11) says that one standing as far as one can see one’s rav muvhak because there’s an additional obligation of honoring him just like one honor’s parent, which is different than the regular obligation to stand for a talmid chacham. </ref> A Rebbe Muvhak is defined as a teacher that one learned a majority of one's learning from.<ref>Gemara Bava Metsia 33a, Shulchan Aruch YD 242:30</ref>

==Details of Standing Up==

# There are some who try to justify a minhag of being lenient regarding standing for an elder and Talmid Chacham. <ref> Shach 244:11 seems to say that the minhag is to stand only for an Av Bet Din or Rosh Yeshiva, but he leaves it as a tzarich iyun. Rav Chaim Zonenfeld in Salmat Chaim YD 59-60 explains that the Shach doesn't mean that they uprooted a Deoritta but rather that the Talmidei Chachamim forgo the respect due to them. Rabbi Zonenfeld seems to say that this is not accepted as the Halacha but only a defense of the minhag. Moadim Uzmanim 3:248 writes that he's unsure if this is enough to rely on. Similarly, Sh”t Yabia Omer YD 3:13 writes that one should certainly not rely on the assumption that Talmidei Chachamim are mochel. Kavod VeHiddur p. 38 cites some who say that we assume that in general a Talmid Chacham is mochel. Rabbi Hershel Schachter (Halachipedia Article 5772 #15) stated that we assume a Talmid Chacham is mochel people standing for him.

* The Rogachover in Salmat Yosef 1:3 writes that the biblical mitzvah of standing for a Talmid Chacham only applies to someone who has semicha going back to Moshe Rabbenu. Yabia Omer YD 4:16:2 rejects this based on a number of rishonim.

==Related Topics==

[[Category:Learning Torah]]

[[Category: Ritual Practices]]