ב"ה

Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)

Day 12: Positive Commandment 209

Show content in:

Positive Commandment 209 (Digest)
Respecting the Sages

"You shall stand up before an elderly person and give respect to a sage"—Leviticus 19:32.

We are commanded to accord respect to Torah scholars and respectfully rise for them. Although everyone is required to respect sages, even one Torah scholar must respect another of equal stature, this mitzvah is compounded with regard to the respect a student is expected to have for his teacher.

A student is required to respect and revere his teacher, he is forbidden to challenge his teachings, and always must give him the benefit of the doubt. Indeed, our Sages tell us, "Your reverence for your teacher must be akin to your reverence for G‑d."

From Sefer Hamitzvot, published and copyright by Sichos in English. To purchase the Sefer Hamitzvot two-volume set, please click here.
The text on this page contains sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
Daily Quote
If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them: I will give your rains in their time, the land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit. Your threshing will last until the vintage, and the vintage will last until the sowing; you will eat your food to satiety, and you will live in security in your land. And I will grant peace in the land . . .
  –Leviticus 26:3–6
This page in other languages