Maharal (Nevisos Olam Nesiv HaTorah 11): Makkos (22b): How foolish are the people who stand before a sefer Torah but they don't stand before a great talmid chachom when in spite of the Torah saying that there are 40 lashes the Rabbis say that there is one less. This gemora comes to inform us of the greatness of the Torah scholar and one should not say that a Torah scholar is like other men. The reason that he is called a Torah scholar is that he is correctly compared to the Torah itself. This is definitely the reason that it states in the Torah (Devarim 14): Don't turn right or left from all that they teach you. That is because the sages are also the Torah itself. Just as G d decreed and gave the Torah to Jews, similarly the sages gave and they themselves are Torah… Sanhedrin 99 states that whoever embarrasses a talmid chachom is being insolent to the Torah because a scholar is himself Torah. A proof to this is that if they weren't Torah they would not have the ability to reduce the number of lashes from 40 to 39. Because even if they had a drasha to that effect it would not be correct for them to reduce the number openly stated in the Torah unless they themselves are Torah…
To be honest, I really just do not get this. How does this gel with the doctrine that the Torah is eternal, that the passuk never leaves its simple meaning, etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteRael Levinsohn said...
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I really just do not get this. How does this gel with the doctrine that the Torah is eternal, that the passuk never leaves its simple meaning, etc, etc.
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You have a good questions which are much discussed. The nature and role of Chazal is too big a topic to answer in one or two postings. Will try address more fully at a later date.