But how did R. Meir learn Torah at the mouth of Acher [who went off the derech]? Behold Rabbah b. Bar Hana said that R. Johanan said: What is the meaning of the verse, For the kohen's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts?
[This means that] if the teacher is like an angel of the Lord of hosts, they should seek the Law at his mouth, but if not, they should not seek the Law at his mouth! — Resh Lakish answered: R. Meir found a verse and expounded it [as follows]: Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart unto my knowledge. It does not say, ‘unto their knowledge’, but ‘unto my knowledge’ [Since the heart may not be applied to their knowledge, it shows that the acts of the wise men referred to must be wicked. Nevertheless, their words may be listened to. Thus R. Meir could learn from Acher, provided he did not imitate the latter's deeds.] R. Hanina said, [he decided it] from here: Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear; forget also your own people, and thy father's house etc. [I.e., hearken to the words of the wise, but forget their actions, if they are wicked.] The verses contradict one another! [the pasuk quoted above from which we derive that one's Rebbe should be like a malach and the psukim that imply that one may learn from someone even if he is not a righteous person]. There is no contradiction: in the one case Scripture refers to an adult, in the other to a child [an adult who is careful not to learn from his deeds may learn from him - Rashi] . When R. Dimi came [to Babylon] he said: In the West, they say: R. Meir ate the date and threw the kernel away.
The Ramban [Hilchos Talmud Torah 4/1] rules that if a Rav is not going on the right path even if he is a very wise and knowledgable man and the entire nation needs him, one may not learn from him until he returns to the path of goodness as it says "For a kohen's lips should keep knowledge etc." The Lechem Mishna notes that the Rambam didn't cite the gemara's distinction between an adult and a child. He answers that Rav Yochanan elsewhere is Shas also makes this assertion [that a person should learn from a righteous Rebbe] and the gemara doesn't distinguish between an adult and a child so halacha li-maase there is no distinction. Only Rebbe Meir in our gemara makes the distinction but the halacha doesn't follow him.
The Lechem Mishna is referring to a gemara in Moed Katan [17a]: There was once a certain Rabbi whose reputation was objectionable. Said Rab Judah, How is one to act? To excommunicate him [we cannot], as the Rabbis have need of him [as an able teacher]. Not to excommunicate him [we cannot afford] as the name of Heaven is being profaned. Said he to Rabbah b. Bar Hana, Have you heard alight on that point? He replied: ‘Thus said R. Johanan: What means the text, For the kohen's lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts? [It means, that] if the Master is like unto a messenger of the Lord of Hosts, they should seek the law at his mouth; but if [he be] not , they should not seek the law at his mouth’. [Thereupon] Rab Yehudah pronounced the excommunication on him.
We see from this sugya that the gemara doesn't distinguish between an adult and a child and the Rabbi with the poor reputation was excommunicated.
However, Tosfos in Chagiga already asks about the sugya in Moed Kattan where the Rabbi was excommunicated and no distinction was made between a child and an adult unlike the sugya in Chagiga. They offer two answers: 1] The gemara in M"K is talking about a Rabbi who taught children [thus harmonizing the two gemaros that they shouldn't contradict each other]. 2] עיין שם.
The Rambam doesn't subscribe to Tosfos' answer because the simple meaning of the gemara is that it refers even to gdolim.
Since the reason one would make a distinction between a gadol and a kotton is because a gadol is less susceptible to the influence of a deviant Rebbe, it must be that the Rambam [who doesn't make the aforementioned distinction] holds that there is another reason it is forbidden. What is that reason? Let us learn the gemara further....
Rabbah b. Shila [once] met Elijah.
He said to him: What is the Holy One, blessed be He, doing? He answered: He utters traditions in the name of all the Rabbis, but in the name of R. Meir he does not utter. Rabbah asked him, Why? — Because he learnt traditions at the mouth of Aher.
Rabbeinu Chananel explains that even though Rebbe Meir was not influenced by Acher, it is still better to learn from a yarei shomayim. We see that there is a deficiency in the Torah of someone who learns from a deviant Rebbe. There is a חסרון in the צורה of all of his Torah. That is why Hashem didn't say ANY Torah from Rebbe Meir.
This tips us off as to why the Rambam finds it necessary to tell us that after the Rebbe does tshuvah one may learn from him. One might think that there is a permanent blemish in his Torah even after he does tshuva and is once again a yarei shomayim, just as Rebbe Meir was a solid yarei shomayim but since he leared from Acher there was a significant blemish in his learning. To disabuse us from this notion the Rambam says that after he does tshuva one may learn from him.
Which then brings in its wake another question - how then does the Rambam know that? Maybe one may not learn from such a person even after tshuva??
For those interested in furthering their knowledge, they may look in the sefer Mishnas Chaim [בראשית סי' צו].
Another question worth our attention is what exactly is the spiritual deficiency of the Rebbe? Is it apikorsus? Bad middos? Both? That he doesn't wear tcheiles [that was a joke..] Something else?
There is a lot more to say but maybe another time.
ועוד חזון למועד!!:-)
ועוד חזון למועד!!:-)
