No Ordinary Ordination

In order to prevent the destruction of the hosting city, Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava performed the semichah ceremony in between two large cities, Usha and Shafram, outside their city limits. Unfortunately, in middle of the ceremony, they were discovered by a legion of Roman soldiers. Despite his students’ protests, Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava chose to remain and block the enemy so the newly ordained rabbis could flee and continue the chain of semichah.

The Romans killed Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava by throwing 300 spears at him. The Gemara writes a gruesome description of his death: “They made him like a sieve” (Sanhedrin 14a). The death of the righteous is an atonement for the rest of Klal Yisrael. In fact, Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava is listed as one of the Ten Martyrs.

Hashem’s ways are mysterious and beyond us. Still, is there any way we can understand the reason for and the manner of the death of Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava? The Iyun Yaakov suggests that the Gemara specifically used the detailed, gruesome description of his death to point us to a Gemara later in Sanhedrin (92a).

The Gemara there says that any rebbe who withholds Torah from his students becomes full of holes, like a sieve. The Maharsha explains that the rebbe apparently feels that his student is not capable of learning and that he is wasting his time teaching him. Yet, the Maharsha specifically cites the story of Rav Preida, who taught his student everything 400 times. Often, marginalized students can learn, albeit with much more difficulty. The Maharsha says the rebbe will be held accountable for making an erroneous assumption. Just because the student needs extra help and much repetition does not mean the student is not capable of learning.

But what does the Gemara mean that potentially the punishment is to become “full of holes like a sieve”? Typically, a teacher of Torah is blessed with Divine assistance; even if he is merely teaching the Aleph-Beis, his understanding of the deep complexities of Torah will grow as a result (Chasam Sofer). However, the Maharsha says the opposite is true for the rebbe who refuses to teach a student who needs extra attention—he will lose his understanding of Torah. Torah is compared to water. The Gemara is saying that his Torah knowledge will flow out of the metaphorical holes.

The Iyun Yaakov suggests, however, that the Gemara is meant to be taken literally. One time in his life, Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava did not teach a talmid whom he deemed unworthy. Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava was a saintly and righteous individual. In fact, the Gemara says that whenever the term “chassid” is used to refer to someone, it refers either to Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava or Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai. The Iyun Yaakov therefore suggests that because Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava was such a righteous individual, Hashem punished him with such a severe punishment according to the letter of the law. It is no coincidence then that both passages in Sanhedrin use the same descriptive terms.

The Gemara in Sanhedrin continues: And if one teaches the student Torah rather than withholding it, what is his reward? What of the rebbe who shows extreme patience and understanding to teach the students who need extra help? Rava says that Rav Sheshes says: he is privileged to receive blessings like Yosef, as it is stated : “But blessing shall be upon the head of one who provides [mashbir]” (Proverbs 11:26). And mashbir is referring to none other than Yosef, as it is stated: “And Yosef was the governor of the land, and he was the provider [ha’mashbir] to all the people of the land” (Genesis 42:6).