Mishna 6
“And seven traits of the Sage: [...] and regarding what he has not heard, he says: ‘I have not heard.’”
It is difficult to understand what the Tanna means when he says that the Sage, concerning something he has not heard, says “I have not heard.”
To explain the intent of the Tanna, we must first cite what Kevod Chachamim says (in his work Kevod HaBayit, Sukkah 28a): “A Sage must not issue a new ruling based on his own understanding unless he heard it from his teacher. And if his teacher is not available, he must gather other sages to see whether they agree with him.”
According to this, the Tanna is teaching us that when a Sage has not heard a teaching from his teacher, he should not rule independently, but rather tell the other sages: “I have not heard this,” and therefore, “I need you to deliberate with me in order to decide the law in this case.”
