Greeting One's Rebbe on Yom Tov
The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 16b) states: "Rabbi Yitzchak said: A person is obligated to greet his teacher on Yom Tov," deriving this from the incident of the Shunamite woman and Elisha. When Elisha asked her, "Why are you going to him today? It is neither Rosh Chodesh nor Shabbos," the implication is that on Rosh Chodesh and Shabbos she would have gone to him. The Rambam (Hilchos Talmud Torah 5:7) and the Rosh likewise rule that one is obligated to greet his Rebbe on Yom Tov.
The commentators question Rabbi Yitzchak's derivation. He establishes an obligation specifically on Yom Tov, yet his proof comes from a verse that mentions Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh as well. The Ritva explains that the frequency with which one must visit his Rebbe depends upon the distance between them. If the Rebbe lives in the same city, the student is obligated to visit him every day. If he lives nearby but outside the city, he should visit once a week or once a month, while someone who lives far away is obligated to visit him once each Yom Tov. Rabbi Yitzchak therefore emphasizes that even one who lives far from his Rebbe should not become accustomed to neglecting this mitzvah; he must visit him at least once on Yom Tov. The Rach similarly explains that one who lives nearby visits his Rebbe on Rosh Chodesh and Shabbos, while one who lives farther away is obligated on Yom Tov.
The Iyun Yaakov (Sukkah) cites the Radak and Abarbanel, who had a version of the Gemara reading that one is obligated to greet his Rebbe on "Shabbos and Yom Tov." They explain that the Rosh Chodesh mentioned in the verse can itself be understood as referring to Yom Tov, since for the Shunamite woman, Rosh Chodesh had the status of a Yom Tov, as women traditionally refrained from work on Rosh Chodesh. The Turei Even (Rosh Hashanah) explains that "Shabbos" refers to Yom Tov, while "Rosh Chodesh" refers specifically to Rosh Hashanah. The Panim Yafos (end of Parshas Re'eh) similarly explains that "Rosh Chodesh" refers to Rosh Hashanah, while "Shabbos" refers to Yom Kippur.
The Pnei Yehoshua offers a fundamentally different approach. In principle, a person should be obligated to greet his Rebbe whenever the opportunity arises. However, such an obligation cannot apply constantly, since it would interfere with a person's livelihood. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, when a person is not occupied with work, the obligation applies. Since women were accustomed to refrain from work on Rosh Chodesh, Rosh Chodesh likewise takes on the status of Shabbos and Yom Tov in this regard.
The Pnei Yehoshua further explains why the Gemara derives the halachah specifically from the Shunamite woman. Although women are generally exempt from Talmud Torah, the Shunamite woman regularly visited Elisha and recognized through his conduct that he was a holy man. Since she had learned proper Torah conduct from him, he assumed the status of her Rebbe, requiring her to greet him. Thus, the concept of greeting one's Rebbe is not necessarily limited to men who are obligated in Talmud Torah.
The Nature of the Obligation
The Rambam's placement of this halachah is significant. He writes the obligation to greet one's Rebbe immediately alongside the obligation to stand before him:
"A person is obligated to stand before his Rebbe... and afterward he may sit; and a person is obligated to greet his Rebbe on Yom Tov" (Hilchos Talmud Torah 5:7).
This suggests that greeting one's Rebbe is fundamentally an aspect of kavod haRav. At first glance, this would seem to limit the obligation to those who are subject to the laws of honoring a Torah teacher. Nevertheless, as discussed, the Pnei Yehoshua understands that women can also have such an obligation, and in certain circumstances may even have a greater frequency of visitation than men, since the Shunamite woman visited Elisha on Rosh Chodesh as well.
The Position of the Noda B'Yehudah
It is noteworthy that although the Rambam and Rosh rule explicitly that one must greet his Rebbe on Yom Tov, the Tur and Shulchan Aruch do not cite Rabbi Yitzchak's statement in this form. The Noda B'Yehudah (Mahadura Tinyana, Orach Chaim 94) explains this omission based upon a fundamental understanding of the obligation.
According to the Noda B'Yehudah, the obligation to greet one's Rebbe on Yom Tov is connected to the special spiritual nature of Yom Tov. It is a time when the Korban Mussaf is brought, and therefore a Rebbe has a special ability to influence his students. There would likewise be reason to greet one's Rebbe on Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh. Nevertheless, just as Chazal teach that a person should not stand before his Rebbe more than twice a day, so that the honor shown to his Rebbe should not exceed the honor due to Heaven (Kiddushin 33a), there cannot be a formal obligation to greet one's Rebbe more than three times a year. This corresponds to the three Regalim, when there was an obligation of Aliyah L'Regel.
The Noda B'Yehudah therefore concludes that nowadays, when there is no longer a mitzvah of Aliyah L'Regel because the mitzvah of appearing in the Beis HaMikdash was connected to bringing the Korban Re'iyah, there is likewise no formal obligation to greet one's Rebbe on Yom Tov. This would explain why the Rambam records the halachah, since he frequently includes laws that apply when the Beis HaMikdash is standing, while the Rosh is transmitting the teaching of the Gemara. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch, by contrast, generally focus on practical halachos applicable in our times.
This approach, however, is difficult. Neither the Gemara nor the Rambam indicates that the obligation applies only while the Beis HaMikdash is standing. Furthermore, the Rambam places this halachah together with the other laws of honoring one's Rebbe, which certainly apply nowadays, without distinguishing between them.
In the next journal we will iy"h examine how other poskim do find that this halacha is mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch, and how the later poskim concluded on this matter. ■
