You shall revere the Eternal, your God; serve Him,
cling to Him, and swear by His name.
—Deuteronomy 10:20
Many years ago, in a small town, there lived a blind man
named Benny. One winter, struggling to make ends meet, Benny decided to travel
to the next country over, hoping to collect enough funds to keep his household
afloat. The local authorities, after some grumbling, granted him official
travel documents.
So off he went, accompanied by his faithful assistant,
Yankel, to help him navigate the world.
But when they reached the border, problems arose. The
stern-faced official inspected Benny’s papers and frowned. “You have permission
to cross,” he said. “But this man,” he continued, pointing at Yankel, “he isn’t
mentioned anywhere. He stays behind.”
Benny, who had dealt with his share of bureaucrats, didn’t
miss a beat. “Read the document carefully,” he said.
The guard cleared his throat and began: “Be it known that
Benjamin Katz, a blind man of this town, has received leave to pass the
borders…”
“There!” Benny interrupted. “It says ‘a blind man,’
doesn’t it? Now, tell me, have you ever seen a blind man travel alone?”
The official opened his mouth, then closed it again. He
glanced at Benny and Yankel, and, with a sigh, he waved them both through.
Honoring Torah Scholars
The Talmud tells the story of a dedicated scholar who
interpreted every occurrence of the word “et,” a small grammatical
particle in the Hebrew text of the Torah. So small, it doesn’t even translate.
The scholar found significance in each “et,” something to add or include
that we would not have known otherwise.
But when he reached the verse “You shall revere the
Eternal, your God” (Deut. 10:20), he stopped. Could any other form of reverence
possibly compare to the awe we should have for the Almighty?
The question remained unanswered until Rabbi Akiva stepped
in. Rabbi Akiva taught that the “et” in this verse comes to instruct us
to revere Torah scholars as well.
But why? Surely, it is more logical to learn the
obligation to honor Torah scholars from the mitzvah to honor one’s parents. Why
equate it with the awe of Heaven?
Rabbi Akiva understood that without teachers, we are like
the blind when it comes to serving God. We may wish to walk the right path, but
how can we, unless someone guides our steps?
Just as a blind man’s travel permit assumes the presence
of a companion, so too, the Torah’s command to revere God assumes the role of
Torah scholars. They show us the way: how to honor God, how to keep His
mitzvot, and how to avoid wandering off course.
