Greatness and Humility

Rabbi Elazar said, "No one achieves greatness unless all of his sins are forgiven."

Rabbi Zeira originally kept a low-profile in order to avoid smicha (rabbinical ordination). This was due to a teaching of Rabbi Elazar that “One who resides in ‘obscurity’ will live long.” However, after he heard Rabbi Elazar also teach, “A person does not rise to a position of greatness unless all of his sins are forgiven” — he then sought to be awarded the greatness of smicha.

Rashi explains the idea behind the first teaching of Rabbi Elazar as the same idea taught in Tractate Pesachim 87b: “Woe to rulership (rabbanut), for it buries its possessor.” (See the commentary of Maharitz Chiyos, who explains why these two statements of Rabbi Elazar are not contradictory, and also see “The Path of the Just,” chapter 22, regarding the trait of humility and how it relates to a position of authority.)

Sanhedrin 14a

Birth Via Torah

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmeni said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan, "Anyone who teaches Torah to another is considered as if he gave birth to him.”

Sanhedrin 19b

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