Chullin 133
Sep 10, 2026 · 2 min · 3 segments
Chullin 133 – Thursday – 28 Elul By Rabbi Johnny Solomon, #theVirtualRabbi חולין דף קלג, דף יומי
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Sep 10, 2026 · 2 min · 3 segments
Chullin 133 – Thursday – 28 Elul By Rabbi Johnny Solomon, #theVirtualRabbi חולין דף קלג, דף יומי
Rav Yudah said in the name of Rav, Whoever teaches Torah to an unfit student, meaning a student of poor character, falls into Gehenna.
To be clear, this halacha does not address the academic qualities of a prospective student, but rather the moral qualities, namely the derech eretz of the student.
As Rabbi Lazar ben Azaria teaches us in chapter 3 of Pirkei Avot, If there is no derech eretz, there is no Torah.
From here we learn that while derech eretz is a prerequisite for the study of Torah, we should maintain hope that those lacking derech eretz can be taught to foster good morals and good character traits.
But why do we say that someone who teaches an unfit student falls into Gehenna? Why such a harsh punishment? My belief is that a teacher who doesn't believe that they can help their students develop better derech eretz, and who doesn't strive to improve their students' moral character, is a teacher who lacks faith in the possibility of human development.
What we learn from this is that we need derech eretz to learn Torah, but even more fundamentally, we need to have faith in people that they can grow and change.
Rav Yudah said in the name of Rav, Whoever teaches Torah to an unfit student, meaning a student of poor character, falls into Gehenna.
To be clear, this halacha does not address the academic qualities of a prospective student, but rather the moral qualities, namely the derech eretz of the student.
As Rabbi Lazar ben Azaria teaches us in chapter 3 of Pirkei Avot, If there is no derech eretz, there is no Torah.
From here we learn that while derech eretz is a prerequisite for the study of Torah, we should maintain hope that those lacking derech eretz can be taught to foster good morals and good character traits.
But why do we say that someone who teaches an unfit student falls into Gehenna? Why such a harsh punishment? My belief is that a teacher who doesn't believe that they can help their students develop better derech eretz, and who doesn't strive to improve their students' moral character, is a teacher who lacks faith in the possibility of human development.
What we learn from this is that we need derech eretz to learn Torah, but even more fundamentally, we need to have faith in people that they can grow and change.
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