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A Talmud Typology of Torah Teachers
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ByDovi Seldowitz

A Talmud Typology of Torah Teachers

Based on a verse from Isaiah 3:1–4, the Talmud (Chagigah 14a) offers a list of eighteen leaders and/or scholars infered from a highly detailed curse of the demise of Judean culture. While the plain meaning of the Biblical verses are referred to a set of 18 curses, the Talmud interprets these to form a typology of Torah scholars.

At first glance, it appears that there are certain inconsistencies within this list. The typology combines scholars of different Jewish topics and areas of specialisation (e.g., Bible, Mishna, Hebrew Calendar), with scholars of various the personal characteristics and skills (e.g., elders, geniuses, bright students). Additionally, there are three categories (judges, prophets and kings) which seem to reflect Jewish leadership beyond the narrow framwork of Torah study. So it seems unclear whether this list is solely meant as a typology of Torah scholars, if other categories of Jewish leadership were meant to expand the definition of Torah study, or if this is strictly about the decline of Judean culture envisioned by Isaiah.

In the Talmudic style, there are two category items (#11 and #12) which are subject of a debate. This may reflect the oral tradition where the teachings diverged over time and the Talmud's redactor must include both versions. Another point to consider is that the final category refers to the unpious leader which would be odd to include into a typology.

The List

#1 - The Masters of the Bible

#2 - The Masters of Mishna

#3 - The Masters of Talmud

#4 - The Masters of Aggada

#5 - The Masters of Halakha

#6 - The Debate Champions

#7 - The Truthful Judges

#8 - The Prophets

#9 - The Kings

#10 - The Yeshiva Elders

#11 - a) The Masters the Five Books of Moses;

b) The 50-Year-Old Sage

#12 - a) The Masters of Divine Favour;

b) The Masters of Diplomatic Favour

#13 - The Calendar Specialists

#14 - The Bright Students

#15 - The Abstract Genius Scholars

#16 - The Practical & Clever Scholars

#17 - The Masters of Torah Secrets

#18 - The Unpious Leaders

חגיגה י״ד א:ח׳-י״ד

שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה קְלָלוֹת, מַאי נִינְהוּ? דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי הִנֵּה הָאָדוֹן ה׳ צְבָאוֹת מֵסִיר מִירוּשָׁלִַם וּמִיהוּדָה מַשְׁעֵן וּמַשְׁעֵנָה כֹּל מִשְׁעַן לֶחֶם וְכֹל מִשְׁעַן מָיִם גִּבּוֹר וְאִישׁ מִלְחָמָה שׁוֹפֵט וְנָבִיא וְקוֹסֵם וְזָקֵן. שַׂר חֲמִשִּׁים וּנְשׂוּא פָנִים וְיוֹעֵץ וַחֲכַם חֲרָשִׁים וּנְבוֹן לָחַשׁ. וְנָתַתִּי נְעָרִים שָׂרֵיהֶם וְתַעֲלוּלִים יִמְשְׁלוּ בָם וְגוֹ׳״.

  1. ״מַשְׁעֵן״ — אֵלּוּ בַּעֲלֵי מִקְרָא.
  2. ״מַשְׁעֵנָה״ — אֵלּוּ בַּעְלֵי מִשְׁנָה, כְּגוֹן רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן תֵּימָא וַחֲבֵירָיו. פְּלִיגִי בַּהּ רַב פָּפָּא וְרַבָּנַן, חַד אָמַר: שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, וְחַד אָמַר: שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה.
  3. ״כֹּל מִשְׁעַן לֶחֶם״ — אֵלּוּ בַּעֲלֵי תַלְמוּד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לְכוּ לַחֲמוּ בְלַחֲמִי וּשְׁתוּ בְּיַיִן מָסָכְתִּי״.
  4. ״וְכֹל מִשְׁעַן מָיִם״ — אֵלּוּ בַּעֲלֵי אַגָּדָה, שֶׁמּוֹשְׁכִין לִבּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם כַּמַּיִם בְּאַגָּדָה.
  5. ״גִּבּוֹר״ — זֶה בַּעַל שְׁמוּעוֹת.
  6. ״וְאִישׁ מִלְחָמָה״ — זֶה שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לִישָּׂא וְלִיתֵּן בְּמִלְחַמְתָּהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה.
  7. ״שׁוֹפֵט״ — זֶה דַּיָּין שֶׁדָּן דִּין אֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ.
  8. ״נָבִיא״ — כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ.
  9. ״קוֹסֵם״ — זֶה מֶלֶךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״קֶסֶם עַל שִׂפְתֵי מֶלֶךְ״.
  10. ״זָקֵן״ — זֶה שֶׁרָאוּי לִישִׁיבָה.
  11. ״שַׂר חֲמִשִּׁים״ — אַל תִּקְרֵי ״שַׂר חֲמִשִּׁים״, אֶלָּא ״שַׂר חוּמָּשִׁין״. זֶה שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לִישָּׂא וְלִיתֵּן בַּחֲמִשָּׁה חוּמְשֵׁי תוֹרָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר: ״שַׂר חֲמִשִּׁים״ — כִּדְרַבִּי אֲבָהוּ. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: מִכָּאן שֶׁאֵין מַעֲמִידִין מְתוּרְגְּמָן עַל הַצִּבּוּר פָּחוֹת מֵחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה.
  12. ״וּנְשׂוּא פָּנִים״ — זֶה שֶׁנּוֹשְׂאִין פָּנִים לְדוֹרוֹ בַּעֲבוּרוֹ. לְמַעְלָה, כְּגוֹן רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא. לְמַטָּה, כְּגוֹן רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ בֵּי קֵיסָר.
  13. ״יוֹעֵץ״ — שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לְעַבֵּר שָׁנִים וְלִקְבּוֹעַ חֳדָשִׁים.
  14. ״וְחָכָם״ — זֶה תַּלְמִיד הַמַּחְכִּים אֶת רַבּוֹתָיו.
  15. ״חֲרָשִׁים״ — בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁפּוֹתֵחַ בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה הַכֹּל נַעֲשִׂין כְּחֵרְשִׁין.
  16. ״וְנָבוֹן״ — זֶה הַמֵּבִין דָּבָר מִתּוֹךְ דָּבָר.
  17. ״לָחַשׁ״ — זֶה שֶׁרָאוּי לִמְסוֹר לוֹ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה שֶׁנִּיתְּנָה בְּלַחַשׁ.
  18. ״וְנָתַתִּי נְעָרִים שָׂרֵיהֶם״. מַאי ״וְנָתַתִּי נְעָרִים שָׂרֵיהֶם״? אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁמְּנוֹעָרִין מִן הַמִּצְוֹת. ״וְתַעֲלוּלִים יִמְשְׁלוּ בָּם״ — אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: תַּעֲלֵי בְּנֵי תַעֲלֵי. וְלֹא נִתְקָרְרָה דַּעְתּוֹ, עַד שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם: ״יִרְהֲבוּ הַנַּעַר בַּזָּקֵן וְהַנִּקְלֶה בַּנִּכְבָּד״ — אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁמְּנוֹעָרִין מִן הַמִּצְוֹת, יִרְהֲבוּ בְּמֵי שֶׁמְּמוּלָּא בְּמִצְוֹת כְּרִמּוֹן. ״וְהַנִּקְלֶה בַּנִּכְבָּד״ — יָבֹא מִי שֶׁחֲמוּרוֹת דּוֹמוֹת עָלָיו כְּקַלּוֹת, וְיִרְהֲבוּ בְּמִי שֶׁקַּלּוֹת דּוֹמוֹת עָלָיו כַּחֲמוּרוֹת.
Chagigah 14a:8-14

The Gemara asks: What are these eighteen curses? The Gemara answers: As it is written: “For behold, the Master, the Lord of hosts, shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and staff, every support of bread, and every support of water; the mighty man, and the man of war; the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the elder; the captain of fifty, and the man of favor, and the counselor, and the cunning charmer, and the skillful enchanter. And I will make children their princes, and babes shall rule over them” (Isaiah 3:1–4). The eighteen items listed in these verses shall be removed from Israel. The Gemara proceeds to clarify the homiletical meaning of these terms:

  1. “Support”; these are masters of the Bible.
  2. “Staff”; these are masters of Mishna, such as Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima and his colleagues. The Gemara interjects: Rav Pappa and the Rabbis disagreed with regard to this. One of them said: They were proficient in six hundred orders of Mishna, and the other one said: In seven hundred orders of Mishna, only six of which remain today.
  3. “Every support of bread”; these are masters of Talmud, as it is stated: “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine that I have mingled” (Proverbs 9:5).
  4. “And every support of water”; these are the masters of aggada, who draw people’s hearts like water by means of aggada.
  5. “The mighty man”; this is the master of halakhic tradition, one who masters the halakhot transmitted to him from his rabbis.
  6. “And the man of war”; this is one who knows how to engage in the discourse of Torah, generating novel teachings in the war of Torah.
  7. “A judge”; this is a judge who judges a true judgment truthfully.
  8. “A prophet”; as it literally indicates.
  9. “A diviner”; this is a king. Why is he called a diviner? For it is stated: “A divine sentence is on the lips of the king” (Proverbs 16:10).
  10. “An elder”; this is one fit for the position of head of an academy.
  11. “A captain of fifty,” do not read it as “sar ḥamishim,” rather read it as “sar ḥumashin”; this is one who knows how to engage in discourse with regard to the five books of [ḥamisha ḥumshei] the Torah. Alternatively, “a captain of fifty” should be understood in accordance with Rabbi Abbahu, for Rabbi Abbahu said: From here we learn that one may not appoint a disseminator over the public to transmit words of Torah or teachings of the Sages if he is less than fifty years of age.
  12. “And the man of favor”; this is one for whose sake favor is shown to his generation. The Gemara provides different examples of this: Some garner favor above, such as Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, whose prayers for his generation would invariably be answered. Others gain favor below, for example: Rabbi Abbahu, who would plead Israel’s case in the house of the emperor.
  13. “The counselor”; this is referring to one who knows how to intercalate years and determine months, due to his expertise in the phases of the moon and the calculation of the yearly cycle.
  14. “The cunning”; this is a student who makes his rabbis wise through his questions.
  15. “Charmer [ḥarashim]”; this is referring to one so wise that when he begins speaking matters of Torah, all those listening are as though deaf [ḥershin], as they are unable to comprehend the profundity of his comments.
  16. “The skillful”; this is one who understands something new from something else he has learned.
  17. “Enchanter [laḥash]”; this is referring to one who is worthy of having words of the Torah that were given in whispers [laḥash], i.e., the secrets of the Torah, transmitted to him.
  18. The Gemara continues to interpret this verse: “And I will make children their princes” (Isaiah 3:4). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of “And I will make children [ne’arim] their princes”? Rabbi Elazar said: These are people who are devoid [meno’arin] of mitzvot; such people will become the leaders of the nation. “And babes [ta’alulim] shall rule over them”; Rav Pappa bar Ya’akov said: Ta’alulim means foxes [ta’alei], sons of foxes. In other words, inferior people both in terms of deeds and in terms of lineage. And the prophet Isaiah’s mind was not calmed until he said to them: “The child shall behave insolently against the aged, and the base against the honorable” (Isaiah 3:5). “The child” [na’ar]; these are people who are devoid of mitzvot, who will behave insolently toward one who is as filled with mitzvot as a pomegranate. “And the base [nikleh] against the honorable [nikhbad]”; this means that one for whom major [kaved] transgressions are like minor ones [kalot] in his mind will come and behave insolently with one for whom even minor transgressions are like major ones in his mind.
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