GEN1387 Yose ben Y’ezer of Tz’redah and Yose’ ben Yohanan of Jerusalem received the tradition from them [the Sages mentioned above]. Yose ben Yo’ezer of Tz’redah said: Let your house be a meeting place for scholars; sit at their feet in the dust, and drink in their words thirstily.   Pirkei Avot I:4  … A second condition prerequisite for the acquisition of Torah is humility. We must not be ashamed to ask questions and consult those who know more than we do. This means placing yourself in the relationship of student to teacher, disciple to master, taker to giver. You must be ready to “wallow in the dust of their feet” (literal translation) As we already had occasion to mention, in the east the rabbi would sit on a rug on the floor, with the students grouped around. The advice “to wallow in the dust of their feet” implies, therefore, that one should be very close to the teacher. The good student, avid to hear every word and eager to engage in discussion, always sits. Closest. In the Torah we find the word vayye’avek used to mean, “and he wrestled.” [this verse].   The root of he word is avak, “dust.” Presumably, when on wrestles one raises dust clouds. Hence, we can perhaps interpret our text thus: Let your home be a gathering place for the learned, and in time, he-ve-mith’abbek: you will be able to “wrestle” with them intellectually. You will be able to debate the finer points, to question to argue and to disagree. Judaism as a religion does not require blind obedience. The Talmud is full of debates, discussions, subtle exchanges, and vigorous give and take. The Tosafists continually question the interpretations of Rashi and always engage in verbal duel and brilliant riposts. (The Tosafists were a school of French Talmudists that included Rashi’s grandchildren; they wrote glosses on the Talmud, often disagreeing with Rashi). SINAI1 52