Two fellows meet up again by chance who hadn’t seen each other since they were yeshiva bachurim together decades before.
They each have achieved success in their respective fields. One is a well known biology professor at a top university and the other is a Rosh Yeshiva.
The professor invites his former Yeshiva buddy to his next class at the university. The Rosh Yeshiva happily accepts. As the class begins and the professor begins his presentation, the rabbi looks around and sees some students dozing off, others reading a newspaper, and only a few paying attention.
At the end of the class the professor and the rabbi chat together, and the rabbi invites his friend to attend his next shiur at the Yeshiva. The professor happily accepts.
At the Yeshiva, the professor finds a seat with all the students, but when the Rosh Yeshiva walks in, all the bachurim stand up in respect and only sit down once the rabbi takes his seat.
During the shiur all listen attentively and follow the lesson in their sefer. Each one is called upon to read the text, and they all listen and are ready to respond to the rabbi’s comments and questions.
And at the end of the shiur, all the bachurim stand up as their rabbi takes his leave.
Following the shiur the rabbi and professor have a chat. The professor was surprised that all the students were so much more respectful than his own students. After all he was a well known published scholar in his field of biology. How come he didn’t get the same respect?
The rabbi answered, maybe it’s because of what we teach. In the Yeshiva we honor h.azal, our rabbinic sages, rishonim and ah.aronim. We are descended from our great ancestors. We cannot achieve their greatness. We can only hope to understand well their teachings and apply them to our day. As their rabbi I am closer to the sages than they are. So they honor me and my teachings.
Whereas in the science of biology, you teach that we are descended from apes. So they see themselves as more evolved than you!
-Rabbi Gershon Weissman
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