Kiddushin 32: Honouring One's Father and Teacher; Foregoing One's Honour

A great daf on how to honour one's father.  Some of the expectations include:

• Honouring one's father through food
• the food is paid for through the father's estate
• if a father does not have much money, the son pays for that food
• pairs of father/son, brother/brother, business partners, rabbi/student can redeem the second tithe together without paying an extra one fifth
• one may not feed his father disrespectfully, for example, through using the poor man's tithe
• a father can forego his honour if he believe that other behaviour would anger his son and create a situation where the son would transgress (ie. get angry and disrespect his father)

We learn about stoning and burning transgressors of specific sins as taught by one father to his son.  That learning turns into a conversation about the different punishments for different capital crimes.  Part of that discussion is an argument regarding which is more severe, burning or stoning.

The rabbis continue to discuss honouring one's father:

• If a father transgresses a Torah law, his son should not say, "Father you have transgressed a Torah matter";
• Instead, his son should say, "Father, this verse is written in the Torah (and then say the verse)"
• This is to allow the father to correct his own mistake without being corrected by his son
• If a father asks for water at the same time that a son is performing a mitzvah, the son should finish performing his mitzvah
• This is because both the father and the son are obligated in mitzvot

The Gemara shifts to discuss when one might forego his honour.  In particular, the Gemara considers rabbis and their relationships with each other.

• Through their expectations at weddings, we learn that Sages are expected both to serve when they are hosting and that Sages expect the respect of other Sages, as demonstrated by standing in the presence of a Sage
• Who can forego his honour - a father? a rabbi? a Sage? a Nasi? a priest? a King?
• We are reminded that Abraham avinu was a host who stood to honour his unknown guests
• Through a number of different verses, we learn that elderly people and wise people are to be honoured
• This means that a youth with wisdom is to be honoured equally to an elderly Sage or an elderly, uneducated man
• The term sheiva, hoary head, is introduced in contrast with zakan, elderly