4 Repetitions

A reader who prefers to remain anonymous on this blog reminded me of the following passage from Bavli Eruvin 54b. Here's the whole passage, taken from Jacob Neusner's translation:

Our rabbis have taught on Tannaite authority: What is the order of Mishnah teaching? Moses learned it from the mouth of the All-Powerful. Aaron came in, and Moses repeated his chapter to him and Aaron went forth and sat at the left hand of Moses.

 His sons came in and Moses repeated their chapter to them, and his sons went forth. Eleazar sat at the right of Moses, and Itamar at the left of Aaron. R. Judah says, “At all times Aaron was at the right hand of Moses.”

Then the elders entered, and Moses repeated for them their Mishnah chapter. The elders went out. Then the whole people came in, and Moses repeated for them their Mishnah chapter. So it came about that Aaron repeated the lesson four times, his sons three times, the elders two times, and all the people once. 

Then Moses went out, and Aaron repeated his chapter for them. Aaron went out. His sons repeated their chapter. His sons went out. The elders repeated their chapter. So it turned out that everybody repeated the same chapter four times. 

On this basis said R. Eliezer, “A person is liable to repeat the lesson for his disciple four times. And it is an argument a fortiori: If Aaron, who studied from Moses himself, and Moses from the Almighty —so in the case of a common person who is studying with a common person, all the more so!”

Readers will understandably gravitate toward the question of how this passage is to be understood historically. I'm quoting it, though, because of the reader's comment that "The emphasis on the number 4 and teaching disciples through repetition is clear, and struck me as interesting to the conversation you have been having on your blog." I agree completely. The idea of transmitting words of Torah over four generations, the dynamic of teaching four groups that radiate outward to all Israel, and the importance of repetition are all tied together. Without the outward radiation, words of Torah become esoteric mysteries that remain unknown to Israel as a whole. Without repetition, words become fuzzy are forgotten.

Another thought about the rabbinic concept of repetition. Historically, there were two distinct groups of repeaters, both called Tannaim (the Aramaic word for repeaters). The first had extremely developed abilities to memorize. Although there is no way to know exactly how accurate such memorization remained over the course of centuries, memorization by a group of gifted Tannaim was a safeguard against substantial loss.

The second group of Tannaim may not have had the same ability to memorize, since their function was to repeat the meaning and application of the tradition. It is just as important to learn the meaning as it is to know the words in which it is expressed.