Introduction After the teaching of Antigonus from Socho, the mishnah begins with a period in Jewish history known as the period of the “pairs”. There are five “pairs” of Sages that are mentioned in our chapter, beginning in this mishnah and continuing through mishnah fifteen. The final pair are Hillel and Shammai. We should note how important the concept of the Sage and learning from the Sage is in this mishnah and in the entire chapter. The “pairs” lived in the period between the Maccabean revolt (167 B.C.E.) until about two generations before the destruction of the Temple, which was in 70 C.E. This was a time when many Jews became greatly influenced by Helenistic culture. It was also the formative period of many of the sects, including the Sadducees and probably the Essenes (as well as the Dead Sea sect, who were probably Essenes). It was probably also the formative period for the Pharisees, the predecessors of the Rabbis of the Mishnah and Talmud. Against this historical backdrop it is easy to understand why these Sages were so concerned with the authority and influence that they would have on the general public.
Yose ben Yoezer (a man) of Zeredah and Yose ben Yohanan [a man] of Jerusalem received [the oral tradition] from them [i.e. Shimon the Righteous and Antigonus]. Yose ben Yoezer used to say: let thy house be a house of meeting for the Sages and sit in the very dust of their feet, and drink in their words with thirst. Yose ben Yoezer encourages Jews to make their own homes into a place for the gathering of Sages. One should sit at the dust of their feet, which reflects the custom of the day whereby the Sage would sit on a chair and the disciple would sit at his feet. At this time period in history fixed study halls such existed in later times, especially in Babylonia during the late Talmudic period, did not yet exist. Learning the Oral Torah was performed (recited and not read) in small “disciple circles”, usually centered around a charismatic leader who would be the teacher. When the leader passed away the center of learning often moved to wherever the new leader was located. Yose ben Yoezer is encouraging people to make their homes open to the Sages, to turn them into places of learning, so that these disciple circles can exist there. When Yose ben Yoezer says “drink in their words with thirst” he is comparing the Torah to water, a common comparison in rabbinic literature. Just as water can eventually wear down rock, Torah learning eventually can seep into the hardened minds of human beings, even those who have never before learned.