Introduction Elisha ben Abuyah was a colleague of Rabbi Akiva and a teacher of Rabbi Meir. According to legend he was one of the four sages who went into the “orchard” (perhaps a reference to metaphysical speculation). As a result he became an apostate. As a result of his apostasy, he is referred to in most places as “aher”, which means “other”. There are many fascinating legends about Elisha ben Abuya, many of which have been compiled into a novel called, As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg. This is a truly remarkable book that I cannot recommend highly enough. It is both a good read and provides a setting in which the mishnah might have taken place. Another good place to look for legends about Elisha ben Abuya is Sefer Haaggadah, by Bialik and Ravnitzky. This is a compilation of many talmudic legends.
Elisha ben Abuyah said: He who learns when a child, to what is he compared? To ink written upon a new writing sheet. And he who learns when an old man, to what is he compared? To ink written on a rubbed writing sheet. A young person is like a blank slate upon which things may be written clearly and read easily by others. However, an old person is like a piece of paper previously written upon and then erased. Subsequent writing on this paper will not be clear. This statement is not quite as negative about learning as an adult as the English saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” but it is said in a similar vein.
Rabbi Yose ben Judah a man of Kfar Ha-babli said: He who learns from the young, to what is he compared? To one who eats unripe grapes, and drinks wine from his vat; And he who learns from the old, to what is he compared? To one who eats ripe grapes, and drinks old wine. Rabbi said: don’t look at the container but at that which is in it: there is a new container full of old wine, and an old [container] in which there is not even new [wine]. This section of the mishnah refers not to the age of the student, but to the age of the teacher. Rabbi Yose says that it is preferable to learn from an older person, who is like ripe grapes and vintage wine. One who learns from the young is like one who eats unripe grapes or drinks straight from the vat. While these are edible and drinkable, they do not taste good nor are they particularly satisfying. According to Rabbi Yose a person’s teaching needs time to settle down, to “ripen” within him, before he becomes an effective teacher. If we combine this with the previous section, we see that the best situation is one in which someone learns while young and doesn’t begin to teach until much older. However, Rabbi [Judah Hanasi], in one of the most famous statements in Avoth, says that it is not the outer container that determines the nature of the wisdom but rather that which is inside. Just as with wine, an outer container can be deceiving as to the inner content, so too with wisdom. There may be young people contain mature wisdom and older people who remain immature with regards to their wisdom, and even empty. Perhaps Rabbi would disagree with the first statement as well; if one can teach while young, maybe he would hold that one can learn when old. All is determined not by one’s physical age, but by one’s inner character.