Loving Torah Scholars (Talmidei Chachamim)

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  1. The Mitzvah of "ובו תדבק", cleaving to Hashem, is interpreted by the Sages to refer to cleaving to the Sages and Torah scholars.[1]
  2. Therefore, one should try to marry the daughter of a Torah Scholar, and marry one's daughter to a Torah Scholar.[2]
  3. One should try to eat and drink with Torah Scholars, do business with a Talmid Chacham, and to attach to them in all manners.[3]
  4. The Rabbis in Pirkei Avos (1:5) advised "make one's home a meeting place for Rabbis, be attached to the dirt of their feet, and drink with thirst their words".

Zecher Tzadik Lebracha

  1. There is a virtuous practice to mention a bracha for a tzadik when his name is mentioned (such as zecher tzadik lbracha) but it isn’t an obligation.[4]

Sources

  1. Rashi (Devarim 11:22) quotes the Sifrei which says clearly the pasuk doesn't mean that one should cleave to Hashem, rather chazal explain that the Torah means that one should cleave to Torah scholars. This is codified by the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 29:11.
  2. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 29:11
  3. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 29:11
    • The obligation to say zecher tzadik lebracha is based on Yoma 37a, Yoma 38b, and the Midrash Beresheet Rabba 49. The Meiri Yoma 38b writes that it is a mitzvah.
    • However, the Sefer Chasidim no. 745 writes that there's no obligation to mention zecher tzadik lbracha as we don't do so when we're doing kriyat hatorah and the gemara doesn't mention it when mentioning the amoraim. The Chida (quoted by Sdei Chemed v. 10 p. 54) explains that perhaps the Sefer Chasidim holds that it is only an obligation to say zecher tzadik lbracha in the context of when a tzadik and rasha are mentioned together that one should distinguish them and bless the tzadik and curse the rasha.
    • Kovetz Shiurim Mor Dror Yoma p. 105 quotes Rav Yeshaya Pick that there's no obligation to say or write zecher tzadik lbracha every time a tzadik is mentioned which fits with the Sefer Chasidim. Sdei Chemed v. 10 p. 55 agrees that the minhag is to rely on those who say it isn’t an obligation to mention zecher tzadik lbracha every time a tzadik is mentioned. He quotes the Dikduri Sofrim v. 1, Nechmad Mareh v. 2 p. 131, and Yafeh Lelev YD 3:240:23 who also defend this practice.
    • Pela Yoetz Dalet writes that people do to mention lecher tzadik lbracha for someone who recently passed away and not for those of previous generations is wrong and the opposite should be the case. Kovetz Shiurim Mor Dror quotes Amirat Dvar Bshem Omro 2:299 to defend the minhag that perhaps only the tzadikim who recently passed away need our bracha but those of previous generations don't need it.