Horayot 14

Today’s daf, the last of Tractate Horayot, begins with a coda to yesterday’s poignant story of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s overbearing treatment of his colleagues Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan. What began as a fussy requirement that the students stand longer in honor of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel snowballed into a bitter conflict that resulted in Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan being ejected from the study house. 

Eventually, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel was forced to readmit Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan, but in continued punishment, he struck their names from the record. Rabbi Meir’s teachings would henceforth be transmitted with the phrase “Others say…” and Rabbi Natan’s would be preceded by the words “Some say…” This was a huge blow, especially in a culture deeply invested in naming the authors (and even transmitters) of each opinion.

The wounds of this conflict did not heal in that generation, or even the next. But today’s daf recounts the eventual thaw:

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi taught his son: Others say if it was considered a substitute, it would not be sacrificed.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s son said to him: Who are these sages whose water we drink but whose names we do not mention?

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: They are people who sought to abolish your honor and the honor of your father’s house.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the son of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, clearly carries his father’s grudge, and therefore continues to transmit Rabbi Meir’s teaching with the obfuscating phrase “Others say…” But Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s son, the grandson of the originally offended party, who in fact also carries the name and title Rabban Gamliel, is curious to know about these obscure sages whose words of wisdom we imbibe like life-giving water but whose names we do not know. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi grudgingly tells him — not their names, but their offenses. The way this information is revealed is meant to strike his son personally: If Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan had succeeded in unseating your grandfather, you would not be in a position to inherit his role.

But the younger Rabban Gamliel, who shares a name with his grandfather, is more forgiving, as his reply demonstrates:

His son said to him: “Their love as well as their hatred and their envy is long ago perished.” (Ecclesiastes 9:6)
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: But it is also stated: “The enemy are come to an end; the wasted places are forever.” (Psalms 9:7)

Rabban Shimon said to his father: These matters apply in a case where their actions were effective. In the case of these sages, their actions were not effective.

Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi’s son cites a verse that encourages burying the hatchet, while his father parries with a verse designed to nurse the family grudge. But the son points out that Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan didn’t actually succeed in dishonoring his grandfather. In fact, it is they who lost out in the end when their names were omitted from transmission, while the Gamliel line retained its honor and authority.

It’s a powerful argument, and the Gemara now concludes:

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi then taught him: The sages said in the name of Rabbi Meir: If it was considered a substitute, it would not be sacrificed.

Rava said: Even Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who is humble, taught: “The sages said in the name of Rabbi Meir…” But he did not say directly: “Rabbi Meir said…”

The story reminds us that grudges can linger far longer than the original conflict, in this case shaping not just relationships but the transmission of tradition itself. It took three generations for the wound between Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan to begin to close. By the time of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s grandson, there was room for forgiveness. The tractate thus closes on a hopeful note: Even when entire communities are led into error, there are paths to atonement. Even when disputes leave multigenerational scars, time and humility can fade them, allowing honor — and names — to be restored.

Read all of Horayot 14 on Sefaria.

This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on September 15, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.