Q&A: Honoring the Righteous
Honoring the Righteous
Question
“You shall fear the Lord your God” — this comes to include Torah scholars. Does it also come to include disciples of the righteous? Meaning: someone who is not a great Torah scholar, but is God-fearing and meticulous in both minor and major commandments, careful about even the slightest trace of prohibition, performs acts of kindness with all his might, whose heart burns in the service of God with love and awe, and who is pained by the suffering of the Divine Presence. Is one obligated to honor and revere him? And does he not require protection, and does one return his lost object based on visual recognition?
Answer
Good question.
It seems to me not. Torah scholars are people who know Torah. The righteous are something else. I assume he is certainly worthy of honor, but in terms of the formal parameters of the commandment, in my opinion he is not included.