One Mentor or Many Mentors? (Part I)

Hi,

"“Make a rav for yourself” – How? This teaches that one should make himself a fixed rav, and learn mikra, mishnah, midrash, halachah and aggada from him. If the rav were to omit an explanation in mikra, he would say it in mishnah. If the rav were to omit a reason in mishnah, he would say it in midrash. If the rav were to omit an explanation in midrash, he would say it in halachah. If the rav were to omit a reason in halachah, he would say it in aggada. Thus this person will sit in his place and be filled with good and blessing.

"Rabbi Meir would say: To what may we compare someone who learns Torah from one rav? To someone who owns one field, and plants part with wheat and part with barley, part with olives and part with other trees, and thus this person will be filled with good and blessing.

"When someone learns from two or three, he is like someone who has many fields, and who plants one with wheat, another with barley, one with olives and another with other trees. Thus he is scattered among the lands, with neither good nor blessing."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 8:1-2)

This is not the whole picture, though. To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai