בבא קמא נד

A רב, a שמש, and a חזן came to the President of the Shul to request a raise. The President asked that they each recite an appropriate פסוק so he can determine which one deserves priority. The רב went first and, reciting from תהילים, said: רחש לבי דבר טוב. He explained that רחש stands for רב, חזן, שמש in that order, which shows that רב is first. The שמש, quoting from משלי, said: שחר טוב יבקש רצון, and from שחר we have the שמש first, followed by the חזן, with the רב last. Finally, the חזן noted that the גמרא refers to חרש, שוטה וקטן. The word חרש, he said, stands for חזן, רב, שמש, with the חזן first. The Shul President smiled and remarked: “This seems like the source for the expression סתם חזן – שוטה.”

06/10/2021