An apostate once approached ר׳ יהונתן אייבשיץ and asked:  “On the one hand, the Torah says to stand up before a תלמיד חכם; on the other hand, חז״ל say that a סגולה to be saved from a wild dog is to sit down next to him.  What does one do if he sees both a תלמיד חכם and a wild dog at the same time?  Does he stand or does he sit?”  The רב responded:  “Our sages taught us פוק חזי מאי עמא דבר.  If the two of us go outside together, we can see how people respond.”

05/07/2020