Meeting and Greeting
30. The Torah states (Leviticus, 19-32): “You shall rise before the aged and honor an elder…” From this verse we derive the positive commandment to rise when encountering a Torah scholar.
This commandment also requires rising upon seeing an elderly person (over 70 years old), even if he is not versed in Torah.
31. Girls must also follow this rule when their teacher enters the classroom.
32. You need to rise before a scholar or an elderly person only when he comes within 4 amot (2 meters) of you, since only then is it clear that you are doing so out of respect for him. You may sit down again once he has passed.
33. In the case of a renowned scholar or one's primary teacher, one must rise as soon as he enters the room or comes into view (even at a distance). One may sit down after he has taken his seat or left.
34. One should rise even if the scholar or elderly person is passing in a wheelchair.
35. It is forbidden to close one's eyes or turn away, knowing that a rabbi or elderly person is approaching, in order to avoid the obligation to rise.
36. One must rise only when first meeting one's teacher and when parting from him that day. There is no obligation to rise every time the teacher passes, provided there are no other people nearby who did not see you rise when you first met him.
37. If the teacher and student are in different rooms and can see one another only through a window or in a mirror's reflection, or if they are on platforms at different heights, there is no obligation to rise.
38. There is no obligation to rise if the teacher and student happen to meet in a restroom, bathhouse, or mikveh.
39. There is an opinion that on the 9th of Av[1] there is no obligation to rise before one's teacher, but there is a longstanding custom to rise out of respect even on days of mourning.
40. There is an opinion that someone holding a Torah scroll is also not obligated to rise before his teacher or another Torah scholar.
41. Workers and craftspeople engaged in their work are not obligated to rise if doing so would cause losses or financial damage. If they are self-employed, they may choose to adopt the stricter practice and rise out of respect for a Torah scholar. Employees, however, are forbidden to adopt the stricter practice if doing so would cause loss to others.
[1] The day on which both Temples were destroyed. On this day, it is customary to behave as though one has just lost loved ones—in full mourning. One aspect of mourning is refraining from greeting other people.