instruction. And when the rabbi instructed, the disciples were to sit in silence. That’s a rabbinical term. They listened and then memorized what the rabbi taught them. What he taught was sometimes called the rabbi’s word, or gospel. He taught them the Torah and offered his version of what the Torah meant. Then when he permitted, the students would ask questions: ‘What does this mean?’ and ‘Why didn’t you see it that way?’ The students might quote interpretations of other rabbis and ask him to make comparisons.
