Rebbe Like a Father

In פרשת במדבר, we learn of the special role of the teacher of Torah. This is pointed out when it is written about the generations of Moshe and Aharon. Only the sons of Aharon are mentioned, and not Moshe’s own sons. This is explained in מסכת סנהדרין where it says that when one teaches Torah to the son of his friend, it’s as if he fathered him. One’s parents bring a person into this world, but a Torah teacher brings him into the next world. We see this that the Prophet Elisha referred to his Rebbe, Eliyahu Hanavi, as אבי אבי, my father my father. Although Moshe Rabbeinu taught Torah to all of Israel, he gave special attention to his nephews. And he was considered like a father. This tradition is carried on today in a special Rebbe-Talmid relationship. It is very common for students to see their rabbis as real father figures. Moshe was the first to fulfill that role.