I have seen this gemara many times of the Rebbe who was reinstated - despite his killing students by beating them too hard - because 'he was a good rebbe'. I guess in today's hightened awareness of physical abuse this gemera seems difficult to explain. Any he'aros?
moshe white, edmonto
This Gemara appears three times in Shas. In two places (Gittin 36a and Makos 16b) Rashi says only that the teacher was hitting the children too much. Only in the third place (Bechoros 46a) does Rashi say that he actually killed them. Derech Melitzah: Could we perhaps say that this Rashi is Batel b'Rov?
(I suggest emending the text of Rashi from "u'Mesim" to "u'Makam", or "u'Machyam". Rashi means to say that the crude teacher would whip the children "and hit them" -Mordecai Kornfeld)
Also, see the Ritva (Makos 16b) that says that the Rebbe's only shortcoming was that he was not teaching the children well. The Ritva bases his Peshat on the wording "Pesha" which implies neglect, not a positive action like hitting. This does not necessarily contradict the conclusion of the Gemara that no one was as "Dayak" (exacting and careful) as he was. He was neglectful but he was very capable of being a good Rebbe.
Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler
This is not a Pesak Halachah