In this contribution, I discuss the “moderator in dialogue” attitude introduced by Michael Fried in his plenary talk at the 2021 HPM meetings. The talk was about Edmond Halley, particularly about his posture towards the work of Apollonius. Fried qualified Halley’s position toward the past as “moderator in dialogue,” since Halley recognized both the potential of modern mathematics and the thoughtful study of the past when done deferentially, without imposing modern ideas. Fried drawn a parallel with mathematics educators who may also adopt this attitude towards the past and proposed this “moderator in dialogue.” Firstly, I take the time to introduce the “moderator in dialogue” attitude suggested by Fried. Secondly, based on research findings and my own experience as a teacher educator, I examine more closely the tensions surrounding Fried’s proposal and highlight some of the paradoxical aspects of educational practices that seek for an encounter with the past, particularly with the use of original historical sources. Finally, I bring some new elements of reflection in order to understand more closely what to have “moderator in dialogue” attitude particularly in the context of teachers education could mean.