Thought-Provoking Mishnayot from Pirkei Avot
FOR EACH MISHNA FROM PIRKEI AVOT:
- What do you think this means?
- Do you agree? Why or why not?
- When might this advice be useful or helpful?
| Pirkei Avot 1:8 | |
| Judah ben Tabbai said: [When you are a judge] do not play the part of an advocate. When the litigants are standing before you, look upon them as if they were both guilty. When they leave your presence, look upon them as if they were both innocent, and they have accepted the judgement. | :יְהוּדָה בֶן טַבַּאי אוֹמֵר ,אַל תַּעַשׂ עַצְמְךָ כְעוֹרְכֵי הַדַּיָּנִין ,וּכְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ בַעֲלֵי דִינִין עוֹמְדִים לְפָנֶיךָ .יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ כִרְשָׁעִים ,וּכְשֶׁנִּפְטָרִים מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ,יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ כְזַכָּאִין :כְּשֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הַדִּין |
| Pirkei Avot 2:1 | |
| Rabbi said: Which is the right path for a person to choose for themself? Whatever brings harmony to the one who does it and brings harmony to all people. Be as careful with a minor deed as with a major one, for you don’t know the reward for any sized deed. Consider the potential loss of a good deed against its potential reward, and the gain of a potential bad deed against its potential cost. | :רַבִּי אוֹמֵר אֵיזוֹהִי דֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיָּבֹר לוֹ הָאָדָם, כֹּל שֶׁהִיא תִפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹשֶׂיהָ וְתִפְאֶרֶת לוֹ מִן הָאָדָם. וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּמִצְוָה קַלָּה כְבַחֲמוּרָה, שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת. וֶהֱוֵי מְחַשֵּׁב הֶפְסֵד מִצְוָה כְּנֶגֶד שְׂכָרָהּ, :וּשְׂכַר עֲבֵרָה כְנֶגֶד הֶפְסֵדָה |
| Pirkei Avot 2:5 | |
| He [Rabban Gamliel] used to say: A brute can’t fear sin. An ignorant person can’t be pious. A shy person cannot learn. A short-tempered person can’t teach. Someone who does lots of business can’t grow wise. And in a place where there is no one, strive to be someone. | :הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר אֵין בּוּר יְרֵא חֵטְא, וְלֹא עַם הָאָרֶץ חָסִיד, וְלֹא הַבַּיְשָׁן לָמֵד, וְלֹא הַקַּפְּדָן מְלַמֵּד, וְלֹא כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה בִסְחוֹרָה מַחְכִּים. .וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ |
| Pirkei Avot 3:9 | |
| Rabbi Chanina son of Dosa says: Anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom is enduring, but anyone whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom is not enduring. He used to say: Anyone whose deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom is enduring, but anyone whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, his wisdom is not enduring. | :רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן דּוֹסָא אוֹמֵר כָּל שֶׁיִּרְאַת חֶטְאוֹ קוֹדֶמֶת לְחָכְמָתוֹ, חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. וְכָל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ קוֹדֶמֶת לְיִרְאַת חֶטְאוֹ, אֵין חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר: כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. וְכָל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, אֵין חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת |
| Pirkei Avot 3:17 | |
| Rabbi Akiva said: Merriment and silliness make you used to being immoral. Tradition is a fence around the Torah. Charity is a fence around wealth. Vows are a fence around restraint. Silence is a fence around wisdom. | :רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר ,שְׂחוֹק וְקַלּוּת רֹאשׁ, מַרְגִּילִין לְעֶרְוָה .מָסֹרֶת, סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה .מַעַשְׂרוֹת, סְיָג לָעשֶׁר .נְדָרִים, סְיָג לַפְּרִישׁוּת :סְיָג לַחָכְמָה, שְׁתִיקָה |
| Pirkei Avot 4:2 | |
| Ben Azzai said: Run to do a simple, good deed and run away from sin. For good deeds lead to more good deeds, And sins lead to more sins. The reward for a good deed is another good deed. And the reward for a sin is another sin. | :בֶּן עַזַּאי אוֹמֵר ,הֱוֵי רָץ לְמִצְוָה קַלָּה כְבַחֲמוּרָה .וּבוֹרֵחַ מִן הָעֲבֵרָה ,שֶׁמִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה .וַעֲבֵרָה גוֹרֶרֶת עֲבֵרָה ,שֶׁשְּׂכַר מִצְוָה, מִצְוָה :וּשְׂכַר עֲבֵרָה, עֲבֵרָה |
| Pirkei Avot 4:7 | |
| Rabbi Tzadok says: Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not act like a lawyer when you are the judge. Do not turn the Torah into a crown that you get glory from. Do not made the Torah a spade with which to dig. | :רַבִּי צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר .אַל תִּפְרֹשׂ מִן הַצִּבּוּר וְאֶל תעש עַצְמְךָ כעורכי הדינין. וְאַל תַּעֲשֶׂה עֲטָרָה .להתגדל בָּהּ .וְלֹא קַרְדֹּם לַחְתֹּךְ בָּהּ |
Other Interesting Sources: Part 1
Review Pirkei Avot 6:6’s list of essential qualities for a Torah scholar. Which do you have in spades, and which do you need to work on? What do you think is missing?
Other Interesting Sources: Part 2
Mishna 5:8 teaches that ten (or thirteen, or fourteen) things were the very last to be created. Explore what each of these are. What might it mean that these were created before time began? What do they symbolize? What can they teach?
| Pirkei Avot 5:8 | |
| Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the staff, [7] the shamir, [8] the letters, [9] the writing, [10] and the tablets. And some say: also the demons, the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say: and also tongs made with tongs. | עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וּקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה |
What is the “it” that Ben Bag Bag refers to? Most people think it is Torah, but there are different ways of understanding what counts as Torah. What would you include, that feels like it always has more to teach?
| Pirkei Avot 5:24 | |
| Ben Bag Bag said: Turn it over, and [again] turn it over, for everything is in it. And look into it; And become gray and old in it; And do not move away from it, for you have no better portion than it. | בֶּן בַּג בַּג אוֹמֵר, הֲפֹךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ. וּבָהּ תֶּחֱזֵי, וְסִיב וּבְלֵה בָהּ, וּמִנַּהּ לֹא תָזוּעַ, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ מִדָּה טוֹבָה הֵימֶנָּה |
Other Interesting Sources: Part 3
Mishna 5:13 and 5:14 teach about different kinds of temperaments and learners. Just like the four children of Passover, we each might embody these at different times. When have you been each of these kinds of people? Do you agree with the rabbis’ assessments?
| Pirkei Avot 5:13 | |
| There are four types of disciples: 1. Quick to learn, and quick to forget: his gain disappears in his loss. 2. Slow to learn, and slow to forget: his loss disappears in his gain. 3. Quick to learn, and slow to forget: he is a wise man. 4. Slow to learn, and quick to forget, this is a bad portion. | הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, נָגֵד שְׁמָא, אָבֵד שְׁמֵהּ. וּדְלֹא מוֹסִיף, יָסֵף. וּדְלֹא יָלֵיף, קְטָלָא חַיָּב. וּדְאִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּתָגָא, חָלֵף |
| Pirkei Avot 5:14 | |
| There are four types of charity givers: 1. He who wishes to give, but that others should not give: he is jealous of others’ stuff. 2. He who wishes that others should give, but that he himself should not give: he is jealous of his own stuff. 3. He who desires that he himself should give, and that others should give: he is a pious man. 4. He who desires that he himself should not give and that others too should not give: he is a wicked man. | הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, נָגֵד שְׁמָא, אָבֵד שְׁמֵהּ. וּדְלֹא מוֹסִיף, יָסֵף. וּדְלֹא יָלֵיף, קְטָלָא חַיָּב. וּדְאִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּתָגָא, חָלֵף |