Pt2 Tripartite Aphorisms: From The Men of the Great Assembly to Rabban Gamaliel’s Dynasty (Mishnah Avot 1:1-2:4)

This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Unrelated, I’ve recently made significant progress on the development of the ChavrutAI web app prototype, see footnote.¹

Hillel & Shammai (1:12)

1. הלל

2. ושמאי

קבלו מהם.

1. Hillel

2. and Shammai

received [the oral tradition] from them [=Shemaiah & Avtalion]

Hillel

Be like Aaron: love and pursue peace, love people, bring them to Torah (1:12)

הלל אומר:

הוי מתלמידיו של אהרן --

1. 1. אוהב שלום

   2. ורודף שלום,

2. 1. אוהב את הבריות

   2. ומקרבן לתורה

Hillel used to say:

be of the disciples of Aaron --

1. 1. loving peace

   2. and pursuing peace,

2. 1. loving mankind

   2. and drawing them close to the Torah.

One who aggrandizes name, loses it; no growth →decline; not learning →death; improper use of Torah → death (1:13)

(See footnote.)²

הוא היה אומר:

1. נגד שמא,

   1. אבד שמה.

2. ודלא מוסיף,

   1. יסף.

3. ודלא יליף,

   1. קטלא חיב.

4. ודאשתמש בתגא,

   1. חלף

He [=Hillel] [also] used to say:

1. one who makes his name great

   1. causes his name to be destroyed;³

2. one who does not add [to his knowledge,

   1. causes it to] cease;

3. one who does not study [the Torah]

   1. deserves death;

4. one who makes [unworthy] use of the crown [of learning]

   1. shall pass away.

If I am not for me, who will be? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when? (1:14)

הוא היה אומר:

1. אם אין אני לי,

   1. מי לי?

2. וכשאני לעצמי,

   1. מה אני?

3. ואם לא עכשיו,

   1. אימתי?

He [=Hillel] [also] used to say:

1. If I am not for myself,

   1. who is for me?

2. [But] if I am for my own self [only],

   1. what am I?

3. And if not now,

   1. when?

Shammai - Make Torah study fixed; say little, do much; greet everyone kindly (1:15)

שמאי אומר:

1. עשה תורתך קבע.

2. אמר מעט, ועשה הרבה,

3. והוי מקבל את כל האדם בסבר פנים יפות

Shammai used to say:

1. make your [study of the] Torah a fixed practice (קבע);

2. speak little, [but] do much;

3. and receive all men with a pleasant countenance.

Rabban Gamaliel’s Dynasty (Patriarchate)

Rabban Gamaliel - Appoint a teacher; avoid doubt; don’t tithe by guesswork (1:16)

רבן גמליאל היה אומר:

1. עשה לך רב,

2. והסתלק מן הספק,

3. ואל תרבה לעשר אמדות

Rabban Gamaliel used to say:

1. appoint for thyself a teacher (רב),

2. And [thereby] avoid doubt,

3. and do not make a habit of tithing by guesswork⁴

Shimon ben Rabban Gamaliel - silence is best; deed--not study--is primary; excessive speech lead to sin (1:17)

שמעון בנו אומר:

1. כל ימי גדלתי בין החכמים,

   1. ולא מצאתי לגוף טוב אלא שתיקה.

2. ולא המדרש הוא העקר,

   1. אלא המעשה.

3. וכל המרבה דברים,

   1. מביא חטא

Shimon, his son, used to say:

1. all my days I grew up among the sages,

   1. and I have found nothing better for a person than silence.

2. Study⁵ is not the most important thing,

   1. but action (מעשה);

3. whoever increases words

   1. brings about sin (חטא)

Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel - The world stands on justice, truth, and peace - Zechariah 8:16 (1:18)

רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר:

על שלשה דברים העולם עומד:

1. על הדין

2. ועל האמת

3. ועל השלום,

שנאמר (זכריה ח):

1. אמת

2. ומשפט

3. שלום

שפטו בשעריכם

Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel used to say:

on 3 things does the world stand:

1. On justice,⁶

2. on truth

3. and on peace,

as it is said:

1. “truth

2. and justice (משפט)

3. and peace

judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16).

R’ Yehuda HaNasi (2:1)

Choose the path that brings personal and public honor; weigh mitzvah loss/gain

רבי אומר:

1. איזוהי דרך ישרה שיבר לו האדם?

   1. כל שהיא תפארת לעושיה

   2. ותפארת לו מן האדם.

2. והוי זהיר במצוה קלה כבחמורה,

   1. שאין אתה יודע מתן שכרן של מצות.

3. והוי מחשב

   1. הפסד מצוה כנגד שכרה,

   2. ושכר עברה כנגד הפסדה.

R’ [Yehuda HaNasi] said:

1. which is the straight path that a man should choose for himself?

   1. One which is an honor⁷ to the person adopting it,

   2. and [on account of which] honor [accrues] to him from others.

2. And be careful with a light commandment as with a grave one,

   1. for you did know not the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments.

3. Also, reckon (מחשב)

   1. the loss (הפסד) [that may be sustained through the fulfillment] of a commandment against the reward [accruing] thereby,

   2. and the gain [that may be obtained through the committing] of a transgression against the loss [entailed] thereby.⁸

Remember you are always seen, heard, and recorded (by Heaven/God)

והסתכל בשלשה דברים

ואי אתה בא לידי עברה

דע מה למעלה ממך:

1. עין רואה

2. ואזן שומעת,

3. וכל מעשיך בספר נכתבין

Apply your mind (הסתכל) to 3 things

and you will not come into the clutches of sin:

Know what there is above you:

1. A seeing eye,

2. A hearing ear⁹

3. and all your deeds are written in a book.

Rabban Gamaliel ben R’ Yehuda HaNasi (2:2-3)

Torah + work prevents sin; Torah without work leads to sin; work with the public for Heaven’s sake; their merit helps; God credits you as if you did it all

רבן גמליאל בנו של רבי יהודה הנשיא אומר:

1. יפה תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ,

   1. שיגיעת שניהם משכחת עון.

2. וכל תורה שאין עמה מלאכה,

   1. סופה בטלה

   2. וגוררת עון.

3. וכל העמלים עם הצבור,

   1. יהיו עמלים עמהם לשם שמים,

   2. שזכות אבותם מסיעתן

   3. וצדקתם עומדת לעד.

   4. ואתם, מעלה אני עליכם שכר הרבה כאלו עשיתם

4. הוו זהירין ברשות,

   1. שאין מקרבין לו לאדם אלא לצרך עצמן.

   2. נראין כאוהבין בשעת הנאתן,

   3. ואין עומדין לו לאדם בשעת דחקו

Rabban Gamaliel the son of R’ Yehuda Hanasi said:

1. Excellent (יפה) is the study of the Torah [when combined] with a worldly occupation,¹⁰

   1. for toil in them both makes one forget (משכחת) sin¹¹

2. [But study of the] Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation,

   1. in the end comes to be neglected (בטלה)

   2. and becomes the cause of (גוררת) sin (עון)

3. And all who labor (עמלים) with the community (צבור),

   1. should labor with them for the sake of Heaven,

   2. for the merit of their forefathers sustains them,

   3. and their righteousness (צדקתם) endures for ever;

   4. And as for you, I credit you with a rich reward, as if you [yourselves] had [actually] accomplished [it all].

4. Be careful [in your dealings] with the ruling authorities¹²

   1. for they do not befriend a person except for their own needs;

   2. they seem like friends¹³ when it is to their own interest (בשעת הנאתן),

   3. [but] they do not stand by a man in the hour of his distress (בשעת דחקו).

Aligning Human Will with Divine Will (2:4)

הוא היה אומר:

• עשה רצונו כרצונך,

  • כדי שיעשה רצונך כרצונו.

• בטל רצונך מפני רצונו,

  • כדי שיבטל רצון אחרים מפני רצונך.

He [=Rabban Gamaliel the son of R’ Yehuda Hanasi] used to say:

• do His will as though it were your will,

  • so that He will do your will as though it were His.

• Set aside (בטל) your will in the face of His will,

  • so that he may set aside the will of others for the sake of your will.

Appendix - More Of Hillel’s Aphorisms (Avot 2:4-7)

Avot.2.4-7

Ethical and Intellectual Caution (2:4)

(See footnote.)¹⁴

הלל אומר:

1. אל תפרש מן הצבור,

2. ואל תאמין בעצמך

   1. עד יום מותך,

3. ואל תדין את חברך

   1. עד שתגיע למקומו,

4. ואל תאמר דבר שאי אפשר לשמע,

   1. שסופו להשמע.

5. ואל תאמר לכשאפנה אשנה,

   1. שמא לא תפנה

Hillel said:

1. Don’t separate yourself from the community,

2. Don’t trust in yourself

   1. until the day of your death,

3. Don’t judge your fellow man

   1. until you have reached his place.

4. Don’t say something that cannot be heard

   1. for in the end it will be heard.

5. Don’t say: ‘when I shall have leisure (אפנה), I shall study (אשנה);’

   1. perhaps you will not have leisure.

On Character and the Limits of Learning (2:5)

(See footnote.)¹⁵

הוא היה אומר:

1. אין בור

   1. ירא חטא,

2. ולא עם הארץ

   1. חסיד,

3. ולא הבישן

   1. למד,

4. ולא הקפדן

   1. מלמד,

5. ולא כל המרבה בסחורה

   1. מחכים.

6. ובמקום שאין אנשים,

   1. השתדל להיות איש

He [=Hillel] used to say:

1. A brute (בור)

   1. is not sin-fearing,

2. nor is an am ha'aretz

   1. pious (חסיד - hasid)

3. nor can a timid person¹⁶

   1. learn,

4. nor can an impatient person (קפדן)

   1. teach;

5. nor will someone who engages too much in business (מרבה בסחורה)

   1. become wise (מחכים).

6. In a place where there are no men,

   1. strive to be a man.

Cycles of Divine Retributive Justice (2:6)

אף הוא ראה גלגלת אחת שצפה על פני המים.

אמר לה:

1. על דאטפת,

   1. אטפוך.

2. וסוף מטיפיך

   1. יטופון

Moreover he [=Hillel] saw a skull (גלגלת) floating on water.

He said to it:

1. because you drowned others (אטפת),

   1. they drowned you.

2. And in the end, they that drowned you

   1. will be drowned.

“The more [X], the more [Y]” - A List of 9 items (2:7)

The first 5 items are negative:¹⁷

1. Flesh → worms¹⁸

2. Possessions→ anxiety¹⁹

3. Women (i.e. wives) → witchcraft²⁰

4. female slaves (שפחות) → lewdness²¹

5. Slaves (עבדים) → robbery²²

The next 6 items are positive:

1. Torah → life

2. “Sitting”²³ → wisdom

3. Counsel → understanding (תבונה);

4. Charity (צדקה) → peace.

הוא היה אומר:

1. 1. מרבה בשר,

   2. מרבה רמה.

2. 1. מרבה נכסים,

   2. מרבה דאגה.

3. 1. מרבה נשים,

   2. מרבה כשפים.

4. 1. מרבה שפחות,

   2. מרבה זמה.

5. 1. מרבה עבדים,

   2. מרבה גזל.

6. 1. מרבה תורה,

   2. מרבה חיים.

7. 1. מרבה ישיבה,

   2. מרבה חכמה.

8. 1. מרבה עצה,

   2. מרבה תבונה.

9. 1. מרבה צדקה,

   2. מרבה שלום.

He [=Hillel] used to say:

1. 1. The more flesh,

   2. the more worms;

2. 1. The more property,

   2. the more anxiety;

3. 1. The more wives,

   2. the more witchcraft;

4. 1. The more female slaves,

   2. the more lewdness;

5. 1. The more slaves,

   2. the more robbery;

6. 1. [But] the more Torah,

   2. the more life;

7. 1. The more sitting [in the company of scholars],

   2. the more wisdom;

8. 1. The more counsel,

   2. the more understanding;

9. 1. The more charity,

   2. the more peace.

1. See the ChavrutAI platform repository. See especially the overview in the ‘status’ page.

Current features:

1. Comprehensive Navigation System via dropdown menus: Seder-Grouped Tractate Dropdown; full range of pages for each tractate

2. Hebrew Text Processing:

   1. Nikud Removal

   2. splitting by punctuation (Hebrew text now splits on 10 different punctuation marks, e.g. Period (.), Comma (,), M-dash (–), Colon (:) ; I plan to write about this)

3. Term Mapping: Implemented 25+ term replacements

4. Adjacent Page Context: context fetching from previous and next Talmud pages to solve mid-sentence page breaks

5. Hebrew Quote Detection: Automatic detection of Hebrew quotes using ״...״ pattern matching; mostly biblical quotes; with different font.

6. Sepia Color Scheme: Designed for extended reading sessions

7. Netlify Functions: Serverless proxy for API requests from Sefaria

Screenshot, for example (see more screenshots there, at the ‘readme’ page):

2. Unusually, this Mishnah section is in Aramaic, as opposed to the usual Hebrew.

The same is true for a statement of his quoted later, in section “Cycles of Divine Retributive Justice (2:6)“.

3. As I noted in a recent footnote, “name” has the connotation of “reputation” (as it does in modern English as well).

4. אמדות - “estimation”.

5. מדרש - midrash.

On this word, see Wikipedia, “Midrash“:

The word itself means "textual interpretation", "study", or "exegesis", derived from the root verb darash (דָּרַשׁ‎), which means "resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require".

6. דין - literally: “judgement”. There’s no separate word for “justice” in Mishnaic Hebrew; biblical Hebrew has tzedek (צדק).

7. תפארת - literally: “glory”.

As an aside, this word came to be central as the term one of the major symbols in later medieval Kabbalah.

8. I.e., do a cost-benefit analysis of performing a mitzva versus committing an aveirah.

9. This turn of phrase may be based on the same parallelism in a number of biblical verses, especially the following verse in Proverbs.20.12:

אזן שמעת

ועין ראה

יהוה עשה גם־שניהם

A hearing ear,

A seeing eye —

YHWH made them both

10. דרך ארץ.

Compare a similar statement later in the tractate, here, section “R' Elazar ben Azariah (3:17)“, sub-section “Torah and ethics are interdependent“:

אם אין תורה, אין דרך ארץ.

אם אין דרך ארץ, אין תורה.

Where there is no Torah, there is no right conduct (דרך ארץ);

where there is no right conduct, there is no Torah.

The term derekh eretz, when used in an ethical context, can refer to one of two main ideas:

1. Proper behavior and social decorum — acting with respect, courtesy, and good manners

2. Earning a living through productive work — especially manual or practical labor

See Wikipedia, “Derekh eretz“:

Derekh eretz or derech eretz (Hebrew: דרך ארץ, literally 'the way of the land') is a term appearing in rabbinic literature.

It has a wide range of meanings, referring to appropriate behavior; good manners; and earning a livelihood, among others […]

In the two sources in our tractate (Avot), it’s ambiguous as to which of the two meanings is intended.

As an aside, derekh eretz is also used in the Talmudic literature as a euphemism for sex (see Wikipedia ibid., section “Sexual relations“), see that usage twice in my three-part series “Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activities (Gittin 70a-b)“, final part here.

11. עון - i.e. keeps sin out of one’s mind.

12. רשות.

Compare earlier in the tractate, here, section “Shemaiah - Love work; hate authority; avoid rulers (1:10)“:

ואל תתודע לרשות

and don’t become close (תתודע) to the ruling authority (רשות)

13. אוהבין - literally: “lovers”.

14. This Mishnah section is composed of six imperatives, each introduced by a negation (אל - “don’t”). The list is structured as a series of proverbial admonitions, each emphasizing a different form of self-deception or short-sightedness.

15. This Mishnah section employs a consistent structure of parallel negations followed by a concluding imperative.

The first five clauses follow the formula "[X - type of person] isn’t [Y - virtuous status]", meaning, “being X precludes from being Y”. Each contrasts a type of person with a virtuous status they are precluded from:

1. A brute (בור) ≠ sin-fearing (ירא חטא)

2. An am ha'aretz (עם הארץ) ≠ pious (חסיד)

3. A timid person (בישן) ≠ learn (למד)

4. An impatient person (קפדן) ≠ teach (מלמד)

5. One who engages too much in business (מרבה בסחורה) ≠ becomes wise (מחכים)

16. בישן.

Interestingly, the Talmud states that all Jews have this trait, and it’s viewed positively, in Yevamot.79a.3:

אמר:

שלשה סימנים יש באומה זו:

1. הרחמנים,

2. והביישנין,

3. וגומלי חסדים.

1. רחמנים —

   1. דכתיב: ״ונתן לך רחמים ורחמך והרבך״.

2. ביישנין —

   1. דכתיב: ״בעבור תהיה יראתו על פניכם״.

3. גומלי חסדים —

   1. דכתיב: ״למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו וגו׳״.

כל שיש בו שלשה סימנים הללו —

ראוי להדבק באומה זו.

David said: There are three distinguishing marks (סימנים) of this nation, the Jewish people:

1. They are merciful (רחמנים),

2. they are shamefaced (ביישנין),

3. and they perform acts of kindness (גומלי חסדים).
   

1. They are merciful,

   1. as it is written: “And He will give you mercy, and have mercy upon you and multiply you” (Deuteronomy 13:18); not only will God have mercy upon you, but He will bestow the attribute of mercy upon you.
      

2. They are shamefaced,

   1. as it is written: “And that His fear shall be upon your faces” (Exodus 20:17), and the fear that is on one’s face is his shame.
      

3. They perform acts of kindness,

   1. as it is written: “For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of YHWH, to practice righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:19), i.e., to perform acts of kindness.
      

Whoever has these three distinguishing marks —

is fit to cleave (להדבק) to this nation.

17. The literary formula for this list is “increase (מרבה) X, increase Y”. Which is a shorthand for: an increase in X will predictably cause a corresponding increase in Y.

18. רמה - see later in the tractate multiple times, and the story of R’ Elazar ben Shimon testing his decomposition.

19. דאגה - “worry”.

20. כשפים - on the stereotype of women as performing witchcraft, see my previous piece.

21. זמה - on the risk of female slaves leading to illicit sex, see my previous piece re amoraic precautions.

22. גזל - on the stereotype of slaves robbing, see my previous piece.

23. ‘yeshiva’; on yeshiva, see my previous Appendix.