Tannaitic Aphorisms (Avot 2:10-3:2)

This is the first part of a 5-part series: “Tannaitic Aphorisms (Avot 2:10-4:22)”.¹

The Major Relevant Literary and Rhetorical Formulas

Attribution and Framing Devices

The Tannaitic aphorisms in tractate Avot exhibit consistent framing patterns that establish authority and create a sense of tradition.

Nearly all aphorisms begin with the formula "Rabbi X says/said" (Rabbi X omer), establishing a clear chain of transmission.

Subsequent teachings from the same sage often employ the transitional phrase "He used to say" (Hu hayah omer), creating a nested structure of attributed wisdom.

This attribution pattern serves both to authenticate the teachings and to position each rabbi within the broader rabbinic intellectual tradition.

Numeric Structures: The Rule of Three

Triadic formulations dominate the rhetorical landscape of these aphorisms, reflecting the "Rule of Three."²

This pattern appears in multiple variations:

1. Simple triads: R' Eliezer's three principles: "Honor your friend as yourself; don't be quick to anger; repent one day before death" (2:10)

2. Expansive triads: Akavya ben Mahalalel's reflections on "where you came from, where you're going, and before whom you'll give account" (3:1), each followed by detailed elaboration

3. Metaphorical triads: The sages' dangers described as "their bite is the bite of a fox, their sting is the sting of a scorpion, their hiss is the hiss of a serpent" (2:10)

This tripartite structure creates mnemonic patterns that facilitate oral transmission while suggesting completeness and comprehensiveness.

Parallelism and Antithesis

Parallelism constitutes perhaps the most pervasive structural device throughout these aphorisms, appearing in several forms:³

1. Synonymous parallelism: Similar ideas expressed in different words for emphasis. For example:

   • "Be careful with the reading of Shema and the prayer" (R' Shimon, 2:13)

2. Antithetical parallelism: Contrasting ideas juxtaposed for rhetorical effect. For example:

   • "It is not your duty to finish the work, [but] neither are you at liberty to neglect it" (R' Tarfon, 2:16)

3. Synthetic parallelism: Building statements that add meaning with each clause. For example, this extended metaphor:

   • "The day is short, the work is plentiful, the laborers are lazy, the reward is great, and the master of the house is insistent" (R' Tarfon, 2:15)

4. Chiastic structures:⁴ ABBA patterns creating rhetorical symmetry. For example:

   • "If there is no Torah, there is no right conduct (דרך ארץ); if there is no right conduct, there is no Torah" (R' Elazar ben Azariah, 3:17)

These parallel constructions create rhythmic, memorable formulations while establishing conceptual relationships between ideas.

Conditional Rhetorical Patterns

Conditional formulations appear frequently, establishing cause-effect relationships between behaviors and consequences:

1. Direct conditionals: "[If] two sit together and there are words of Torah between them, [then the] Shekhina dwells (שרויה) among them" (R' Ḥanina ben Teradion, 3:2).⁵

2. Contrasting conditionals: "Whoever takes upon himself the yoke of the Torah, they remove from him the yoke of government (מלכות - “monarchy”) and worldly concerns (דרך ארץ), [but] whoever removes (פורק) from himself the yoke of the Torah, they place upon him the yoke of government and worldly concerns" (R' Neḥunya ben HaKanah, 3:5)

3. Consequence and evaluative conditionals: "One who interrupts [Torah] study (משנתו) to admire nature (“how fine (נאה) is this tree! [or] how fine is this newly ploughed field (ניר)!”) → is mortally guilty (מתחיב בנפשו)" (R' Yaakov, 3:7)

These conditional structures establish ethical principles through logical relationships, making abstract values concrete through behavioral implications.

Prooftexts and Scriptural Anchoring

Many aphorisms culminate in scriptural citations introduced by "as it is said" (she-ne'emar), following a pattern of:

1. Rabbinic statement

2. Explanation or elaboration

3. Scriptural proof

This pattern embeds rabbinic innovation within biblical authority, simultaneously preserving tradition while enabling its creative expansion. The scriptural proofs often employ creative readings of biblical texts, recontextualizing them to support rabbinic ethical and theological positions.

Rhetorical Questions and Definitional Structures

Ben Zoma's famous sequence (4:1) exemplifies an extended rhetorical pattern:

• "Who is wise? He who learns from every person"

• "Who is mighty? He who subdues his inclination"

• "Who is rich? He who rejoices in his portion"

• "Who is honored? He who honors others"

This question-and-answer format redefines conventional values, subverting worldly definitions with spiritual alternatives. The rhetorical questions engage the reader/listener directly, challenging assumptions while providing memorable definitions.

Metaphorical Systems

Metaphors in these aphorisms typically draw from several domains:⁶

1. Agricultural metaphors: "Like a tree whose branches are numerous but roots few" vs. "a tree whose branches are few but roots many" (R' Elazar ben Azariah, 3:17-18)

2. Commercial/economic metaphors: "The store is open and the storekeeper allows credit... the ledger is open and the hand writes" (R' Akiva, 3:16)

3. Bodily/physiological metaphors: "From a putrid drop... to a place of dust, worm and maggot" (Akavya ben Mahalalel, 3:1)

These metaphorical systems make abstract ethical principles tangible through concrete imagery, while often employing stark contrasts to emphasize ethical choices.

Progressive Numerical Sequences

Some passages employ descending numerical sequences, as in R' Ḥalafta's teaching (3:6):

• Ten people studying Torah → Shekhinah

• Five people → Shekhinah

• Three people → Shekhinah

• Two people → Shekhinah

• One person → Shekhinah

Each step is supported by an appropriate scriptural proof, creating a layered argument that combines numerical precision with textual authority.

Conclusion

The rhetorical and literary patterns in these Tannaitic aphorisms reflect compositional techniques that serve multiple purposes: facilitating memorization in an oral culture, establishing authority through structural formality, creating conceptual relationships through parallelism, and making abstract principles concrete through metaphor.

The predominance of triadic structures, parallel formulations, and conditional patterns reveals a developed literary sensibility that combines aesthetic elegance with pedagogical effectiveness.

These carefully crafted formulations transform ethical guidance into memorable, authoritative teachings, with rhetorical power and conceptual clarity.

List of Rabbis cited in this part

1. R' Eliezer (mid-2nd century CE)

2. R' Yehoshua

3. R' Yose

4. R' Shimon

5. R' Elazar

6. R' Tarfon

7. Akavya ben Mahalalel

8. R' Ḥanina Segan HaKohanim⁷

Outline

Intro - The Major Relevant Literary and Rhetorical Formulas

1. Attribution and Framing Devices

2. Numeric Structures: The Rule of Three

3. Parallelism and Antithesis

4. Conditional Rhetorical Patterns

5. Prooftexts and Scriptural Anchoring

6. Rhetorical Questions and Definitional Structures

7. Metaphorical Systems

8. Progressive Numerical Sequences

List of Rabbis cited in this part

The Passage - Tannaitic Aphorisms (Avot 2:10-3:2)

1. R' Eliezer (2:10)

   1. Honor your friend as yourself; don’t be quick to anger; repent one day before death

   2. Warm yourself by the fire of Sages but beware their danger

2. R' Yehoshua - An evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of others drive a person out of the world (2:11)

3. R' Yose - Value others’ property as your own; prepare yourself to study Torah—it’s not inherited; act for the sake of heaven (2:12)

4. R' Shimon - Be careful with Shema and prayer; pray with sincerity, not rote; don’t see yourself as wicked (2:13)

5. R' Elazar - Be diligent in Torah; know how to respond to a heretic; remember before whom you labor and that the Employer will reward you (2:14)

6. R' Tarfon

   1. The day is short, the task is great, the workers lazy, the reward abundant, and the master insistent (2:15)

   2. It’s not your task to finish, but you must not desist; you will be rewarded; know that reward is given in the (messianic) future (2:16)

7. Akavya ben Mahalalel - Reflect on where you came from, where you’re going, and before whom you’ll give account—to avoid sin (3:1)

8. R' Ḥanina Segan HaKohanim - Pray for government welfare—without its fear, people would destroy each other (3:2)

The Passage

Avot.2.10-3.2

R' Eliezer (2:10)

Honor your friend as yourself; don’t be quick to anger; repent one day before death

הם אמרו שלשה דברים

רבי אליעזר אומר:

1. יהי כבוד חברך חביב עליך כשלך,

2. ואל תהי נוח לכעס.

3. ושוב יום אחד לפני מיתתך.

They⁸ [each] said three things:

R' Eliezer said:

1. Let the honor of your friend be as dear to you as your own;

2. And be not easily provoked to anger;

3. And repent one day before your death.

Warm yourself by the fire of Sages but beware their danger

והוי מתחמם כנגד אורן של חכמים,

והוי זהיר בגחלתן שלא תכוה,

ש

1. נשיכתן נשיכת שועל,

2. ועקיצתן עקיצת עקרב,

3. ולחישתן לחישת שרף,

וכל דבריהם כגחלי אש

And [he also said:]

warm yourself before the fire of the wise,

but beware of being singed by their glowing coals,

for

1. their bite is the bite of a fox,

2. and their sting is the sting of a scorpion,

3. and their hiss is the hiss of a serpent (שרף),

and all their words are like coals of fire.

R' Yehoshua - An evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of others drive a person out of the world (2:11)

רבי יהושע אומר:

1. עין הרע,

2. ויצר הרע,

3. ושנאת הבריות,

מוציאין את האדם מן העולם

R' Yehoshua said:

1. an evil eye,

2. the evil inclination,

3. and hatred for humankind

put a person out of the world.

R' Yose - Value others’ property as your own; prepare yourself to study Torah—it’s not inherited; act for the sake of heaven (2:12)

רבי יוסי אומר:

1. יהי ממון חברך חביב עליך כשלך,

2. והתקן עצמך ללמד תורה, שאינה ירשה לך.

3. וכל מעשיך יהיו לשם שמים

R' Yose said:

1. Let the property of your fellow be as precious unto you as your own;

2. Make yourself fit to study Torah for it will not be yours by inheritance;

3. And let all your actions be for the sake of heaven.

R' Shimon - Be careful with Shema and prayer; pray with sincerity, not rote; don’t see yourself as wicked - Joel 2:13 (2:13)

רבי שמעון אומר:

1. הוי זהיר בקריאת שמע ובתפלה.

2. וכשאתה מתפלל, אל תעש תפלתך קבע,

   1. אלא רחמים ותחנונים לפני המקום ברוך הוא,

   2. שנאמר (יואל ב): “כי חנון ורחום הוא ארך אפים ורב חסד ונחם על הרעה.

3. ואל תהי רשע בפני עצמך

R' Shimon said:

1. Be careful with the reading of Shema and the prayer,

2. And when you pray, do not make your prayer [something] automatic,⁹

   1. but a plea [for] compassion before God,

   2. for it is said: “for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and renouncing punishment” (Joel 2:13);

3. And be not wicked in your own esteem.

R' Elazar - Be diligent in Torah; know how to respond to a heretic; remember before whom you labor and that the Employer will reward you (2:14)

רבי אלעזר אומר:

1. הוי שקוד ללמד תורה,

2. ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס.

3. ודע לפני מי אתה עמל.

   1. ונאמן הוא בעל מלאכתך שישלם לך שכר פעלתך

R' Elazar said:

1. Be diligent in the study of the Torah;

2. And know how to answer a heretic,¹⁰

3. And know before whom you toil,

   1. and that your employer is faithful, for He will pay you the reward of your labor.

R' Tarfon

The day is short, the task is great, the workers lazy, the reward abundant, and the master insistent (2:15)

רבי טרפון אומר:

1. היום קצר

2. והמלאכה מרבה,

3. והפועלים עצלים,

4. והשכר הרבה,

5. ובעל הבית דוחק

R' Tarfon said:¹¹

1. the day is short,

2. and the work is plentiful,

3. and the laborers are indolent,

4. and the reward is great,

5. and the master of the house is insistent.¹²

It’s not your task to finish, but you must not desist; you will be rewarded; know that reward is given in the (messianic) future (2:16)

הוא היה אומר:

1. 1. לא עליך המלאכה לגמר,

   2. ולא אתה בן חורין לבטל ממנה.

2. 1. אם למדת תורה הרבה,

   2. נותנים לך שכר הרבה.

3. 1. ונאמן הוא בעל מלאכתך שישלם לך שכר פעלתך.

   2. ודע מתן שכרן של צדיקים לעתיד לבא

He [=R' Tarfon] used to say:

1. 1. It is not your duty to finish the work,

   2. [but] neither are you at liberty to neglect it;

2. 1. If you have studied much Torah,

   2. you shall be given much reward.

3. 1. Faithful is your employer to pay you the reward of your labor;

   2. And know that the grant of reward unto the righteous is in the (messianic) future.¹³

Akavya ben Mahalalel - Reflect on where you came from, where you’re going, and before whom you’ll give account—to avoid sin (3:1)

עקביא בן מהללאל אומר:

הסתכל בשלשה דברים, ואי אתה בא לידי עברה:

דע

1. מאין באת,

2. ולאן אתה הולך,

3. ולפני מי אתה עתיד לתן דין וחשבון.

1. מאין באת --

   1. מטפה סרוחה,

2. ולאן אתה הולך --

   1. למקום עפר רמה ותולעה.

3. ולפני מי אתה עתיד לתן דין וחשבון --

   1. לפני מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא

Akabyah ben Mahalalel said:

mark well three things and you will not come into the power of sin:

know

1. from where you come,

2. and where you are going,

3. and before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning.

1. From where do you come?

   1. From a putrid drop.¹⁴

2. Where are you going?

   1. To a place of dust, of worm and of maggot.

3. Before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning?

   1. Before the King of the kings of kings, God.

R' Ḥanina Segan HaKohanim - Pray for government welfare—without its fear, people would destroy each other (3:2)

רבי חנינא סגן הכהנים אומר:

הוי מתפלל בשלומה של מלכות,

שאלמלא מוראה --

איש את רעהו חיים בלעו

R' Hanina, the vice-high priest said:

pray for the welfare of the government,¹⁵

for were it not for the fear it inspires --

every man would swallow his neighbor alive.

1. The breakdown of the parts will be as follows:

1. Avot 2:10-3:2

2. Avot 3:2-12

3. Avot 3:13-4:4

4. Avot 4:4-14

5. Avot 4:15-22

On this project, compare my formatted Mishna tractates, at my Academia page. And see my 3-part series on Mishnah literary structure, “Revealing the Order: Literary Structure and Rhetoric in the Mishnah“, final part here.

And compare my 3-part series on rabbinic advice in Talmud tractate Pesachim, “Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)“, final part here; see the outline/summary of the statements in that sugya in Part 1 of that series here.

There too, there are large number of aphorisms; however, those lean more practical, while these are more targeted to wisdom and avoiding sin.

2. In fact, the first cited statement in tractate Avot explicitly states, Avot 1:1:

הם אמרו שלשה דברים

They [=the Men of the Great Assembly] said three things

And see also later in the tractate, Avot.2.10 (the first section that I quote in this piece, see the later footnote):

הם אמרו שלשה דברים

They [=the students of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai] [each] said three things […]

3. Compare the excellent book on parallelism in Biblical poetry, by Adele Berlin, The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism (1992).

Here in the Mishnah—as opposed to the Bible—the parallelism is often even more explicit and formulaic.

I plan to discuss parallelism in Talmudic literature more.

I generally indicate the most extreme parallelism via bullet points, as opposed to numbered lists.

4. More specifically: antimetabole, defined by Wikipedia as:

the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order

5. It’s important to note that the “if...then” is often implicit, not explicit. Meaning, although contrastive parallels are found extensively throughout tractate Avot, the contrastive word for “but, however, yet” (אבל) is rarely used; instead, a simple “and” (prefix vav) is used. The contrast is meant to be inferred by the listener/reader.

(Compare the concept of parataxis - placing clauses side by side without explicit subordination.)

See my brackets in the statement.

The same is true for the rules of three.

As well as for "antithetical parallels”, in the previous section and in the next part, where “but, yet” is implicit, not explicit.

6. See also my short piece (from a while back) on metaphors in tractate Avot.

7. רבי חנינא סגן הכהנים.

On this occupation/title, see Wikipedia, “Segan“:

The Aramaic term segan (סגן) or segan hakohanim (Hebrew: סגן הכהנים) is a title used in the Talmud to refer to the priest serving as the deputy to the High Priest of Israel […]

The form segan is Aramaic (סְגַן), appearing 5 times in the Hebrew Bible in the Aramaic sections of the Book of Daniel to refer to officers of the Babylonian government.

The Hebrew form sagan (סָגָן) occurs a further 17 times in Nehemiah and elsewhere, again to refer to officials of the Babylonian rulers.

8. Meaning, the five students of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai (who were all active in early/mid-2nd century CE):

R' Eliezer

R' Yehoshua

R' Yose

R' Shimon

R' Elazar

See the previous Mishnah sections on Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai and his five disciples in Avot 2:8-9; I plan to discuss that extended passage in a separate piece.

9. קבע - literally: “established”.

10. On this line, compare my “Refuting Heresy: Talmudic Responses to Heretical Claims of Divine Multiplicity in Scripture (Sanhedrin 38b)“, section “Responding to Heresy: R' Eliezer and R' Yoḥanan on Engaging with Non-Believers“, and see my note there on the word “Epikoros”.

And see also my “Barred from the Afterlife: Heretics, Biblical Sinners, and Groups Denied a Share in the World-to-Come (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1-4)“, section “Which Jews Have a Share in the World-to-Come? Exceptions According to the Mishnah“, where an Epikoros is listed as having no share in the World-to-Come.

11. An extended metaphor about life, comparing it to physical labor (מלאכה). The same metaphor is continued at the beginning of the next section.

12. דוחק - literally: “pushing”.

13. לעתיד לבא - the standard rabbinic term for the messianic future.

See for example here, section “Appendix: Five Divine Punishments of Twelve Months' Duration (Mishnah Eduyot 2:10)“:

אף הוא היה אומר:

חמשה דברים של שנים עשר חדש:

[…]

משפט גוג ומגוג לעתיד לבא --

שנים עשר חדש

[…]

Also he [=R’ Akiva] used to say that

there are 5 things that last 12 months:

[…]

The judgment of Gog and Magog in the (messianic) future (לעתיד לבא) —

[will continue] 12 months

[…]

14. טפה סרוחה - i.e., semen.

I cite this Mishnah section in an extended note in “Pt2 Thief-Catching, Corpulence, and Virility: Stories of R' Elazar ben Shimon and R' Yishmael ben Yosei (Bava Metzia 83b-84a)“, on section “R' Elazar ben Shimon and the Laundryman: A Tale of Moral Judgment, Regret, and Divine Validation“, sub-section “Part 2“.

And see also the this same usage of the word in my “‘A Non-Jew Has No Father’: The Halachic Status of Convert Brothers and Their Wives in the Context of Levirate Marriage and Sexual Prohibitions (Yevamot 97b-98a)“, section “... Proof: twins who convert still do not perform ḥalitza or yibbum with each other's wives if one dies — even though they clearly share the same biological father“:

דהא שני אחין תאומים,

דטפה אחת היא,

ונחלקה לשתים

The proof is from the case of two twin brothers,

who were one drop (טפה - i.e. of semen)

that was divided into two

[and obviously have the same father]

And see my note there.

15. מלכות - literally: “monarchy, kingship”.