Kommentar zu Pirkei Avot 2:7
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, מַרְבֶּה בָשָׂר, מַרְבֶּה רִמָּה. מַרְבֶּה נְכָסִים, מַרְבֶּה דְאָגָה. מַרְבֶּה נָשִׁים, מַרְבֶּה כְשָׁפִים. מַרְבֶּה שְׁפָחוֹת, מַרְבֶּה זִמָּה. מַרְבֶּה עֲבָדִים, מַרְבֶּה גָזֵל. מַרְבֶּה תוֹרָה, מַרְבֶּה חַיִּים. מַרְבֶּה יְשִׁיבָה, מַרְבֶּה חָכְמָה. מַרְבֶּה עֵצָה, מַרְבֶּה תְבוּנָה. מַרְבֶּה צְדָקָה, מַרְבֶּה שָׁלוֹם. קָנָה שֵׁם טוֹב, קָנָה לְעַצְמוֹ. קָנָה לוֹ דִבְרֵי תוֹרָה, קָנָה לוֹ חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא:
Wer das Fleisch vermehrt, vermehrt die Würmer. [Einer, der zu viel isst und trinkt, bis er fett und fleischig wird, vermehrt Würmer für sich selbst im Grab, und "Würmer sind für die Toten so schmerzhaft wie eine Nadel im Fleisch der Lebenden." Diese Tanna kommt, um uns zu bestätigen, dass alle Ablässe einem Menschen schaden, außer der Nachsicht in der Tora, in der Weisheit und in der Nächstenliebe.] Wer den Besitz erhöht, macht sich Sorgen, [damit sie ihn nicht ausrauben oder dass Straßenräuber auf ihn fallen und ihn töten. (Ein bestimmter Chasid betete: "Möge er mich davor bewahren, meine Seele zu zerstreuen." Als er gefragt wurde: "Was ist" Zerstreuung der Seele "?" Er antwortete: "Viele Besitztümer an vielen Orten verstreut haben und müssen." zerstreue die Seele, um in diese und jene Richtung zu denken. "] Wer die Anzahl der Frauen erhöht, erhöht die Hexerei. Wer die Dienstmädchen erhöht, erhöht die Unanständigkeit. Wer die Anzahl der Diener erhöht, erhöht den Diebstahl. [Die Begründung für die Sequenz lautet wie folgt: Zuerst bereitet sich ein Mann vor und isst und trinkt und vermehrt Fleisch. Dann versucht er, Besitztümer zu vergrößern, und nachdem er dies getan hat, sieht er, dass er genug hat, um viele Frauen zu ernähren. Nachdem er Frauen vergrößert hat, braucht jeder eine Magd, die er liefert. Seitdem hat er Bei vielen Haushaltsmitgliedern benötigt er Felder und Weinberge, um sie mit Wein und Lebensmitteln zu versorgen, und er erhöht die Anzahl der Bediensteten, um die Felder und Weinberge zu bearbeiten—so die Reihenfolge.] Wer die Tora erhöht, erhöht das Leben [wie geschrieben steht (5. Mose 30:20): "Denn es ist dein Leben und die Länge deiner Tage."] Wer das Sitzen (und Lernen) erhöht, erhöht die Weisheit. [Viele Jünger versammeln sich und kommen, um seine Vermutungen zu hören. Einige verstehen es als: Wer Jünger vermehrt, erhöht die Weisheit, denn sie schärfen ihn und tragen zu seiner Weisheit bei.] Wer den Rat erhöht (nimmt), erhöht das Verständnis [eins durch das andere durch die Ratschläge seiner Berater]. Wer die Nächstenliebe erhöht, erhöht den Frieden [wie geschrieben steht (Jesaja 32:17): "Und der Akt der Nächstenliebe wird (dh wird zu) Frieden führen."] Wer einen guten Namen erwirbt, erwirbt ihn für sich. Wer Worte der Tora erwirbt, erwirbt für sich das Leben in der kommenden Welt.
Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
INCREASES WORMS. Rav: in the grave, where a worm is as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living. Midrash Shmuel in the name of R. Yosef ibn Shoshan: not that they were of the opinion that the corpse feels anything, but that anyone of refined mind should be pained during his life by the disgrace that will come at his death, and should attempt to minimize this disgrace and imagine while he is still alive that he feels the worm that will bite him upon his death, which is the same feeling as a needle in live flesh. He will then minimize this disgrace and not increase his flesh because this increases worms. I cannot understand what complaint a living person could have about the disgrace he may suffer when he has been brought to burial and submerged in dirt, where nobody sees or knows anything about whether a worm rules over him or a maggot eats him. There is nothing disgraceful about a disgrace that nobody is witness to, all the more so since the disgraced one is dead and knows nothing of this disgrace. For what reason, then, should the thought of this pain a person while he lives?
Their words, however, were truly spoken: it is painful for the dead person [Heb. met] himself. Not because they believed that he has sensation and turned non-existent things into existing ones, but because the pain they spoke of is the pain of the dead person’s soul, which is still in existence and which beholds the disgrace of the body and is greatly pained by it; even the non-Jewish sages have agreed that the soul remains after death. This is the meaning of the verse in Job, 14:22: “Only his flesh shall pain [Heb. yich’av] him, and his soul mourn over him,” per Ibn Ezra’s commentary ad loc.: yich’av here has the sense of destruction, as in “you will destroy [Heb. tach’ivu] every good piece of land with stones” (2 Kings 3:19). The word was borrowed for unfeeling objects, for whom destruction is like pain for a person. The verse explains that the soul will indeed be in mourning on account of the pain it feels at seeing and recognizing the body in which it once was. [*And it is on the basis of this verse that one opinion in Shabbat 152b holds that as long as the flesh has not decomposed, the dead know whatever is said before them.] This is what they meant when they said that the worm is painful to the dead person, i.e. to the soul that knows of this. We can further deduce that this is what they meant because in speaking of the dead person they didn’t mention “flesh” and in speaking of the living one they said “the flesh of the living.” They should have used the same expression, saying either “like a needle in the living” or “in the flesh of the dead,” but they did not do so because they hold that the pain is felt by the dead person himself, i.e. his soul, and not his flesh, which feels nothing.
You shouldn’t find it odd that the soul is called met, “the dead,” for we find the Torah using the word this way in the verse “or one who consults the dead” (Deuteronomy 18:11), which obviously refers to the souls of the dead. Since this consultation occurs where the bodies of the dead are located it is called “consulting the dead,” even though the consultation is actually with the souls of those bodies. In our case the pain is similarly said to affect the dead, even though it is the souls that are pained, because the act that brings about the pain of the soul is done to the body. This is what seems correct to me.
[*I later found that Kol Bo writes in Hilchot Avel that the reason for burying the dead is that the soul is pained when it beholds the body in disgrace and lying about unburied, and says: they had the same idea in mind when they said “the worm is as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living,” which is a parallel only in terms of the existence of pain, not what type of pain it is. I also found that Rashba in responsum 1:369 considers it obvious that the dead do not feel the pain of the knife, and cites the embalming process as proof.]
Their words, however, were truly spoken: it is painful for the dead person [Heb. met] himself. Not because they believed that he has sensation and turned non-existent things into existing ones, but because the pain they spoke of is the pain of the dead person’s soul, which is still in existence and which beholds the disgrace of the body and is greatly pained by it; even the non-Jewish sages have agreed that the soul remains after death. This is the meaning of the verse in Job, 14:22: “Only his flesh shall pain [Heb. yich’av] him, and his soul mourn over him,” per Ibn Ezra’s commentary ad loc.: yich’av here has the sense of destruction, as in “you will destroy [Heb. tach’ivu] every good piece of land with stones” (2 Kings 3:19). The word was borrowed for unfeeling objects, for whom destruction is like pain for a person. The verse explains that the soul will indeed be in mourning on account of the pain it feels at seeing and recognizing the body in which it once was. [*And it is on the basis of this verse that one opinion in Shabbat 152b holds that as long as the flesh has not decomposed, the dead know whatever is said before them.] This is what they meant when they said that the worm is painful to the dead person, i.e. to the soul that knows of this. We can further deduce that this is what they meant because in speaking of the dead person they didn’t mention “flesh” and in speaking of the living one they said “the flesh of the living.” They should have used the same expression, saying either “like a needle in the living” or “in the flesh of the dead,” but they did not do so because they hold that the pain is felt by the dead person himself, i.e. his soul, and not his flesh, which feels nothing.
You shouldn’t find it odd that the soul is called met, “the dead,” for we find the Torah using the word this way in the verse “or one who consults the dead” (Deuteronomy 18:11), which obviously refers to the souls of the dead. Since this consultation occurs where the bodies of the dead are located it is called “consulting the dead,” even though the consultation is actually with the souls of those bodies. In our case the pain is similarly said to affect the dead, even though it is the souls that are pained, because the act that brings about the pain of the soul is done to the body. This is what seems correct to me.
[*I later found that Kol Bo writes in Hilchot Avel that the reason for burying the dead is that the soul is pained when it beholds the body in disgrace and lying about unburied, and says: they had the same idea in mind when they said “the worm is as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living,” which is a parallel only in terms of the existence of pain, not what type of pain it is. I also found that Rashba in responsum 1:369 considers it obvious that the dead do not feel the pain of the knife, and cites the embalming process as proof.]
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
He was accustomed to say: The more flesh, etc.: A person thinks that he adds life with pleasure and pampering - as he acts according to nature. 'But there is no control over the day of death' - it will 'not be a help or a benefit, but it will be for shame' and even for vermin.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
It is not that they established feeling for the dead in this and made from something that is not something that is; as there is no pain to the dead from a needle, and this is proven [from the] embalmers. But [rather] they said it with regards to the soul, which is very pained in its seeing the disgrace of the body. And so [too] is it in Kolbo. And see Tosafot Yom Tov, who discussed this at length.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The more flesh, the more worms": One who engages in much eating and drinking to the point that he becomes fat and fleshy, increases the worms upon himself in the grave; and worms are as hard for the dead as a needle is for living flesh. And this teacher let us understand that all increase is difficult for a man except for the increase of Torah, wisdom and charity.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Introduction
This mishnah contains the last of Hillel’s statements in this list. In it he preaches the living of a simple life, devoted not to fame and material acquisitions but to the study of Torah.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
HAS ACQUIRED IT FOR HIMSELF [Heb. le`atzmo]. For his own benefit in this world—Midrash Shmuel in the name of R. Yosef ibn Nahamias. [*I found support for this explanation in the mishna in Shekalim 1:4, “the Kohanim expound this verse for themselves,” where Rav explains “for themselves” as “for their own benefit.”
To me the mishna seems to be saying that he has acquired his essence [Heb. atzmut]. In having a good name he has clearly actualized his essence and become what he truly is, for anyone who does not have a good name is as though he hasn’t existed. It is well known that the definition of a name73The Hebrew shem was used by medieval translators for the Arabic ‘ism, itself a translation of the Greek logos, referring to the definition or essence of a thing. is something that refers to the essence of a thing, which is what Adam was doing when he gave names to all the creatures. Therefore, his good name points to his essence, as when the name is not good, better that he had not come into existence, and it is indeed as if he did not, and he has acquired nothing whatsoever.]
To me the mishna seems to be saying that he has acquired his essence [Heb. atzmut]. In having a good name he has clearly actualized his essence and become what he truly is, for anyone who does not have a good name is as though he hasn’t existed. It is well known that the definition of a name73The Hebrew shem was used by medieval translators for the Arabic ‘ism, itself a translation of the Greek logos, referring to the definition or essence of a thing. is something that refers to the essence of a thing, which is what Adam was doing when he gave names to all the creatures. Therefore, his good name points to his essence, as when the name is not good, better that he had not come into existence, and it is indeed as if he did not, and he has acquired nothing whatsoever.]
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
The more possessions, the more worry: Do not think that because of the honor of his wealth and the multitude of his assets, he will while away his days in bounty and his years in pleasantness. But [instead], he will worry about them the whole entire year. 'Ask him and he will tell you, your wealthy ones and they will say to you.'
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
"has acquired for himself (leatsmo)": For his benefit in this world - Midrash Shmuel. And it appears to me to explain that its matter is that he acquired his essence (atsmuto), and it means to say that when he has a good name, behold, he becomes actualized and he is something; as anything that does not have a good name, behold, it is as if it were not [in existence]. And see Tosafot Yom Tov.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"the more worry": Lest they rob him on behalf of the king's estate or lest bandits come upon him and kill him. And a certain pious man would pray, "May the Ominpresent save me from the spreading of the soul." And they inquired from him, "What is the spreading of the soul?" He said [back] to them that it [means] that his possessions should be numerous and spread out in many places, and [so] he would have to spread his soul to think in [this direction and that direction].
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
He used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; The more property, the more anxiety; The more wives, the more witchcraft; The more female slaves, the more lewdness; The more slaves, the more robbery; [But] the more Torah, the more life; The more sitting [in the company of scholars], the more wisdom; The more counsel, the more understanding; The more charity, the more peace. If one acquires a good name, he has acquired something for himself; If one acquires for himself knowledge of torah, he has acquired life in the world to come. The more flesh, the more worms: In our times being overweight is not a sign of wealth (and is often just the opposite). In contrast in ancient times obesity was a sign of wealth; it meant that one had the financial means to eat in excess. Hillel points out that in the end, the fat accumulated through wealth only turns into food for the worms when the body is buried. In other words, unlike Torah, which Hillel will later state takes a person into the next world, material gains become food for worms at the time of death. The more property, the more anxiety: A rich person may have more property, but that property is accompanied by more worries over its preservation. The more wives, the more witchcraft: Witchcraft was associated primarily with women. This is why the prohibition of sorcery in the Torah (Exodus 22:17) uses the feminine word for witch. The more female slaves, the more lewdness: Throughout rabbinic literature, female slaves are considered to have lax sexual morality. In truth this was probably because their masters took liberties with them. In any case, although the possession of many female slaves may be a sign of wealth, the more that one has, the more likely that they will lead him into temptation and lewdness. The more slaves, the more robbery: Male slaves were often not trusted. Some slaves became slaves because they were sold to pay off debts incurred while robbing ohers. [But] the more Torah, the more life: In this section, Hillel begins to list those things whose accumulation is beneficial. This first statement is the counterpart of the first statement above, “the more flesh the more worms”. Torah prolongs a man’s days in this world and in the world to come. The more sitting [in the company of scholars], the more wisdom: In order to gain wisdom a disciple needs to join a group of scholars. The more counsel, the more understanding: Similarly, a person who wishes to truly understand, must ask advice and counsel of those who know more than he. The more charity, the more peace: According to Hillel, the best way to bring peace in the world was to strive for economic justice through charity. If one acquires a good name, he has acquired something for himself: Unlike the material possessions, which Hillel so disparages in the first section of his statement, he does consider a good name to be of great value. If one acquires for himself knowledge of torah, he has acquired life in the world to come: Even greater than a good name, is the knowledge of Torah, which goes with a person even into the next world.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
The more man-servants, the more theft. The more maidservants, the more lewdness. The more wives, the more witchcraft: And if the man-servants steal, he is struck for them - as it is in his hand to stop them. And even if he does not know [about it], the matter will be cast upon him - as they are his money and his gold (they belong to him). Also when the maidservants are lewd with others, the matter is upon him as if he himself was lewd - as an abomination was done in his house. Also in the proliferation of wives, he causes them to do witchcraft - to increase love [towards them]: the hated one will redouble [her efforts] until she sways his heart, 'and her rival was surely angered.' And they will hang the matter upon his neck, since it is a major sin - as it is stated (Exodus 22:17), "You shall not let a witch live."
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The more wives, the more witchcraft": He went and mentioned it in order: At first, a man adorns himself and eats and drinks and engages in eating much meat; and afterwards he seeks to acquire much property; and after he has acquired much property and he sees that he has enough in his hand to support many wives, he [marries] many wives; and after he [marries] many wives, each one needs a maidservant to serve her - behold, this is "the more maidservants;" and since he has so many members of his household, he needs fields and vineyards to supply wine and food to the members of his household, and [so] acquires many slaves to work the fields and vineyards. Hence, they are learned in this order.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
The more Torah, the more life: This matter corresponds to that which he said, "The more flesh, the more vermin." As through enjoyment, he will shorten his days; but through toil in Torah [study], they will be lengthened. And it also corresponds to "The more possessions, the more worry," as the worry over possessions shortens his years. But the worry over Torah - even though it is great worry, to the one who understands, when he figures out the law to the point that he can 'say the thing in an apt fashion' - this worry cannot cause him evil. Even though the wise men of science have said that concern is sickness of the heart and worry is destruction of the heart, worry over Torah 'will increase for him length of days and years of life and peace.' And about this Shlomo, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 10:27), "The fear of the Lord adds life; the years of the wicked will be shortened."
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
The more Torah, the more life": As it is written (Deuteronomy 30:20), "for it is your life and the length of your days."
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
The more wisdom, the more sitting [and studying]: He means to say, the wisdom of reasoning and argument, as through this, he increases sitting. As students will come to hear the new [ideas] and to sharpen themselves with him and to learn the matter of the novel rationale - as this is a wisdom in of itself. And he means to say that he is given reward corresponding to all of them, since he is the catalyst. And this matter corresponds to that which he said, "The more maidservants, the more lewdness." As there [are things] that others do and it is seen as if he did it [himself], for the bad or for the good.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"the more wisdom": As he gives reasons for his words and his reasoning sits well with the heart of the listeners.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
The more charity, the more peace: Due to benefiting from his money, [people] love the one who gives charity and he increases peace in the world. And also when he gives advice to others to give charity, it is considered as if he [gave] it himself. And people love him for this and also for that. It corresponds to that which he said, "The more man-servants, the more theft." As [there], it is because of the actions of others - the theft of his servants - [that] people hate him. But one who increases charity, which causes others to give, increases his love from the creatures.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The more sitting [and studying]": Many students gather and come to hear his analyses. And some have the textual variant, "the more sitting, the more wisdom" - one who [teaches] many students [has] the students sharpen him and add and increase to his wisdom.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
One who has acquired a good name has acquired for himself: As the good name for himself, he will not leave to others. It is the opposite of the one who increases possessions, since with his death, he - the one who comes from them - will leave them over and go without desire.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The more counsel": One who frequently takes counsel, increases understanding - he understands one thing from another, from the counsels that his advisers have given him.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
One who has acquired words of Torah has acquired for himself the life of the World to Come:
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The more charity (tsedekah)": as it is stated (Isaiah 32:17), "And the act of righteousness (tsedekah) will be peace."
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