Kommentar zu Pirkei Avot 1:7

DISTANCE YOURSELF [Heb. harchek] FROM A BAD [Heb. ra] NEIGHBOR, AND DO NOT KEEP COMPANY [Heb. titchaber] WITH A WICKED PERSON [Heb. rasha]. The mishna says to “distance yourself” from a bad neighbor because a neighbor lives close by, whereas one need not distance oneself from an evil person who is not a neighbor, as it is sufficient not to keep his company.
The mishna uses ra, “bad”, to describe the neighbour, whereas the one who is not a neighbor is called rasha, “wicked”, even though both of them are resha`im, because having a rasha as a neighbor brings a person much ra`ah, harm, and his presence does great damage, but a rasha who does not live close by, though he be wicked in the eyes of Heaven, might cause no harm to a person unless he keeps his company—so Midrash Shmuel in the name of R. Yosef ibn Shoshan the Pious.
He also writes that R. Yehuda Lerma asks why the mishna uses the verb harchek, which is in binyan hif`il,<sup>30</sup>A verb form in Hebrew, usually with the causative sense. If it is causitive here it is a transitive verb meaning “to distance another.” and not hitrachek, which is in binyan hitpa``el,<sup>31</sup>A verb form in Hebrew, usually with the reflexive sense. It would mean “to distance oneself,” and would seem to be more appropriate here. and answers that should someone new come to the neighborhood and make his residence near that bad neighbor whom he doesn’t know, one ought to distance and warn the newcomer about his neighbor.
I feel that the tanna uses both the verbs harchek and titchaber the way they are used in the Bible. For while hitrachek, which is in hitpa``el, never appears in the Bible, harchek in hif`il appears in “Keep your path distant [Heb. harchek] from her” (Proverbs 5:8). Hitchaber, in hitpa``el, appears in “On account of your joining [Heb. behitchabercha] with Ahaziahu, G-d will destoy what you have made” (2 Chronicles 20:37). Echoing this verse, the tanna then concludes and don’t despair, because punishment will come.³²The verse in Chronicles reads in full: Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “On account of your joining with Ahaziah, G-d will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade. The tanna puts together the two parts of the mishna on the basis of the verse: do not join with an evil person (“on account of your joining…”), and don’t despair, because punishment will come (“the ships were wrecked…”) It is possible that the author is understanding the mishna as saying: do not join with an evil person, and, should you do so, don’t despair—i.e., you won’t have to wait long—because punishment will come. In this case, the parallel to the verse in Chronicles is exact.

Nitai of Arbel says: "Distance [yourself] from a bad neighbor": He said it to renters of houses and purchasers of slaves. As when a person first asks about the house and the tightness of the place, he should ask about the neighbors - if they are evil, he should distance himself from them, and he should come close to the good ones.

"Do not befriend an evildoer": in [any] type of friendship and companionship, so that you will not learn from his deeds. And we have already elucidated in the previous chapters that a man learns from the vices [found] in the company of evildoers. And he said [further] if you sin or you see that one sin, do not be confident and say that God, may He be blessed, will only punish him in the world to come; and do not despair of quick vengeance from Him for this sin.

"Distance, etc.": With his neighbor who is close to him, it stated an expression of distancing. And it was not necessary with an evildoer who is not his neighbor, since he is not close. [Rather,] it only warned him not to befriend him. And it said about the neighbor, "bad," and not, "evildoer," since his being neighbors with an evildoer is bad for [the latter's] neighbor, and his proximity is very harmful. [And] this is not the case when he is not his neighbor: his evil does not cause that person any bad - even though he is an evildoer to the Heavens - unless he befriends him - R. Y. Ibn Shoshan. And see Tosafot Yom Tov.

"Distance [yourself] from a bad neighbor": That you not learn from his actions. And also, that you should not be struck with him in his downfall, for 'woe is to the evildoer, woe is to his neighbor.'

Introduction Mishnah seven contains the teaching of Nitai who was from Arbel, a settlement in the lower Galilee.

AND DON’T DESPAIR [Heb. titya’esh], BECAUSE PUNISHMENT WILL COME. The mishna does not say that one should worry about being punished, for it is a shameful thing for one to worry about being punished. Rather, he should not despair of punishment³³I.e. one should not think it won’t come. as Haman did, who relied on his great wealth, and whose great successes were, in the blink of an eye, entirely overturned. This is what the word titya’esh means—Maharal in Derech Chaim.

"do not befriend an evildoer": As it [brings] a great punishment, which has nothing like it. Since if he transgress a great sin, he did one sin; but this one has a portion in all of the sins that the evildoer does. And it comes out that he does many great and huge sins. And [even] if his hands are tied and he does not benefit from them, woe to the evildoer and woe to his neighbor - as 'he sins and his neighbor is flogged.' As so is it explained in The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan 30:3, "Anyone who clings to evildoers - even though he does not do like their deeds - takes recompense like them; and one who clings to the righteous - even though he does not do like their deeds - takes recompense like them." And about this it is stated (II Chronicles 20:37), "“As you have made a partnership, etc., the Lord will break up your work.”

"and do not, etc.": And it does not say that he should worry about punishment, since such a thing is a bad trait - the one who worries about punishment; but [rather], "do not despair, etc." Which is what Haman did when he relied upon his great wealth, and in the blink of an eye, his success reversed itself upon him. And this is [the meaning] of the expression, 'do not despair' - Derekh Chaim.

"do not befriend an evildoer": As thus stated the sages, "Anyone who clings to evildoers - even though he does not act like them - gets retribution similar to them. To what is this matter like? To one who enters the house of a tanner - even though he doesn't take anything with him, nonetheless, he absorbed the foul smell and brings it out with him."

Nittai the Arbelite used to say: keep a distance from an evil neighbor, do not become attached to the wicked, and do not abandon faith in [divine] retribution. In the previous mishnah Joshua ben Perahiah taught that one should judge others with the scale weighted in their favor. Nittai the Arbelite balances this advice by adding that there may nevertheless be objective differences between different people. The fact that one should judge everyone favorably does not mean that one should not stay away from the wicked. In many places the rabbis teach that one who associates with evil people, even if he himself is not wicked, will have some of their ways rub off on him. Forming a just and righteous society means that each individual must be careful with whom he/she associates. The third statement of Nittai the Arbelite, although seemingly unconnected, is connected to the previous statements. If one sees many wicked people, he should not abandon his faith that someday these people will be punished by God, be it in this world or in the world to come. Abandoning faith in retribution could lead to a person losing faith in any objective difference between good and evil, at least in God’s eyes. In other words, belief in a God that cares about human actions and takes them into account is a basic tenet of a just society, especially a just society that cannot always enforce its ideals. Another interpretation of this last line is that a person, no matter how rich, should not feel totally secure in his wealth, for if he does not act in a righteous manner, divine retribution will eventually come. The flip side of this is also true. One who is poor and struggles in life, but acts in a righteous manner, should not despair of better days, for just as divine retribution is promised, so too is divine reward.

"and do not despair": He made these two things adjacent and said, "do not befriend an evildoer," because you need not despair from punishment. And do not say in your heart, "He is still standing in tranquility and times [are good] for him - I will befriend him and when his good fortune changes, I will distance myself from him." And you cannot [do this], as you will not know what [each new] day will bring, and his time will come in an instant, and you will be taken with him; when he begins to fall, he and all of his friends will fall. And also do not say, "I will show him love outwardly, but I will not love him in my heart." As it is also evil for you to flatter him, since it is a sin to flatter evildoers in this world. And about this matter Shlomo stated (Proverbs 24:21-22), "Fear the Lord, my son, and the king, and do not mix with changers. For their time comes suddenly; the doom of both, who can foreknow?" The explanation is that he made adjacent the fear of the Lord (my son, and the king) to the fear of a flesh and blood king as a metaphor relating the fear of the body [from] that which is perceived by the eye with the fear of the soul [from] that which is invisible. And he said when you see that the king hates all those who love his enemies and that he metes out bad to him, asks who is it that filled his heart to love the enemy of the king, and does to him [the same thing] that he does to his enemy; [know that] so [too] the Holy One, blessed be He, does to all those who mix with the changers - that is to say, those that change the Torah and the commandments. As [the word] 'change' here is transitive, as in (Job 29:22), "After my word, [things] were not changed." And when the changers are struck, their friends will also be collected with them - 'Should one give aid to the wicked and befriend those who hate the Lord? For this, it shall be upon you.' "As his time comes suddenly" and you will not be able to escape for your life. "And the doom of both, who can foreknow," meaning to say, the doom of the king's hater and the doom of the hater of the Holy One, blessed be He. Who knows when it will come to them, and [so] no man can be careful to befriend them and to save his [own] life.

"and do not despair of punishment": That you should not say, "the actions of this evildoer are succeeding - I will go and cling to him, since fortune is smiling at him." Therefore, it states, "do not despair of punishment," meaning to say, know that punishment will come upon him quickly, as his calamity will come suddenly.