Musar zu Pirkei Avot 5:20

Our Sages said: "Anyone who does a transgression and is ashamed of his deed is forgiven for all his sins" (Berakoth 12b). And they said further, "He who has a sense of shame is destined for Paradise" (Aboth 5:42). And our Sages said, "Faith and a sense of shame are linked together, for the one who is ashamed before people shows that he believes in people. If he did not believe in the importance and worth of people he would not care for their opinion and therefore would not be ashamed before them." The wise man said, "If it brings you no shame do all that you desire."

And the opposite of all good traits that appear in the modest person are found in the impudent. When a man persists in this quality and increases in impudence he becomes very disgusting in the eyes of all people, no matter how wise he is. Many evils follow in the train of impudence. He who deals impudently with others will not be free from quarrels, hatred and jealousy. And he who is of the impudent ones denies the uniqueness of God. Such a person cannot bear the presence of a great man and cannot be gracious to the old, and all the transgressions in the Torah are trivial in his eyes — all because of his great impudence. And of him it is said : "The impudent to Gehenna!" (Aboth 5:20).

In this manner the sages of blessed memory warned us: "be brazen as a leopard... to do the will of your Father in Heaven" (Avot 5:20). And David said: "I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and will not be ashamed" (Ps. 119:46).

If he leaves himself in the hands of his [natural] heaviness, it is a certainty that he will not succeed. This is what the Tana (Mishnaic sage) stated: "be brazen as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven" (Avot 5:20). Likewise, the Sages counted among the things which need strengthening: "Torah and good deeds" (Berachot 32b). This is explicitly stated in scripture: "be strong and very courageous [to observe and do all of the Torah...]" (Yehoshua 1:6). For great strengthening is needed for one who wants to bend his nature to its opposite.

Rabbi Judah, the son of Tema, said, "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fast as a deer, mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in heaven" (Aboth 5:24). See how they warned that one make himself light and strong in order to fulfill the commandments! Thus did David say, "I made haste, and delayed not, to observe Thy commandments" (Ps. 119:60). Thus did our Rabbis expound : " 'And ye shall observe the matzot (Ex. 12:17), do not read it as matzot (unleavened bread), but read it is as mitzvot (commandments)" — meaning if an opportunity comes to you to do a good deed, do not let it grow stale but do it at once (Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, vol. I., p. 74). It is very necessary to be agile and alert and strong in order to strive against the wicked — to be mighty of heart as Moses, our teacher, when he said, "Put every man his sword upon his thigh" (Ex. 32:27). And to be like Phinehas of whom it is said, "And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear into hand" (Num. 25:7). Therefore, take care to be quick to separate yourself from the company of the wicked, so that you will not be part of their designs and their plans. Above all it requires zeal to do repentence. One must hurry and he should not delay to follow the paths of repentence, and let him not be wicked for even one hour before God, may He be Blessed. See how alert the servants and ministers of kings are in the performance of their duties. All the more so must we be careful to be alert in our service to the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

The words השכל וידוע אותי in that verse, mean that "when these attributes originate with Me, then they are something worth boasting about." The fact that the prophet seems to repeat himself by saying השכל וידוע, may be an allusion to the perfection of these attributes personified by our patriarch Jacob, of whom the Torah testified in Genesis 33,18, that he arrived at the city of Shechem שלם, perfect, which Rashi there interprets as whole in body, i.e. physical prowess, גבורה; whole in money, i.e. he was well satisfied with his lot, i.e. עשיר; and finally, whole in his Torah, i.e. he was a חכם. These three kinds of perfection or wholeness, are also described in Deut. 6,5, which tells us how to love G–d, i.e. בכל לבבך, ובכל נפשך, ובכל מאדך. The heart represents physical life, and it was Yehudah ben Teima who when he said "be mighty like the lion," referred to performing G–d's commandments with all the power of one's heart, according to the introduction of Tur Orach Chayim. When the Torah continues: “בכל נפשך,” the reference is to the abstract life-force, the mind. This means that the mind, which normally craves recognition, should be put at the disposal of G–d's commands. The expression "ובכל מאדך," refers to one's financial wealth, i.e. putting that which is normally subject to one's greed at G–d's disposal. We find that these attributes can be employed in one's relationship with G–d, since many of the commandments of religious ritual require the expenditure of money, such as contributions to Temple maintenance, purchase of communal sacrifices, etc. Other commandments require that one exerts one's body, such as all the laws involving forbidden foods. Still other commandments can be performed only if one uses one's mental faculties.

He prayed for the דבקות to become manifest already before the conquest of the land of Canaan. As long as Israel carries out G–d's wishes this affinity exists, and the name of G–d as well as the throne of G–d is complete. When Israel sinned with the golden calf, one of the four supports of G–d's throne, i.e. the פני השור, "slipped," causing G–d's throne and His name to become impaired. As long as Israel carry out G–d's desires, they are the carriers of the Presence of G–d, they serve as the throne. As long as such a situation continues they are called אדם, i.e. they represent the פני אדם mentioned in Ezekiel's vision as one of the four carriers of G–d's throne (Ezekiel 1,10). The study of the Torah is one leg of the four legs supporting G–d's throne, the one called פני השור. This is based on ורב תבואות בכח השור (Proverbs 14,4). Our sages have said that one should apply oneself to Torah study as an ox applies himself to the yoke (Avodah Zarah 5). When it comes to the practical performance of what is written in the Torah one should behave like a lion and an eagle, as we know from Rabbi Yehudah ben Teyma in Avot 5,20. The Rabbi refers to the sharp eye possessed by the eagle and the courage possessed by the lion, a function of the heart. The Torah itself warns us not to allow our eyes and our hearts to make us stray from the path of Torah (Numbers 15,39), evidence that these two organs are of prime importance in carrying out G–d's commandments. Should Israel fail to live up to these obligations, also these two legs of G–d's throne would collapse.