Commentary for Pirkei Avot 4:1
בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א ב) כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלּוּ:
Ben Zoma says [(Because he did not live long and was not ordained as a Rabbi, they called him by the name of his father, likewise, "Ben Azzai." The name of both was Shimon)]: Who is wise? [i.e., Who is worthy of glorying in his wisdom?] One who learns from all men, [even from those lesser than he. For since he is not jealous of his honor and learns from the lesser, it is seen that his wisdom is for the sake of Heaven and not for personal glory], as it is written (Psalms 119:99): "From all of my teachers I grew wise," [followed by "for Your testimonies were conversation to me." i.e., I learned Torah from all of my teachers, even those lesser than I, not being solicitous of my honor. For Your testimonies were conversation to me, all of my intent being for the sake of Heaven. Likewise,] Who is strong, [and worthy of glorying in his strength]? One who subdues his (evil) inclination, as it is written (Proverbs 16:32): "Greater is he who withholds his wrath than the hero, and the ruler of his spirit, than the conqueror of a city." [(What precedes is a superficial rendering.) It is to be understood thus: Great is the withholding of wrath that comes from the strength of subduing the (evil) inclination (and not from the weakness of one's nature). And, similarly, [great is] ruling one's spirit when it comes from the conqueror of a city, i.e., from a king, who after conquering a city has the rebels brought before him and "rules his spirit" and does not kill them.] Who is rich, [and worthy of glorying in his riches]? One who rejoices in his lot, as it is written (Psalms 18:2): "When you eat the toil of your hands, you are fortunate and it is well with you" — You are fortunate in this world and it is well for you in the world to come. Who is honored? One who honors others. [Because if one merits the three good things mentioned above (wisdom, strength, and riches), he is honored in himself in the eyes of G-d and man, even if men do not (manifestly) honor him because of them — the tanna, therefore, adds: If one possesses these three middoth and is honored in himself, what should he do to be (manifestly) honored by others? Let him honor them!] As it is written (I Samuel 2:30): "For I shall honor those who honor Me, and those who scorn Me shall be cursed." [The rest follows a fortiori, viz.: If the Holy One Blessed be He, the King of honor, who created everything in this world for His honor, honors those who honor Him — how much more so (should) flesh and blood (do so)! "And those who scorn me shall be cursed" — whence we derive the humility of the Holy One Blessed be He. He did not say "I shall curse My scorners," but they shall be cursed" — of themselves. And He is more solicitous of the honor of tzaddikim than of His own! viz. (Genesis 12:3): "And those who curse you (Abraham), I shall curse."]
Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
WHO IS WISE. Rav explains the question as “which wise person can take pride in his wisdom?” At first, this might seem like a contradictoin to what Jeremiah said: “Let not the wise man take pride in his wisdom, nor the strong man take pride in his strength, nor the rich man take pride in his riches—only in [Heb. ki im] this should one take pride: understanding and knowing Me” (Jeremiah 9:22). It is not, however, because our tanna understands the verse as follows. When Jeremiah says “only in this” he is speaking of the abovementioned things themselves. What he means to say is that the wise man should not take pride in his wisdom, unless [Heb. ki im]130The Hebrew can mean “only in” or “only if”, the latter rendered here as “unless”. it be to understand and know Me; the strong man should not take pride in his strength, unless it be to understand and know Me; the rich man should not take pride in his riches, unless they be to understand and know Me. Our tanna therefore asks “which is the wise person” and so on as a question in response to the verse—since the verse says that there are wise, strong, and rich people that can take pride in their accomplishments but does not specify who they are, we must now ask to whom the verse refers.
The tanna has investigated the matter and found that the wise person in question is the one who learns from every man. Rav explains that this shows that his intent in acquiring wisdom is purely for the sake of Heaven, which would be precisely in order to “understand and know Me.” The strong man is he who subdues his desires. This is strength for the sake of Heaven, i.e. in order that one not sin before G-d, and there can be no greater “understanding and knowing Me,” as the purpose of this “knowing” is to fear G-d and keep his commandments. And the rich man who is satisfied with his lot and does not chase after wealth uses his time to engage in the service of Heaven, which is also “understanding and knowing Me.” The mishna therefore says of him “you are praiseworthy in this world, and it will go well for you in the next.” And the Talmud says in Berachot 8a that “whoever eats the fruits of his labor is greater than one who fears Heaven” for the same reason: one who has fear of Heaven but is not content with what he has and chases after wealth will not have time for the service of G-d.
The tanna has investigated the matter and found that the wise person in question is the one who learns from every man. Rav explains that this shows that his intent in acquiring wisdom is purely for the sake of Heaven, which would be precisely in order to “understand and know Me.” The strong man is he who subdues his desires. This is strength for the sake of Heaven, i.e. in order that one not sin before G-d, and there can be no greater “understanding and knowing Me,” as the purpose of this “knowing” is to fear G-d and keep his commandments. And the rich man who is satisfied with his lot and does not chase after wealth uses his time to engage in the service of Heaven, which is also “understanding and knowing Me.” The mishna therefore says of him “you are praiseworthy in this world, and it will go well for you in the next.” And the Talmud says in Berachot 8a that “whoever eats the fruits of his labor is greater than one who fears Heaven” for the same reason: one who has fear of Heaven but is not content with what he has and chases after wealth will not have time for the service of G-d.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
Ben Zoma said, "Who is the wise one? He who learns from all men: The sages of the nations of the world have said one who knows all of the wisdoms [yet] does not love wisdom is not a wise man but a fool. As he does not love knowledge, which is intelligence. However, one who loves and desires it - even though he does not know anything - behold, this one is called a wise man. In any event, he will reach true wisdom and find knowledge of God. And about this Ben Zoma said, "Who is the wise one? He who learns from all men" - as so much does he love wisdom that he asks [it] from every person. And even from the one who only knows (another) [one] thing does he learn; and then his path becomes successful and he will become enlightened. And because of this he is called a wise one, as it says, "I have acquired understanding from all my teachers" (Psalms 119:99). As so did David, peace be upon him, say - that he learned from every person; and he did not say, "This one is not as knowledgeable as I." Rather he learned from them all and became enlightened. There is a metaphor [relevant to this] about a man that lost a small vessel - would he not seek it from every man?
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Rambam on Pirkei Avot
This is clear and we have already elucidated its matter in the previous chapters.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
And one can object from that which Yirmiyahu said (Jeremiah 9:22-23), "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But rather let him that glory, glory in this; that he understands and knows Me." And it appears to me that it is not difficult, since our teacher [of this mishnah] reasons that that which is written, "But rather... that he understands and knows Me," is itself included in the wisdom, the might and the wealth that [the prophet] mentioned. And so did [Yirmiyahu] say, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, etc.; but rather" in the wisdom that "understands and knows Me." And so [too] with the matter of might and of riches. And therefore the teacher [of this mishnah] asked, "who is the wise one," etc., to which the prophet referred.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
Ben Zoma: Since he did not have length of days and was not ordained to be called, 'Rabbi,' they would call him according to his father's name. And so [too] Ben Azzai. And both of their names were Shimon.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Introduction Ben Zoma’s full name was Shimon ben Zoma, and he is never called by the title Rabbi, although he was clearly quite learned. He is famous for being one of the four rabbis who entered into the “Pardes”, the mythical orchard, which may refer to some type of esoteric theological speculation. The experience was too much for him and he went crazy (one died, another became an apostate and one, Rabbi Akiva, became one of the great sages of Jewish history). In this mishnah Ben Zoma teaches the definitions of wise, mighty, rich and honored. In my humble opinion the advice that he gives is amongst the best and most useful advice ever given.
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Derekh Chayim
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
AS THE VERSE SAYS, “I HAVE GROWN WISE FROM ALL MY TEACHERS”. Rav: and the end of the verse says, “for your laws are all my speech.” Which shows that the beginning of the verse means “I learned Torah from all of my teachers.”131That being the meaning of “growing wise”. The second half of the verse provides a reason for the first. If the reason is “for your laws are all my speech”, i.e. they are what I speak of all the time, the first half of the verse must mean “I have grown wise from all my teachers,” i.e. I have eagerly absorbed their instruction because all my desire was to know your laws. This is contra the following interpretation mentioned and dismissed by Maharal. And we should not read the first half of the verse as “I have grown wiser than all of my teachers,”132The Hebrew supports both readings, because the prefixed mi- in mi-kol melamdai hiskalti can mean either “from” or “more than”. for it is not unexpected that after one learns from a teacher he becomes sharp and understanding in the subject, and it is no surprise if he gets to understand more than what his teachers taught him133Precisely this rejected interpretation is offered by Ibn Ezra ad loc.—Maharal in Derech Chaim.
Rav: “for your laws are all my speech”, my intent is entirely for the sake of Heaven. I.e., since all my speech is of Torah, it is clear that my intent is entirely for the sake of Heaven.134The reasoning is: I have learned Torah from all my teachers because my study was for the sake of Heaven, and it is evident that my study was for the sake of Heaven because it was the subject of all my speech. The middle premise, that my study was for the sake of Heaven, is implied by the two extremal premises. Rav assumes it and Tosafot Yom Tov clarifies the syllogism, which, written in syllogistic form, would go: 1. If Torah is all my speech, my study is for the sake of Heaven. 2. If my study is for the sake of Heaven, I learn from all my teachers. Therefore, since Torah is all my speech, I learn from all my teachers.
Rav: “for your laws are all my speech”, my intent is entirely for the sake of Heaven. I.e., since all my speech is of Torah, it is clear that my intent is entirely for the sake of Heaven.134The reasoning is: I have learned Torah from all my teachers because my study was for the sake of Heaven, and it is evident that my study was for the sake of Heaven because it was the subject of all my speech. The middle premise, that my study was for the sake of Heaven, is implied by the two extremal premises. Rav assumes it and Tosafot Yom Tov clarifies the syllogism, which, written in syllogistic form, would go: 1. If Torah is all my speech, my study is for the sake of Heaven. 2. If my study is for the sake of Heaven, I learn from all my teachers. Therefore, since Torah is all my speech, I learn from all my teachers.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
Who is the mighty one? He who conquers his impulse: Just as the power of the body is its virtue and its distinction, so too is the power of the soul is its virtue. And regarding the power of the body in man, it is also in animals - as they all have the power to lift weights and some more than others - [such that] Ben Zoma did not speak about it, as it is not called might. Rather [he spoke] about the might of the heart - which has two powers, to be mighty in war and that his heart never be afraid; and also the power to subdue the impulse. And this is dissimilar for man and beast, as animals do not have might of the heart. And about this, Ben Zoma said that the braver and stronger power of the heart is that which overcomes the impulse. As might in war is not such a great thing and 'like you, like them, in the description of men' - if they have power, this one also has strength, if 'they prepared their hands for battle, their fingers for war.' But to overcome the impulse - the enemy of a person in his face - and to destroy him, that is an elevated and strong might.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
And this is exactly [one that] "understands and knows Me. "And the mighty man [intended] is the one "who conquers, etc." and that is might that is for the sake of Heaven, such that he not sin in front of Him. [And] there is no greater [example] of "understands and knows Me;" as the goal of this knowledge is to [be in] fear in front of Him and keep His commandments. And the rich man [intended] is "He who is happy with his lot" and is not confused by his wealth and so turns all of his days to the service of Heaven, and this is also "understands, etc." And therefore it is stated, "'You will be happy,' etc." And they said in the gemara, "He who benefits from the work of his hands is greater than the fear of Heaven, etc." As one who does not suffice and is confused by his wealth will not be free to do the service of God, may He be blessed.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"Who is the wise one": This is what it is saying: Who is wise, who is fitting to be lauded by his wisdom?
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Ben Zoma said:
Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms 119:99). A person who is ready to learn from anyone will not reject the things he learns from other people just because they do not have high social or economic standing. For instance, a good teacher will not reject a suggested explanation from a student just because the student is younger and less experienced. A truly wise person is always looking for ways to expand his knowledge. This is true even of one who does not know a lot. If he is always looking for ways to learn, then he is truly wise.
Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms 119:99). A person who is ready to learn from anyone will not reject the things he learns from other people just because they do not have high social or economic standing. For instance, a good teacher will not reject a suggested explanation from a student just because the student is younger and less experienced. A truly wise person is always looking for ways to expand his knowledge. This is true even of one who does not know a lot. If he is always looking for ways to learn, then he is truly wise.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
ONE WHO SUBDUES HIS INCLINATION. The inclination to evil [Heb. yetzer hara] is called “inclination” [Heb. yetzer] without qualification, as it precedes the desire for good, at which point it rules over the body alone—Midrash Shmuel in the name of R. Yosef Karo. He also writes that this inclination is more particular to a person and a more basic part of his essence than the inclination to good, as the nature of man is to incline to evil. Cf. what I wrote on 3:9 on “anyone whose fear of sin etc.”
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
as it says, "slowness to anger is better than a mighty person and the ruler of his spirit than the conqueror of a city." (Proverbs 16:32): Slowness to anger [describes] the one who holds his anger and his will is not to take revenge immediately, but to wait for the time and place of his vengeance. As the angry one that takes revenge immediately, confounds his actions and acts without intelligence. And about this, Shlomo, peace be upon him, stated, "slowness to anger is better than a mighty person." The one who holds his anger - even though he does not forgive during his anger - since he leaves the matter of revenge until later, [shows] more might of the heart than the mighty one in war; as also without intelligence can he be mighty in fighting. But "the ruler of his spirit" - which is more than one who is slow of anger, since he forgives during his anger, as he fears the word of God - is mightier "than the conqueror of a city." [This is] even though [the latter] has two things - might of the heart and wisdom, as it is stated (Proverbs 21:22), "A wise man climbed to a city of warriors, and brought down its mighty stronghold." As it is with might of the heart, wisdom and correct counsel that they conquer cities. And about this it is stated (II Kings 18:20), "counsel and might for war." And the ruler of his spirit is greater and more significant than all of this and he comes out overcoming his impulse from all bad things.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
[Since the prefix represented by the Hebrew letter mem which has been understood here as 'from' can also be understood as 'than,' it should be understood] that it should not be explained that it means to say, that he became more learned than his teachers, as this is not a novelty. Since after a person has learned from his teacher, he becomes wise and learned in his studies and it is not a novelty that he become more learned than what his teachers taught him - Derekh Chaim
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"He who learns from all men": And even though [that person that he learns from] is lesser than he. As since he is not concerned about his honor and learns from the lesser ones, [it shows] that his wisdom is for the sake of Heaven and not to boast and revel in.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Who is mighty? He who subdues his [evil] inclination, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32. This one statement may sum up 2000 years of Jewish experience. The Jewish ideal of strength and might is not the same as the Greek ideal, which is that of the mighty warrior and champion athlete. A person of great physical strength who performs amazing deeds is not necessarily mighty. The most difficult thing to conquer is not others or even great armies, but our own inclination to do wrong things. One who has control over this inclination is truly mighty. This is why for thousands of years Jews did not look to soldiers as their heroes, but to rabbis and other thinkers. Strength in Judaism is one of character and not one of might. After all the strongest person in the world is no stronger than a weak gorilla or bear. It is only through our ability to curb our appetites and control our instincts that human beings can differ themselves from animals.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
AS THE VERSE SAYS, “BEING SLOW TO ANGER IS BETTER THAN BEING STRONG.” Rav: the meaning of the verse is that it is better to be slow to anger as a function of the strength involved in subduing one's inclination, not because of a lack of appetite. For if the verse means simply that being slow to anger is better than being strong, we would wonder why that is, as being slow to anger because of lack of appetite is not better.135It is just not comparable—one is an act of strength, and the other a lack of a quality.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
Who is the rich one? He who is happy with his lot: [This is] the one who says, "I have enough with my lot: since I am able to support myself and my household and to engage in Torah [study], what is there [for] me with [any] other money - it is only for me to have what I need and to uphold the word of God." As one who is not happy with his lot and is not satisfied with what God, may He be blessed, gave him is a poor person; as it is explained in the verse (Proverbs 15:15), "All the days of a poor man are bad, but one with a good heart has a constant feast." He wanted to say [in this verse] that all the days of a 'poor man' that desires money are bad - 'a lover of money never has his fill of money': but all the days of the one with a good heart, who is happy with his lot, are good (as the one) [like] one who makes a constant feast. Hence it is an extremely good trait to be happy with his lot. And he is called rich, since God, may He be blessed, gave him with what to support himself and engage in Torah and in the commandments. As 'what is the advantage to man in all of his toil,' except to fulfill the Torah and the commandments.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
Since all of my conversation is about Torah.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"as it says, 'I have acquired understanding from all my teachers'": And the end of the verse is, "since your testimonies are my conversation" - which means to say, "I would learn Torah from all my teachers, and even from those that are lesser than I, and I would not be concerned about my honor; as all of my intentions were for Heaven alone." And so [too], "who is the mighty one," [means] who is fitting to be lauded by his might? "He who conquers his impulse."
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as it is said: “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2) “You shall be happy” in this world, “and you shall prosper” in the world to come. This saying can be observed every day in newspapers and magazines. The rich and famous are not called the rich and happy for good reasons. Wealth is not measured by how much money one has in the bank account, but by how satisfied one is with what one has. This is not to say that people should not work hard in order to earn more money, or that people should renounce their material wealth and live lives of poverty. Such is not a typically Jewish ideal. However, along with working hard, a person who wants to be happy must be satisfied with what he has. In the middle of this section is a brief interpolated midrash on the verse from Psalms. The verse seems superfluous for it would have been enough to state either that “you will be happy” or “and you shall prosper”. The repetition teaches, according to the mishnah, that the verse refers to happiness and prosperity in both this world and the next.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
YOU ARE PRAISEWORTHY IN THIS WORLD. Rashi: for he will not need to take from others. And in the next world because he enjoys the fruits of his labor and does not end up stealing, and will inherit both worlds.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
as it says, "When you eat [from] the work of your hands, you will be happy, and it will be well with you" (Psalms 128:2). "You will be happy" in this world, and "it will be well with you" in the world to come: This verse is not a proof about the matter that one who is happy with his lot is called rich. Rather, [it shows] that a person is happy [also] with this good trait: when he does not desire to gather money and he hates gifts. [Instead,] he eats from the work of his hands and suffices with it, like the one who is happy with his lot - as his want is only to support himself. And Ben Zoma arranged these three traits like the order of Yirmiyahu the prophet, peace be upon him: wisdom, might and wealth, as it is stated (Jeremiah 9:22), "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; let not the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his wealth." He had wisdom precede might because it is a true virtue and it is in the intellect of the soul and sits in the body, not like might which is only in the body. Still, [might] is more elevated than wealth, since might is in his body - something that exists all the days that he is still alive - whereas wealth is outside of his body. And it is something transient, as he can make his wealth, and others take it [after only] half of his days. And even though the prophet stated that a man should not glory in these three traits, Ben Zoma made a distinction and said that there is a side of these traits that is without [physical] exertion and toil and that he can glory in: With wisdom, it is to be one learning (in every) [from every] man. As such, he will understand fear of God; and there is no exertion in it, as it is wisdom and not work. With might, it is to overcome his impulse and to forgive during his anger. In this too he can glory, since he is doing it from his fear [of God]. And this is what Shlomo, peace be upon him, stated (Proverbs 19:11), "It is the intellect of a man that is slow to anger; it is his glory when he overlooks an offense." And since the desire of the one who is happy with his lot is only to learn and to keep the commandments, and when he has enough for his livelihood and support he is happy and recognizes that the rest is vanity, he is the 'rich' man who can glory in his wealth. As [in] all of these things, there is knowledge of the Creator, may He be blessed. [It is] as it is stated (Jeremiah 9:23), "But only in this should the one who glories glory, in his using his intellect and knowing Me; that I the Lord act with kindness, justice, and equity in the world; for in these I delight, declares the Lord." And Ben Zoma added a fourth trait and said:
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
"His impulse": The evil impulse is called 'the impulse' without differentiation on account of its coming first and governing the body by itself [before being joined by the positive impulse] - Midrash Shmuel. And he also explained that it is his impulse that is particular to him and has become powerful in him more than the positive impulse has become powerful and particular in him; as the nature of man leans more to the evil impulse.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"as it says, 'slowness to anger is better than a mighty person' (but it can also be read as, 'good is slowness to anger from might')": Thus is the explanation of the verse: Good is slowness to anger that comes from the angle of the might [involved in] conquering the impulse, and not from the angle of [having] a soft nature." And so [too, the rest of the verse, "and one who governs his passion than the conqueror of a city" which can also be read as, "and one who governs his passion from the conqueror of a city," is to be understood as "good] is the conquering of the spirit when it comes from the conqueror of a city; [meaning] from a king, when after he conquers a city and the people rebelling against him come to his hand, he governs his passions and does not kill them."
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Who is he that is honored? He who honors his fellow human beings as it is said: “For I honor those that honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored” (I Samuel 2:30). One who honors others is really bringing honor to himself. Note that the prooftext from I Samuel is said by God, and not by a human being. However, one could argue that all the more so this is true with regard to humans. If God honors those who honor Him, even though we were only created to honor Him, all the more so will humans honor those who honor them.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
Who is honored? He who honors the created beings: One who honors his fellow, honors himself - not his fellow. [As] what benefit is there to a man if they [give] him honor? If he is honored, the honor that they gave to him does not add to his status and his honor. And if he is lowly, for [others] to honor him will not make him honored again. And all honor for the lowly is a loss for those that honor him, as his status is not increased. [It is] like Shlomo, peace be upon him, stated (Proverbs 26:8), "Like binding a stone in a sling, so is paying honor to a fool." As one who binds a stone in a sling is doing nonsense; and there is no honor given to the rock - as it was not elevated by this. And so [too] is it nonsense to give honor to a fool. It comes out that you will say that [with] all the honor that a person does to the created beings, he is honoring himself. [This is] because he causes them perforce to honor him and [it will be considered] a debt, which is true honor. And about this is it said, "Who is honored? He who honors the created beings."
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
Since if it were not like [the explanation of Rabbi Bartenura], but rather that the explanation of the verse was that slowness of anger is better than a mighty person, it would be difficult - why [should it be considered better]; as if he is slow of anger from the angle of [having] a soft nature, it is not good.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"Who is the rich one": who is fitting to be lauded by his riches? "He who is happy with his lot."
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
as it says, "For those who honor Me, I will honor; and those who despise Me will be held in little esteem" (I Samuel 2:30): And the proof of this verse is from an a fortiori argument (kal vechomer): If [with] the Holy One, blessed be He, that all of His creatures were only created for His glory, as it is stated (Isaiah 43:7), "that I have created for My honor" - and it would not be justified to owe them good for this, since they were not created for anything else and this is their work, and they have no right to do anything else - nonetheless, it stated, "For those who honor Me, I will honor"; all the more so and all the more so [with regard] to his fellows who a person is not (concerned) [obligated] to honor, [that] if he honors him, he will honor him [back], and raise him on his palms. And also with this trait there is no toil, and it is fitting and accepted.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
"in this world": as you will not be in need from [other] creatures; and "in the world to come," as since he benefits from his [own] effort, he does not come to theft, and he inherits both worlds - Rashi.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"Who is honored": Because [of the fact] that one who merits to have these three things that are mentioned above - which are wisdom, might and riches - is automatically honored in the eyes of God and man, even if the [people] do not [fully] honor him on their account; hence the teacher appended [the following] to this and said, "Someone who has these traits and is honored automatically, what can he do to be [properly] honored by others? He should honor others."
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"'For, those who honor Me, I will honor'": And the matter is an a fortiori argument (kal ve'chomer): Just like the Holy One, blessed be He - who is the King of honor and everything that He created in His world, He created for His honor - honors those who honor Him; all the more so should flesh and blood [do so].
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"'and those who despise Me will be held in little esteem'": We learn [from here] the humility of the Holy One, blessed be He: He did not say, "and those who despise Me I will curse," but rather "will be held in little esteem" - automatically. And with the honor of the righteous ones He was more exacting, as it says (Genesis 12), "and those that curse you, I will malign."
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