And it gives him royalty and rule and depth of judgment. The secrets of Torah are revealed to him and he becomes an unfailing well and a resurgent river. He becomes humble and forbearing and forgiving of insult, and it (Torah) raises and exalts him over all (of life's) exigencies. R. Yehoshua ben Levi said: "Every day a Heavenly voice goes forth from Mount Chorev and proclaims: "Woe unto the creations for the shame of Torah!" For whoever does not occupy himself with Torah is called "rejected," as it is written (Proverbs 11:22): "As a golden ring in the snout of a pig, so is a beautiful woman from whom wisdom has departed," and (Exodus 32:16): "And the tablets were the work of G-d and the writing was the writing of G-d, engraved (charuth) upon the tablets." Read it not "charuth," but "cheiruth" (freedom), for no one is free but him who studies Torah. For whoever studies Torah is exalted, as it is written (Numbers 21:19): "And from Matanah (the gift [of Torah]), Nachliel ('the inheritance of the L rd'); and from Nachliel, Bamoth ('the high mount')."
Rashi on Avot
For disparaging the Torah: From the disparagement that they are disparaging the Torah - as it is disparaged in that it has no one involved in it.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Introduction
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi was not a tanna (a sage from the Mishnaic period) but an amora, a sage who lived during the time of the Talmud. He was a student of one of Rabbi Judah Hanasi’s students (Bar Kapara). He was originally from Lod (close to where Ben Gurion airport is currently located) and later in life he moved to Tiberius.
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Derekh Chayim
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Rashi on Avot
"rebuked (nazouf)": excommunicated; as "and his father rebuked him" (Genesis 37:10), we translate [into Aramaic as] ounezaf beh avohi.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Although the word “and” connects the parts of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi’s complex statement, the different sections are probably best understood as separate statements, all denouncing one who does not study Torah and praising one who does.
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Rashi on Avot
"A ring of gold in a swine's snout": as he does not guard it, but rather goes and rummages in rubbage heaps and makes it disgusting. So [too] is a Torah scholar who is lacking understanding of Torah - he is disgusting like this excommunicated one.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: every day a bat kol (a heavenly goes forth from Mount Horeb and makes proclamation and says: “Woe unto humankind for their contempt towards the Torah”, for whoever does not occupy himself with the study of Torah is called, nazuf (the rebuked. Mount Horeb is synonymous with Mt. Sinai, where the Torah was given. A bat kol is some sort of heavenly voice. It literally translates as “the daughter of a voice”. It was considered a means of receiving knowledge of the intent of God, after prophecy had ended (which was during the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple). However, the use in this mishnah may be more metaphorical.
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Rashi on Avot
for there is no free man except one that involves himself in Torah learning: as people honor and serve [him]. And they distance themselves from one who is not involved in it - hence he is like one excommunicated.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
As it is said, “Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman bereft of sense” (Proverbs 22:11). In the literal meaning of this verse, the gold ring on the snout of a pig serves as a simile for a beautiful woman bereft of sense. Although she may have outer beauty, like the gold ring, it is useless, for like the gold ring it is attached to something disgraceful. The verse is being used as an analogy in our mishnah to one who knows Torah but does not learn. The Torah is figuratively “in his nose” but like the pig, he does not learn it.
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Rashi on Avot
"and from Mattanah (a place name that means 'gift,' and so can refer to the gifting of the Torah), Nachaliel": Above this verse is written "and from the wilderness, Mattanah" [and then our verse continues] "and from Mattanah, Nachaliel"; [which comes to teach] that since the Torah was given to them as a gift, they inherited God (nachalu El) - meaning to say, He brought them into His portion - and since they inherited God, they rose to greatness, as it is stated, "and from Nachaliel, Bamot" (Eruvin 54a, Nedarim 55a).
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
And it says, “And the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). Read not haruth [‘graven’] but heruth [ ‘freedom’]. For there is no free man but one that occupies himself with the study of the Torah. There are several rich layers of meaning in the midrash in this section. First of all, the midrash makes a word play on the word “harut” and instead of reading it as meaning “engraved” it reads it as meaning “freedom” or “herut”. We learn that at the Sinaitic revelation the Israelites received their freedom (and not at the Exodus). However, “freedom” in Jewish thought does not mean freedom from responsibility but it actually means the study of Torah. According to the rabbis, there is no person freer than the one who learns Torah.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
And whoever regularly occupies himself with the study of the Torah he is surely exalted, as it is said, “And from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and Nahaliel to Bamoth” (Numbers 21:19). There is a word play in this section. According to its simple meaning, the verse refers to the travels of Israel in the desert. Israel traveled from a place called “Matanah” to “Nahaliel”. “Matanah” means “present” and “Nahaliel” can be understood as a compound word meaning “the inheritance of God”. From the Torah, which is a gift, Israel inherits God. From there, Israel went to “Bamoth” which means “high places”. Once Israel has inherited God, they will merit being exalted in the “high places”.
