Mesorat%20hashas for Pirkei Avot 3:17

רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין חָכְמָה, אֵין יִרְאָה. אִם אֵין יִרְאָה, אֵין חָכְמָה. אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה. אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מְרֻבִּין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מֻעָטִין, וְהָרוּחַ בָּאָה וְעוֹקַרְתּוֹ וְהוֹפַכְתּוֹ עַל פָּנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה יז) וְהָיָה כְּעַרְעָר בָּעֲרָבָה וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבוֹא טוֹב וְשָׁכַן חֲרֵרִים בַּמִּדְבָּר אֶרֶץ מְלֵחָה וְלֹא תֵשֵׁב. אֲבָל כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מֻעָטִין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מְרֻבִּין, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כָל הָרוּחוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם בָּאוֹת וְנוֹשְׁבוֹת בּוֹ אֵין מְזִיזִין אוֹתוֹ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל מַיִם וְעַל יוּבַל יְשַׁלַּח שָׁרָשָׁיו וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבֹא חֹם, וְהָיָה עָלֵהוּ רַעֲנָן, וּבִשְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת לֹא יִדְאָג, וְלֹא יָמִישׁ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פֶּרִי:

R. Elazar b. Azaryah says: If there is no Torah, there is no derech eretz. [(He does not get on well with people)]; if there is no derech eretz, there is no Torah. [(It will eventually be forgotten.)] If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, [understanding one thing from another (but not giving a reason for it)], there is no knowledge [i.e., giving a reason for the thing]; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. [If he cannot give a reason for the thing, it is as if he does not know it; but, in any event, understanding comes first, wherefore "if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge."] If there is no flour, there is no Torah. [If one has nothing to eat, how can he study Torah?] If there is no Torah, there is no flour. [What will his flour avail him? Since he has no Torah, it would be better if he had no flour and died of hunger!] He was wont to say: One whose wisdom is more than his deeds — to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are many and its roots few. The wind comes and uproots it and turns it over on its face, as it is written (Jeremiah 17:6): "And he [the man who trusts in men] will be like a tamarisk in the desert and he will not see when goodness comes. It dwells in parched lands in the wilderness, in a salty, uninhabited land." But one whose deeds are more than his wisdom — to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are few but whose roots are many. Even if all the winds in the world come and blow against it, they cannot move it from its place, as it is written (Ibid. 8): "He [the man who trusts in G-d] will be like a tree planted near water, which spreads out its roots along a brook and does not see when the heat comes, whose foliage is always fresh. It will not worry in a year of drought and will not stop producing fruit."

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