Musar for Pirkei Avot 2:18

And the penitent should also worry lest his impulse overpower him. [It is] like they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:4), "Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death" - all the more so, a man whose heart has already vanquished him. For it is fitting to guard oneself every instant from the ambushing impulse; and to add fear of God to himself every day. And it will [then] be a fortress when all of the breakers of the impulse that renew themselves in the future pass upon him.

Therefore, if a man does not constantly guard himself with wisdom and alertness to be saved from arrogance, even though he possesses much knowledge of the Torah and many good deeds, he will inherit Gehenna. For the evil desire always lies in ambush for him, and brings reasons and proofs in order to make him arrogant, for the whole mission of the evil desire is to destroy a man. Therefore a man should not be too idle to conquer the evil desire daily. And this is a great battle, as we have found in the case of one of the saintly who met men returning from war with plunder. He said to them, "You have returned from a small war; you must face a great war." They asked him, "What kind of war?" He said to them, "The evil inclination and its hosts, for every other enemy when you conquer him one, two or three times, he will let you be, but the evil desire will not desist from you even if he is conquered a hundred times, as our sages said: "And do not believe in yourself until the day of your death" (Aboth 2:4), for all your days he will be in ambush for you, hoping that perhaps you will turn your attention away from him. And if he defeats you in the smallest matter he will in the end defeat you in the most serious matters. And since arrogance is the root of many unworthy qualities and since the evil desire participates and mingles in all that goes on in the heart of a man, and the entire purpose of evil desire is to falsify Truth and make the Lie seem true, he teaches man to be proud and brings arguments to justify arrogance, therefore you must arm yourself to deal wisely in your struggle against him.

And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 13:13), "He who disdains a precept will be injured thereby; and he who fears a commandment will be rewarded." He said this about one who disdains [concern about] light sins. For he will be injured from the angles that we mentioned. "And he who fears a commandment" - to [make efforts not to] negate (fail to perform) a commandment, like he fears from a weighty sin - "will be rewarded": He is destined to receive the full reward [for it]. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:1) "And be careful with a light commandment as with a weighty one." And they also said (Avot 4:2), "For the payment for performing a commandment is another commandment and the payment for committing a transgression is a transgression."

And among the things for which a person is obligated to remember the day of death is in order that he not waste [time] and his hands not falter from the service of God, may He be blessed; that he remove sleep from his eyes to toil in Torah [study] and to contemplate fear of God, to refine the traits of his soul [so as] to reach levels of fear and love; and to think thoughts of how to enhance and beatify the commandments such that his soul should be a charm and a treasure - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 10:8), "He whose heart is wise accepts commandments." For he will know and remember that the days are short - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:15), "The day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the laborers are indolent, and the reward is great, and the Master of the house is insistent."

And behold we shall conclude this topic with an esteemed statement of the Sages of Israel, may there memory be blessed: Hillel, peace be upon him, used to say (Avot 1:14), "If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if not now, when?" The explanation of the content is [that] if a person does not arouse his soul, what effect can reproof have? For even if they enter his heart on the day that he hears them, the impulse will forget them and drive them out of his heart, like the matter of that which was stated (Hosea 6:4) "when your goodness is like a morning cloud." And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 10:20), "The tongue of a righteous man is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little worth (kimeat)." Its explanation is that the reproof of a righteous man is pure without any dross, and his speech is chosen. But the heart of the evildoers that listen to his reproof is [only for] one instant. This is from the usage (Psalms 81:15), "then would I subdue their enemies instantly (kimeat)" - the meaning of which is, in an instant would I subdue their enemies. And [only] an understanding and refined heart is called a heart, as it is stated (Proverbs 15:32), "he who heeds reproof acquires heart"; and (Proverbs 17:16), "to purchase wisdom, when he has no heart?" Indeed, a man must arouse his heart when he hears reproof and place the things into his heart, to constantly think about them. And he should add teaching from his own heart and produce words. He should also meditate in the chambers of his spirit and repent, to turn the hand of the reproof upon himself and not just rely upon the rebuke of the rebuker. [Otherwise. that] rebuke will be like morning clouds, and for [fleeting] instants, until he takes the reproof upon himself and until he purifies himself. "But if I am for my own self [only], what am I?" Even when I am for myself and I reflect upon wisdom all the time, what am I? For the grasp of a man is short and weak. So [even] with the effort and the refinement, he will only attain a little of the virtues - see what I am and what my life is when I am not for myself, to make efforts to refine my soul. And the comparison here is to a field that is inferior. For with great toil and refinement, and with much work, it will bring out a small [amount of] seed. But if they do not toil in its refinement, it will not produce [anything] and no grass will grow in it besides thorns and brambles. However there is benefit in sowing a superior field - even if he does not toil in working it. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about this matter (Avot D' Rabbi Natan 16), "That which it is written (Psalms 103:14), 'For He knows our formation' - there is a [relevant] metaphor of a king that gave a field to his servants and warned them to work it and guard it, and to bring him thirty kor from it each year. And they toiled on it and worked it well, but only bought five kor in front of the king. He said to them, 'What have you done?' They said to him, 'Our master, the king, the field that you gave us was inferior, and we worked it with all of our strength. But with all of the toil, it did not make more grain than this.'" "And if not now, when?" It is not appropriate for me to delay my efforts, a day or two, in refining my soul and fixing set times for Torah [study]. For if I say, "I shall hope for leisure time and until I have enough money in my hands for my needs" - behold the distractions of the world do not stop. As our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:4), "Say not, 'When I shall have leisure I shall study,' lest you will not have leisure."

And the third [reason] is that the time decreases and the work is plentiful: The work of Torah [study], refinement of the soul and attainment of the virtues - such as love, fear and cleaving. As they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:15), "the day is short, and the work is plentiful."

The second level is the severity of positive commandments: The foundation of the reward and the root of the recompense resulting from the service is [found] in the performance of positive commandments, as it is stated (Proverbs 13:13), “He who respects a commandment will be rewarded.” And it is [also] stated (Malachi 3:18), “And you shall come to see the difference [...] between him who has served God and him who has not served Him.” And the service [to God] is with commandments that depend upon (involve) actions - whether there is nothing besides the positive commandment or whether there is [also] a negative commandment with them, such as (Deuteronomy 15:7), “do not harden your heart, etc.” (which accompanies the positive commandment of charity). And the commandment of the service will be explained in the Gate of the Service (no longer extant), with God’s help. Nevertheless, there is a manner of reward for the one who is careful not to transgress a negative commandment that reaches [that] of one who does a commandment - such as if the opportunity for a sin comes to a man and he had a desire for a sexual prohibition, but he overcame his impulse - for this is from the essence of the fear of God, may He be blessed. And likewise someone who had the opportunity to get rich by cheating and [charging] interest and there is no one to see and to know; yet he went with innocence and clean hands - his reward for this will be like one who plants righteousness and toils [to do a positive] commandment. And so it is written (Psalms 119:3) “They have done no wrong, but have followed His ways.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Kiddushin 1:9), “Since they did not do wickedness, they have ‘followed His ways.’” And we have already discussed the explanation of this verse for you. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, likewise said (Kiddushin 39b), “[If] one sits and does not transgress, he receives a reward as one who performs a commandment, [...] in a case where an opportunity to commit a sinful act presents itself to him and he is saved from it.” And they also said (Berakhot 6a), “‘Those who revere the Lord and esteem His name.’ - this is [a case] where an opportunity to commit a sinful act presents itself to him and he is saved from it.” Even [with] this reward [however], its essence and foundation is [based in] a positive commandment, since he suppressed his impulse with the fear of God, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “You must fear the Lord, your God.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:1), “Be careful with a light commandment as with a weighty one, for you do not know the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments.” Yet behold [that] what will be done to anyone who transgresses a negative commandment is explicit in the Torah; and it allocates punishments and statutes and a code for what to do to them. And the punishments are forty lashes, death and expiation at the hands of the Heavens and the four death penalties of the court. But the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments is not explicit in the Torah, so that [people] not prevent themselves from fulfilling the light commandments and involve themselves only in the weighty ones.

For it is clear that the servant of a king will not abandon the king's command though he bears much shame from everyone who may laugh at him for performing that which his king commanded him. And he who cannot bear the shame in performing the precept and is ashamed to fulfill the command of God — and thus forsakes the path of good out of fear of shame — this kind of shame is very evil. And thus, if he is ashamed to admit the truth, this too is an evil disease. And thus, if he is too shy to rebuke people and command them to do good. And thus if he sits before his teacher and is too ashamed to ask what he does not know, whether it be a small matter or a big matter, such an attitude is very ugly. In these cases Scripture says: "Do not act foolishly by exalting yourself nor by cunningly keeping silent" (Prov. 30:32). And our Sages of Blessed Memory said: "The one who is ashamed (to ask questions) does not learn" (Aboth 2:5). The proper way is never to be ashamed to ask concerning what one does not know whether it be a small matter or a large one. Did you not see that David, King of Israel, said in Psalms 119:46: "And I will speak of Thy testimonies before kings and I shall not be ashamed."

The idea of "the scales of merit" is either to side with the one who is reported to have done or said something, i.e., to say that the din is with him, or to say that he was unwitting in what he did or said, or that he did not know the severity of the issur, or, even if none of the above possibilities apply, to think that perhaps the speaker left out a certain detail or added a small detail, which slanted the report in his disfavor. And Chazal have stated as a principle (Avoth 2:4): "Do not judge your friend until you find yourself in his place."

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

We have already pointed out that this is the most essential of all things for the acquiring of watchfulness, as the Beraitha of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair states: "Torah brings to watchfulness". Without Torah, one will not reach it at all. This is what our sages said "an ignorant man cannot be pious" (Avot 2:5).

He who walks in the path described above serves the Lord, may He Be Blessed, always, even when he is engaged in doing business, even when he lives with his wife, for his intention is to fulfill his bodily needs so that he can serve God, Blessed be He. And even when he sleeps, if he sleeps, so that his mind will be refreshed and his body rested, so that he does not become ill and therefore not be able to serve the Lord, Blessed is He, because of his illness — that sleep with this intent is considered service to God, Blessed be He. And on this subject our Sages commanded and said: "Let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven (God)" (Aboth 2:17). And this is what Solomon said in his wisdom: "In all thy ways, know Him and He will direct your paths" (Prov. 3:6).

The matter of "Zeal" is clear. It is the early engaging in mitzvot and their completion as the sages of blessed memory said: "the zealous are early to perform the mitzvot" (Pesachim 4a).

And because it is known that the yetzer always stirs up a man to think only of temporal success, the tanna has given us a balm for this, saying (Avoth 2:1): "Weigh the loss of a mitzvah against its gain, and the gain of a transgression against its loss." That is, let one appraise the smallness of the loss that he incurs in this world by performing a mitzvah against the vastness of the eternal, spiritual reward that he will gain in the upper world. And if the yetzer hara invites him to perform a transgression for some pleasure, let him appraise the smallness of the pleasure that he will enjoy from it in this world for a minute time against the vast punishment and eternal suffering that it will cause him.

The sixth thought is that he should take it into his heart to fulfill what God has commanded him and to avoid all that He has warned him not to do. If a man desires that the Creator, may He be Exalted, should do that which he depends upon Him to do, then he must act according to the words of the Sages : "Make His will thy will in order that He shall do thy will as His will. Nullify your will before His will in order that He should nullify the will of others before your will" (Aboth 2:4). But he who trusts and depends on the Lord, may He be Exalted, and does not fulfill what He has commanded him — what a simpleton and fool is he! And of this it is said : "For what is the life of the flatterer, though he gets profit or gain, when God takes away his soul? Will God hear his cry?" (Job 27:8,9). And it says: "Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely and offer unto Baal and walk after other gods whom you have not known, and come and stand before Me in this house upon which My name is called?" (Jer. 7:9-10). And it says : "Has this house wherein My name is called become a den of robbers in your eyes?" (Ibid. : 11).

The seventh thought which leads to rejoicing is that he should know that the Creator, Blessed is He, created man for many labors and provided food for him to obtain through much exertion and work and that if all these things like food and clothes were prepared for man without any trouble at all on his part there would be a number of commandments that would not exist — for instance Charity — laws prohibiting robbery, theft, covetousness, and many similar commandments. Then too, if all were provided, man would have no need to trust in God. And for this reason, Hezekiah the King of Judea hid the Book of Healings (Berakoth 10b) in order that the sick person should trust in God, may He be Exalted, and not merely in drugs. Moreover, if a man were freed from the necessity of work and did not have to trouble himself about his sustenance, he would kick out against all restraint and pursue wrongdoing as it is written : "When Jeshurun prospered, he kicked" (Deut. 32:15). And our Sages said : "The study of the Torah is good when combined with making a living, for the exertion necessary for both activities causes one to forget all thought of sinning" (Aboth 2:2).

In speech: it was taught explicitly: "one who speaks excessively to a woman brings evil upon himself" (Avot 2:5).

Likewise we learned: "nor do all who engage in much business become wise" (Avot 2:5). The lust for money exposes him to many dangers and weakens his strength with many worries, even after he has attained a great amount as we learned: "one who increases possessions, increases worry" (Avot 2:7). It is lust for money which leads him many times to transgress the mitzvot of the Torah and even the natural precepts of reason.

Likewise we learned: "nor do all who engage in much business become wise" (Avot 2:5). The lust for money exposes him to many dangers and weakens his strength with many worries, even after he has attained a great amount as we learned: "one who increases possessions, increases worry" (Avot 2:7). It is lust for money which leads him many times to transgress the mitzvot of the Torah and even the natural precepts of reason.

And you often see people who when they are angry and persist in their wrath, are not conscious of what they are doing and do many things in their anger which they would not do if they were free from anger, for anger draws out the intelligence of a person from within him until his angry deeds multiply and he is plunged into strife and quarrel. Therefore, it is impossible that the wrathful person should be saved from great sins. And so did Elijah say to Rabbi Judah : "Fall not into a passion and you will not sin" (Berakoth 29b). And the Sages said : "By three things is a man known" (Erubin 65b) and one of them is his anger, for when a man is angry his true nature can be recognized. If his wrath is stronger than his wisdom and he does things in the moment of his anger without regard to his wisdom, then you can see the character of his wrath. But if his wisdom is stronger than his anger and he de does not say or do anything when angry that he would not say or do when he is free from anger, then you can see the extent of his wisdom. And the Wise Man said : "Three, the Holy One Blessed be He loves and one of them is he who does not anger" (Pesahim 113b). And our Sages said : "Nor is an impatient person fitted to teach" (Aboth 2:5), for because of his great anger, the pupils fear him too much to ask the things of which they are in doubt lest he be wrathful with them. And even when his pupils do ask the impatient teacher questions he has neither the mind nor the patience to explain to his pupils all that is needed to make the matter clear. Then, too, he will answer questions in anger and thus the pupils will not understand the matter clearly. As for the pupils, it is their duty even when their teacher is angry with them, to ask their questions and listen carefully and not be hurt by the anger of their teacher nor quarrel with him. Concerning such pupils our Sages taught : "So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife" (Proverbs 30:33). Any pupil whose teacher is angry with him repeatedly but bears the teacher's wrath in silence will merit to discern between civil and criminal law. And a master said : "There is nothing more difficult than civil and criminal Law" (cf. Berakoth 63b).

However, the factors which cause loss of this trait are all those detriments to the trait of Watchfulness, in addition to lack of proficiency in knowledge of the laws and ethics (Mussarim) as I wrote above. Our sages already stated: "an ignorant man cannot be pious" (Avot 2:5). For one who does not know cannot possibly do. Likewise they taught "great is study in that it brings one to doing" (Kidushin 40b).

לקטו ממנו איש לפי אכלו. The Torah tells us here how much a person needs to eat to sustain himself. This is the reason the measurements are spelled out in such detail, as well as the fact that people's subjective estimate of their "needs" were proven wrong, since, regardless of how much they believed they had gathered, once they measured it, they found that every person had obtained the same quantity. When the Torah afterwards describes some people as "storing" extra מן for the following day against Moses' instructions, and it turned into worms, this was a warning of what our sages (Avot 2,7) called מרבה בשר מרבה רמה, that he who eats excessively, over and beyond his needs, only increases the number of worms that will eventually invade his corpse. When the Torah added: ויבאש, this is a hint that decomposition can set in even during one's lifetime when one gorges oneself on too much unneeded food. I have enlarged on this subject in my treatise שער האותיות under the heading of שלחן and the letter ק for קדושה.

The intent is that a person distance and separate from anything which may lead to something which could bring about evil, even though right now it does not cause evil and even though it is not itself evil.

And since everything depends upon the quality of graciousness, a person should incline all of his will to do the commandments of the Lord, may He be Blessed, willingly — and thus said our teachers : "Do His will as you would do your own will, so that He may do your will as He does His own will" (Aboth 2:4).

You should know that zeal is the very beginning of all ethics. For no man can be perpetually bent over his book. He must eat, sleep and perform his bodily functions. Therefore, it requires eagerness and care to return to one's book and to study. One should not muse "the day is still long and the year is still long." Concerning this our Sages, of blessed memory, said : "Do not say, 'when I have some free time, I will study' — perhaps you will never be free" (Aboth 2:4). Nor should a man say, : "It is already evening — if I start studying now, I will have to stop in a little while to pray," for it is better to spend one hour in study even if only to learn one saying, than to do any other thing in the world. Concerning this it is said, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination" (Prov. 28:9). And thus it is written : "The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver" (Ps. 119:72). And thus it is also written, "For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand" (Ps. 84:11), on which the Talmud comments : The Holy One, Blessed be He, said, "I prize one day of your studying Torah more than the thousand sacrifices which your son Solomon will offer upon the altar" (Shabbath 30a).

And if so, how much should one be ashamed of himself when he knows in his soul that he is the cause of the machloketh. For if one's friend calls him "wicked," even between the both of them [i.e., not in public], where he is not put to [public] shame because of this, still, he will pursue him to his very life because of this. How much more so, this one, who caused himself to be called wicked because of this [machloketh] — how much shame and humiliation will be his lot above thereafter, when his [formerly] good name is bruited thus above in the Heavenly assembly before thousands of thousands and tens of ten thousands of holy encampments! As the holy books write, all of a man's affairs are proclaimed and publicized above in the presence of all [aside from his punishment for the machloketh itself]. And this is the intent of (Avoth 2:13): "And do not be [called] wicked in your own presence."

But actual Piety itself requires great depth to understand it correctly. It is based on foundations of great wisdom and utmost rectification of one's deeds, which befits every wise hearted man to pursue. For only the wise can truly attain it, as our sages stated: "an unlearned man cannot be pious" (Avot 2:5).

The first division of deed itself further divides into two subdivisions. The first between man and G-d and the second between man and his fellow.

And even though there is no immediate likelihood of damage, since it may potentially lead to this, he will remove it and dispose of it. Our sages, of blessed memory, said: "the possessions of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own" (Avot 2:12).

Thus we learn from here that we are obligated in this matter, and cannot exempt ourselves due to our lack of power. For on all such matters, we learned: "It is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but neither are you free to abstain from it" (Avot 2:16).

He must examine his deeds very thoroughly and strive to rectify them according to this purpose.

Rather, if he possess great wisdom, behold, he is under duty to teach it to those in need of it, similar to the statement of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai: "if you learned much Torah, do not take credit for yourself since for this you were created!" (Avot 2:8).

Rather, if he possess great wisdom, behold, he is under duty to teach it to those in need of it, similar to the statement of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai: "if you learned much Torah, do not take credit for yourself since for this you were created!" (Avot 2:8).

This is what our sages said: "Know what is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are inscribed in a book" (Avot 2:1). For since the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over every thing, and He sees everything and hears everything, certainly every action will leave an impression. And all of them are inscribed in a book, whether for merit or for debt (punishment).

And there is another wrong which smacks of gossip — for example, where a person says, "Oh, better be silent about so and so; I don't want to say what I know about him!" — and so in all similar cases. And our Sages further said, "Let no man ever talk in praise of his neighbor, for through his praise he will come to disparage him" (Arakin 16a, and see Baba Bathra 164b). The meaning of this is: if you praise a man to his enemy, he will retort, "How can you praise him so much when he does this and this." And concerning this it is said, "He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him" (Prov. 27:14). But to praise a man before his friends is permitted, as we have learned, "Rabban Johanan the son of Zakkai had five (outstanding) disciples, and he used to recount their praises" (Aboth 2:8). Then, there is the one who speaks gossip by way of a joke or by way of frivolity (that is, he is not speaking out of hatred), and that is what Solomon said in his wisdom, "As a madman who casteth firebrands, arrows and death; so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour and saith: "Am not I in sport?" (Prov. 26:18—19).

It is written in Mishlei (9:10): "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the L-rd." This indicates that the beginning of wisdom for the man who seeks to be wise is to acquire fear of the L-rd. Yet, another verse in Mishlei states (4:7): "The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom." This would seem to indicate that the beginning of all for him who desires to acquire wisdom is to reflect upon wisdom [that is, the wisdom of the Torah]! But, in truth, there is no contradiction. Solomon, may peace be upon him, desired to teach us that both are necessary, that one without the other is not worth anything [(as per the Tanna in Avoth (3:17): "If there is no fear, there is no wisdom; if there is no wisdom, there is no fear")]. That is, if one would seek to place all his toil and reflection upon acquiring fear of the L-rd and think to acquire wisdom afterwards, King Solomon, may peace be upon him, advises us that it is not right to do so. For to acquire fear as befits a Jew, he must seek it as silver, as Scripture states (Mishlei 2:9): "If you seek it as silver, …then you will understand fear of the L-rd." And the seeking of silver is not for one day or one week or one month; but silver is always on his mind. So, the man who wants to acquire fear of the L-rd. He must always reflect upon His greatness and upon the goodness which He confers upon him each day and increase fear of the L-rd in his soul. And if he waits to reflect upon the wisdom of Torah until he becomes a fearer of the L-rd in truth, this will take a long time, so that all of that time that his heart is void of wisdom, his fear is worth nothing. For if there is no wisdom there is no fear, and (Avoth 2:5): "A boor does not fear sin."

The exertion is that which a man completely detaches and removes himself from the physical, and clings always, at all periods and times to his G-d. In this manner, the prophets were called "angels", as said of Aharon: "For a priest's lips shall guard knowledge, and Torah shall be sought from his mouth; for he is an angel of the L-rd of Hosts" (Malachi 2:7), and it is said: "but they mocked the angels (prophets) of G-d" (Divrei Hayamim II 36:16). Even when he is engaged in physical actions required for his bodily side, his soul will not budge from its clinging on high. This is as written: "my soul clings after You; Your right hand supports me"(Tehilim 63:9).

For seven reasons should a man repent early while still in his youth when his power is strong. The first is that the labor needed to acquire Torah and reverence for God and all qualities that a man must possess is exceedingly great. And concerning this it is said, "The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea" (Job 11:9). And, "The day is short" (Aboth 2:20). For this world is a very short day. "Like a shadow are our days upon the earth" (I Chron. 29:15). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Not like the shadow of a wall and not like the shadow of a tree, but like the shadow of a bird in flight" (Gen. Rabbah 96:2). And as to the expression, "And the workers are lazy" (Aboth 2:20), this refers to a man who has within him the quality of laziness.

And now consider the case of a man who must walk a distance during the day of ten parasangs ^** Ancient Persian measure of length about 3-1/4 miles. and more, and his path is filled with stumbling blocks, mud and stones, and there are plunderers and murderers along that way and he must go in spite of all of this, for so has the king commanded him and he is not able to avoid it, how must this man first prepare in the morning and gird his loins with alertness and walk speedily? Therefore, how important it is to rise early and to begin early the service of the Creator, may He be exalted. And even though he does all that is in his power, he will attain only a little of the needed qualities. As our Sages expounded (Aboth de R. Nathan, chap. 16) on the verse, "For he knoweth our frame" (Ps. 103:14). They told a parable of a king who gave a field to his servants and he told them to till it and guard it and to extract from it thirty kur (of produce) every year, and they busied themselves in this matter and tilled it well, but they brought before the king only five kur. He said to them, "What is this that you have done?" They said to him, "Our lord, the king, the field you gave to us has poor soil, and though we worked it with all our might it did not produce more than this amount. Thus, man, even though he works with all his strength, his accomplishment is little and if he says, "I will wait until I have time or until I earn enough for my needs," know that the troubles and responsibilities of this world never cease. As our Sages said, "And say not, 'When I have leisure I will study'; perhaps you will never have leisure" (Aboth 2:5).

And now consider the case of a man who must walk a distance during the day of ten parasangs ^** Ancient Persian measure of length about 3-1/4 miles. and more, and his path is filled with stumbling blocks, mud and stones, and there are plunderers and murderers along that way and he must go in spite of all of this, for so has the king commanded him and he is not able to avoid it, how must this man first prepare in the morning and gird his loins with alertness and walk speedily? Therefore, how important it is to rise early and to begin early the service of the Creator, may He be exalted. And even though he does all that is in his power, he will attain only a little of the needed qualities. As our Sages expounded (Aboth de R. Nathan, chap. 16) on the verse, "For he knoweth our frame" (Ps. 103:14). They told a parable of a king who gave a field to his servants and he told them to till it and guard it and to extract from it thirty kur (of produce) every year, and they busied themselves in this matter and tilled it well, but they brought before the king only five kur. He said to them, "What is this that you have done?" They said to him, "Our lord, the king, the field you gave to us has poor soil, and though we worked it with all our might it did not produce more than this amount. Thus, man, even though he works with all his strength, his accomplishment is little and if he says, "I will wait until I have time or until I earn enough for my needs," know that the troubles and responsibilities of this world never cease. As our Sages said, "And say not, 'When I have leisure I will study'; perhaps you will never have leisure" (Aboth 2:5).

The third reason that a man should hasten to repent while still in his youth is that the time is so little and the work is so much — the work of studying the Torah, and the improvement of the soul, the attainment of good qualities such as love, reverence, and cleaving to God. As our Sages said, "The day is short, and the work is great" (Aboth 2:15).

Sixthly, he must think in his heart of all the good things that the Creator, Blessed be He, has done for him from the time of his birth until this day. And he must understand that he should have thanked God for these good things, but that he has not done this, but has transgressed God's commandments. And he should weigh the punishment for the sin against its sweetness and the reward for the good deed against the pain in this world (and in the world to come). As our Sages said, "Reckon the loss incurred by the fulfillment of a precept against the reward secured by its observance, and the profit of sin against its loss" (Aboth 2:1).

The fifth principle of repentance is worry. One should worry about the punishment of his sins, for there are sins where repentance holds the atonement in suspense and only afflictions cleanse away the wrong (Yoma 86a), as it is said, "For I do declare mine iniquity; I am full of care because of my sin" (Ps. 38:19). And what is the difference between sorrow and worry? Sorrow is for what has already taken place, while worry concerns the future. And a person who has sinned should always worry whether he has fallen short in the matter of repentance and has not completed the full measure of repentance. And he should worry lest his evil inclination overpower him. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death" (Aboth 2:4).

The thirteenth principle of repentance is to take seriously the transgressions which one has treated lightly. For example, looking at women or speaking over-much with them, or conversing about idle things, or doing nothing, or mentioning the name of God in vain. All these and many more like them are considered trivial by many people and even by great men of the day — they must be regarded as very serious matters. And there are four reasons for this : First, one should never look at the smallness of the sin but at the greatness of Him who warned against it. A parable will illustrate this. A king commanded his two servants, the one to bring him something to drink for he was very thirsty, and the other to do something that he really did not need very much; and he warned each one, on pain of death. Certainly, if either one of them disobeyed his command he would be liable to death, for they hang a man who has stolen one dinar just as they hang one who has stolen a thousand, for each one has transgressed the command of the king. In the same way the Lord has warned us concerning all of the Torah, "Keep all the commandment which I command you this day" (Deut. 27:1). And it is written, "Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them" (Deut. 27:26). The second reason is that when one transgresses a little matter many times, it becames a very severe matter, because the punishments for each individual transgression are combined. Thirdly, when one is accustomed to commit sins, he comes to regard them as permissible and does not guard himself against them, and he is reckoned among those who cast off the yoke of the Torah and who are "apostates with respect to one matter." Fourthly, it is the way of the evil inclination that after he conquers in some small matter, he goes on to conquer in a serious one. Therefore our Sages said, "Be heedful of a light precept as of a grave one" (Aboth 2:1). And they said further, "For one good deed draws another in its train, and one sin, another sin" (Aboth 4:2).

And if you should say, "After I gather some money, and after I am free of my business affairs, then I will return and read and study the Torah" — if such a thought should come into your heart, then you will never acquire the crown of the Torah. But "fix a period for the study of Torah" (Aboth 1:15), and let your daily work be secondary. "And do not say, 'When I have leisure I will study' for perhaps you will have no leisure' " (Aboth 2:5).

It is written in the Torah, "It is not in heaven" (Deut. 30:12) and the meaning of this is : it is not to be found among those that are arrogant and consider themselves as high as heaven. "Neither is it beyond the sea" (Deut. 30:13), which means that it is not to be found among those who are constantly travelling on sea voyages (Erubin 55a). Therefore, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Nor can one who is engaged overmuch in business grow wise" (Aboth 2:6). And they said, "Engage less in business, but occupy yourself with the Torah" (Aboth 4:12).

Our sages of blessed memory summarized this saying: "[what is the proper path a person should choose for himself?] Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for other people" (Pirkei Avot 2:1). That is, that which leads to the goal of true beneficence, namely, strengthening of Torah and furthering of societal brotherliness.

The first Rabbi quoted makes it plain that he speaks of a person who seeks such a position for his personal gratification. He views it as his due for having studied a great deal of Torah. The objection to the appointment of such a person is that it is forbidden to seek personal gratification and advantage from words of Torah. We are told in Sotah 4 in the name of Rabbi Chiyah bar Abba in reference to Proverbs 6,26, that "a married woman can ensnare even a prestigious man," that a haughty person will sooner or later commit the sin of adultery. Haughtiness could be the result of someone having studied Torah. The reason that one must not become boastful even if one has studied a great deal of Torah, is that we are told in Avot 2,8, that "if you have studied much Torah do not take credit for this, for after all you have only done what you have been created for." If not for Torah, man would have been no better than the smelly drop of semen which is his origin. Torah converts this smelly drop into a waterproof cistern which does not lose anything that is put into it. Under such conditions the words of Torah have a chance to increase and multiply. This is why we have a tradition that words of Torah are compared to seedlings. Just as seedlings increase and multiply, so do words of Torah multiply. Torah has been called אשה, "wife," as we know from Deut. 33,4, where the expression מורשה קהלת יעקב, is also interpreted as מאורסה, i.e. she is Israel's "betrothed." When one uses one's Torah knowledge to boast, then this "betrothed" is considered as an alien woman (compare Pessachim 49). Such a woman is like a vessel full of excrement, though everybody runs after her. Hence the drop of semen becomes an evil smelling drop.

The fact that during the hundreds of years the Temple stood the High Priest never suffered from an involuntary emission of seminal fluid on the Day of Atonement is a clear indication that the putrid drop of semen – mentioned by Rabbi Akavyah – from which human life originates has been rehabilitated. The origin of seminal fluid is in the brain, and pure thoughts influence the purity of the seed. When man starts out correctly, pure, undefiled, every day of his life can be like a Day of Atonement and in his purity he may be comparable to the angels. This is what Rabbi Eliezer (Shabbat 153) had in mind when he told his students to repent one day before their death, i.e. on a daily basis. When one lives on such a basis, the pollutant transmitted as a residue of Eve's sin is purified each and every day.

The Mishnah continues by stating that neither serpent nor scorpion was ever reported to have inflicted harm on people in Jerusalem. We may also understand this in a spiritual sense, namely that the words (fire) of scholars (Avot 2, 15) do not harm the soul; should these scholars have been provoked however, their words have been compared in power to that of serpents and scorpions.

The Mishnah continues by stating that neither serpent nor scorpion was ever reported to have inflicted harm on people in Jerusalem. We may also understand this in a spiritual sense, namely that the words (fire) of scholars (Avot 2, 15) do not harm the soul; should these scholars have been provoked however, their words have been compared in power to that of serpents and scorpions.

Pele Yoetz – on Sinah - Hatred - Hatred [of others] is hated [by Hash-m] for upon it the Tanna said Rabbi Yehoshua says a bad eye & the evil inclination & hatred of the creatures [of Hash-m], expel a person from the world. (Pirkei Avot 2:11 on Self-Destruction And it causes many sins for hatred awakens quarrels & one falls into the grips of controversy & evil speech & causes one to become happy for the misfortune [of others] & to damage & cause pain & to take vengeance & to spite like a snake [against the other] & many similar evils. And it is written in the holy books – that there is no sin of all the sins like hatred – because every moment one transgresses upon that that is written in the Torah “Do not hate your brother in your heart.” and that that is written “You shall love your fellow as yourself.” & this is the reason why gratuitous hatred destroyed the Holy Temple. And any kind of of hatred is considered 'gratuitous hatred', for any kind of claims that he has [against the other party] to express, are vanity, acts of delusion, like we explained above in the section of 'love of [our] fellows' - see there.

Pele Yoetz – on Sinah - Hatred - Hatred [of others] is hated [by Hash-m] for upon it the Tanna said Rabbi Yehoshua says a bad eye & the evil inclination & hatred of the creatures [of Hash-m], expel a person from the world. (Pirkei Avot 2:11 on Self-Destruction And it causes many sins for hatred awakens quarrels & one falls into the grips of controversy & evil speech & causes one to become happy for the misfortune [of others] & to damage & cause pain & to take vengeance & to spite like a snake [against the other] & many similar evils. And it is written in the holy books – that there is no sin of all the sins like hatred – because every moment one transgresses upon that that is written in the Torah “Do not hate your brother in your heart.” and that that is written “You shall love your fellow as yourself.” & this is the reason why gratuitous hatred destroyed the Holy Temple. And any kind of of hatred is considered 'gratuitous hatred', for any kind of claims that he has [against the other party] to express, are vanity, acts of delusion, like we explained above in the section of 'love of [our] fellows' - see there.