Mishnah
Mishnah

Talmud for Pirkei Avot 4:15

רַבִּי יַנַּאי אוֹמֵר, אֵין בְּיָדֵינוּ לֹא מִשַּׁלְוַת הָרְשָׁעִים וְאַף לֹא מִיִּסּוּרֵי הַצַּדִּיקִים. רַבִּי מַתְיָא בֶן חָרָשׁ אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מַקְדִּים בִּשְׁלוֹם כָּל אָדָם. וֶהֱוֵי זָנָב לָאֲרָיוֹת, וְאַל תְּהִי רֹאשׁ לַשּׁוּעָלִים:

R. Yannai says: It is not in our hands [i.e., We do not understand (viz. Yevamoth 105a)] why the wicked are at peace, [why they prosper,] and why the righteous are afflicted. [Or: We do not have in exile either the peace and tranquility that the Holy One Blessed be He is wont to bestow upon the wicked in order to drive them out of the world to come, or the afflictions that are unique to the righteous, the afflictions of love, which do not entail the suspension of Torah study. That is, we are not in the category of the wicked, not having their tranquility, nor have we attained to the category of the righteous; for our afflictions are not those of love, as theirs are. ] R. Matia ben Charash says: Precede every man in greeting, [even a gentile in the marketplace], and be a tail to the lions [i.e., to those who are greater than you], and do not be a head to the foxes [i.e., to those who are lesser than you].

Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin

HALAKHAH: “Three rows of students of the Sages,” etc. Rebbi Abba (bar) [Rebbi]92This is a quote from Halakhah 1:6, Note 338. One has to read with the text there, R. Abba, R. Yasa, rather than introduce an otherwise unknown R. Abba bar Yasa. In the opinion of the Babli, the law school had room for 3 times 23 students. It seems that the Yerushalmi agrees; therefore the derivation of the number 23 of members of the court is hinted at by the quote of its first sentence. Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: It says here congregation, and it says there congregation. Rav brought it from a Mishnah; the Mishnah says “be a tail of lions and not a head of jackals.93Avot 4:15.” The parable says, be a head of jackals but not a tail of lions. But we have stated: “If they needed to ordain, they ordained one from the first row.94The Mishnah does not require that the occupant of the first seat of the first row be ordained; it could be anyone from the first row. Therefore, the last seat in the first row is better than the top seat in the second row.
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