Comentario sobre Pirkei Avot 3:5
רַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא בֶּן הַקָּנֶה אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַמְקַבֵּל עָלָיו עֹל תּוֹרָה, מַעֲבִירִין מִמֶּנּוּ עֹל מַלְכוּת וְעֹל דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. וְכָל הַפּוֹרֵק מִמֶּנּוּ עֹל תּוֹרָה, נוֹתְנִין עָלָיו עֹל מַלְכוּת וְעֹל דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ:
R. Nechunia ben Hakanah dice: Si uno acepta sobre sí el yugo de la Torá, se le quita el yugo de la soberanía [la carga del rey y sus oficiales] y el yugo de derech eretz [el trabajo duro y la tribulación de ganar un medios de vida (porque su trabajo es bendecido)]. Y si uno se despoja del yugo de la Torá [es decir, si dice: "El yugo de la Torá es demasiado pesado para mí y no puedo soportarlo"], se le coloca el yugo de la soberanía y el yugo de Derech Eretz. .
Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
THE YOKE OF TORAH. Constant study—Rambam.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah says: Anyone who accepts the yoke of Torah upon himself, they lift from him the yoke of government: The Holy One, blessed be He, guards form every bad thing the one who makes his Torah [study] primary and his work flexible, so that he not have to refrain from Torah study. And [so] He does not put it into the heart of the king - that takes people to do his work - to take this one. And he is saved from the work of the kings to fulfill his will to be involved [in Torah].
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Rambam on Pirkei Avot
The yoke of Torah: Constancy of reading [it].
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
"The yoke of Torah": Constancy of reading [it] - Rambam.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The yoke of government": [meaning] the burden [placed upon him by] a king and ministers.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Introduction
Rabbi Nehunia ben Hakkanah lived at the same time as Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai, that is around the time of the destruction of the Second Temple.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
ARE REMOVED FROM HIM. Rambam: and they said, “engraved [Heb. charut] upon the tablets, freedom [Heb. cherut] on the tablets.” Meaning freedom from the vicissitudes of time and the doings of kings for one who takes upon himself to do what is written on the tablets. Midrash Shmuel writes in the name of R. Matityahu HaYitzhari that Rambam’s text of the mishna ended with “as per the verse, ‘engraved upon the tablets’—read ‘freedom.’” This midrashic exposition is found in 6:2.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and the yoke of the way of the world (derekh erets): He is not required to do much work for the needs of his livelihood, and he is able to suffice with little for his vital needs - since the work of the righteous is blessed and his soul is glad with his portion.
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Rambam on Pirkei Avot
the yoke of government: The exertion [imposed by] the king and his troops.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
And it is not that the one that "is liable for his life" above (in the previous mishnah) regarding the "one who turns" is more severe than the "one who casts" here; as it is certainly not. Rather, the one who "is liable" that we said, is [so, only] if brigands or demons should encounter him - [then] he "is liable for his life" and his blood is required of him. But it is possible that nothing bad will occur. Here, however, "they will place, etc.," 'and he cannot escape.' [So does it] appear to me.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"the way of the world (derekh erets)": [meaning] the toil and strain of a livelihood. [He is released from this,] because his work becomes blessed.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Rabbi Nehunia ben Hakkanah said: whoever takes upon himself the yoke of the Torah, they remove from him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns, and whoever breaks off from himself the yoke of the Torah, they place upon him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns. One interpretation of this statement is that one who takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, meaning he spends all of his time studying Torah, is not liable to pay taxes to the government, nor must he worry about earning a living for the Jewish community will make sure that he and his family are provided for. Since Torah is such a high value to the Jewish community, the Jewish people are willing to relieve of their economic burdens if they wish to study Torah full time. If, however, a person does not engage in Torah he must pay taxes and earn his living. Another possibility is that one who studies Torah will nevertheless need to work for a living as well, but his living will come to him so easily that he will have no trouble paying taxes or supporting those dependent on him. In other words he will not feel that the government or his other worldly concerns are a “yoke” around his neck. The difference between this explanation and the previous one is that in this explanation God rewards the Torah scholar, whereas in the previous one the community rewarded the Torah scholar by supporting him.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
WHOEVER THROWS OFF THE YOKE OF TORAH. Rav: one who says that it is too hard for him to bear the yoke of Torah.
It isn’t that “forfeiting one’s life” in the case of one who turns his mind to idle things in the preceding mishna is more serious than “the yoke of kings and daily needs” being placed upon the one who throws off the yoke of Torah in our mishna—this is certainly not true. For when the preceding mishna says that the “forfeits his life,” it means simply that should bandits or mazikin attack him, he himself has forfeited his life, and will be held accountable or his death, as in the verse, “But for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning” (Genesis 9:5), per Rashi’s explanation there. But it is possible that no evil will befall him. In our case, on the other hand, the yoke “will be placed upon him,” and he will be unable to avoid bearing the burden of these yokes. So it seems to me.
It isn’t that “forfeiting one’s life” in the case of one who turns his mind to idle things in the preceding mishna is more serious than “the yoke of kings and daily needs” being placed upon the one who throws off the yoke of Torah in our mishna—this is certainly not true. For when the preceding mishna says that the “forfeits his life,” it means simply that should bandits or mazikin attack him, he himself has forfeited his life, and will be held accountable or his death, as in the verse, “But for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning” (Genesis 9:5), per Rashi’s explanation there. But it is possible that no evil will befall him. In our case, on the other hand, the yoke “will be placed upon him,” and he will be unable to avoid bearing the burden of these yokes. So it seems to me.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
And anyone who casts from himself the yoke of Torah, they place upon him the yoke of government: Since he thinks that if he leaves the work of Torah he will do a lot of his work, God, may He be blessed, annuls his thought and puts into the heart of the king to take him to do work for him - since (Proverbs 21:1), "Like channeled water is the heart of the king in the Lord’s hand; He directs it to whatever He wishes."
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Rambam on Pirkei Avot
and the yoke of the way of the world (derekh erets): The exertion [imposed by] time. He said that as a reward for his taking the yoke of Torah, God, may He be blessed, will save him and lighten the exertion of time from upon him. And his saying, "casts from himself the yoke of Torah," [is] that he said, "The Torah is not from Heaven and I will not bear it." And they said (Eruvin 54a), "'Engraved (charut) on the tablets' (Exodus 32:16) [...] freedom (cheirut) on the tablets" - meaning to say, freedom from the events of time and the matters of kings [comes] to the one who accepts and does what is written upon the tablets.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"And one who casts from himself the yoke of Torah": One who says, "The yolk of Torah is too hard and I cannot endure it.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and the yoke of the way of the world (derekh erets): As he wanders and strains for his livelihood and he cannot find it. Even when he finds it, he is not glad with his portion; and all of his days, he exerts himself in vain to get rich and to add wealth to his wealth. And [it is] like the matter that is stated (Ecclesiastes 5:9), "A lover of money never has his fill of money." And it comes out that all of his days are spent in toil and exertion, and he will never have rest for ever and ever.
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