Musar על אבות 1:25

And Chazal have said (Avoth 1:16): "All of my days I [R. Shimon] have grown up among the sages and I have found nothing better for the body than silence." That is: "I have grown up among the sages and chosen from their comely and holy traits, and the trait of silence was the best of all." Or: "Even though they were learned sages, and their speech was not, G-d forbid, of empty things, still I found that the best thing of all for the body, aside from words of Torah, was absolute silence." As far as the stress on "the body" is concerned, the meaning is: A man, though he be wise and perfect in his soul, as were the companions of R. Shimon, still in point of the matter "clothing" the soul [i.e., the body], it is almost impossible that all of his words be properly limited — wherefore, silence is best of all. And if in the generation of R. Shimon, whose tongue was habituated to speak in wisdom, so that even if it were not entirely guarded it would not swerve from its path, G-d forbid, still, he said that silence was best of all — what should we, the [mere] "hyssop of the wall" do, all of whose thoughts and speech, from our youth on, are only of vanity and emptiness? If we do not muzzle our mouths with the rein of silence with all of our strength, then certainly the tongue will do as has been its wont from early youth, and the loss [sustained by speaking] will far outweigh the reward.

But if he is not watchful over himself, the Holy One, blessed be He, will certainly not watch over him. For if he gives no heed to himself, who should give heed to him? This is as our Sages of blessed memory have said: "it is forbidden to pity anyone who has no knowledge" (Berachot 33a), and this is the meaning of what they said: "if I am not for myself, who will be for me?" (Avot 1:14).

But the one who does not always remember the day of his death is similar in his own eyes to one who has extra time and calm (mitun) to reach his goal. (It appears to me that it is from the usage [in Avot 1:1], "be patient [matunim] in judgement." And in Berkhot 20a, [we read], matun [which can also mean two hundred] and matun is equal to four hundred zuz.) And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 4:17), "more precious is one hour in repentance and good deeds in this world, than all the life of the world to come; and more precious is one hour of the tranquility of the world to come, than all the life of this world."

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."

It had to be constructed in one solid piece. It could not be pieced together. This is an allusion to the close ties that ought to exist naturally between all Jews. Their affinity to one another should be natural. This explains why Rashi says that the verse telling us that Aaron did as he was told (8,2), was a compliment to him, commending him for not having departed from G–d's instructions. We could have assumed that it was natural for him to do what G–d had said, and why only here does the Torah state that he carried out his instructions? However, what the Torah wanted to stress is that Aaron was singularly suited to be the High Priest since he did not depart from the essence of what the Menorah symbolised, the unity of the Jewish people. In his capacity of being an אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, "a lover of peace and someone who actively pursued peace," he represented exactly what was needed.

This applies both to times when he is in the act of doing and when not in the act of doing.

Among the positive commandments in the Torah are some of the weighty ones that the masses are not careful about - for example the mention of [God’s] name in vain, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “You shall fear the Lord, your God.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Temurah 4:1), “We have been warned with this not to mention [God’s] name in vain.” And likewise acts of kindness, which is a positive commandment, as it is stated (Exodus 18:20), “and make known to them the way they are to go” - that is acts of kindness (Bava Metzia 30b). And they said (Sukkah 49b), “Acts of kindness are superior to charity, [since] charity is given to the poor, while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the rich.” Therefore they said (Avot 1:2), “The world stands upon three things: On the Torah; on the service; and on acts of kindness.” And (Sukkah 49b) “charity can be performed only with one’s money, while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money.” For a person is obligated to exert himself in seeking good for his people and to dedicate himself to the betterment of his fellow - whether poor or rich. And this is one of the main weighty commandments required of a person, as it is stated (Micah 6:8), “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you - only to do justice, and to love kindness.” And likewise to go beyond the law, as it is stated (Exodus 18:20), “and the practices they are to follow.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 30b), “This is going beyond the letter of the law.” And there are many ways in this matter, such that this commandment would be from the weighty ones. It is all according to the contents of the case - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 30b), “Jerusalem was destroyed only because they established their rulings on the basis of Torah law and did not go beyond the letter of the law.”

“You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14). And we were warned with this not to give a ruling to the Israelites which is not like the doctrine and not like the law (halakha). And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 1:1), “Be deliberate in judgement.” And the ones who are impatient to understand and give a ruling will not save their souls from putting a stumbling block before the blind; and their sin is very heavy, as it is written (Psalms 82:5), “They neither know nor understand, they go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth totter.” And they also said (Avot 4:13), “Be careful in study, for an error in study counts as deliberate sin.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sotah 22a), “‘For she has cast down many wounded’ (Proverbs 7:26); this is [referring to] a Torah scholar who has not yet attained the ability to issue rulings, and yet issues rulings. ‘And a mighty host are all her slain’; this is referring to a Torah scholar who has attained the ability to issue rulings, but does not issue rulings.”

The love between a husband and wife must be a passionate one. We will begin with the love of the husband to his wife for the declaration of our Sages (Yevamot 62b) is known, "That the husband is obligated to love his wife as himself and to honor her more than himself." Nonetheless, he may not compromise his service of G-d because of his love for her. The tanna (Avot 1:5) already cautioned, "Do not speak excessively with a woman. This is referring to one's wife, for anyone who does speak excessively with a woman causes evil to himself, is idle from words of Torah, and in the end will inherit Gehinom." Our Sages said (Baba Metzia 59a), "One who goes after the counsel of his wife falls into Gehinom." In light of this condition, every wise man must act with cleverness. As our Sages commented (Sanhedrin 107b), "The left hand should push away as the right hand brings close." The primary love is the love of the soul. It is incumbent upon the husband to admonish his wife with pleasant words, to guide her in the ways of modesty, to distance her from slander, anger, cursing, the mention of G-d's name in vain, and similar things in the Orders of Nashim and Nezikin. He should caution her in regard to the details of mitzvot – especially in the areas of prayer, blessings of benefit from this world, the observance of Shabbat, etc. How good and how pleasant it would be for him to teach her ideas of ethical improvement and to share with her words of the Sages in all matters that are relevant to her and their severity. Then her heart will tremble and she will be even more careful thana man.

The commentary of Rashi above that the amount of Isaac's harvest is described in order to enable one to "correctly estimate" the tithes, appears to contradict the Halachah. We know that tithing must never be based on an estimate, but must be measured exactly (Maimonides Hilchot Maaser 1,14). Even if the amount tithed exceeds ten percent of the harvest, one did not fulfil the commandment if one has estimated instead of measured the required amount. We must therefore assume that Isaac measured the tithe, but added the תרומה גדולה by estimating the amount, and this is what the Midrash refers to. Similarly, the Mishna Terumot 1,7 says that one does not give תרומה by measure but by estimate from the total amount. The quantity of תרומה to be given as per our sages serves only as a guideline, not as absolute measurement. The scriptural allusion for this procedure is Numbers 18,27: ונחשב לכם תרומתכם, "your gift will be 'considered' for you." This means that the process depends on מחשבה, thought, rather than measure. Although the verse mentioned is written in connection with תרומת מעשר, we have a principle that if a statement is not needed where it appears we may apply it elsewhere, in this case we apply it to תרומה גדולה.

The author of these two parables dealt with a difficult question which I have already raised, namely that the angels possess one sanctity while Israel possesses two sanctities; this is derived from Psalms 103,20: ברכו ה' מלאכי, גבורי כח עשי דברי לשמוע בקול דברו, "Bless the Lord, O His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding." Based on this verse the angels are perceived as possessing one level of sanctity whereas Israel is perceived of possessing two levels of sanctity. Israel's first level of sanctity is acquired by "being obedient and doing G–d's bidding," whereas the second level is achieved through observing Rabbinic "fences" erected around basic Sinaitic laws to make it more difficult for the individual Jew to transgress such Biblical injunctions (cf. Avot 1,1). The reason for all this is alluded to in the parable about the wine cellar. We know about the יין המשומר, the wine preserved in its grapes since the time of גן עדן. There is some wine which does not contain any sediment apt to cause the wine to go sour under certain conditions. The wine, i.e. grapes of the tree of knowledge which Eve squeezed out and drank and gave Adam to drink, had not been guarded by a fence around the prohibition not to eat from the tree of knowledge. It thus was able to form sediments, which clouded its appearance, thereby preventing the detection of the pollutant emanating from the original serpent which was concealed therein. When Rabbi Avin speaks about guarding the wine cellar, he refers to the unpolluted remnant of the wine from גן עדן. Another word for such sediment or dross is סיג, and this is why the "fence" around Biblical laws is called סייג. This is also the deeper meaning of 18,30: ושמרתם את משמרתי, which is interpreted in Moed Katan 5 as עשו משמרת למשמרת, "construct a strainer for the strainer!" The Torah suggests that extra precautions should be taken to ensure against violations of its commandments. The function of the second strainer is similar to what is discussed in Shabbat 137 where the question is debated whether it is permissible to suspend such a strainer above the cup on a festival.

At the beginning of our portion in 6,2, G–d therefore responds to Moses by saying that what He will do will prove that אני י-ה-ו-ה. When Hillel in Avot 1,14, coined the phrase אם אין אני לי מי לי, וכשאני לעצמי מה אני, "If I do not do for me who will do for me? And if I do only for myself what good am I?" this was a rhetorical question posed to describe man's inadequacy in this world when he acts only as an individual. G–d posed a similar question concerning His position in the universe, by indicating that if He did not now demonstrate the true meaning of having described Himself as אני, then מי לי who else would do so on His behalf? Pharaoh's comment מי י-ה-ו-ה, would then be justified! On the other hand, if I do reveal My Essence עצמי, then מה אני, I can demonstrate מה רבו מעשיך י-ה-ו-ה, the greatness of G–d's works, how they were all intitiated with profound wisdom, i.e. בחכמה עשית, a reference to creatio ex nihilo. At the very end of the Torah, in Deut. 34,11, we read that Moses is credited with having performed כל האתת והמופתים, all the miracles that it had been Moses' mission to perform on G–d's behalf in Egypt.

The underlying secret dimension of the principle of the relationship of כלל to פרט is the principle governing the relationship of cause and effect, or Creator and creature. These relationships must not be reversed. It is interesting that the Talmud Chullin 133a, tells us that the 24 portions that have been assigned to the Priests are all based on the principle of כלל ופרט, and that he who observes the "covenant of the salt," is considered as having observed the principle of כלל ופרט, whereas he who fails to observe it is as if he had violated the principle of כלל ופרט. I have explained elsewhere the deeper meaning of the relationship of כלל and פרט. The 24 gifts that are assigned to the Priests correspond to the 24 books of the Bible. The Torah in its entirety (the 24 books of the Bible), is the soul of the Jewish nation, and the Priests represent the נשמה of that nation. The written Torah, with its six hundred thousand letters, represents the כלל, whereas the 24 books represent the פרט in that combination. The "covenant of salt," symbolises the attribute of "peace" of which Aaron was the foremost exponent, since he has been described by our sages as being an אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, a lover and active searcher for peace. (Avot 1,12) It is a well known fact that the "lower" waters complained about having been relegated from the "upper" waters [second day of Creation], and that in order to pacify them G–d ordered the ceremony of נסוך המים, the libations of waters which were offered on the altar during the festival of Tabernacles to compensate them (Numbers 29,16 et al). [Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi explains that salt is only congealed water, hence water and salt are viewed as identical. This helps explain the Rashi we quote in the next paragraph. Ed.] Rashi explains on Leviticus 2,13, that the salt which was offered with every sacrifice is an expression of this Covenant made between G–d and the "lower" waters which had been separated from their counterparts. Since all the ways of Torah are pleasantness (Proverbs 3,17), i.e. דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום, it is only natural that the Priests and the Levites were charged with instructing the people, i.e. יורו משפטיך ליעקב, ותורתך לישראל, "They shall teach Your social laws to Jacob, and Your Torah to Israel" (Deut. 33,10).

And Chazal have said (Shabbath 119b): "The breath of the mouth that has sinned is not like the breath of the mouth that has not sinned." ["the breath of the mouth that has sinned":] That is, he who has sinned only sometimes, by chance, as we have explained in Chapter VII. How much more so if the breath of his mouth is habituated to sin every day and every hour. And all this, even if his mouth sins in other forbidden things; how much more so, in the issur of lashon hara and rechiluth by which he certainly undermines the prayer that he prays after this; and it does not ascend unless he undertakes to repent of this, as we explained above in Chapter VII in the name of the holy Zohar. And we can say that this is the intent of the verse in Koheleth 7:13: "See the act of G-d. For who can straighten out what he has made crooked?" That is, set your eyes and your heart on the G-dly things, the holy sanctuaries and the celestial lights created by you on high by your Torah and your mitzvoth — that they be created in perfection, by all the preparations needed for this and also by "clean tools," as explained above. For who can straighten out what he has made crooked? This is, if you damage them, G-d forbid, they will remain forever defective and damaged, and this will cause you eternal worry and constant grief in remembering that it was your slothfulness that caused all this. For they [(the heavenly edifices)] are not like the buildings of this world, which, if one damages them, another builder can repair them. Not so, with the desired [eternal] end. As stated by the tanna in Avoth 1:13: "If I am not for myself, who is for me?" And this is the intent of the verse "For who can straighten out what he has made crooked?"

In Avoth 1:13 we find that Hillel used to say: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me, etc." This apothegm is highly comprehensive. Its plain meaning relates to zeal in the service of the L-rd, saying: "If a man himself does not bestir himself while he is yet alive and while he still has strength, who can help him?" As Scripture states (Koheleth 9:10): "All that your hand finds to do, in your strength do it" — "in your strength," specifically. We have already expatiated upon this elsewhere. For a man can depend but very little upon his sons, and his principal (task) is to prepare "provender for his destined abode." And it is in this regard that Hillel says plainly: If a man himself does not benefit his soul, who can do it for him?

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

Truth is one of the pillars upon which the world stands (Avot 1:18). Therefore, one who speaks falsehood is as if he removes the foundation of the world, and conversely, one who is scrupulous on the truth, it is as if he upholds the foundation of the world.

However, our sages of blessed memory, who always instructed us and guided us on the paths of truth said: "love work and hate Rabanut" (Avot 1:10), and further "flay carcasses in the marketplace and earn wages and do not say, 'I am an important man, I am a Kohen, [and it is beneath my dignity]'." (Pesachim 113a), and further "one should always hire himself out to work which is strange to him rather than be dependent [on the help] of others" (Bava Basra 110a).

מאזני צדק אבני צדק הין צדק . You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, etc." (19,36). These laws are designed to emphasize how far we must distance ourselves from robbery. The very fact that the Torah chose to call such weights by the adjective צדק, indicates that it considers a person engaged in weighing or measuring as though he were a judge presiding over litigation and required to pronounce fair judgment. Civilization is based on justice as we know from Rabbon Shimon ben Gamliel in Avot 1,18. The reason that the Torah quotes three examples of such weights or measures, i.e. איפה, אבני and הין, may relate to the three levels of our spiritual existence, our soul, i.e. נפש, רוח, נשמה.

Perhaps I may be so bold as to say that Moses personally observed what Avtalyon in Avot 1,11 warned against when he said: הזהרו בדבריכם שמא תחובו חובת גלות, "Be very careful with your words lest you become guilty of having to exile yourselves." We have another Mishnah, Avot 4,14, in which Rabbi Nehorai warns that it is better to exile oneself to a place where Torah is studied. When Moses saw that he was guilty of exile, he decided to become a constant source of Torah so that any place that he found himself at would fit the description of מקום תורה. By positioning the paragraph about the cities of refuge, i.e. exile, between two paragraphs extolling the gift of Torah he vicariously complied with the advice of Rabbi Nehorai.

The common denominator of the concepts of שבת and משכן are that they both are symbols of עולם הבא, the World to Come. There is a baffling story in the Talmud Beytzah 16 describing that Shammai bought and ate only food intended to honour the Sabbath. Should he find a good looking animal, he would purchase it intending to eat it on the Sabbath. Should he find a superior one later, he would abandon the first one and eat it during the week so as to preserve the better one for serving on the Sabbath. The Talmud contrasts Shammai's conduct with that of his colleague Hillel whose every action is described as being לשם שמים, "Heaven oriented." Are we to infer from this that Shammai's actions were not "Heaven oriented?" What then was the difference of opinion between Hillel and Shammai which caused them to have different approaches to their daily routines? They disagreed on whether it was permissible to serve G–d in order to accumulate rewards payable in the World to Come. (This is elaborated on in Midrash Shemuel Avot 1,3.) Shammai considered serving G–d for material rewards in this world as forbidden, whereas he considered serving G–d in order to accumulate reward in the Hereafter as perfectly permissible. His colleague Hillel considered serving G–d in order to receive a reward either in this world or in the next as equally forbidden. This is what the Talmud means when describing Hillel's actions as "Heaven oriented," i.e. without thought of any reward.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, said : "Be jealous for My sake, were it not for envy, the world would not stand. A man would not plant a vineyard, marry a wife or build a house (Shoher Tob 37a). For all of these matters come about because one man envies his companion. If he builds a house, then another person will have it in mind to do likewise, and thus it is concerning a wife. And since the perpetuation of the world depends upon envy, let him dedicate all these envious qualities to God. If he builds a house let him build in it room for the study of Torah, a gathering place for the wise, a place where guests are welcomed, and a place where he does kindness to men. And thus did they say (Shohar Tov ibid). Had not Abraham been jealous he would have not acquired both worlds. And how was he envious? He asked Melchizedek¹See Nedarim 32b, where Melchizedek is identified with Shem, the son of Noah., "How did you emerge from the Ark?" And Melchizedek answered, "Because of the charity that we did there," Abraham said to him, "What kind of charity could you do in the Ark; — were there any poor people there? There was no one there except Noah and his sons, so to whom were you doing charity?" Melchizedek answered him : "With the animals, with the beasts and with the fowl. We did not sleep but were constantly giving food to all these living creatures all night long." At that moment Abraham said, "If these people had not done charity with the animals, beasts and fowl, they would not have emerged from the Ark, but because they did justice with them, they did emerge safely, then I who will do justice with all the children of man who are in the image of the Holy One, Blessed be He, will not this be all the more favorable in God's eyes?" At that moment "And he planted a tamarisk (eshel) in Beersheba" (Gen. 21:33). (The sages take each letter of the Hebrew word Eshel and they say that the word Eshel means a place where strangers can eat, drink and lodge.) In this manner, a man ought to, indeed, increase his zeal.

(Ibid.): "As the opening of a suit of armor shall it [its neck-opening] be for it, so that it not be torn." Why need the Torah add "as the opening of a suit of armor"? Is it not sufficient to have stated "And the mouth of its head shall be [folded over] within it. A border shall there be for its mouth"? It must intimate, then, that just as one dons armor for protection, that he not be harmed by the arrows shot at him, so, if one clamps shut his mouth, it affords him protection against his antagonist, and, in the end, it serves to silence him by giving him no answer. If he answered him, however, the quarrel would widen and he would come to blows, as it is written (Ibid. 21:18): "And if men quarrel, and a man strike his neighbor with stone or fist, etc." And the Holy One Blessed be He is also his Protector because of this, because "the earth depends upon him," as mentioned above. (Ibid. 33-34): "And you shall make on its (lower) hem pomegranates of purple … and golden bells in their midst roundabout [one bell between every two pomegranates]. A golden bell and a pomegranate [next to it], a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the me'il roundabout. The allusion here would seem to be to what Chazal have said (Chullin 89a): "What is a man's 'trade'? Let him make himself a mute. I might think, even to words of Torah. It is, therefore, written (Psalms 58:2): 'Righteousness shall you speak.'" It is found, then, according to this, that whenever one has time, he should not remain idle, but he should learn Torah. And the learning should not be silent, as we find in Eruvin 54a. And when one cannot learn Torah, whatever the reason might be, he should make himself a mute, who cannot open his mouth. And for this reason there were on the hem of the me'il, "a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate," alluding to the study of Torah, as mentioned above. And, in the midst of this, when he cannot learn, he should embrace the trait of silence [as our sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 1:16): "R. Shimon ben Gamliel said: 'All my life, I grew up among the wise, and I found nothing better for the body than silence.'"] And this is alluded to by the pomegranate next to the bell; that is, like a pomegranate, that makes no sound. And, if one conducts himself in this manner, the Torah assures us (Ibid. 35): "and its sound will be heard when he comes to the sanctuary." That is, the sound of his prayer and his Torah will be accepted on high, which will not be the case if he does not guard his faculty of speech and mixes his speech with lashon hara, rechiluth, and the like, in which case the forbidden speech will defile his words of holiness and they will not be accepted on high, as mentioned above in Chapter I.

Even though zeal is a very good quality, one must be careful not to work too quickly. For one who rides quickly is liable to stumble, and one who runs quickly may fall. It is not wise to attempt to repair anything in haste, but rather with deliberation. And thus said our teachers, "Be deliberate in judgment!" (Aboth 1:1). And zeal means that one's heart must be stirred, and one's thoughts aroused and that one's limbs must be light for one's work, but one ought not to be hasty in any matter. All of these matters require great wisdom as to when to hurry and when to tarry. Even though the quality of zeal is very good nevertheless a man ought not be zealous to pursue his lusts, to busy himself in seeking pleasures, or to pursue evil deeds. For just as zeal in the matter of Torah raises a man to a very lofty height, so does alertness in the matter of transgressing bring a man down to the nether world.

There is another type of "not for the sake of the mitzva itself" (Shelo Lishma), which is the "for the sake of receiving a reward" (Avot 1:3). On this our sages said: "a man should always occupy himself with Torah and good deeds, even if it is not for their own sake, for doing so will lead to doing them for their own sake" (Pesachim 50b). Nevertheless, he who has not yet reached from "not for their own sake" (shelo lishma) to "for their own sake" (lishma), is still far from reaching his Shelemut (wholeness/perfection).

It is written (Vayikra 19:16): "Do not go talebearing among your people." This negative commandment includes both rechiluth and lashon hara, as we find in Yerushalmi. [Rechiluth (talebearing)] is one's saying to his friend: "Ploni said this about you" or "did this and this to you." Lashon hara is one's telling his friend something demeaning of another, or other things which cause him (the other) bodily, monetary, or emotional harm.] And this negative commandment also includes lashon hara, as our sages of blessed memory have said in explanation of this verse: "Do not be as a merchant [rochel], who takes his wares from one to another." And it is known that this negative commandment obtains even if what is said is the truth, as all of the commentators have written. For if it is false, it is in the category of motzi shem ra [giving out a bad name], and is far more severe than lashon hara in general. Preceding the aforementioned verse is [Ibid. 15): "…In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor," concerning which our sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 1:5): "Judge every man in the scales of merit." This also applies to our subject, implying that even if you see something demeaning in him, still you must seek some merit in him, viz.: Perhaps he spoke or did this thing unwittingly, or he did not know that it is forbidden to do or say this thing, or perhaps he has already regretted [what he did or said], and the like. Therefore, Scripture commanded that you not bear tales about him and not tell others the demeaning things that you know about him. All the details of lashon hara and rechiluth, and the greatness of the reward of him who takes care to avoid it, and the punishment for the transgressor are explained in Chafetz Chaim and Shemirath Halashon, Chapter I.

A third interpretation of the repetition of the word צדק would be that there are two ways of arriving at a fair judgment. The first צדק refers to the need to arrive at a mutually agreeable resolution of disagreements without recourse to the letter of the law. The second time the word צדק is used is for the eventuality that an agreed solution to the disagreement cannot be found. According to the Sifri it also means that the trial may not be re-opened once a person has been found innocent, even if new evidence against him is suppposed to have been found. Still another meaning of the second צדק could be that a judge, is supposed to be מתון, i.e. judge each case on its individual merits, without reference to precedent. It is not enough to refer to a previous judgment in what is perceived as an identical dispute. No two cases are identical. Moses already explained this point to his father-in-law Yitro in Exodus 18,16 when he told ושפטתי בין איש ובין רעהו, "When I pronounce judgment I have to consider each litigant on his own merits."

Our author demonstrates by means of a number of allusions based on numerical values that by serving the golden calf the common numerical factors in the words Israel-Moses and Sinai were invalidated. These allusions depended on the use of the number 10 derived from the Ten Commandments which Israel violated when making and serving the golden calf. This relationship had to be restored after Israel repented of its errors. Counting the half-shekels helped restore the numerical equation which signalled Israel's and Moses' profound connection with Sinai and Torah which were expressed in numerical equations.

Behold acts of kindliness are of great primary importance to the Chasid (pious). For the term "Chasidut" itself comes from the term "kindliness" (Chesed). And our sages, of blessed memory, said (Pirkei Avot 1:2): "on three things the world stands", and one of whom is "acts of kindliness". Likewise, they counted them as one of those things which a person "eats of its fruits in this world while the principal [reward] is reserved for him in the World to Come."

Behold the story of Gedalia ben Achikam where it is clear to our eyes that due to his great Chasidut to not judge Yishmael ben Netanya negatively, nor to accept an evil report, he said to Yochanan ben Kareach "you are speaking falsely of Yishmael" (Yirmiyahu 40:16). What resulted from this? He was murdered, the Jews went into exile, and their last ember was extinguished. Scripture attributes the murder of these people as if Gedalyah himself murdered them, as our sages of blessed memory, said (Nida 61a) on the verse: "all the bodies of the men whom he had killed through Gedaliah" (Yirmiyahu 41:9).

Silence is one of the virtues mentioned in Ethics of the Fathers. Rabbi Simon, the son of Gamliel, said, "All my days I grew up among the Sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence" (Aboth 1:17). And thus said king Solomon, "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise" (Prov. 17:28). And the wise man said, "When I speak, my speech rules over me, for when I utter something that is not worthy, that utterance rules over me and forces me at times to beg the pardon of whoever has heard me, but when I do not speak I rule over whether I want to give expression to a thought or whether I want to conceal it." Our Sages said (Yalkut Shimoni, Beha'alotkha) : Two advocates stood before Hadrian; one taught that speech was best and one taught that silence was best. The king said to the one who taught that speech is best, "Why do you say this?" And he said to him, "My Lord, if it were, not for speech how would kings be proclaimed? How would ships sail to the sea? How would kindness be done to the dead by way of eulogy? How would brides be praised? How would business be carried on in the world?" At once, King Hadrian said to him, "Well have you spoken!" Then he said to the one that taught that silence is best, "Why have you have praised silence?" Just as the man was about to answer the first advocate interrupted him. The king said to him, "Why did you interrupt him?" said he, "My Lord, I taught from what is mine concerning what is mine, for I taught by speech the value of speech, but he comes to teach by my means, speech, concerning that which he believes in, silence. Therefore I interrupted him." Said the other advocate to him, "Solomon did not say that God would have you sit as silent as a deaf mute. But he said, 'In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression; but he that refraineth his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19). This means that one ought to restrain himself from speaking against his fellow man. There is no one greater than Aaron or Miriam — through Miriam's merit a well sprang up and gave drink, and clouds of glory would surround Israel through the merit of Aaron. But inasmuch as they gave permission to their mouths and they spoke against Moses, they were at once punished (Num. 12).

HATING RABBANUT: Hating Rabbanut (authority over others) and fleeing from honor: This is an explicit Mishna (Avot 1:10): "love work, hate Rabbanut". They further said: "One whose heart is frivolous in handing down rulings is a fool, wicked and arrogant" (Avot 4:7), and "whoever chases after honor, honor flees from him" (Eruvin 13b), and "'Do not go out quickly to quarrel (Riv)' (Mishlei 25:8) - do not run after rulership, Why not? [the verse continues:] 'for what will you do in the end' (ibid), the next day people will put questions to you, and what will you answer them?" (Pesikta Rabati 22:4);

The Torah writes in 11,33, הבשר עודנו בין שניהם טרם יכרת, ואף ה' וכו'. "The meat was still between their teeth, had not been chewed up yet, when the anger of the Lord was kindled, etc." We know that the world is based on תורה ועבודה, Torah study and service of the Lord. I have found an interesting commentary by the Rekanati on Song of Songs 6,6. We find in that verse that the teeth are described as שכולם מתאימות, "all of them like twins,” and in the next half of the verse ושכלה אין בהם, "none of them has suffered a bereavement.” The overall description is that of a flock of ewes which these teeth are compared to. A similar verse in Song of Songs 4,2, compares these teeth to a flock that has come up from being well washed. The verses are understood to describe aspects of Torah and Avodah. When Abraham had asked G–d: “How will I know that I will inherit it? (Genesis 15,8), he was told that the merit of the sacrifices or even the recital of the sacrificial service when there is no Temple would ensure that G–d could fulfil His promise (compare Megillah 31b). It is a scientific fact that every Jew has 32 teeth, 16 upper ones and 16 lower ones. The statement that שניך כעדר הרחלים, "your teeth are like a flock of ewes,” refers to the 16 public offerings consisting of sheep that were offered in the holy Temple every week, 12 on weekdays and the regular 2 plus an extra 2 on the Sabbath. This is what we call עבודה.

And our sages, of blessed memory, said "a sign of arrogance is poverty of Torah" (Sanhedrin 24a). And likewise they said: "a sign of not knowing anything is self-praise" (Zohar Balak 49b); and "one coin in a pitcher cries out 'rattle, rattle'" (Bava Metzia 85b); and "the barren trees were asked: 'why are your voices heard?' they replied: 'would that it were that our voices will be heard and we will be remembered'" (Bereishis Raba 16:3).

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).

And thus did our Rabbis interpret the text, "The poor man's wisdom is despised" (Eccl. 9:16). What wisdom of what poor man is despised? It refers to a man who is poor in good deeds; then his wisdom is despised. And if one teaches laws that instruct us to do good and he himself does not do good deeds his words are not accepted, for "not learning but doing is the chief thing" (Aboth 1:17). Wherefore it is necessary tor every man to direct his deeds for the sake of Heaven and see and understand from the example of Elisha, the son of Abuyah : because his father taught him Torah not for its own sake, the son turned to heresy. As it is said in the Jerusalem Talmud (Hagigah 2:1), and in the Midrash (Eccl. Rabbah 7:8, letter 18) : When Elisha, the son of Abuyah was circumcised his father made a feast for the Sages and invited Rabbi Eiezer and Rabbi Joshua and the other Sages, and they sat at the feast and spoke words of the Torah to the extent that a fire came and encircled them. The father of Elisha came and said to them, "My good friends, did you come to burn down the house?" And they said to him, "The fire that you see is only because we are studying the words of the Torah and the Prophets and the Scriptures. And the words of our discussion joyously testify to the truth just as when they were given at Mount Sinai. From Mount Sinai were they given, and from the fire were they given!" The father of Elisha ben Abuyah then said, "Now that I see the power of the Torah, if this my son will live on, I shall give him to the study of Torah." And because the father had it in his mind that he would teach his son Torah not for its own sake but for the power it would give him, his son became a heretic. And even so, a man should study the Torah even if not for its own sake, because from studying it not for its own sake, he will ultimately come to study it for its own sake (Pesahim 50b).

(Avoth 1:13): "He [Hillel] used to say: 'If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am [only] for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?'" If the tanna, Hillel, was wont to say this, there are certainly found in it principles and foundations to spur a man to his acts and ways in this world to bring him to his eternal happiness. And there are certainly included in his words lofty thoughts and varied explanations. We have explained this at length elsewhere. But, in its plain sense, I have come to explain now that the tanna comes to remind us of the great zeal required by a man for Torah and good deeds day by day.

We can utilize this thought to answer a problem in the wording of the first Mishnah in tractate Avot. The author says: משה קבל תורה מסיני ומסרוה ליהושע, "Moses received the Torah from Sinai and handed it over to Joshua." Why does the Mishnah change from the term קבל to מסר when describing the transfer of the tradition? Another difficulty is that there is no word of how the transfer from Joshua to the elders, and from the elders to the prophets took place, whereas we find the term מסר used again when the Mishnah describes the transfer of the oral tradition from the prophets to the members of the Great Assembly. A further difficulty is the statement in Eiruvin 54: "How did the oral tradition get taught? Moses learned it from G–d. Then Aaron entered and Moses would teach it to him. After that Aaron's sons entered and Moses taught it to them. After that the elders entered and Moses taught the elders; finally the people at large entered and Moses taught all of them. We do not hear one word in this sequence about Moses handing over the oral tradition specifically to Joshua, as was mentioned in the Mishnah.

We find a little later in the same chapter of Avot that Rabbi Shimon son of Rabban Gamliel said that, having grown up amongst Torah scholars, he had not found anything better for the body than silence. He added that it was not the exegesis of Torah which was of primary importance, but practicing its precepts. He further added that anyone who indulged in too many words was bound to commit some sin sooner or later. We find several difficulties in this series of statements. 1) Why did the Rabbi say that the benefits of silence are primarily for "the body?" 2) Why did he interrupt his statements extolling the virtue of silence by saying that action was more important than teaching by word of mouth?

The third period, the one we described as commencing with the establishment of the second Temple, commenced with Shimon Hatzaddik, and continued during the entire period of the reign of the Greeks, and is called the domain of חציבה. Shimon Hatzaddik himself is described in Avot 1,2, as משירי אנשי כנסת הגדולה, "as a member of the remnants of the men of the Great Assembly, the period during which the last of the Books of the Bible were edited. The Holy Spirit that was available during those years continued to decrease until the destruction of the second Temple.

Rabbeinu Yonah holds that wine in its fourth year, after redemption, requires a benediction as a matter of biblical law, both before and after one has drunk it. He bases this on the word הלולים, in the plural. A drunk person is not allowed to recite such a benediction. By reciting a benediction one "redeems" the wine from its גלגול, its need to be rehabilitated. The author, basing himself on some works of the Arizal, describes the benediction recited by the owners of the sacrifices who eat part thereof as crucial to the process of "the priests perform the service, whereas the owners eat in order to bring about effective atonement." The injunction not to eat of the sacrificial meat prematurely, i.e. before the blood has been sprinkled on the altar by the priests (19,26), also contains allusions to this process. The allusions to transmigration of the soul are found in Job 33,29 where hope is held out that a person who has not fulfilled his task on earth may be given a second or even a third chance to do so. We may see a similar allusion in the legislation of נותר, which follows the legislation that meat of the peace-offerings may be eaten on two days and the intervening night, i.e. during a maximum of three time periods. This alludes to the three opportunities given to the soul (personality) to redeem itself within the body of a person while on earth. When the Torah says in 19,8: ואכליו עונו ישא, "that anyone who consumes such sacrificial meat after the deadline has expired will bear his sin," the idea is that he will no longer qualify for atonement. The statement by Hillel in Avot 1,14 –If I am not for myself, who is? If I am only concerned with myself what kind of a person am I? If not now when?" – may also be read as an allusion to the statement in the Talmud concerning the validity or invalidity of the repentance of a person who says: “I shall sin since I will have a chance to rehabilitate myself (on the Day of Atonement, Yuma 86), or, in a transmigration of my soul!" Anyone who ever had such thoughts during his life on earth will not be permitted to rehabilitate in such a way, for surely he will not be granted a second round on earth. Pardes Rimonim deals with this problem in his chapter on the soul. The author explains that the contribution one's friend or associate can make to one's own rehabilitation is extremely limited; this is why Hillel stresses that what one does not do for oneself no one else is going to do for one. On the other hand, if one attempts to achieve one's rehabilitation by one's own efforts, not relying on other factors, one will experience that G–d extends one a great amount of help, similar to what David said in Psalms 31,20: "How abundant is the good that You have in store for those who fear You!" One will realize then that one's own contribution was really major, that G–d appreciated it. The rhetorical question: "What am I?" must be understood in the sense that I grew to realize my importance in the eyes of G–d. This is the deeper meaning of 19,5: לרצונכם, "to your satisfaction."

Ideally, the "crown" of Torah should be paired with two other "crowns," namely the "crown" of מלכות, Royalty, and the "crown" of כהונה, the "crown" of Priesthood. Torah was given in order to be studied, to be observed (negative commandments), and to be performed (positive commandments). The most important aspect of the "performance" is the sacrificial service performed by the priests. This is why that aspect of Torah performance is called עבודה, Service, [without any adjective defining the nature of the Service. Ed.] This then is the meaning of the כתר כהונה. The priests who perform their tasks in the Temple are perceived as wearing that "crown." There is also a need for the כתר מלכות, the "crown" of Royalty, in order to infuse the people with due respect for G–d's law. They must be encouraged to be diligent in observing Torah statutes. The function of Torah scholars has traditionally been to supervise, to exhort the people to perform their duties, just as it was the task of the prophets when we were still blessed with their presence among us. Moses, the greatest of the prophets, was described by our sages as "King," because he had the authority of a crowned king.

Let us first look at the statement in the Mishnah in Avot 1,2, that the world is supported by three things: by Torah, by Avodah and by the performance of kind deeds to one's fellow man. In this instance Tzedakah, commonly translated as the giving of charity, is identical with the term Gemilut Chassadim, mentioned in the Mishnah. Each one of the flags corresponded to one of the letters in the four-lettered name of G–d. Torah corresponds to the letter yud, the Ten Commandments, since the 613 commandments are all condensed within the Ten Ccommandments. The flag of the camp of Yehudah alludes to Torah; Rashi points out that Moses, Aaron, his sons and the Levites, camped close to that camp (2,2). The direction was the East, the direction from which light, i.e. enlightenment has come to the world. Torah, after all, is identical with "light." In front was the angel אוריאל, the numerical value of אור, being 207, which alludes to the secrets of the Torah. This angel is also known as נוריאל. Nur is a kind of fire which burns one up thoroughly, as happened to the youngster who tried to penetrate into the secrets of חשמל [what is commonly known as roam מעשה מרכבה, and should not be taught to anyone who is not capable of studying this on his own]. The Talmud reports in Chagigah 13 that a youngster undertook to study these matters and was fatally burned by heavenly fire [the expression used by the Talmud is נורא].

The mystical dimension of all this is that ever since the pollutant of the serpent, i.e. the negative fall-out of the sin, infected man it has become necessary to build "fences" around G–d's laws to make it almost impossible to transgress an actual Biblical injunction. When someone is guilty of being פורץ גדר, demolishing such a fence, the serpent will bite him. In other words, if someone does not construct a משמרת he is liable to transgress the essence of G–ds commandments. In the future, when G–d will remove the pollutant of the serpent there will no longer be a need for these fences; this need stems from the power of the Sig, dross, introduced into our bodies by the serpent. It is significant that in the parlance of our sages the fence is not called גדר, but rather Se\yag, i.e. the same word as Sig. Our Rabbis in Avot 1,1 wanted to make sure that we appreciate the reason for the need to construct such "fences." Aaron came close to G–d in lieu of Adam. He was the Meshameret. This is the meaning of G–d saying in Numbers 18,8 that he would be the משמרת תרומתי.

The way the Israelites rehabilitated themselves for shortcomings in appreciating the relative significance of spiritual food, i.e. the value of their souls, was that while they stood pressed together, they prostrated themselves before G–d and suddenly did not find themselves hemmed in any more. The tightness experienced while standing symbolized the smelly drop of semen, their putrid origin, whereas the spaciousness experienced when prostrating oneself before G–d represented the spiritual uplift experienced by their souls. As long as their concerns had been centered around physical progress the Rabbis' injunction not to be boastful, not to "make waves," was fully applicable. Hence, even while in the precincts of the Temple, they experienced the tightness of space. Only when their main concern had become a spiritual one did they no longer find space confining. It is the mark of a truly great Torah scholar that he becomes more and more humble. Our sages have already said that "whoever raises himself up, will experience that G–d will lower him" (Eruvin 13b). The reverse is also true. The author of the Mishnah simply gave us a recipe. If someone desires prominence in this world, i.e. he stands upright, עומדים, he will experience that space in this world is at a premium, צפופים; if, on the other hand, he is prepared to prostrate himself before the Lord, to assume a low profile, he will find רווחים, that there is no shortage of space. This is the way to rectify any error one had committed in the direction in which one was headed, i.e. לאן אתה הולך, meaning that no disqualification would be found in the way one utilizes both one's physical and one's spiritual "bread." This then is the moral message of "no disqualification was found in the Omer," etc. We have been exhorted by our sages (Avot 1,6) to appoint a Torah authority for ourselves, i.e. עשה לך רב, and the Talmud (Sanhedrin 19b) said that anyone who teaches the child of his neighbor Torah is equivalent to having given birth to him. This statement refers to the soul of the person, since Torah is like a soul to a body.

Instead, the land should enjoy a Sabbath "on which one could eat" (25,5-6). This is an allusion to the statement of our sages that he who toils on Sabbath eve will have what to eat on the Sabbath (Avodah Zarah 3a). The words: לך ולעבדך, "for you and your servant" in the same verse may be understood as telling us that when G–d provides sustenance for the צדיק i.e. לך.He will also provide for the person who is not a צדיק. We have a tradition that a צדיק is able to save a number of souls from their suffering in purgatory. By merely passing by the gates of purgatory (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 8) he can "kidnap" them and secure their entry to the Hereafter. We know this from Elisha, whose bones conferred life on a person even after he himself had already been dead for some time (Kings II 13,21). When the Torah (25,8) emphasizes וספרת לך, "Count for yourself," this is an allusion to how we interpret Hillel's maxim "if I do not do it for me who will?"

There is a deep significance in the fact that the two words כף and פך consist of the same letters. The only difference between them is that the letter כ in the word כף is כפופה, bent over, closed, whereas the same latter in the word פך is open. The former shape is an inferior one, as it alludes to a closed palm, someone who is tight-fisted. The letter פ alludes to the mouth above. When the letter ך is open, it reminds us of open-handed charity, i.e. פתח את ידך, "open your hand." Having opened one's hand, it is important to keep one's mouth closed as indicated by the shape of the letter פ, when it is כפופה, closed. There is no greater virtue than silence (Avot 1,17). Thus the combination of an open ך, and a closed פ, is an excellent one. Both Joseph and the brothers committed an error. Joseph talked too much by bringing evil gossip about his brothers to his father (37,2). The brothers erred by being greedy for money and stooped low enough to sell their brother Joseph for twenty pieces of silver.