Commento su Pirkei Avoth 2:14

STUDY TORAH DILIGENTLY, THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT TO ANSWER AN APIKOROS. Rabbenu Yonah explains this as “exert yourself and study Torah diligently in order that you should know what to answer an apikoros.” So also in Midrash Shmuel. We can then deduce that the correct version of the text does not have veda, “and you should know,” before “what to answer”, which also seems apparent from Rambam’s commentary.
But other editions have veda ma shetashiv. Midrash Shmuel writes in the name of R. Moshe Almosnino that veda ma shetashiv should be read as follows: whatever it is that you are going to answer⁸⁴ Ma shetashiv—“what it is that you are going to answer,” in this interpretation, as opposed to “what you’ll answer” with the sense of “what to answer.” In this reading, veda ma shetashiv is a totally unrelated teaching: “know well what you will answer an apikoros.” an apikoros, you should know it well; your answer shouldn’t be something you’ve simply heard or learned from another, because in this way you will not be victorious over him.
And in saying “what you will answer,” the mishna indicates that you shouldn’t go to them to attack their positions. If they come to you and attack you, you should know what to answer them; but do not sic the dog on yourself—Midrash Shmuel.

Rabbi Elazar says: Be diligent in learning Torah, and know what to respond to one who denigrates the Torah (apikoros): That one dedicate oneself to study Torah, so that he will know what to respond to the apikoros. As if he will not respond to him according to his arguments and his lies, the world will learn from them and 'drink evil waters' - in their seeing that he is defeated, and it will come out that the name of Heaven will be profaned. And an apikoros here is one who denies the oral Torah, as well as those that issue rulings not in accordance with the law (halakha). And apikoros is [from the word] hefker (chaos; literally, ownerless).

The matter of diligence (shkeidah) is from the language of the verse, "as I am diligent upon my word" (Jeremiah 1:12) - meaning to say, quick and energetic. Or its meaning would be, habit and constancy, as in "to be diligent at my doors each day" (Proverbs 8:34).

"Diligent, etc.": [Its] explanation is, "Be diligent" and toil in the study of Torah, so that you will know what to respond, etc. And according to this, we do not have the textual variant, "Know." But in other books, they have the variant, "Know." And [its] explanation is, you must know it with complete knowledge and your response to him should not be convincing [only] to you or rote, since in such a way you will not defeat him. And he said, "to respond," [in order to] inform that you should not go to him, to challenge him; but rather, if they came to you and challenge you, "know what to respond." (However, you should not initiate, to sic the dog upon yourself.) - Midrash Shmuel.

"To one who denigrates the Torah (apikoros)": [It] is an expression of being ownerless (hefker), as he disgraces the Torah and treats it as if it is ownerless. And also (another explanation is) he makes himself ownerless and is not concerned for his soul, lest evil will come to him as a result of his disgracing the Torah or those that study it.

Rabbi Elazar said:
Be diligent in the study the torah;
And know how to answer an epicuros,
And know before whom you toil, and that your employer is faithful, for He will pay you the reward of your labor.
Be diligent in the study the torah: diligence can either mean quick and energetic or it can mean regularity and faithful attendance.
And know how to answer an epicuros: a person should learn Torah in order to answer the questions of an epicuros. An epicuros is explained several different ways in the Talmud. He may be one who denies that there is a God, or one who denies that the Torah is of divine origin, or that , or one who despises Torah scholars. The origin of the term is the name of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who taught that the ultimate goal of life is to pursue the pleasures of this world. He emphasized that the gods have nothing to do with human affairs. Rabbi Elazar teaches that one should know the Torah well enough to be able to engage in a debate with the epicuros. Interestingly, some commentators say that this is the reason that Jews are allowed to study Greek philosophy, for in order to know how to refute them with their own words, one must be learned in their works.
And know before whom you toil, and that your employer is faithful, for He will pay you the reward of your labor: this is connected to the previous statement, the rejection of the epicuros. A Jew must have faith in the ultimate reward and punishment for his actions. This is indeed one of Maimonides principles of Jewish faith. Unlike Greek philosophy which did not conceive of a God who was involved in the moral affairs of human beings, a God who was at most a “primal cause”, Jews believe in a God that intimately cares about how they act. The “toil” that a Jew does is before God, and not before an empty void.

DILIGENT. See Rav’s commentary on Sotah 9:15.

Know before Whom you labor: Before the One who examines the kidneys and the heart. And when you study Torah, exert yourself and put your concentration into it, and [that way] you will know to respond to the apikoros from it. And when you exert yourself in the Torah, delight in it. As we find that the Torah stated (Proverbs 8:22), “The Lord created me at the beginning of His course, as the first of His works of old" - and it is written after it (Proverbs 8:30), "I was a caretaker with it, a delight for me every day." You should behold that the Holy One, blessed be He, would delight in it - and you should do so [as well]. This is as it is stated (Proverbs 8:31), "Rejoicing in His inhabited world, and delighting with mankind." He meant to say that [just] like the Torah was a delight for the Holy One, blessed be He, before the formation of the world, so [too] should it be the rejoicing of the habitation and a delight for people after the world was created.

know what to respond to one who denigrates the Torah (epikoros): He said that you need to study things which you can respond to the epikoros from the [gentiles] and disagree with them and answer them if they challenge you. And they said, (Sanhedrin 38b), "They only taught about the gentile epikoros, but with the Jewish epikoros, if you answer him, all the more so will he rebel" - meaning to say, he will denigrate [even] more. And because of this, there is no need to speak with him at all, as he has no redemption and he has completely no cure at all - as it is stated (Proverbs 2:19, "All who go to her cannot return, and they will not find the paths of life." And he said, "Even though you study the opinions of the nations to know what to answer them, guard yourself that anything from these opinions come into your heart; and know that the One before whom you serve knows what is hidden in your heart." And this is his saying, "Know before Whom you labor" - wanting to say that he direct his heart to faith in God, may He be blessed.

And this is the language of Rambam: Even though you study the opinions of those who denigrate the Torah to know how you should respond to them, be careful that nothing from these opinions enter into your heart. And know that the One before Whom you work knows that which is hidden in your heart." And that is [why] he said, "Know before Whom you labor;" [by which] he meant to say that he direct his heart to faith in God, may He be blessed. To here [are his words]. And, if so, "before Whom" refers to God, may He be blessed.

"Know before Whom you labor": in this response that you give to the one who denigrates the Torah, such that your heart not be seduced to inclining towards his opinion.

AN APIKOROS. Rav: this term comes from the Hebrew hefker, “abandon, lawlessness.” He denigrates the Torah. Included in this category is one who denigrates those who study Torah, as the Rav himself writes at the end of his second explanation and on the mishna in Sanhedrin 10:1.

the Master of your work is trustworthy to pay you the wage for your activity: That you not make your labor in Torah fraudulent, since God, may He be blessed, is the Master of your work and there is nothing hidden from in front of His eyes. And also, since how is it that you would not strain yourself on it, as behold you will have a great wage for your activity? And even thought they said (Avot 1:3), "Do not be as servants who are serving the master in order to receive a reward"; it is in order to overcome the impulse that sways one form doing the commandments and from walking in the straight path. [Hence] it is good to think that he will have a reward for them, so that he not give an opening to the impulse to attack. And also because they did not warn to know this in order to serve the Omnipresent, may He be blessed - because of the reason of reward. But rather in the same way as a person is obligated to investigate and know the unity of the Omnipresent and His understanding and His wonders that He has done in order to add to His love; so too is he obligated to [know that He] pays the wage of his activity, to bring up to his heart the greatness of the kindnesses of the Omnipresent - [that] even though He is the Master of all the creations and the Maker of all and we are all His servants to serve Him and service Him like a slave that is His property without giving a wage, He [nonetheless] gives that the reward and wage be with us. And on top of everything, we will increase our love from this and we will serve Him with fear and love.

"reliable, etc.": He is not disagreeing with the statement, "Do not be like servants, etc." and [it is] as I wrote there. And I found a checked text of the Land of Israel that had the textual variant, "and who is the Master of your work;" and then nothing more.

AND KNOW BEFORE WHOM YOU LABOR. Rav: in giving this answer to the apikoros, that he not sway your mind to follow his opinion. Following this explanation, the antecedent of “whom” is “apikoros”. But it appears that he was taking his explanation from Rambam, and Rambam understands the antecedent of “whom” to be G-d: and he says that although you must study the opinions of the nations to know what to answer them, beware that none of those opinions become your own. And bear in mind that the one before whom you labor knows the depths of your heart. This is the meaning of “know before whom you labor,” i.e. that one should direct one’s heart to belief in G-d.

AND YOUR TASKMASTER WILL FAITHFULLY PAY THE WAGES OF YOUR LABOR. Midrash Shmuel writes in the name of Rabbenu Yonah that in saying the taskmaster will “faithfully pay your wages” the mishna does not disagree with the dictum “be not like servants” in 1:3, and I have already written about this at the beginning of this chapter, s.v. and consider. Still, the idea doesn’t have any relation to what came before it. And I saw an edition from the Land of Israel which has simply “and who your taskmaster is,” and nothing more.⁸⁵The mishna would then read “and know before whom you labor, and who your taskmaster is.”