Commento su Pirkei Avoth 3:12

TISHCHORET. Rav: a young man, whose hair is black [Heb. shachor]. Per the mishna in Nedarim 8:3: one who makes a neder forbidding himself pleasure from the “black-headed ones” etc. But the mishna there says that women and children are not included in this epithet, as only men are called “black-headed ones,” but bald and old men are included. It is possible that the mishna discussing a neder is following popular usage, whereas our mishna is speaking in the register of the Sages, in which the word refers only to a young man. For if he is not a young man, he is included in the other part of the mishna, lerosh, lit. “head”—an elder—and we have only two possible categories here: either he is a rosh, which includes all men of standing, or he is part of tishchoret, which includes all men of no standing.

Rabbi Yishmael says: Be yielding to an elder (literally, a head): He wants to say, that he be yielding to one who is a head and a lord, as it is stated (Proverbs 25:6), "Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence; do not stand in the place of great ones" - that you should not think of yourself as a great man, but lower yourself in front of him to do his desires and to fulfill his needs. And do not become [too familiar] with him.

Be yielding (literally, light) to an elder: [The meaning of] lightness is known.

"With joy": And this is more than what Shammai said, "with a pleasant countenance" - Rambam.

"Be yielding to an elder (rosh, literally, head)": In front of a great sage who sits at the head of the yeshiva, be yielding (nimble) to do his bidding and to serve in front of him.

Introduction Rabbi Ishmael was a regular disputant with Rabbi Akiva. His teachers were Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua. From Rabbi Nahuniah haKaneh he learned his midrashic methodology, for which he later became famous. His midrashic formula are still recited everyday by those who follow a traditional siddur (prayer book). In our mishnah Rabbi Ishmael discusses how one should act with other people of different social strata.

AND RECEIVE [Heb. mekabel] EVERY MAN GLADLY. Rav: stand with joy. Mekabel here is to be understood like makbil. The medieval translator of Rambam writes on this mishna: it seems he understands the word mekabel here as if it were makbil, as in makbilot halula’ot (Exodus 26:5), based on the use of the cognate root in Aramaic, where the root is used to translate¹¹³In the Targumim. “opposite” or “in the presence of.” The Arabic language uses similar expressions: in speaking of meeting or standing opposite somebody one says “so-and-so met me with joy or anger.” The master¹¹⁴Rambam. explains mekabel this way here.
I do not know why he did not explain this point in the mishna at 1:15 above: hevei mekabel et kol ha’adam besever panim yafot.

pleasant to a tishchoret: Meaning to say to be pleasant with his words to an appointed official (shichvar). Not that he lower himself in front of him, as he is not a lord; and not that he should [try to] overcome him - as [the official] also has power in his hand: since he judges the land and the king appointed him over his people, it is impossible that he will not think about doing bad to his enemies; and he can truly do it to them. But one can benefit from his friendship, as he is [like] the master of the land. And tishchoret is the [same] as shichvar. In the vernacular, it is señorío. And [it is] as we say (Sifrei Devarim 6), "Cling to the shichvar and they will bow down to you." (and greet every person with joy) And Rabbi Meir HaLevi (Ramah), may his memory be blessed, explains tishchoret from the translation (Onkelos Numbers 16:15) [of] "I have not taken the donkey of any one of them” as shecharit (conscripted). He wants to say that you should be pleasant with a great person and a head, and also [be] pleasant with his servant and do his will.

And pleasant: This is calmness and ease. And he said with this command that when you are in front of a man of great standing, make yourself light towards him and serve him and stand in his presence if he wants and do not seek honor for yourself from him. But when you are with black hair - meaning to say one of young years - do not do this; but seek honor for yourself from him and do not be playful and do not be jocular with him. Afterwards he said, "You should not think that that which I have warned you from being jocular with someone of young years obligates that you should greet him with rage and with a choleric face. This is not the intention. Rather you need to greet every person - small or big, freeman or slave, every man of the human species - with joy." And this is more than that which Shammai said (Avot 1:15), "with a pleasant countenance." [The translator said it appears to me from the words of the teacher (Rambam) that he explains the word mekabel (literally, receive) from hakbelat panim (being across from the face) which is as if he is across. This is derived from (Exodus 26:5) "the loops across (makbilot)," which he translated from the Aramaic as across or facing. And also in Arabic one says about this matter an expression of meeting and being opposite - one says x met me happily or angrily. And with this type of expression did the teacher explain mekabel here - and know it.]

"pleasant to a youth (literally, a black one)": To a young man whose hair is black, you do not need to make yourself so nimble, but rather stand in front of him at ease and self-collected.

Rabbi Ishmael said: be suppliant to a superior, submissive under compulsory service, and receive every man happily. Be suppliant to a superior: According to Rabbi Ishmael, when one stands in the presence of a superior, he should consider himself inferior and serve him as he requests. Submissive under compulsory service: If a person is called up by the government for compulsory service he should not resist. Note that I have translated this clause according to the explanation of Albeck. The word for “compulsory service”, tishchoret, is an unusual word and is interpreted differently by others. Some interpret the word to mean the young. The interpretation is that when with young people, although one does not need to be suppliant with them, one should still treat them with respect. Receive every man happily: This is similar to Shammai’s statement above in 1:15.

WITH JOY. Rambam: this is more than what Shammai said, which was to greet every man in a friendly way.

"and greet (mekabel, literally, receive) every person with joy": Across from every person - whether an elder or a youth - stand with joy. "Receive" [here] is like to receive someone. "Across from" is translated [into Aramaic] as kabal. Another explantation: "Be yielding to a head (which also means beginning)" - at your beginning, when you are a young man, be nimble to do the will of your Creator. And in your old age, when your face has blackened because of age, be pleasant to Him.