Komentarz do Pirke Awot 6:15

The sages taught in the language of the mishnah. Blessed be He who chose them and their teaching. Rabbi Meir said: Whoever occupies himself with the Torah for its own sake, merits many things; not only that but he is worth the whole world.
He is called beloved friend; one that loves God; one that loves humankind; one that gladdens God; one that gladdens humankind.
And the Torah clothes him in humility and reverence, and equips him to be righteous, pious, upright and trustworthy; it keeps him far from sin, and brings him near to merit.
And people benefit from his counsel, sound knowledge, understanding and strength, as it is said, “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, strength is mine” (Proverbs 8:14).
And it bestows upon him royalty, dominion, and acuteness in judgment.
To him are revealed the secrets of the Torah, and he is made as an ever-flowing spring, and like a stream that never ceases.
And he becomes modest, long-suffering and forgiving of insult.
And it magnifies him and exalts him over everything.
The sixth chapter of Avoth is not truly part of the Mishnah and was not originally part of tractate Avoth. It is not found in the good manuscripts of the mishnah, but is generally found in early manuscripts of tractate Avoth as recorded in the siddur. It was added to Avoth in the middle ages as a result of the custom to learn Avoth during the Sabbaths between Pesach and Shavuoth. Since there are six Sabbaths between the two festivals, and the original tractate Avoth was only five chapters, another chapter was added. The chapter that was chosen was originally part of tractate Kallah, one of the minor tractates. It deals with the study of Torah, and is hence called “Perek Kinyan Torah”, “The Acquisition of Torah”. The chapter was chosen because of its similarity in content and style to Avoth and because Shavuoth, the holiday which immediately follows the reading of this chapter in synagogues, is the time when the Torah was given.
Although this material is not really mishnah, it has been included in Mishnah Yomit since it is now part of printed editions of the mishnah. Throughout my commentary I will call each individual unit a “mishnah”, even though this is not truly accurate.
The first section of the mishnah is an introduction, which lets the reader know that this is not truly part of the Mishnah, but that it is similar to the mishnah. It also contains a short, opening praise for God. These two lines were added in the middle ages when this chapter was appended to Avoth.
The remainder of the mishnah contains the ultimate praise of the one who studies Torah for its own sake. We should also note that the mishnah can be divided into seven sections (although there may be other ways of dividing the mishnah). This may not be accidental and this “perfect number” may part of the poetics of Rabbi Meir’s praise of Torah study. Each section seems to move forward in its praise, until it reaches the thundering crescendo the Torah scholar sits at the top of God’s creation.
Most of the mishnah is self-explanatory but we should note that although there is great glory to the Torah scholar, and he has royalty and strength and is above everyone else, he is nevertheless humble, and is not easily insulted. The Torah scholar is not a prima donna, using his knowledge to show everyone his superiority. His leadership and closeness to God is not expressed through deriding others, but he is loved by people as much as he is loved by God. Without this balance, he probably could not truly be called a Torah scholar, for his learning has not perfected his personal attributes. He also would not fit the category of one who studies Torah for “its own sake”. The great attributes that Rabbi Meir describes would not be used for one who studies Torah for ulterior motives.

For disparaging the Torah: From the disparagement that they are disparaging the Torah - as it is disparaged in that it has no one involved in it.

Introduction Rabbi Joshua ben Levi was not a tanna (a sage from the Mishnaic period) but an amora, a sage who lived during the time of the Talmud. He was a student of one of Rabbi Judah Hanasi’s students (Bar Kapara). He was originally from Lod (close to where Ben Gurion airport is currently located) and later in life he moved to Tiberius.

"rebuked (nazouf)": excommunicated; as "and his father rebuked him" (Genesis 37:10), we translate [into Aramaic as] ounezaf beh avohi.

Although the word “and” connects the parts of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi’s complex statement, the different sections are probably best understood as separate statements, all denouncing one who does not study Torah and praising one who does.

"A ring of gold in a swine's snout": as he does not guard it, but rather goes and rummages in rubbage heaps and makes it disgusting. So [too] is a Torah scholar who is lacking understanding of Torah - he is disgusting like this excommunicated one.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: every day a bat kol (a heavenly goes forth from Mount Horeb and makes proclamation and says: “Woe unto humankind for their contempt towards the Torah”, for whoever does not occupy himself with the study of Torah is called, nazuf (the rebuked. Mount Horeb is synonymous with Mt. Sinai, where the Torah was given. A bat kol is some sort of heavenly voice. It literally translates as “the daughter of a voice”. It was considered a means of receiving knowledge of the intent of God, after prophecy had ended (which was during the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple). However, the use in this mishnah may be more metaphorical.

for there is no free man except one that involves himself in Torah learning: as people honor and serve [him]. And they distance themselves from one who is not involved in it - hence he is like one excommunicated.

As it is said, “Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman bereft of sense” (Proverbs 22:11). In the literal meaning of this verse, the gold ring on the snout of a pig serves as a simile for a beautiful woman bereft of sense. Although she may have outer beauty, like the gold ring, it is useless, for like the gold ring it is attached to something disgraceful. The verse is being used as an analogy in our mishnah to one who knows Torah but does not learn. The Torah is figuratively “in his nose” but like the pig, he does not learn it.

"and from Mattanah (a place name that means 'gift,' and so can refer to the gifting of the Torah), Nachaliel": Above this verse is written "and from the wilderness, Mattanah" [and then our verse continues] "and from Mattanah, Nachaliel"; [which comes to teach] that since the Torah was given to them as a gift, they inherited God (nachalu El) - meaning to say, He brought them into His portion - and since they inherited God, they rose to greatness, as it is stated, "and from Nachaliel, Bamot" (Eruvin 54a, Nedarim 55a).

And it says, “And the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). Read not haruth [‘graven’] but heruth [ ‘freedom’]. For there is no free man but one that occupies himself with the study of the Torah. There are several rich layers of meaning in the midrash in this section. First of all, the midrash makes a word play on the word “harut” and instead of reading it as meaning “engraved” it reads it as meaning “freedom” or “herut”. We learn that at the Sinaitic revelation the Israelites received their freedom (and not at the Exodus). However, “freedom” in Jewish thought does not mean freedom from responsibility but it actually means the study of Torah. According to the rabbis, there is no person freer than the one who learns Torah.

And whoever regularly occupies himself with the study of the Torah he is surely exalted, as it is said, “And from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and Nahaliel to Bamoth” (Numbers 21:19). There is a word play in this section. According to its simple meaning, the verse refers to the travels of Israel in the desert. Israel traveled from a place called “Matanah” to “Nahaliel”. “Matanah” means “present” and “Nahaliel” can be understood as a compound word meaning “the inheritance of God”. From the Torah, which is a gift, Israel inherits God. From there, Israel went to “Bamoth” which means “high places”. Once Israel has inherited God, they will merit being exalted in the “high places”.

Or one utterance: of good reasoning, as next to the verse, "But it was you, a man my equal," is another verse adjacent (Psalms 55:15), "Which together we sweetened counsel." As Achitophel had found David sitting alone and involved in Torah [study]. He said to him, "Why are you studying alone? And has it not already been stated (Jeremiah 50:36), 'A sword is upon the fabricators (badim) and they shall become foolish' (- a sword is upon Torah scholars that sit one by one (bad vebad) and are involved in Torah [study], etc.", and see Berakhot 63b.) And again another time he found him entering his House of Study with an upright posture. He said to him, "And has it not already been stated (Leviticus 19:30), 'and revere My holy place' - that a man should enter there with reverence, so that the fear of Heaven be upon him." And so [too], it states (Psalms 55:15), "in the house of God shall we walk with emotion (beragesh)" - [which is here] an expression of awe and fear. And some say (that [David] went alone into the House of Study and [Achitophel] said to him, "'In the house of God shall we walk beragesh' is it written, since a person is obligated to enter there with a group of people" - and ragesh [here] is an expression of gathering, as in (Psalms 2:1), "Why have the nations gathered"), because it is written (Proverbs 14:28), "In the multitude of people is there splendor for the king."

One who learns from his fellow one chapter, or one halakhah, or one verse, or one word, or even one letter, is obligated to treat him with honor; for so we find with David, king of Israel, who learned from Ahitophel no more than two things, yet called him his master, his guide and his beloved friend, as it is said, “But it was you, a man mine equal, my guide and my beloved friend” (Psalms 55:14). Is this not [an instance of the argument] “from the less to the greater” (kal vehomer)? If David, king of Israel who learned from Ahitophel no more than two things, nevertheless called him his master, his guide and his beloved friend; then in the case of one who learns from his fellow one chapter, or one halakhah, or one verse, or one word, or even one letter, all the more so he is under obligation to treat him with honor. And “honor’” means nothing but Torah, as it is said, “It is honor that sages inherit” (Proverbs 3:35). “And the perfect shall inherit good” (Proverbs 28:10), and “good” means nothing but Torah, as it is said, “For I give you good instruction; do not forsake my Torah” (Proverbs 4:2). This mishnah teaches that one who learns even the smallest amount of Torah from someone else, must treat him with honor. This lesson is learned from King David’s treatment of Ahitophel. Ahitophel was David’s adviser, who betrayed him when Absalom, David’s son rebelled and claimed the kingship (See II Samuel 15:12). When Absalom did not take his advice to immediately wage war on David, Ahitophel committed suicide (17:23). According to rabbinic aggadah (legend), Ahitophel was a great sage, but came to an dishonorable end due to his excessive honor. Psalms 55:13-15 is understood as being a lament by David referring to Ahitophel (this is even how the ancient Aramaic translation, targum, translates the verse). David refers to Ahitophel with three titles of respect, due to the mere two things that Ahitophel taught him. According to various legends found in rabbinic literature these two things are: 1) That the Levites should carry the ark on their shoulders and not on a cart (see II Samuel 6:3-8); 2) That he could write the name of God on a piece of clay in order to prevent the primal waters from rising (this is a legend found in Sukkah 53b). If David, King of Israel treated Ahitophel, who only taught him these two things, with such honor, all the more so must a normal person treat those from whom he learns with respect. The mishnah ends with two midrashim. The first teaches that honor is equated with Torah and the second teaches that goodness is also equated with Torah. Keep in mind that this whole chapter is about the supreme value of the Torah.

"But it was you, a man my equal": important like me.

"my intimate": my sage, as in, 'people that are sages and intimates.'

If David, King of Israel: made Achitophel - who was an evildoer and not fitting for this - a teacher and a guide because of two things, all the more so should a common man who learns from his fellow - who is not an evildoer - [similarly honor him].

And there is no honor except Torah:, meaning to say, "except for the Torah." And it is not referring to [the phrase,] "treat him [with honor]". And this is what it is saying - "there is no honor that comes to a man except for involvement in Torah [study].

"The wise shall inherit honor": And why do they inherit honor? Because they study Torah and inherit it like a bequest.

Eat bread with salt: It is not saying it about the wealthy one that he should place himself in a life of pain in order to study Torah. But rather, this is what it is saying: Even if a person only has bread with salt, etc. and he does not have a pillow and blanket to sleep [on], but rather [must sleep] on the ground, he should not refrain from involvement in [Torah study]; as in the end, he will study it in wealth.

Such is the way [of a life] of Torah: you shall eat bread with salt, and rationed water shall you drink; you shall sleep on the ground, your life will be one of privation, and in Torah shall you labor. If you do this, “Happy shall you be and it shall be good for you” (Psalms 128:2): “Happy shall you be” in this world, “and it shall be good for you” in the world to come. This mishnah teaches the way of life of one who is totally dedicated to the study of Torah, so much so that he neglects his worldly, material needs. His life will be one of privation. He will eat little and sleep on the hard floor. Paradoxically this seemingly poor life, will in actuality be one of great happiness and reward. The materially deprived Torah scholar will be happy in this world for he will fall so in love with the study of Torah that nothing else will matter. In the world to come he will be justly rewarded for his efforts. Others explain that this mishnah as a warning to the rich, that their delights in worldly pleasures may make it more difficult for them to learn Torah. For once a person becomes too accustomed to worldly pleasures, that person will need to work harder and harder to earn more money to keep up his extravagant lifestyle. This excessive work will make it impossible for him to learn Torah. [Note how big of a problem this is still in our society. People work harder and harder to earn more and more money, yet no matter how much money they have, they are not satisfied. It is a rare person who finally says, “I have enough” and turns his attention to things more important than earning money. The people who are able to do so, are often greatly admired by our society, a society which rarely can deny material pleasure.]

bimesura: a small amount.

Do not seek greatness: to run after power.

Do not seek greatness for yourself, and do not covet honor. The mishnah further warns that even when one has attained the status of being a learned person, he should not exalt himself over others, but rather remain faithful to his humble beginnings. Similarly, he should not seek honor for himself, meaning he should not learn in order that others will call him “Rabbi”.

and do not covet honor: to be honored for your Torah [knowledge]. As from this, you will appear as one who is is doing [it] not for its own sake.

Practice more than you learn. As great as his learning may be, he must remember to practice more that he has learned. The goal of learning is not knowledge for its own sake, but practice as well. We learned this above in chapter three, mishnah nine.

since your table is greater than their tables: This is [referring to] the reward that you will receive for the study of Torah. (Another textual variant) More than your study, do: More than that which you have studied, do good deeds and perform commandments, as we say (Avot 3:9), "Anyone whose actions are more plentiful than his wisdom, his wisdom endures."

Do not yearn for the table of kings, for your table is greater than their table, and your crown is greater than their crown, and faithful is your employer to pay you the reward of your labor. The mishnah finishes with a warning, similar to that with which it began. One should not crave the wealth or power of kings, for the table of Torah is even greater than theirs. [Some explain this to mean that your reward in the world to come is greater than that of a king]. The crown of Torah is greater than the crown of kingship, as we learned above in chapter four, mishnah thirteen. Finally, God, who is truly the master (employer) of all human beings, is faithful to pay your reward in the world to come. While the king never truly knows what awaits him, a righteous Torah scholar can be confident that in the end, he will receive his just due.

For kingship is obtained with thirty levels: The ones that are written in the section about Shmuel when Israel requested a king and he said, "know that so and so is the law of a king." And when you investigate, they are thirty things, including those taught in Sandhedrin, "A king does not judge and is not judged, etc." And the twenty four presents of the priesthood are the ten in the Temple, four in Jerusalem and ten in the borders [of the whole land of Israel].

Greater is learning Torah than the priesthood and than royalty, for royalty is acquired by thirty stages, and the priesthood by twenty-four, but the Torah by forty-eight things
By study,
Attentive listening,
Proper speech,
By an understanding heart,
By an intelligent heart,
By awe,
By fear,
By humility,
By joy,
By attending to the sages,
By critical give and take with friends,
By fine argumentation with disciples,
By clear thinking,
By study of Scripture,
By study of mishnah,
By a minimum of sleep,
By a minimum of chatter,
By a minimum of pleasure,
By a minimum of frivolity,
By a minimum of preoccupation with worldly matters,
By long-suffering,
By generosity,
By faith in the sages,
By acceptance of suffering.
This mishnah begins by stating that the crown of Torah is greater than that of the priesthood or royalty. This message has been one of the central themes of all of tractate Avoth. The hereditary position of the priest and the king, two of the central figures of leadership in the Bible and in the Second Temple period, is surpassed, according to the rabbis, by the exalted position of the Torah scholar. Indeed this is one of the revolutions wrought by the rabbis. Jewish leadership was open not just to those born into a certain class, but to any person who worked hard enough to earn it through the study of Torah.
The mishnah states that royalty is earned through thirty “stages”. This is understood by commentators to mean thirty special rights that only a king has. Some of these were listed in chapter two of Mishnah Sanhedrin and some are in the Bible. We will not list these here, because, in my opinion, this is only an aside in the mishnah. The twenty-four stages of the priesthood are the twenty-four different types of things they receive as gifts from other Israelites (agricultural and sacrificial gifts).
With regard to Torah, the mishnah contains the first twenty-four of a list of forty-eight ways in which Torah is acquired. Since most are self-explanatory, I will only comment on things that require further explanation.
Proper speech: this means that he must put his learning into proper order, much in the same way that the Mishnah is ordered in an organized fashion.
By awe: this refers to fear of one’s teacher.
By fear: this refers to fear of God.
By humility: humility prevents the student from being too afraid to ask a question.
By joy: only by enjoying learning can a student hope to be good at what he is doing or learning.
By attending to the sages: a student of Torah does not only learn from a sage’s words, but from his actions as well. This is why the student must serve as an apprentice to his teacher.
By critical give and take with friends: Torah cannot be studied alone.
By fine argumentation with disciples: once a person acquires the status of Teacher, he must learn from the questions his students/disciples ask him. From personal experience I can testify that I have to teach what I am learning to others. Indeed, as much as you may be learning from Mishnah Yomit, I guarantee that I am learning more by being your teacher.
By a minimum of sleep: too much sleep is a waste of time and leads one to be lazy. However, not enough sleep also can be damaging to the study of Torah, for it weakens the body and mind. The ancient rabbis recommended eight hours of sleep a night.
By long-suffering: an angry person will have great difficulty in learning. In order to learn a person must be tolerant and patient.
By acceptance of suffering: this refers to one who accepts his fate in life and does not challenge God.

reverence, awe: [One] whose heart is not [too] high, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:10), "The day that you stood in front of the Lord, your God, at Chorev." And hence those that are impure from a seminal emission were forbidden, as it is because of the lightheadedness of a person and the musings of his heart that he comes to being [impure in this way].

[Learning of Torah is also acquired by one]
Who recognizes his place,
Who rejoices in his portion,
Who makes a fence about his words,
Who takes no credit for himself,
Who is loved,
Who loves God,
Who loves [his fellow] creatures, Who loves righteous ways,
Who loves reproof,
Who loves uprightness,
Who keeps himself far from honors,
Who does not let his heart become swelled on account of his learning,
Who does not delight in giving legal decisions,
Who shares in the bearing of a burden with his colleague,
Who judges with the scales weighted in his favor,
Who leads him on to truth,
Who leads him on to peace,
Who composes himself at his study,
Who asks and answers,
Who listens [to others], and [himself] adds [to his knowledge],
Who learns in order to teach,
Who learns in order to practice,
Who makes his teacher wiser,
Who is exact in what he has learned,
And who says a thing in the name of him who said it. Thus you have learned: everyone who says a thing in the name of him who said it, brings deliverance into the world, as it is said: “And Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name” (Esther 2:22).
This mishnah is a continuation of the previous mishnah which listed ways in which Torah is acquired. The first twenty-four were in mishnah five and the final twenty-four are here. [Note that 31a is not counted to the forty-eight. According to some commentators this line should not be part of the mishnah.]
As I did in the previous mishnah, I will only explain those things which require explanation.
Who recognizes his place: Some say that this means that he comes early to the bet midrash (study house). Others interpret it to mean that the person knows in which study house it is appropriate for him to learn.
Who rejoices in his portion: he is satisfied with the abilities that God has given him and is not jealous of others. This is similar to one “who recognizes his place.”
Who makes a fence about his words: this refers to one who is careful with his words, so that others should not come to err by them.
Who loves [his fellow] creatures: if a Torah scholar hates humanity, others who observe him will begin to hate Torah. In such a way he will desecrate God’s name. A true student of Torah must also love God’s human creations, as much as he loves God’s legal/theological manifesto.
Who loves reproof: one who seeks wisdom must also appreciate the necessity of reproof. Only by accepting criticism for his errors will he grow, both as a human being and as a scholar.
Who keeps himself far from honors: as we learned above in mishnah four.
Who does not delight not in giving legal decisions: see above, chapter four, mishnah seven.
Who shares in the bearing of a burden with his colleague: when a fellow student bears a burden, such as having to act on behalf of the government, he should help him complete his duty, and together resume learning as quickly as possible. This also may mean that when a fellow student grieves, he must grieve with him.
Who judges with the scales weighted in his favor: as we learned in tractate Sanhedrin, it is always preferable to seek to exculpate the accused.
Who leads him on to truth: this statement balances out the previous statement. Although the judge should look to weigh the scales in favor of the accused, this does not come at the expense of truth.
Who leads him on to peace: one who learns and teaches Torah should use his knowledge to bring peace and friendship between others.
Who composes himself at his study: he learns cautiously and not with excess haste.
Who asks and answers: note that asking the right questions is as important if not more important than giving the right answers.
Who listens [to others], and [himself] adds [to his knowledge]: although he may be the teacher, he learns from his students. See above, chapter one, mishnah thirteen.
Who learns in order to teach: see above, chapter four, mishnah five.
Who makes his teacher wiser: by asking intelligent questions. Thus his teacher will be able to say that he “has learned most from my students”.
Who is exact in what he has learned: he does not add to the tradition that he has received, nor detract from it.
And who says a thing in the name of him who said it: he does not attribute that which he has learned from his teacher, to himself.
Thus you have learned: everyone that says a thing in the name of him who said it, brings deliverance into the world, as it is said: “And Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name” (Esther 2:22): and it was through Esther’s words to the king that the Jewish people were saved.

happiness: Since the Divine presence does not rest amongst pain, but only amongst happiness.

clarification: is the textual variant that we [follow]. The explanation is clarification (clarity) of the mind.

minimization of merchandise: As the master said (Eruvin 55a, and there it is Rabbi Yochanan), "You will not find Torah [knowledge] with merchants and not with peddlers."

minimization of worldly occupation: [so] that he not frequently be with people in the marketplace.

acceptance of afflictions: He accepts afflictions with love.

judging him with the benefit of the doubt: He judges his friend favorably.

placing him with the truth: He pursues truth and peace above everything.

hearing: everything that his master tells him. and adding: but not to contradict the words of his master.

focusing one's teaching: When he gives a legal decision, he focuses it on the matter that his master told him, but he does not add something, to say, "So did his master tell him." Another textual variation: with clarification, with sitting (yeshiva): as 'much sitting, brings much wisdom.' Another [explanation] is culture.

acceptance of afflictions: as we say in Berakhot 5a, 'happy is the man who God afflicts,' - when is this, when [it does not prevent him from studying] Your Torah. As the Holy One, blessed be He, bring afflictions of love on the one that is involved in [Torah], to increase his reward in the world to come.

preparation of speech: that he not stutter in words of Torah, but rather enunciate them with the tongue and bring them out with the mouth. Since words of Torah are only preserved by their being put out with the mouth, as is written, (Proverbs 4:22) "They are life for those that find them" - do not read for those that find them (motsaeihem), but rather those that bring them out (motsieihem) with the mouth.

reverence: as we say (Berakhot 30a), "'And rejoice in trembling' (Psalms 2:11)... In a place of joy, there should there be trembling."

service of sages: that he pushes and enters every place to hear their words and to serve them.

care of friends: He studies in a group.

debate of the students: that they should debate in front of him and make him wiser, as we say (Taanit 7a, Makkot 10a), "[and I have learned] from my students more than from them all."

knowing one's place: that he is involved in Torah [study] every hour. As from this, the Torah is preserved in his hand. The reasons and proofs that he understands in the law are called "his place"; as we say in Sanhedrin when we carry over the judgement to the morrow, (Mishnah Sanhedrin 5:5) "The [judge arguing] to convict says,.. 'I convict in my place'" - [meaning] exactly the same reason and proof that I said yesterday, since I did not find another proof to render him innocent. And so [too] the one who renders him innocent.

gladness in one's portion: as if he worries about his matter, he will not be able to focus on [Torah].

a fence to one's words: as his reasoning is with him, and he brings pretexts to present the words of his teacher to people.

lack of self-aggrandizement: as he does not raise [his opinion] about himself in his heart on account of his increasing Torah [knowledge]; as behold, for this was he formed.

lack of arrogance in learning: which is that he does not get arrogant in front of the creatures.

rebuke: as is written (Proverbs 9:8), "rebuke the sage, and he will love you."

placing him with the truth: with the clarity of the law.

with peace: as he is not resolved towards judgement, but rather willingly makes a compromise.

For it gives life to those who do it: He eats its fruits in this world, and the principle is preserved for him in the world to come.

Great is Torah for it gives life to those that practice it, in this world, and in the world to come,
As it is said: “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:22),
And it says: “It will be a cure for your navel and marrow for your bones” (ibid. 3:8)
And it says: “She is a tree of life to those that grasp her, and whoever holds onto her is happy” (ibid. 3:18),
And it says: “For they are a graceful wreath upon your head, a necklace about your throat” (ibid. 1:9),
And it says: “She will adorn your head with a graceful wreath; crown you with a glorious diadem” (ibid. 4:9)
And it says: “In her right hand is length of days, in her left riches and honor” (ibid. 3:1,
And it says: “For they will bestow on you length of days, years of life and peace” (ibid. 3:2).
This mishnah is basically a series of prooftexts taken from Proverbs, and used to prove the life-giving qualities of Torah. The book of Proverbs was an especially rich source for quotes in rabbinic literature. Note that there are seven prooftexts, a number that is surely not accidental.
This mishnah is a series of quotes from Proverbs, each of which proves that Torah is beneficial, that it bestows life and wealth. I will only comment on a few of these texts.
Section three: The Torah is a tree of life, but only for those who “grasp her”. This means that the words of Torah require reinforcement, that is continuous study.
Section four: According to the commentators, the head mentioned in this verse refers to thought and the throat refers to speech. Torah learning is only acquired by engaging both one’s head and one’s throat.
Section seven: Just as the Amidah prayer concludes with a request for peace, so too does this mishnah.

"For they are life for those that find them": - do not read for those that find them (motsaeihem), but rather those that bring them out (motsieihem) with the mouth, in this world.

and it says,... "and tonic to your bones": that it should moisten you bones in the grave. And it says, "It is a tree of life to those who hold it": in the next world. And lest you say, he will merit life, but who is there to say that he will merit wealth - as behold, there are people that are destined for poverty, for which death is more beloved than life - therefore, it says that, "For they are an accompaniment of grace for your head, and a necklace for your throat" - what is the thing that brings a person to find grace in the eyes of [other] people? You would say that is money. And lest you say, they will give you money, but he will not be honored among people; therefore it says, "with a crown of glory she will protect you." And lest you say, even if he did not study for its own sake, he will merit these things; therefore it says, "Length of days is in her right hand" - for those that [approach] it from the right (Shabbat 63a) - that learn for its own sake; [such a one] has length of days and - it is not necessary to say - wealth and honor. "in her left": for those that [approach] it from the left, they will give him wealth and honor, but not long life. And lest you say that [the one who learns Torah for its own sake] merits life and wealth, but not peace; therefore it says, "and peace will be added to you."

A crown: This is riches.

Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: Beauty, strength, riches, honor, wisdom, [old age], gray hair, and children are becoming to the righteous, and becoming to the world,
As it is said: “Gray hair is a crown of glory (; it is attained by way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:3,
And it says: “The ornament of the wise is their wealth” (ibid. 14:24),
And it says: “Grandchildren are the glory of their elders, and the glory of children is their parents” (ibid. 17:6),
And it says: “The glory of youths is their strength; and the beauty of old men is their gray hair” (ibid. 20:29),
And it says: “Then the moon shall be ashamed, and the sun shall be abashed. For the Lord of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and God’s Honor will be revealed to his elders” (Isaiah 24:23). Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya said: these seven qualities, which the sages have listed [as becoming] to the righteous, were all of them fulfilled in Rabbi and his sons.
Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya was a colleague of Rabbi Judah Hanasi. He and another rabbi were part of a group called “the holy assembly” for one of two reasons. Either they split their day into three parts, one third in study, one third in prayer and one third working. Alternatively they worked during the summer and learned Torah all winter.
Similar to the previous mishnah, this mishnah employs mostly verses from Proverbs.
Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya lists seven qualities that when possessed by a righteous person, are beneficial to him and beneficial to the whole world. In this list I have placed the words “old age” in parentheses, for they should not be part of the source. Old age is synonymous with “gray hair” (my apologies if this insults those who have gone prematurely gray). Furthermore, if this were part of the list there would be eight qualities and not seven. It is obvious from the end of the mishnah that there are supposed to be only seven.
1. Beauty although we may not like to admit this, good-looking people are more admired and listened to than not good-looking people. The righteous person’s good looks benefit him and the rest of the world for others will listen to his sage advice.
2. Strength with strength the righteous person will be able to vanquish the wicked.
3. Wealth to be used to support the poor.
4. Honor when the righteous person is honored, others will listen to his words.
5. Wisdom to learn what it is that God wants him to do.
6. Gray hair with gray hair and the accompanying onset of old age comes the important quality of experience, which is so essential to any teacher.
7. Children who will hopefully inherit his righteous ways.
In order to facilitate the understanding of the texts brought as support, I have highlighted the appearance of each of these qualities in the various verses.
At the end of the mishnah Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya testifies that all of these characteristics were fully present in Rabbi [Judah Hanasi], the editor of the Mishnah, and his sons.

of glory: This is beauty.

and children: "and the glory of children are their fathers."

strength: "The glory of young men is their strength."

honor: "and before His elders shall be honor."

and wisdom: as there are many [times that the word,] elders (zekenim) [is] found here. And one of them is to [include its acrostic], zeh she'kanah chochmah (the one who acquired wisdom).

"Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold": Its explanation is [that this is] for his praise and honor, as it is stated (Isaiah 6:3), "the earth is full of His honor."

Introduction This mishnah contains a beautiful story of Rabbi Yose ben Kisma and his desire to live in a city where other sages live.

Rabbi Yose ben Kisma said: Once I was walking by the way when a man met me, and greeted me and I greeted him. He said to me, “Rabbi, where are you from?” I said to him, “I am from a great city of sages and scribes”. He said to me, “Rabbi, would you consider living with us in our place? I would give you a thousand thousand denarii of gold, and precious stones and pearls.” I said to him: “My son, even if you were to give me all the silver and gold, precious stones and pearls that are in the world, I would not dwell anywhere except in a place of Torah; for when a man passes away there accompany him neither gold nor silver, nor precious stones nor pearls, but Torah and good deeds alone, as it is said, “When you walk it will lead you. When you lie down it will watch over you; and when you are awake it will talk with you” (Proverbs 6:22). “When you walk it will lead you” in this world. “When you lie down it will watch over you” in the grave; “And when you are awake it will talk with you” in the world to come. And thus it is written in the book of Psalms by David, king of Israel, “I prefer the teaching You proclaimed to thousands of pieces of gold and silver” (Psalms 119:71), And it says: “Mine is the silver, and mine the gold, says the Lord of Hosts” (Haggai 2:8). The teaching in this mishnah is similar to the words of Rabbi Nehorai in chapter four, mishnah fourteen, “go as a [voluntary] exile to a place of Torah and say not that it will come after you” Rabbi Nehorai teaches that one should leave a city where one cannot learn Torah to go to a place where one can learn Torah. In our mishnah we see a reverse move: Rabbi Yose ben Kisma will not leave his city which is full of sages, even to go to a place where they will give him all of the money in the world. The wealth of Torah accompanies not only in this world, but to the grave and onwards to the world to come. Note how opposite this idea is from the ancient practice of burying a person with some of his material possessions, which were to go on with him to the world to come. In Judaism what accompanies a person to the world to come are not his material possessions but his spiritual accomplishments: learning Torah and performing good deeds. This is what God truly cares about. Rabbi Yose uses several texts to prove that true wealth belongs to God and is given through His Torah. The wealth of money and jewels cannot tempt Rabbi Yose to leave a life of Torah.

Five possessions has the Holy One, Blessed be He, declared His own, etc.: “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way”: as He created it before the world. Since when it went up in His thought to create the world, He said, "The world will exist for the sake of the Torah."

Five possessions did the Holy Blessed One, set aside as his own in this world, and these are they:
The Torah, one possession;
Heaven and earth, another possession;
Abraham, another possession;
Israel, another possession;
The Temple, another possession. 1 The Torah is one possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written, “The Lord possessed (usually translated as ‘created’ me at the beginning of his course, at the first of His works of old” (Proverbs 8:22). , 2 Heaven and earth, another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “Thus said the Lord: The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool; Where could you build a house for Me, What place could serve as My abode? (Isaiah 66:1) And it says: “How many are the things You have made, O Lord; You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions” (Psalms 104:24). 3 Abraham is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “He blessed him, saying, “Blessed by Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 15:19). 4 Israel is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “Till Your people cross over, O Lord, Till Your people whom You have possessed” (Exodus 15:16). And it says: “As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land, my whole desire ( is in them” (Psalms 16:3). 5 The Temple is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “The sanctuary, O lord, which your hands have established” (Exodus 15:17”, And it says: “And He brought them to His holy realm, to the mountain, which His right hand had possessed” (Psalms 78:54).
This mishnah lists five things that are mentioned in the Torah as having been “possessed” or acquired by God. The Hebrew root for this word is knh, which can also mean, in Biblical Hebrew, “create”. Hence you will note that some of the verses quoted are usually translated as “create”. However to make the connections between the verses and their use in the mishnah more clear, I have translated the word as “possess”.
Since this mishnah is simple and self-explanatory, I have refrained from commenting. However, it may be worthwhile to think about what these five things have in common, beside the fact that the verb knh is used in connection with them in various places in the Bible.

heaven and earth [are] one possession: As they are the pillars of the universe, as it says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." It says "earth" here and it says "earth" later; as it says, "full is the earth with Your possessions.” Just like [in the first verse], it is heaven and earth, so too here it is heaven and earth, and it is written, "Your possessions, etc."

From where [do we infer that] Abraham [is] one possession: such that the Holy One, blessed be He, created him for this, to be a possession for the world? As it says, "And he blessed him, and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High.'" And why? Because [God] is "'Maker of heaven and earth.’” As because of [Abraham] the world exists; since he brought close the creatures under the wings of the Divine presence and made them repent to the better and said to them the things that are mentioned.

Israel [is] one possession: As it says, "the people whom You have made Your own.” And from where [do we infer] that the world exists because of them? As it says, “As for the holy that are in the earth, they are the excellent in whom is all My delight” - that they are the main excellent ones of the world.

“The Sanctuary, O Lord, that Your hands have established”: We have still not found [that it is a] possession; except that since here it says, "Sanctuary" and later it says "And He brought them to His holy border, to the mountain, which His right hand had possessed.” Just like here the Sanctuary [of the mountain] is a possession, so too is the Sanctuary [in the first verse] a possession. And there is much confusion about the thing. And according to the matter, it appears to me that [this] berieta was not written as it should have been; as behold, in Tractate Pesachim in the chapter [entitled] Haeesha, we only learned Torah, heaven and earth and Israel; and it brings a proof for the heaven and earth from the same verse that is says about Abraham, "'Maker of heaven and earth.’”

Only for His honor: [meaning,] for his praise.

Whatever the Holy Blessed One created in His world, he created only for His glory, as it is said: “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created, formed and made for My glory” (Isaiah 43:7), And it says: “The Lord shall reign for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:18). In the previous mishnah we learned that God has five possessions in this world. Our mishnah expands this idea and states that all of creation is meant to glorify God. Even pieces of our world that we may think are extraneous and unnecessary, are somehow linked into the great web called God’s creation. Each piece, as unexplainable as it may be to us, has its place and ultimately it too gives glory to God. As much as this mishnah teaches about God, it teaches more about the world and how we, as God’s caretakers, must look at it. You may note that the second verse does not seem to support the idea in this section. It was probably brought as a small prayer, to be said at the end of the last mishnah of the chapter (the next section is not truly part of this chapter).

Rabbi Chananya ben Akashia says, etc.: He did not say his statement concerning Tractate Avot, but rather in Tractate Makkot in [the chapter entitled] Ellu hen HaLokin. And since there is a nice ending to it, all the people are accustomed to say it at the end of each and every chapter, since we do not say Kaddish over mishnah but rather over aggadah (homiletical teachings). As the master said (Sotah 49a), ("Upon what does the world survive? Upon the Kedushah of the order) and upon the [declaration in Kaddish,] 'May His name be exalted' of aggadah." And these [chapters] were called The Chapters of the Fathers because they are the words that were arranged of the first fathers - that received the Torah one from another. For example, Moshe and Yehoshua and the elders [received it] one from the other, up until the men of the Great Assembly and Shammai and Hillel and Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and their students. And Rebbi [who redacted the Mishnah] let us know how their actions were correct and that they would caution the people of their generations and guide them in the straight path. So too is it fitting for each sage to caution the people of his generation and to let them know of the straight path.

Said Rabbi Hananiah ben Akashya: It pleased the Holy Blessed One to grant merit to Israel, that is why He gave them Torah and commandments in abundance, as it is said, “The Lord was pleased for His righteousness, to make Torah great and glorious” (Isaiah 42:21). This last section appears as the last mishnah in tractate Makkot. In order to save you the trouble of looking back, I will quote what I wrote there (with a few minor additions which I have thought about since then): This oft-quoted mishnah responds to an important theological question regarding the performance of commandments. Why does God care, or how is God affected, by Israel performing ritual commandments, for instance, kashruth, the dietary laws? Many have asked, what does God care how I eat my meat, whether I eat it with milk or not? The answer that Rabbi Hananiah ben Akashiah gives is that by performing God’s commandment, Israel accrues merit with God. It is a way for Israel to live up to a covenant, entered into with the infinite divine. The mitvoth, the commandments, and the learning of Torah, are not magical rites, performed in order to manipulate God into treating us better. Rather they are a symbol God’s grace to Israel, a means by which Israel can act out the will of the divine. They are means by which Israel can show God how much they love God. Note that this concept is opposed to that which Paul, the leader of early Christianity posited, namely that the law causes people to be sinners, and without the law there is no sin. In Judaism halakhah is not a stumbling block but an opportunity for people to perform God’s will. This is not an opportunity that should be taken for granted. This mishnah is customarily recited in synagogues after the completion of each chapter of Avoth, which is studied between Pesach and Shavuoth. Since it is one of the core ideas in all of Judaism, it has become in essence a prayer recited liturgically, and not just a learned text. Congratulations! We have finished Avoth. As I have mentioned at the end of every tractate, it is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us to finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. I might add that now that we have learned many tractates, it becomes more important to go back and look over material. You will have noted how different and special tractate Avoth really was. The lessons that we have learned should be internalized, for they contain some of the most important concepts in all of Judaism. Tomorrow we begin tractate Horayoth, and with God’s help, when we complete Horayoth, we will have finished all of Seder Nezikin!