משנה, פרקי אבות, פרק ב. משנה ח
רבן יוחנן בן זכאי קבל מהלל ומשמאי. הוא היה אומר, אם למדת תורה הרבה, אל תחזיק טובה לעצמך, כי לכך נוצרת
Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai received the tradition from Hillel and Shammai. This was a favorite of his: If you have studied much Torah, take no special credit for it since you were created for this very purpose. [CAJE translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. Why would you take credit for studying a lot of Torah?
2. What does it mean to be created for the purpose of studying Torah?
3. For what purpose were you created? Does that purpose have any relationship to this text?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)