As you read and discuss the following mishnayot (paragraphs) from Pirkei Avot, think about not only the content of each mishnah but also about the contradictions/disagreements among verses quoted here, and the way that commentary sometimes offers a different meaning. What can we learn from each teaching individually? What can we learn from the inclusion of multiple perspectives in one collection?
(כ) אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן אֲבוּיָה אוֹמֵר, הַלּוֹמֵד יֶלֶד לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לִדְיוֹ כְתוּבָה עַל נְיָר חָדָשׁ. וְהַלּוֹמֵד זָקֵן לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לִדְיוֹ כְתוּבָה עַל נְיָר מָחוּק.
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַר יְהוּדָה אִישׁ כְּפַר הַבַּבְלִי אוֹמֵר, הַלּוֹמֵד מִן הַקְּטַנִּים לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאֹכֵל עֲנָבִים קֵהוֹת וְשׁוֹתֶה יַיִן מִגִּתּוֹ. וְהַלּוֹמֵד מִן הַזְּקֵנִים לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאֹכֵל עֲנָבִים בְּשֵׁלוֹת וְשׁוֹתֶה יַיִן יָשָׁן.
רַבִּי אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּקַּנְקַן, אֶלָּא בְמַה שֶּׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ. יֵשׁ קַנְקַן חָדָשׁ מָלֵא יָשָׁן, וְיָשָׁן שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ חָדָשׁ אֵין בּוֹ:
(20) Elisha ben Abuya says: One who learns as a child, to what are they similar? To ink written on new parchment. And one who learns as an elder, to what are they similar? To ink written on scraped parchment.
Rabbi Yose bar Yehuda, a man of Kfar HaBavli (Village of the Babylonian), says: One who learns from young ones, to what are they similar? To one who eats unripe grapes and drinks wine from its press. And one who learns from elders, to what are they similar? To one who eats ripe grapes and drinks aged wine.
Rabbi [Yehudah haNasi] says: Do not look at the jug but rather at what is in it. For there are new jugs full of old, and old that do not have even new within them.
(א) עַל נְיָר חָדָשׁ. שֶׁהוּא מִתְקַיֵּם. כָּךְ גִּרְסַת הַיַּלְדוּת אֵינָהּ מִשְׁתַּכַּחַת:
(ב) עֲנָבִים קֵהוֹת. שֶׁלֹּא נִתְבַּשְּׁלוּ כָּל צָרְכָּן וּמַקְהוֹת אֶת הַשִּׁינַיִם. כָּךְ חָכְמַת הַיֶּלֶד לֹא נִתְיַשְּׁבָה כָּל צָרְכָּהּ וְאֵין דְּבָרָיו מִתְקַבְּלִים וּמִתְיַשְּׁבִים עַל הַלֵּב:
(ג) יַיִן מִגִּתּוֹ. שֶׁשְּׁמָרָיו מְעֹרָבִים בְּתוֹכוֹ. כָּךְ חָכְמַת הַיֶּלֶד תַּעֲרֹבֶת סְפֵקוֹת יֵשׁ בָּהּ:
(1) "On new parchment": [on which the writing] lasts. So the memorized teaching of youth is not forgotten.
(2) "unripe grapes": which have not completely ripened and set the teeth on edge. So the wisdom of the child is not completely ripened and his words are not accepted nor sit well on the heart.
(3) "wine from its press": with its sediment still mixed in. So the wisdom of the child has a mixture of questionable [assumptions] in it.
COMMENTARY by Ovadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro (c. 1445 – c. 1515), commonly known as "The Bartenura", was a 15th-century Italian rabbi best known for his popular commentary on the Mishnah. In his later years, he rejuvenated the Jewish community of Jerusalem and became recognised as the spiritual leader of the Jews of his generation. (Wikipedia)
(א) בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי.
(1) Ben Zoma says: Who is the wise one? The one who learns from all humans, as it says, "From all my instructors I have acquired understanding" (Psalms 119:99).
In context, this verse of Psalm 119 actually means "More than all my instructors I have understood" or simply, "I've learned more than my teachers know." Pirkei Avot 4:1 deliberately chooses a to misconstrue the verse to prove its point -- a common ploy by the Rabbis. In a sense, they viewed the very words, letters, and spaces of Torah as holy raw material to be mined for hidden or alternative meanings.
(ו) יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת:
(6) Yehoshua ben Perachya says, "Make for yourself a rabbi [mentor or teacher], acquire for yourself a friend [study buddy, colleague], and give every person the benefit of the doubt when judging them."
עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב. רַמְבַּ"ם פֵּרֵשׁ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לִהְיוֹת לְךָ רַב, עֲשֵׂה אוֹתוֹ רַב עָלֶיךָ וְלֹא תִּלְמֹד בֵּינְךָ לְבֵין עַצְמְךָ.
"Make for yourself a rabbi [mentor or teacher]": Rambam explained, “Even if he is not fit to be your teacher, make him into your teacher and do not learn on your own*.”
*On your own: Literally "Between you and yourself"
Moses ben Maimon (1135/38 - 1204) commonly known as Maimonides and also by the acronym Rambam, was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. He was born in Muslim Spain and worked as a rabbi, physician, astronomer and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt. (adapted from Wikipedia)
עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב. וַאֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, שֶׁיְּקַבֵּל לוֹ רַב אֶחָד שֶׁיִּלְמֹד מִמֶּנּוּ תָּמִיד, וְלֹא יִלְמֹד הַיּוֹם מֵאֶחָד וּלְמָחָר מִן הָאַחֵר.
וְאַף עַל גַּב דִּבְמַסֶּכֶת עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה (דף י"ט) אָמְרוּ הַלּוֹמֵד תּוֹרָה מֵרַב אֶחָד אֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה סִימַן בְּרָכָה, כְּבָר פֵּרְשׁוּ וְאָמְרוּ הָנֵי מִלֵּי בִּסְבָרָא, שֶׁטּוֹב לוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ סְבָרַת הָרַבִּים, אֲבָל לְעִנְיַן גְּמָרָא, מֵחַד רַב מְעַלֵּי, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלֹא לִפְגֹּם לִשָׁנֵיהּ:
וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר. וַאֲפִלּוּ אַתָּה צָרִיךְ לִקְנוֹתוֹ בְּדָמִים יְקָרִים וּלְפַזֵּר עָלָיו מָמוֹן כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּקְנֶה אַהֲבָתוֹ. אֲבָל בְּרַב לֹא שַׁיָּךְ לוֹמַר קְנֵה לְךָ רַב, שֶׁהָרַב צָרִיךְ לְלַמֵּד בְּחִנָּם:
(continued) "Make for yourself a rabbi [mentor or teacher]": And I have heard, 'Make for yourself a teacher' taken to mean that you should accept for yourself one teacher from whom to learn always, and not learn from one today and from another one tomorrow.
And even though [the Rabbis of the Talmud] stated in tractate Avodah Zara 19, “One who learns Torah from one teacher will not see a sign of blessing;” they have already explained that “these words apply to reasoning,” for it is good for a person to hear the reasoning of many; “but in regard to Oral Tradition [Gemara], it is better from one teacher, so there are no conflicting versions."
"acquire [literally "buy"] for yourself a friend [study buddy]": And even if you need to acquire him for a large sum and to spend money upon him in order to acquire his love. But with a teacher (rabbi), it is not relevant to say, "Acquire for yourself a teacher," as the teacher must teach [Torah] for free.
(יב) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן שַׁמּוּעַ אוֹמֵר, יְהִי כְבוֹד תַּלְמִידְךָ חָבִיב עָלֶיךָ כְּשֶׁלְּךָ, וּכְבוֹד חֲבֵרְךָ כְּמוֹרָא רַבְּךָ, וּמוֹרָא רַבְּךָ כְּמוֹרָא שָׁמָיִם:
(12) Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua says: Let the honor of your student be dear to you as your own, and the honor of your friend [colleague] like the awe you have for your teacher, and the awe for your teacher like the awe of Heaven.
(ג) הַלּוֹמֵד מֵחֲבֵרוֹ פֶּרֶק אֶחָד אוֹ הֲלָכָה אַחַת אוֹ פָסוּק אֶחָד אוֹ דִבּוּר אֶחָד אוֹ אֲפִלּוּ אוֹת אַחַת, צָרִיךְ לִנְהוֹג בּוֹ כָבוֹד.
(3) One who learns from his friend [colleague, study buddy] one chapter or one law or one verse or one statement or even one letter must treat him with honor.
והיינו דאמר רבי הרבה תורה למדתי מרבותי ומחבירי יותר מהם ומתלמידי יותר מכולן.
Rabbi [Yehuda haNasi] said: Much Torah have I learned from my teachers, and from my colleagues more than from them, and from my students more than from all of them.
לוי ור"ש ברבי יתבי קמיה דרבי וקא פסקי סידרא. סליק ספרא, לוי אמר: לייתו [לן] משלי. ר"ש ברבי אמר: לייתו [לן] תילים. כפייה ללוי ואייתו תילים.
כי מטו הכא (תהלים א, ב) כי אם בתורת ה' חפצו פריש רבי ואמר: אין אדם לומד תורה אלא ממקום שלבו חפץ. אמר לוי: רבי נתת לנו רשות לעמוד.
Levi and Rabbi Shimon son of Rabbi [Yehudah haNasi] were sitting before Rabbi [Yehudah haNasi], and they were learning the week's Torah portion. When they finished the book, Levi said: Let them bring us Proverbs. Rabbi Shimon son of Rabbi said: Let them bring us Psalms. He compelled Levi [to agree], and they brought Psalms.
When they arrived here: “But his delight is in the Torah of the Eternal” (Psalms 1:2), Rabbi explained the verse as follows: "A person can only learn Torah from a place their heart desires." Levi said: "Rabbi, you've given us permission to stand up [and leave]."