(א) כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא, שנאמר (ישעיה ס, כא) ועמך כלם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ נצר מטעי מעשה ידי להתפאר.
(1) All Jews have a share in the World to Come, as it says, (Isaiah 60:21), “Thy people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.”
- "...mollify the common folk that they should not despair of repentance and redemption, saying that all hope is lost for them because of their sings; or when they hear the multitude of admonitions enumerated in Pirkei Avot, they might lose hope for Olam Habba -- life in the world-to-come, since it is impossible to fulfill all of these teachings. The reading of Avot is, therefore, prefaced with the recitation of this Mishnah to encourage these people and assure them that every Jew has a portion in the world-to-come solely by being part of Israel--the people of God, and if they perform any Mitzvot to the best of their ability, they will have a share in the world-to-come (Midrash Sh'muel)."
- "...because the Sages witnessed the sorrows of Israel in exile and wished to comfort them, that they should realize their distinctive position. If the nations of the world gloat over their success and wealth, Israel should rejoice in their portion in the world-to-come and in their ultimate triumph. Accordingly, these statements were arranged one after another: First, All Israel have a portion in the world-to-come -- not as a reward for Mitzvot, but by virtue of being what they are (Israelites).... In addition, they have a second advantage by virtue of their sterling qualities (set forth in Pirkei Avot). And their third source of distinction is the Torah which was granted unto them....This is how the world developed. It began with creation; then society adopted moral tenets without the aid of Torah, and then came the Torah.... the merit of the Torah [outweighs] them all -- that man might rejoice in his portion and inheritance in the world-to-come." From: The Chief Rabbi Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, Pocket Edition.
(טז) רבי חנניא בן עקשיא אומר: רצה הקדוש ברוך הוא לזכות את ישראל, לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצות, שנאמר (ישעיה מב, כא) יי חפץ למען צדקו יגדיל תורה ויאדיר.
(16) Rabbi Chananaia son of Akashia stated, God wanted to grant merits to Israel, therefore he gave them many laws and commandments as it states, "Because God wants righteousness he increased the amount of Torah and splendor." (Isaiah 42:21).
(א) משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה:
Moshe received Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgment, raise up many disciples and make a fence for the Torah.
(א) : משה קבל תורה מסיני אומר אני, לפי שמסכת זו אינה מיוסדת על פירוש מצוה ממצות התורה כשאר מסכתות שבמשנה, אלא כולה מוסרים ומדות, וחכמי אומות העולם ג''כ חברו ספרים כמו שבדו מלבם בדרכי המוסר כיצד יתנהג האדם עם חבירו, לפיכך התחיל התנא במסכת זו משה קבל תורה מסיני, לומר לך שהמדות והמוסרים שבזו המסכתא לא בדו אותם חכמי המשנה מלבם אלא אף אלו נאמרו בסיני:
Moshe received the Torah from Sinai: Since this tractate isn't founded on the exegesis of commandments from among the Torah’s commandments, like the rest of the tractates in the Mishna, but is rather wholly morals and principles, and whereas the sages of the (other) nations of the world have also composed books according to the fabrication of their hearts, concerning moral paths, how a person should behave with his fellow; therefore, in this tractate it begins "Moshe received Torah from Sinai," to tell you that the principles and morals to follow weren't fabricated by the hearts of the sages; rather, they too were stated at Sinai.
(א) ונביאים מסרוה כו'. כלומר שאע''פ שלא כל הכנסיה היו נביאים נמסרה להם התורה כולה כו'. אבל אח''כ שנתמעטו הדורות לא נמסרה כולה, אבל קבל כל אחד כפי כחו. ומ''מ התורה שבידו קבלה היא איש מפי איש עד מרע''ה:
and the prophets passed it on to the men of the Great Assembly: [Meaning] to say that even though not all of the Assembly were prophets, the entire Torah was passed on to them, etc. But afterwards - as the generations declined - not the entire thing was passed on. But [rather] everyone received it according to his ability. And nonetheless, the [portion of] the Torah that was in his hand was a transmission to him, [that had been passed on] one man from another [going back] to Moshe, our teacher - peace be upon him.
Men of the Great Assembly. ... By including the men of the Great Assembly in the chain of tradition, the rabbis found a paradigm for their own work. Just as the men of the Great Assembly had to explain the meaning of Torah, the rabbis would also interpret what that Torah meant generation by generation....
Moses received Torah --Not the whole Torah, but only as much as he was capable of taking in. Each generation receives Torah according to their varying capacities.
The members of the great assembly--They followed Ezra in the late 5th century BCE. Little is known of them. The Talmud (Berachot 33a) credits them with the composition of parts of the liturgy.
Rabbi Yochanan said: When the divine voice came forth at Mount Sinai, it divided itself into the 70 human languages, so that the whole world might understand it. Rabbi Tanchuma said: All at Mount Sinai--old and young, women, children, and infants--heard the voice of God according to their ability to understand. Moses, too, understood only according to his capacity, as it is said (Exodus 19:19), Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. With a voice that Moses could bear. (Midrash Exodus Rabbah 5:9)
(א) הוו מתונים בדין שאם בא דין לפניך פעם ושתים ושלש, לא תאמר דין זה כבר בא לפני ושניתי ושלשתי בו, אלא הוו מתונים, כלומר ממתינים קודם שתפסקו הדין:
"Be discerning in judgment": Where if a case comes before you one, two or three (times), do not say "This case already came before me, and (I ruled) a second and a third time." Rather, "Be discerning," which is to say deliberate before you decide the case.
(א) והעמידו תלמידים הרבה לאפוקי מרבן גמליאל דאמר [ברכות כ''ח ע''א] כל תלמיד שאין תוכו כברו אל יכנס לבית המדרש, קמ''ל שמלמדין תורה לכל אדם ואין צריך לבדוק אחריו. ובלבד שלא יהיה ידוע מענינו שמעשיו מקולקלים וסאני שומעניה. אי נמי אשמועינן [יבמות ס''ב ע''ב] שאם העמיד תלמידים בבחרותו יעמיד תלמידים בזקנותו, דכתיב (קהלת י''א) בבוקר זרע זרעך ולערב אל תנח ידך:
"stand up many students": (This is meant) to exclude (the words of) Rabban Gamliel, who said "Any student whose exterior is not like his interior shall not enter the Beit Midrash (Berakhot 28a)." We derive from this that we teach Torah to every person; there is no need to inquire after him. [This is the case] so long as it not be known from from his way that his actions are corrupt or that he has a bad reputation. Alternately, we may derive that if he raises up disciples in his youth, he should [also] do so in his old age, as is written (Ecclesiastes 11:6), “Sow your seed in the morning and in the evening do not hold back your hand.”
(א) והעמידו. אמרו לשון עמידה, לפי שמימות משה עד ימות רבן גמליאל היו לומדין בעמידה והרב יושב על הכסא. מדרש שמואל. ולי נראה לשון והעמידו, להעמידם בהבנת אמתתה של תורה [ועם שיהיו התלמידים הרבה] כי זהו עמידה וקיום, ושקר אין לו רגלים:
"and stand up": They [used] an expression of standing, since from the days of Moshe until the days of Rabban Gamliel, they would study while standing and the teacher would sit on a chair (Megillah 21a) - Midrash Shmuel. And it appears to me that the expression, "and stand up," is [meaning to say] to stand them up in understanding the truth of the Torah [and even though there were many students], since this is [something's] standing and preservation, and falsehood has 'no feet,'
(א) ועשו סייג לתורה גדר שלא יבא ליגע באיסור תורה, כגון שניות לעריות, ושבות לשבת. דכתיב (ויקרא י''ח) ושמרתם את משמרתי, עשו משמרת למשמרתי:
"and establish a fence for the Torah": A hedge, in order that he not come into contact with a Torah prohibition, or rabbinic fences to protect the Shabbat as is written (Lev. 18:30), “You shall keep my guard;” [meaning,] ‘Make a safeguard for my safeguard.’
Be deliberate in judgment. If Torah were to become the measuring rod of all life, as the rabbis wanted it to be, deliberate reflection on the demands of the past and the problems of the present would be required.
Raise up many disciples. Unlike the priesthood, which was generally dependent on ancestry, the rabbis needed many minds and therefore any disciples. Thus, they created a hierarchy of learning that any man (and, in modern times, any woman) could enter as long as one was willing to devote oneself to study. Never a mere professional body of knowledge, Torah study is open to every Jew.
Fence around the Torah. The rabbis used the metaphor of a fence around the Torah as a means of protecting the essence of Torah in the midst of a proliferation of new demands. The insights into the Law that they had already developed would need protection, even as they knew the Torah would continue to need to grow if the Jewish community was to survive.
deliberate in judgment--...More generally, show good judgment in dealing with others, avoiding haste, impatience, stubbornness, etc. (Avot d'Rabbi Natan)
a fence--It is better to have a vineyard surrounded by a fence. Do not, however, make the fence more important than what it surrounds: should the fence fall in, all would then be lost. (Avot d'Rabbi Natan)
---Do not make a rigid system in which freedom is lost, yet keep definite boundaries. The sages created an 'early warning' system to keep us from violating Mitzvot; e.g., since work on the Sabbath is prohibited, so is the handling of work-tools.
Our Mishnah cites three maxims coined by the Men of the Great Assembly to enhance and strengthen the three most important foundations in the life of the Jewish people: 1. Justice; 2. Education; 3. Torah.
And make a fence for the Torah -- Avot de Rabbi Natan comments on this verse: "Restrain your words even as God restrained His." Hameiri (Menachem ben Solomon Me’iri, Provence, 1249-1316, Commentary. A major scholar and commentator, especially on the Talmud) notes: "This statement is meant to warn every person to discipline himself when addressing an audience and not to burden his listeners, especially when explaining words of Torah. He should limit himself in terms of time, measure and place, as befits himself and his audience...."
(כב) בֶּן בַּג בַּג אוֹמֵר, הֲפָךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפָךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ. ובָהּ תֶּחֱזֵי, וְסִיב וּבְלֵה בַהּ, וּמִנַּהּ לָא תְזוּעַ, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ מִדָּה טוֹבָה הֵימֶנָּה. (כג) בֶּן הֵא הֵא אוֹמֵר, לְפוּם צַעֲרָא אַגְרָא:
(22) Ben Bag Bag says: Search in it and search in it, since everything is in it. And in it should you look, and grow old and be worn; and from it do not move, since there is no characteristic greater than it. (23) Ben Hey Hey says: According to the pain is the reward.
On verse 23: Rabbi Eleazar was accustomed to say: The Torah is my field, and it is my duty to plow it, to sow, to irrigate, before I may reap. Workers in the field arise with the sun and carry loads of fertilizer for the soil; shall I not do the same thing in my own field? (Shir Hashirim Rabba) Rabbi Samuel bar Nachmeni said: The Torah is my weapon. If I labor diligently to keep my weapon sharp and bright, it will be of benefit; if I don’t labor, of what benefit is it? (Pesikta)
Marcus's Commentary
Ben Bag Bag and Ben Hay Hay were converts to Judaism and were called by these pseudonyms for their safety. Their names allude to the 2 hays (fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet) that were added to the names of Abraham and Sarah, the first “converts” to Judaism. ב =2, ג =3) בג) is numerically equivalent to ה,5. [Midrash Shmuel]
Everything is in it. The Torah is the blueprint of all creation. Understanding the depths of the Torah therefore leads to comprehension of all creation (Maharal).
Pain…reward. Only through painstaking study of Torah can one perceive its spiritual depths.
Pirke Avot: A Modern Commentary on Jewish Ethics by Leonard Kravitz & Kerry Olitzky
Reflect on it. Unlike other reading, Torah is to be studied slowly. We read it over and over again, each time looking for new meaning in its nuances. This is a lifelong endeavor for as our life experiences change so does our perception of sacred text.
The Hirsch Pirkei Avos
“...the Torah is the one inexhaustible source of all the knowledge of what is good and true and worthwhile, and the longer and the more faithfully we occupy ourselves with it, the broader and stronger will our power of spiritual vision grow. Therefore, let the Torah remain at your side even when you are old and when your energies for all other pursuits have declined, and do not depart from it as long as you live, for you can acquire no greater consecration for your endeavors. Ben he-he adds to this overview of the plan for our life’s course: It is not the quantitative measure of the moral, spiritual and social goals you have actually achieved that constitutes the true worth of a life’s course. It is צערא – the measure of earnest striving, of devoted endeavor, of sacrifices made and privation endured, all for the realization of good purposes that meet with God’s approval—that determines the true worth of both a man and his life. For actual success can come only from the hands of God Himself….”
Pirkei Avos, The Wisdom of the Fathers: A New Translation with Classical Commentaries
Commentary by Tiferes Yisroel (Rav Yisroel Lipschutz 1782-1860. He was the Rabbi of Danzig, Germany. He wrote a commentary on the entire Mishna which has been incorporated in most editions of the printed Mishna.)
“and through it, you will view” - This refers to a man’s third twenty-year period [between the age of forty and sixty years]. During this period a person needs wisdom and understanding to advise his children on marriage, the selection of a means of livelihood, and other such matters. The Torah should be his inspiration and guide on all these matters.
“grow old and aged over it” – This refers to the years between sixty and eighty when the physical powers of man grow weak
“do not depart from it”-- Even during the years from eighty to one hundred and beyond and even in the next world, man will learn Torah
Fathers and Sons: The Chassidic Masters on Pirkei Avos
“turn it over and over”--This phrase can also be translated: “Turn over through it.” By learning Torah, one is “turned over” into a new person. For the Torah instills humility, the root of all virtues. Hence the literal meaning of “there is nothing better than it” –“you have nothing good through it.” That is, through Torah, you recognize that you have no good characteristics. As a result, you repent, “turning over” everything for the better. – Rav Menachem of Vishnitz
“according to the effort is the reward” - This statement literally means, “To the mouth, pain and reward.” For when one’s mouth slanders and speaks improperly, it suffers pain. But when it studies Torah and prays, it is rewarded. – Rav Baruch of Medzibozh
“What is unique about the Torah is the way its knowledge needs to be retrieved. All the information is there, but in order to access it you have to ‘turn it over and over,’ digging for answers—just as one turns over layers of earth when searching for a lost object.
Why is the Torah organized in this manner? Why couldn’t G-d have presented the Torah’s attitude on all kinds of topics in an organized and easy-to-find manner, like an encyclopedia? Why the need to excavate answers with toil, sweat, and lifetime of effort?
….The Torah is described as deep because it contains infinite layers of meaning, all of which are true and exist in complete harmony. When a child learns Bereishis he understands the verses on one level. As he grows older and learns the same verses again, he reads more into the text and attains new levels of understanding. In fact, a person can read the same verse in the Torah again and again throughout his life, uncovering new layers of meaning each time. Indeed, the Vilna Gaon perceived that the details of every creation that ever existed and that will ever exist –human, animal, plant, and inanimate object – are all contained in Bereishis.
The new levels of perception a person discovers in the text do not negate his original interpretation of the text; they add to it. The Torah is able to accommodate multiple layers of understanding simultaneously….The Torah…contains an infinite number of layers, all existing side by side.”
“The reason that the Torah could not be laid out ‘flat,’ like an encyclopedia, is because the Torah is G-d’s way of revealing Himself to the world, and, as such, its words must infuse us in a very deep, intrinsic way. When you read an encyclopedia, you connect to the information it contains on a purely intellectual level. But Torah is not meant to enter just our minds, like a cold textbook of information. It is meant to permeate our entire being, forming the very core of our existence and becoming the center of our lives. The only way to form a strong, inner bond of this sort is by chiseling away at its words, using all one’s heart and soul to uncover hidden layers of meaning.
This explains the meaning of the coming phrase in the Mishnah, which says that one should ‘grow old and gray’ with Torah.
With an encyclopedia, once you have read a particular entry there is no reason to read it again, unless you want to refresh your memory or you did not fully undersand the material the first time. But either way, you will not discover any new insights or uncover depth that was not there before. With Torah, however, you can reread it until you’re gray, for the more you dig away at the surface, the more you uncover. You never outgrow or tire of learning Torah, for as you delve deeper into its words, you uncover new layers of meaning. It’s like digging in a mine where the soil is abundant with precious stones. You till the earth and discover a rare gen, a new insight.
After unearthing your treasure and rejoicing over it, you continue to dig more, finding yet more jewels and new levels of comprehension.”