Pirkei Avot Lev Shalem study, 2:7(8?) - 2:9(10?)

(ז) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, מַרְבֶּה בָשָׂר, מַרְבֶּה רִמָּה. מַרְבֶּה נְכָסִים, מַרְבֶּה דְאָגָה. מַרְבֶּה נָשִׁים, מַרְבֶּה כְשָׁפִים. מַרְבֶּה שְׁפָחוֹת, מַרְבֶּה זִמָּה. מַרְבֶּה עֲבָדִים, מַרְבֶּה גָזֵל. מַרְבֶּה תוֹרָה, מַרְבֶּה חַיִּים. מַרְבֶּה יְשִׁיבָה, מַרְבֶּה חָכְמָה. מַרְבֶּה עֵצָה, מַרְבֶּה תְבוּנָה. מַרְבֶּה צְדָקָה, מַרְבֶּה שָׁלוֹם. קָנָה שֵׁם טוֹב, קָנָה לְעַצְמוֹ. קָנָה לוֹ דִבְרֵי תוֹרָה, קָנָה לוֹ חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא:

Pirkei Avot 2:7

(7) He used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; The more property, the more anxiety; The more wives, the more witchcraft; The more female slaves, the more lewdness; The more slaves, the more robbery; [But] the more Torah, the more life; The more sitting [in the company of scholars], the more wisdom; The more counsel, the more understanding; The more charity, the more peace. If one acquires a good name, he has acquired something for himself; If one acquires for himself knowledge of Torah, he has acquired life in the world to come.

- Again we have a balancing act; the more Torah, the more life, whereas 2:2 cautions that we should pair study with good deeds. But is this really a balancing act? How can we overcome this tension?
- R' Elad-Appelbaum says: "Let us take hold of what is enduring... the core concepts: knowledge of Torah, careful study over time, the deep understanding that study yields, the mercy toward all creatures that study engenders--indeed, becoming a human being in the finest, most noble sense of the word." Where is 'action' in this? Mercy?

משנה אבות ב׳:ח׳

(ח) רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי קִבֵּל מֵהִלֵּל וּמִשַּׁמָּאי. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם לָמַדְתָּ תוֹרָה הַרְבֵּה, אַל תַּחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְעַצְמְךָ, כִּי לְכָךְ נוֹצָרְתָּ.

Pirkei Avot 2:8

(8) Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai received [the oral tradition] from Hillel and Shammai.He used to say: if you have learned much Torah, do not claim credit for yourself, because for such a purpose were you created.

- R' Tucker has some historical commentary on the lineage here. R' Yohanan ben Zakkai. What do you find interesting about the story of Yavneh?
- The imperative of modesty seems like a no-brainer; can we read anything deeper into it? R' Elad-Appelbaum says that we were created "to point to the notion of a self that changes and that is constantly correcting and repairing itself, to its very depths. For that reason was humanity created." What would it mean for our purpose to be to grow and change?