Pirkei Avos Staying in the World Chapter 4, Mishna 28 By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld “Rabbi Elazar HaKappar said: Jealousy, lust and the [pursuit of] honor remove a person from the world.” This mishna bears a strong resemblance to a much earlier one — Chapter 2, Mishna 16 . We learned there: “Rabbi Yehoshua said: An evil…
Tag: Pirkei Avot
Laws of De’os – Chapter 2, Law 4(b)
Maimonides on Life Laws of De’os – Chapter 2, Law 4(b) Silence and the Road to Self-Discovery “A person should always accustom himself to keeping silent (lit., ‘should increase his silence’). He should speak only of matters of wisdom or matters pertaining to his living needs. It was said regarding [the Talmudic scholar] Rav,…
Pirkei Avos
Pirkei Avos Young Minds, Old Minds Chapter 4, Mishna 25 By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld “Elisha ben (son of) Avuya said: One who studies Torah as a child, to what is he compared? To ink written on fresh paper. And one who studies Torah as an old man, to what is he compared? To…
Pirkei Avot
Pirkei Avot Pirkei Avot (Literally, “Chapters of the Fathers”, and oftentimes called “Avot”) is a tractate of the Mishna composed of ethical maxims of the Mishnaic period. This little tractate contains five chapters and is often called “Ethics of the Fathers”. The text of this edition of the Avot is a paraphrased translation in idiomatic…
Ten things
Ten things were created on the eve of Shabbat at Twilight [on the sixth day of creation]. They are: … As well as tongs, since tongs are made with tongs. (Pirkei Avot 5:6) Tongs. The silversmith uses tongs to hold hot metal and form it into tools and vessels. Hence, “tongs are made with tongs,” since…
“Derech Eretz”
“Derech Eretz” Precedes the Torah The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (3, 23) states: “Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says: Without Torah there is not Derech Eretz (we shall define this term soon); without Derech Eretz, there is no Torah.” The simple definition of the term “Derech Eretz” is conducting business, hence the term “way of the…
Pirkei Avot
Pirkei Avot, chapter four. Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship; but the crown of a good name surpasses them all. (Pirkei Avot 4:13) Open To All. Aaron merited the crown of priesthood; David merited the crown of kingship; but the crown…
Yeshua Centered Judaism 