Produced by Dan Dyckman
________________________
TRANSCRIBER'S COMMENTS
Where Hebrew letters appeared within the English text, these have been
transliterated and included in brackets. In many cases the hebrew has
also been spelled out, thus:
[tov (tet-vov-bet)].
A rare additional transcriber's note may be found within brackets [].
The source text contained only one comment in a bracket, that should
not be confused as a transcriber's note. This is the word [Baden]
that appeared in the Bibliography.
Each [s] is the special character known as "section sign."
Where the source text referenced a page number within the same book,
the transcriber substituted a reference in brackets [] that will be
useful for readers of this e-text version.
The source book contained the complete Pirkei Avot, in Hebrew, with
vowels. This has, of necessity, been omitted from the current
e-text document, which uses only Roman font.
Footnotes all appeared at the bottom of the page, separated by a line
from the main text, and printed in the same font and size as the main
text. The transcriber has moved these footnotes to follow the
paragraph they supplement, and indented them.
At the end of this e-text, readers will find a section titled
TRANSCRIPTION NOTES which deals with issues such as accent marks.
Following this, readers will find a PAGE REFERENCE INDEX. This
reference will help maintain the stability of references to this
book from outside sources.
END of TRANSCRIBER'S COMMENTS
Library of Jewish Classics
==========================
I. Leopold Zunz: The Sufferings of the Jews During the Middle Ages
II. Hyman Hurwitz: Talmudic Tales
III. "Pirek Abot": The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers
LIBRARY OF JEWISH CLASSICS-III.
________________________________________
The Sayings of the
Jewish Fathers
[pirkei avot]
"PIRKE ABOT"
________________________________________
Translated, with an
Introduction and Notes
BY
JOSEPH I. GORFINKLE, Ph.D.
Author of
"The Eight Chapters of Maimonides on Ethics"
_______
_SECOND EDITION_
________________________________________
CONTENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
Name
Purpose
Description
Contents
Language
Development of Abot
Abot in Liturgy
Bibliography
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
HEBREW TEXT (Appendix)
PREFACE
Notwithstanding the fact that there are many editions of the _Sayings
of the Jewish Fathers_, and that it has been translated innumerable
times in all modern tongues, no apology need be given for the
appearance of this little volume in the series of _Jewish Classics_.
The _Pirke Abot_ is indeed a classical bit of that ancient Jewish
classic, the _Mishnah_.
The translation in this edition is based largely upon that of Taylor,
in his _Sayings of the Jewish Fathers_, and upon the excellent version
of Singer, in his _Authorized Daily Prayer Book_.
This edition is intended mainly for popular reading, but it has been
thought wise to amplify the notes, especially with bibliographical
references, so that it may serve the purpose of a teacher's handbook,
and also be useful as a text-book for the higher grades of religious
schools and for study circles. The references are to books that are
generally accessible, and, wherever possible, to books in English.
The notes are by no means intended to be exhaustive, but rather to be
suggestive.
It is the humble hope of the editor that this little book may be the
means of further popularizing the practical and, at the same time,
high-minded wisdom of the "Fathers"; that it may serve as an incentive
to a more detailed study of their philosophy of life, and that its
appearance may help us to lead in a revival of that most ancient and
praiseworthy custom of reading the _Pirke Abot_ in the house of
worship on the Sabbath, during the summer months. Let him into whose
hands these sayings fall "meditate upon them day and night," for "he
who would be saintly must fulfil the dicta of the Fathers."
JOSEPH I GORFINKLE.
Mt. Vernon, N. Y.
February, 1913.
INTRODUCTION
NAME
_The Tractate Abot_ (_Massechet Abot_) is the ninth treatise of _The
Order_ or _Series on Damages_ (_Seder Nezikin_), which is the fourth
section of the _Mishnah_ (1). It is commonly known in Hebrew as
_Pirke Abot_, _The Chapters of the Fathers_, and has also been termed
_Mishnat ha-Chasidim_, _Instruction for the Pious_, because of the
Rabbinic saying, "He who wishes to be pious, let him practise the
teachings of _Abot_" (2). On account of the nature of its contents,
it is generally designated in English as the _Ethics of the Fathers_.
Taylor entitles his edition _Dibre Aboth ha-Olam_, Sayings of the
Fathers of the World_, and has as the English title, _Sayings of the
Jewish Fathers_. Gustav Gottheil refers to the _Abot_ as the _Sayings
of the Pharisaic Fathers_ (3). Its German title is generally _Die
Spruche der Vater_, and in French it is usually rendered _Chapitres_
or _Maximes des Peres_.
(1) See _infra_, [Chapter V], n. 61.
(2) _Baba Kamma_, 30a. See Taylor, _Sayings of the Jewish
Fathers_, p. 3. Maimonides refers to this saying in the
_Foreword_ of his _Eight Chapters_; see Gorfinkle, _The Eight
Chapters_, etc., p. 34.
(3) See _Sun and Shield_, p. 321 _et passim_. See _infra_, n.
8, which accounts for the use of "_Pharisaic_."
The use of the word _Abot_ (fathers), in the title, is of very ancient
date. We can only guess at the reason for its being used, and,
consequently, there are various explanations for it. Samuel de Uceda,
in his collective commentary, says that as this tractate of the
_Mishnah_ contains the advice and good counsel, which, for the most
part, come from a father, the Rabbis mentioned in it adopt the role of
"fathers," and are therefore so designated. This explanation does
not, however, deter him from advancing another to the effect that this
treatise is the basis of all subsequent ethical and moral teachings
and doctrines, and the Rabbis are, in consequence, the "fathers" or
prototypes of all ethical teachers and moralists (4). Loeb attributes
its use to the fact that the Rabbis of _Abot_ are the "fathers" or
"ancestors of Rabbinic Judaism" (5). Hoffman states that the word
_abot_ means "teachers of tradition" (_Traditionslehrer_), and points
to the expression _abot ha-olam_ (_Eduyot_, I. 4), which, translated
literally, is "fathers of the world," but is used to designate the
most distinguished teachers, which is a true characterization of the
Rabbis of _Abot_ (6). Taylor says in regard to the title, "It takes
its name from the fact that it consists to a great extent of the
maxims of the Jewish Fathers whose names are mentioned in the pages"
(7). Hoffmann's seems the most acceptable explanation.
(4) _Midrash Shemuel_ (ed. Warsaw, 1876), p. 6. The _Midrash
Shemuel_ is a collective commentary, first published in Venice
in 1579, and which has since passed through six editions. See
p. 22, n. 21.
(5) _La Chaine_, etc., p. 307, n. 1.
(6) See Hoffman, _Seder Nesikin, Introd._, p. xx, and p. 258,
n. 36. In this passage of _Eduyot_, Hillel and Shammai are
referred to as _abot ha-olam_; in _Yerushalmi Shekalim_, III,
47b, Rabbi and Ishmael and Rabbi Akiba, and in _Yerushalmi
Chagigah_, II, 77d, all the pairs of _Abot_ I are similarly
designated.
(7) Taylor, _loc. cit._
PURPOSE
The original aim of _Abot_ was to show the divine source and authority
of the traditional law revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and to
demonstrate its continuity from Moses through Joshua, the elders, and
the men of the Great Synagogue, down to those Rabbis who lived during
the period between 200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. Loeb maintains that _Abot_
was originally a composition of the Pharisaic Rabbis who wished to
indicate that the traditions held and expounded by them, and which the
Sadducees repudiated, were divine and, in time and sequence,
uninterruptedly authoritative (8). This line of continuous tradition
is plainly seen in the first two chapters. A second and probably
later purpose was to present a body of practical maxims and aphorisms
for the daily guidance of the people.
(8) _La Chaine_, etc. The Sadducees belonged to the priestly
and aristocratic families. They made light of the oral
traditions, did not believe in the future life, and were
indifferent to the independence of the Jewish nation. The
Pharisees, on the other hand, were constituted largely from
the common people; they were believers in, and strict
observers of, the traditional laws, and were ardent
nationalists. The bitter attack of Jesus on them, which has
resulted in making the word "Pharisee" synonymous with
"hypocrite" and "self-righteous person," was, to say the
least, unjust, as Herford has so lucidly pointed out in his
sympathetic study of the Pharisees. Herford, though not a
Jew, has taken up the cudgels most ably in defence of this
sect, with remarkable insight into the life and literature of
the ancient Jews. He demonstrates conclusively that though
there were hypocrites among the Pharisees, as among all
classes and creeds, yet the average Pharisee was a man of the
most elevated religious ideals, who misunderstood Jesus, but
who, in turn was misunderstood by him. Huxley, in his
_Evolution of Theology_, says, "of all the strange ironies in
history, perhaps the strangest is that 'Pharisee' is current
as a term of reproach among the theological descendants of
that sect of Nazarenes who, without the martyr spirit of those
primitive Puritans, would never have come into existence."
Such great teachers and men of sterling quality and golden
utterance as Antigonus of Soko (I, 3), Hillel (I, 12-14; II,
5-8), Jochanan ben Zakkai (II, 9-19), Gamaliel, whose pupil
was Paul, the apostle (I, 16), and Judah, the Prince (II, 1),
whose sayings grace the pages of _Abot_, were, as Loeb points
out, of the Pharisaic school or party. There is naturally a
large literature on the Pharisees. Herford's _Pharisaism_
deserves careful perusal. See, also, Josephus (ed.
Whiston-Margoliouth), _Antiq._, XIII, 10.6, XVIII, 1, 2-4;
Schurer, _History of the Jews_, etc., II, ii, p. 14 _et seq._;
_Jewish Encyclopedia_ and literature mentioned there; Geiger,
_Judaism and Its History_, p. 102 _et seq._, and Friedlander,
G., _The Jewish Sources of the Sermon on the Mount_, p. 34 _et
seq._
DESCRIPTION
The _Sayings of the Jewish Fathers_ is the oldest collection of
ethical dicta of the Rabbis of the _Mishnah_ (9). It is a Rabbinic
anthology. It has been happily styled "a compendium of practical
ethics" (10), and, as Mielziner has said, "these Rabbinical sentences,
if properly arranged, present an almost complete code of human duties"
(11). The _Abot_ is, then, a sort of moral code.
(9) There was another, and apparently older, recension of
_Pirke Abot_ on which is based the _Abot de-Rabbi Natan_, an
_hagadic_ or homiletical exposition of _Abot_. Two recensions
of _Abot de-Rabbi Natan_ exist, and have been edited by
Schechter. On this work, see Hoffman, _Die erste Mischna_, p.
26 _et seq._, Mielziner, article _Abot de-Rabbi Natan_, in
_Jewish Encyclopedia_, Strack, _Einleitung_, p. 69 _et seq.,
and Pollak, _Rabbi Nathans System_, etc., _Introduction_, pp.
7-9. An English translation is found in Rodkinson's edition
of the _Talmud_, vol. V, p. 1 _et seq._
(10) Taylor, _loc. cit._ Lazarus, _Ethics of Judaism_, II.
113, calls it "a compendium of ethics."
(11) In _Jewish Encyclopedia_, art. _Abot_.
CONTENTS
Even a superficial reading of _Abot_ will bring home to one the fact
that it is made up of various strata. In fact, it falls naturally
into the following strands or divisions:
A. Chapter I, 1-15: Chronologically arranged sayings of the oldest
authorities, from the men of the Great Synagogue to Hillel
and Shammai.
B. (1) Chapters I, 16-II, 4: Sayings of the men of the school of
Hillel to Rabban Gamaliel (about 230 C.E.), the son of Judah
ha-Nasi
(2) Chapter II, 5-8: Additional sayings of Hillel.
C. (1) Chapter II, 9-19: The sayings of Jochanan ben Zakkai, the
pupil of Hillel, and of his disciples.
(2) Chapter II, 20-21: The sayings of Rabbi Tarfon, a younger
contemporary of Jochanan ben Zakkai.
D. Chapter III: the maxims of seventeen _Tannaim_ (authorities
mentioned in the _Mishnah_) to the time of and including
Rabbi Akiba. These are not arranged in strictly
chronological order.
E. Chapter IV: The sayings of twenty-five _Tannaim_ after the time
of Rabbi Akiba, who were contemporaries of Rabbi Meir and of
Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi. These are not chronologically arranged.
F. (1) Chapter V, 1-18: Anonymous sayings forming a series of groups
of ten, seven, and four things, dealing with the creation of
the world, with miracles, and with the varieties of men and
minds.
(2) Chapter V, 19-22: Anonymous sayings touching upon the
varieties of motives and contrasting the good and evil
dispositions.
(3) Chapter V, 23: Sayings of Judah ben Tema.
(4) Chapter V, 24: The ages of man.
(5) Chapter V, 25, 26: The sayings of Ben Bag Bag and of Ben He
He.
G. Chapter VI: The acquisition of the _Torah;_ praise of the
_Torah_.
LANGUAGE
The language of _Abot_ is easy Mishnaic Hebrew, with portions of four
verses (I, 13; II, 7; V, 25, and V, 26) in Aramaic, which is closely
related to Hebrew. It is worthy of note that these Aramaic portions
originated with the school of Hillel (12).
(12) On the language of the _Mishnah_, see Mielziner,
_Introduction to the Talmud_, pp. 15-16, and Lauterbach in
_Jewish Encyclopedia_, vol II, p. 614. On the use of Aramaic
in the _Mishnah_, see Schurer, _History_, I, ii, p. 8 _et
seq._, and Bacher, in _Jewish Encyclopedia_, art. _Aramaic
Language Among the Jews_. Several centuries before the common
era, Aramaic was the vernacular of the Jews. Hebrew, however,
remained in use as the sacred language ([lashon ha-kodesh]),
it being the language of the learned, and was employed for
literary, liturgical, and legal purposes. This accounts for
the Mishnah being written almost entirely in Hebrew, though
Aramaic was spoken on the streets. It is related of Judah
ha-Nasi that he disliked the Aramaic jargon to such an extent
that he forbade its use in his home, where even the servants
spoke Hebrew with elegance (_Rosh ha-Shanah_, 26b). When
scholars used Aramaic in his presence, he chided them for not
speaking in Hebrew or in Greek (_Baba Kamma_, 82b).
DEVELOPMENT OF ABOT (13)
(13) On the subject-matter of this section, consult Hoffmann,
_Die erste Mischna_, pp. 26-37; idem, _Mischnaiot Seder
Nesikin_, _Introd._, pp. XX-XXI; Brull, _Enstehung und
ursprunglicher Inhalt des Traktates Abot;_ Loeb, _La Chaine_,
etc.; Ginzburg, _Spruche der Vater, erstes Capitel historisch
beleuchtet_ (Liepzig, 1889); Strack, _Die Spruche der Vater_,
_Introd._, pp. 7-8; idem, _Einleitung_, p. 52, and Rawicz,
_Commentar des Maimonides_, p. 105, n. 3.
It is apparent from the literary construction of _Abot_ that it has
been edited several times, and that, in its earliest form, the
_Abot_ collection was much smaller than we have it to-day. Originally,
probably shortly after the time of Hillel, it may have been merely a
sort of appendix to the _Tractate Sanhedrin_, with typical sayings of
each of the heads of the _Sanhedrin_. These dicta are contained in
what is designated as section A. Later, presumably by Rabbi Akiba,
there were added to this original kernel of _Abot_ the sayings of
Rabbi Jochanan ben Zakkai and his most illustrious pupils, which
comprise section C. This resulted in the grouping together of the
sayings of ten generations of traditional authorities, as follows:
(1) the men of the Great Synagogue, (2) Simon, the Just, (3) Antigonus
of Soko, (4) Jose ben Joezer and Jose ben Jochanan, (5) Joshua ben
Perachiah and Nittai, the Arbelite, (6) Judah ben Tabbai and Simeon
ben Shatach, (7) Shemaiah and Abtalion, (8) Hillel and Shammai, (9)
Jochanan ben Zakkai, and (10) the latter's disciples. By association
of idea with this number ten, there were added to this collection
numerical sayings of ten, and, then, others of seven and four, found
in chapter V, 1-9 and 10-13.
Into this enlarged kernel of pithy sayings of the oldest authorities,
which may be characterized as the _Abot of Rabbi Akiba_, later
_Tannaim_--Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, and others--interpolated
additional sayings of the afore-mentioned Rabbis, and also typical
utterances of their disciples, and of other well-known teachers. This
accounts for the presence in _Abot_ of the body of maxims of the six
generations of the school of Hillel, designated above as section B 1,
and which was very properly introduce after the aphorisms of Hillel
and of his contemporary, Shammai. The thread of tradition being
interrupted by this interpolation, it was again taken up by the
introduction of another body of Hillel's sayings (B 2), thus providing
for a natural transition from Hillel to Jochanan ben Zakkai. Proof of
the fact that section B is an addition is that in the _Abot de-Rabbi
Natan_--which, as has been said above, is based on an older version of
_Abot_ (14)--the sayings of Jochanan ben Zakkai follow immediately
upon those of Shammai. The sayings of Judah ha-Nasi, the redactor of
the _Mishnah_, and of Rabbi Gamaliel, his son, were undoubtedly added
after the time of Judah.
(14) See _supra_, p. 13, n. 9.
Chapter III contains the sayings of authorities who were the
predecessors of Judah, the first two having lived before the
destruction of the second Temple. Chapter IV is made up of the dicta
of a number of Rabbis who were contemporaries of Judah. These two
chapters were, no doubt, inserted by Judah, the redactor of the
_Mishnah_ as we virtually have it to-day. Evidence that Chapter IV is
an addition to the original _Abot_ is that it has a number of
aphorisms which are repetitions of some found in Chapters I and II.
The greater part of Chapter V, as stated above, was a portion of the
_Abot_ of Rabbi Akiba.
Chapter VI, which is known as _The Chapter on the Acquisition of
Torah_ (_Perek Kinyan Torah_), as _The External Teaching of the Abot_
(_Baraita de-Abot_) (15), as _The Chapter of Rabbi Meir_ (_Perek Rabbi
Meir_) (16), and as _the External Teaching of Rabbi Meir_ (_Baraita
de-Rabbi Meir_), is a supplement of the treatise _Abot_, as is claimed
for it by its superscription, "the sages taught in the language of the
_Mishnah_," a formula generally used in the _Talmud_ to introduce a
_Baraita_. One of the authorities mentioned in it is Joshua ben Levi,
a Palestinian _amora_ (an authority of the _Gemara_) who lived during
the third century. This demonstrates the comparatively late date of
the final redaction of this chapter. By the middle of the ninth
century it formed a part of the treatise _Abot_. It was added to the
prayer-book to be read on the sixth Sabbath of the period between
Passover and the Festival of Weeks (_Shebuot_) (17).
(15) A _Baraita_ contains traditions and opinions of
authorities of the _Mishnah_ which are not embodied in the
_Mishnah_ or Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi. See Mielziner,
_Introduction to the Talmud_, pp. 20-21, Strack, _Einleitung
in den Talmud_, p. 3, and the _Jewish Encyclopedia_, _s.v._ A
_gemara_ (Talmudical commentary) to the _Baraita de-Abot_ was
published from a MS. by Coronel in _Chamishah Kuntresin_
(Vienna, 1864). This _baraita_ is found also in the
seventeenth chapter of _Tanna de-Be Eliyahu Sutta_, but with
different textual readings. See Ginzberg, in the _Jewish
Encyclopedia_, II, pp. 516-517.
(16) Known thus because Rabbi Meir's name is found in the
first verse.
(17) See next section. The sixth chapter is found in some
editions of the _Mishnah_.
ABOT IN THE LITURGY (18)
(18) On the subject-matter of this section, see the citation
from the Sar Shalom Gaon, in the _Siddur_ of R. Amram, 30a;
_Midrash Shemual_, pp. 3-4; Zunz, _Die Ritus_, pp. 85-86;
Strack, _Die Spruche der Vater_, p. 5, and _Siddur_, ed. Baer,
p. 271, note. Other portions of the _Mishnah_ and also of the
_Talmud_ that are included in the liturgy are, in the morning
service, _Zebachim_ V (_Siddur_, ed. Singer, p. 11); in the
evening service for the Sabbath, _Sabbat_, II (pp. 120-122),
and, from the _Talmud_, end of _Berachot_ (p. 122); in the
additional service for Sabbath and festivals, from the _Talmud
Keritot_, 6a, from the _Mishnah_, end of _Tamid_, and from the
_Talmud_, end of _Berachot_ (pp. 167-168).
As Taylor has said, "Its simplicity and intrinsic excellence have
secured for _Abot_ a widespread and lasting popularity, and have led
to its being excerpted from the _Talmud_ and used liturgically in the
Synagogue, at certain seasons, from an early period" (19). Thus, the
_Abot_ is found not only in all editions of the _Mishnah_ and the
_Talmud_, but also in the prayer-books of the Ashkenazic rite (20).
The practice of reading a chapter from _Abot_, on Saturday, after the
afternoon prayer (_Minchah_), originated as early as Gaonic times
(seventh to eleventh centuries). During the middle of the ninth
century, _Abot_ and its _Baraita_ were thus liturgically used. In
Spanish communities it was recited in the morning of the Sabbath, and
not in the afternoon. By the eleventh century, this custom was
universally a part of the synagogal service.
(19) Taylor, _loc. cit._
(20) German and Polish.
Originally, _Abot_ was probably read only from Passover to _Shebuot;_
and, since this period has generally six Sabbaths, and there are only
five chapters of _Abot_, the chapter _Kinyan Torah_ was appointed to
be read on the sixth Sabbath. Later, the period of the year in which
_Abot_ was read varied in different communities. In Germany, there
were _kehillot_ in which it was recited during the winter as well as
during the summer. In some communities it was read from Passover to
the Feast of Tabernacles (_Sukkot_), in others from the Sabbath of
_Parashah Yitro_ (Ex. XVIII, 1-XX, 26) to the Sabbath of _Parashah
Masse'e_ (Num. XXXIII, 1-XXXVI, 13), that is, from the Sabbath on
which is read an account of the giving of the Law until the Sabbath
preceding the beginning of the reading of the "repetition of the Law,"
_i.e._, Deuteronomy. In many orthodox congregations to-day this
practice is still adhered to, and _Abot_ is read on Sabbath afternoons
during the summer, or from the Sabbath after Passover to the Sabbath
before the New Year (_Rosh ha-Shanah_).
A number of reasons have been suggested for the custom of reading the
_Abot_ in the synagogue, the most likely being that it was introduced
to occupy the minds of worshippers during the long wait, on a summer's
day, between the afternoon and evening services. Whatever the reason
for this custom may have been is immaterial and unimportant; but what
is of importance is that, by this excellent practice, a whole body of
moral dicta--each one summing up with remarkable conciseness a life's
experience and philosophy, each one breathing the spirit of piety,
saintliness, justice, and love for humanity--has sunk deeply into the
innermost heart and consciousness of the Jewish people, exerting such
an influence that the principles set forth in the _Abot_ have been
eternally wrought into the moral fibre of the descendants of the
Rabbis. To the lips of the Jew, these maxims spring spontaneously; to
those who know them they are a safe and secure guide through life;
they are not only heard in the synagogue, but are quoted and applied
at home and abroad. Such are the fruits of a benign custom, which
Israel will do well to prize and preserve.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Because of its great popularity, the _Pirke Abot_ has appeared in many
editions. There is no _Gemara_ (Talmudic commentary) on the _Abot_,
which undoubtedly accounts for the numerous commentaries on it (21).
Because of the attractiveness of its contents, and since it forms a
part of the ritual, it has been translated many times into many
tongues (22), and a great deal has been written on it. The following
bibliography will be helpful to the general reader and to the student
who wish to get a more detailed and intimate knowledge of the _Abot_
than can be imparted in this work.
(21) There are more than thirty-five. The best known is that
of Maimonides (1135-1204), which was written originally in
Arabic, as part of his commentary on the _Mishnah_. A
commentary has been attributed to Rashi. Other commentaries
are by (1) Rabbi Jacob ben Shimshon, found in the _Machzor
Vitry_ (see Taylor, _Introd._, p. 5; _Appendix_, p. 23; (2)
Rabbi Israel of Toledo, in Arabic (twelfth to thirteenth
century; see Taylor, _Introd._, p. 5, _Appendix_, p. 46 _et
seq.__; (3) Simon Duran (1361-1444), _Magen Abot;_ first
edition, Livorno, 1763; ed. Jellinek, Leipzig, 1855; (4)
Bertinora (died 1510), in his popular commentary on the
_Mishnah;_ (5) Isaac ben Judah Abrabanel, _Nachalot Abot;_ ed.
Constantinople, 1505; (6) Samuel de Uceda, _Midrash Shemual;_
venice, 1579, 1585, 1597, 1600, Cracow, 1594, Frankfurt a. M.,
1713, Warsaw, 1876; (7) Yom Tob Lippman Heller (1579-1654), in
_Tosefot Yom Tob_, on the _Mishnah;_ (8) elijah, Gaon of Wilna
(1720-1797), in _Siddur Tefillat Yacob_, Berlin, 1864; and (9)
S. Baer, in _Siddur Abodat Yisroel_, Rodelheim, 1868. There
is also acommentary, by Naphtali Herts Wessely, known as
_Yayin Lebanon_, Berlin, 1774-1775, which has been translated
into English, in the _Hebrew Review_ (edited by Morris J.
Raphall, London, 1835-1837), Vol. I, p. 177, p. 193, and
further.
(22) Mischoff, in his _Kritische Geschichte der
Talmud-Uebersetzungen aller Zeigen und Zungen_ (Frankfurt a.
M., 1899), [s] 56, has a list of 62 translations and of 15
partial translations. Others have appeared since this list
was made. For English translation, consult this list.
_Editions_ (23), _Commentaries_, _and Translations_
(23) A list of editions, mostly earlier than those mentioned
here, and of the _Abot_ in _Mishnah_ editions may be found in
Steinschneider, _Catalogue Librorum Hebraeorum in Bibliotheca
Bodleiana_ (Berlin, 1852-1860), No. 1433-1519, 1982-2034; M.
Roest, _Catalog der Hebraica und Judaica_ (Amsterdam, 1875),
pp. 818-821, 824-828; and Strack, _Spruche_, pp. 8-9.
1. Joshua ben Mordecai Falk ha-Kohen, _Abne Yehoshua al Pirke Abot_
(New York, 1860). Text and commentary (24).
(24) Falk has been called the "father of American Hebrew
literature."
2. Abraham Geiger, _Pirke Aboth_, in _Nachgelassene Schriften_
(Berlin, 1877), vol. IV, pp. 281-344. A commentary on Chaps. I-III.
Scholarly and valuable.
3. Solomon Schechter, _Abot de-Rabbi Natan_ (Vienna, 1877). Contains
two versions, A and B, with an introduction and notes in Hebrew. A
scholarly and valuable work.
4. Joseph Jabetz, _Pirke Abot_, with a commentary (Warsaw, 1880).
5. Charles Taylor, (1) _Sayings of the Jewish Fathers, Comprising
Pirqe Aboth and Perek R. Meir in Hebrew and English, with Notes and
Excurses_. Second edition (Cambridge, 1897).
(2) _An Appendix of the Sayings of the Jewish Fathers,
Containing a Catalogue of Manuscripts and Notes on the Text of Aboth_
(Cambridge, 1900). These works are very comprehensive and full of
valuable material.
6. A. Berliner, _Commentar zu den Spruchen der Vater, aus Machzor
Vitry, mit Beitragen_ (Frankfurt a. M., 1897).
7. David Hoffmann, _Masseket Abot_, in _Mischnaiot Seder Nesikin_
(Berlin, 1899), pp. 327-367. Fully annotated, with a translation in
German, and constant reference to Rabbinical sources. Excellent.
8. Hermann L. Strack, _Die Spruche der Vater_, ein ethischer
Mischna-Traktat_, third edition (Leipzig, 1901). An excellent text
with notes. Very valuable.
9. Lazarus Goldschmidt, in _Talmud Babli, Der Babylonische Talmud_
(Berline, 1903), vol. VII, p. 1151 _et seq_. Based on oldest texts of
_Abot_. Textual variants and German translation with notes. Very
valuable.
10. Simeon Singer, _Perke Abot, Ethics of the Fathers_, in _The
Authorized Daily Prayer Book_. Eighth edition (London, 5668-1908),
pp. 184-209. Hebrew text, with an excellent English translation, and
a few notes.
11. Kaim Pollak, _Rabbi Nathans System der Ethik un Moral_ (Budapest,
1905). A translation in German, with notes, of _Abot de Rabbi Natan_
(Schechter's version A).
12. Paul Fiebig, _Pirque 'aboth, Der Mischnahtraktat Spruche der
Vater_ (Tubingen, 1906). German translation and notes, with especial
reference to the New Testament. The _Nachwort_, pp. 42-43, consists
of a comparison of _Abot_ with the New Testament, pointing out the
likenesses and differences.
13. Josef ibn Nachmia's, _Perush Pirke Abot, Commentar zu den Pirke
Abot . . . nach der Parmaer Hadschrift De Rossi Nr_. 1402 . . . _mit
Anmerkungen von_ M. L. Bamberger (Berlin, 1907).
14. M. Rawicz, _Der Commentar der Maimonides zu den Spruchen der
Vater, zum ersten Male ins Deutsch ubertragen_ (Offenberg [Baden],
1910). Contains "The Eight Chapters" (25).
(25) The _Eight Chapters_ is the introduction of Maimonides to
his commentary on _Abot_. Its Hebrew name is _Shemonah
Perakim_. It is a remarkable instance of the harmonious
welding of the ethical principles contained in _Abot_ with
mediaeval Aristotelian philosophy.
15. _Sefer Musar, Kommentar zum Mischnatraktat Aboth von R. Joseph ben
Jehudah. Zum ersten Male herausgegeben von_ Dr. Wilhelm Bacher. In
the _Schriften des Vereins Makize Nirdamim_. 3. Folge, Nr. 6 (Berlin,
1910).
16. M. Lehmann, _Pirke Aboth, Spruche der Vater uberzetzt und erklart_
(Frankfurt a. M., 1909).
17. Jehudah Leb Gordon, _Perki Abot_, in _Siddur Bet Yehudah_ (New
York, 5672, 1911-12), pp. 106-165. Prayer-book according to the
Ashkenazic rite, with Yiddish translation and notes. Contains
biographical sketches of all the authorities mentioned in _Abot_.
18. Jules Wolff, _Les Huit Chapitres de Maimonide, ou Introduction a
la Mischna d'Aboth, Maximes des Peres_ (_de la Synagogue_). _Traduits
de l'Arabe_ (Lausanne, Paris, 1912).
19. Joseph I. Gorfinkle, _The Eight Chapters of Maimonides on Ethics,
Edited, Annotated, and Translated with an Introduction_ (New York,
1912). Columbia University Oriental Studies, vol. VII (26).
(26) A list of MSS., editions, translations, and commentaries
of the _Eight Chapters_, some including _Abot_, is found on
pp.27-33 of this work.
_Homiletical Works_
1. Lazarus Adler, _Spruche der Vater_ (Furth, 1851).
2. W. Aloys Meisel, _Homilien uber die Spruche der Vater_ (1885).
3. Alexander Kohut, _The Ethics of the Fathers_ (New York, 1885).
Translated from the German by Max Cohen.
_General Works_
Abelson, J. _The Immanence of God in Rabbinical Literature_ (London,
1912).
Bacher, Wilhelm, (1) _Die Agada der Tanaiten_, I, II, (Strassburg,
1884, 1890).
(2) _Zwei alte Abotkommentare, in Monatschrift fur Geschichte
und Wiss. d. Judenthums_, 1095, pp. 637-666; 1906, pp. 248-248.
Brull, _Enstehung und ursprunglicher Inhalt des Traktates Abot_, in
_Jahrbucher fur Jud. Geschichte und Lit._, VII (1885).
Danziger, _Jewish Forerunners of Christianity_ (New York, 1903).
Dukes, _Rabbinische Blumenlese_ (Leipzig, 1844), pp. 67-84.
Friedlander, M. _The Jewish Religion_ (London, 1902).
Friedlander, G., _The Jewish Sources of the Sermon on the Mount_
(London, 1911).
Geiger, _Judaism and its History_ (New York, 1911).
Graetz, _History of the Jews_.
Herford, _Pharasaism_ (London, 1912).
Hoffmann, _Die erste Mischna und die Contraversen der Tannaim_
(Berlin, 1882).
Isaacs, _Stories from the Rabbis_ (New York, 1893).
_Jewish Encyclopedia_.
Josephus, _Antiquities_.
Jung, _Kritik der samtlichen Bucher Aboth in der althebraischen
Literatur_ (Leipzig, 1888).
Lazarus, _The Ethics of Judaism_ (Philadelphia, 1900).
Loeb, (1) _La Chaine de la Tradition dans le premier Chapitre des
Pirke Abot_, in _Bibliotheque de l'ecole des hautes Etudes, Sciences
religeuses_, vol. I, pp. 307-322 (Paris, 1889).
(2) _Notes sur le chapitre Ier des Perke Abot_, in _Revue des
Etudes Juives_, Vol. XIX (1889), pp. 188-201.
Mielziner, (1) _Introduction to the Talmud_, second edition (New York,
1903).
(2) Articles _Abot_ and _Abot de-R. Natan_, in _Jewish
Encyclopedia_.
Myers, _The Story of the Jewish People_, I (New York and London,
1909).
Schechter, _Some Aspects of Rabbinic Theology_ (New York, 1909).
Schurer, _Some Aspects of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus
Christ_ (27) (New York, 1891), I, i, p. 124; I, ii, p. 353 _et seq_.;
III, ii, p. 30 _et seq_.
(27) Contains very full bibliographies and has other excellent
characteristics, but it is a work that must be used with
caution. Its chief fault, according to Schechter, is that it
is one of a class of works in which "no attempt is made . . .
to gain acquaintance with the inner life of the Jewish nation"
(_Studies_, II, pp. 119-120).
Strack, _Einleitung in den Talmud_, fourth edition (Leipzig, 1908).
Zunz, (1) _Die Gottesdienstlichen Vortrage der Juden_ (Berlin, 1832),
p. 101 _et seq_.
(2) _Die Ritus des Synagogalen Gottesdienstes_ (Berlin, 1859).
SAYINGS OF THE FATHERS
_One of the following chapters is read on each Sabbath from the
Sabbath after Passover until the Sabbath before New Year._
All Israel (1) have a portion in the world to come, and it is said,
"And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land
(2) for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I
may be glorified" (3).
(1) This does not mean that Israel alone, to the exclusion of
other nations, will have a portion in the future world. On
the future world ([olam haba]), see [Chapter II], n. 21. "The
pious of all nations have a portion in the world to come"
(_Tosefta Sanhedrin_, chap. XII; Maimonides, in _Mishneh
Torah_, I, _Hilchot Teshubah_, iii, 5) sums up the Rabbinic
opinion.
(2) _I.e._, the land of everlasting life.
(3) _Sanhedrin_, X (XI), 1; Isaiah lx, 21. This passage is
recited before each chapter.
CHAPTER I
1. Moses received the _Torah_ (4) from Sinai (5), and handed it down
to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders (6), and the elders to the
prophets, and the prophets delivered it to the men of the Great
Synagogue (7). They said three things, "Be deliberate in judgment;
raise up many disciples; and make a fence about the _Torah_" (8).
(4) The word _Torah_ is usually translated by "law," but it
means rather "teaching," "instruction" of any kind, or
"doctrine." This term is generally used to designate the
_Five Books of Moses_ or the _Pentateuch_, called the "written
law" ([torah shebichtav]), but it is also employed as a
designation of the whole of the Old Testament. Besides the
"written law," according to tradition, there was also
communicated to Moses, on Mt. Sinai, the "oral law" ([torah
she'b'al peh]), supplementing the former and other laws and
maxims, and explaining it. This "oral law" was handed down by
word of mouth from generation to generation, but subsequently,
after the destruction of the second Temple, it was committed
to writing, and constitutes the _Mishnah_, the _Talmud_, and
the _Midrashim_. The "oral law" develops, illuminates, and
comments upon the "written law." Here, _Torah_ means the
"oral law," which Moses communicated to Joshua, Joshua, in
turn, to the elders, and so on. See Taylor, _Sayings of the
Jewish Fathers_, p. 105 _et seq._, and 134-135; Friedlander,
_The Jewish Religion_, p. 136 _et seq._; _Jewish
Encyclopedia_, arts. _Law and Oral Law;_ Schechter, _Some
Aspects of Rabbinic Theology_, Chapter VIII; Strack,
_Einleitung_, pp. 9-10, and Herford, _Pharisaism_, chapter on
"the Theory of Torah," p. 57 _et seq._
(5) _I.e._, from God. Compare the expression [halacha l'moshe
misinai], "the law to Moses from Sinai (God)," _Peah_, II, 6,
_Eduyot_, VIII, 7, etc.
(6) The elders were the wise men who were the members of the
supreme national tribunal. See Joshua XXIV, 31.
(7) The Great Synagogue, whose establishment, after the return
from Babylonian captivity, tradition attributes to Ezra the
Scribe, consisted of 120 men, who comprised the highest
judicial tribunal, and who occupied a position in the early
days of the Temple similar to that of the later _Sanhedrin_.
The historical foundation of this tradition is Nehemiah
VIII-X, in which is recounted the solemn acceptance of the Law
by a great assembly of the people. The men of the Great
Synagogue appear here in _Abot_ as the depositaries of the
tradition of the _Torah_, coming in the chain between the last
prophets and the earliest scribes. From this chapter and
other Rabbinical sources, we gather that the men of the Great
Synagogue constituted a sort of college of teachers, one of
the last survivors being Simon, the Just (Chapter I, 2).
Their work was to interpret, teach, and develop the _Torah_,
and to them were ascribed all kinds of legal enactments. They
instituted the _Shemoneh Esrah_ (the Eighteen Benedictions)
and other prayers, and cast the entire ritual into definite
shape. They admitted _Proverbs_, the _Song of Songs_, and
_Ecclesiastes_ into the Old Testament canon. A number of
modern scholars, notably Kuenen, are of the opinion that this
body never existed in the form represented by Jewish tradition
(see Schurer, _History_, I, ii, pp. 354-355). On the
controversy regarding the existence of the Great Synagogue see
Schechter, _Studies_, II, 105-106. Consult Taylor, _ibid._,
pp. 110-111; Graetz, _History of the Jews_, vol. I, p. 381,
394, vol. II, p. 19. For further bibliography, see Strack,
_Spruche_, p. 11. See especially Herford, _Pharisaism_. pp.
18-28.
(8) Take measures to prevent the breaking of any of the divine
precepts. Thereby, certain things which are in themselves
lawful are prohibited in order to enforce the observance of
things the doing of which is unlawful. Compare Leviticus
XVIII, 30, "make a _mishmeret_ to my _mishmeret_" (_Yabamot_,
21a), and _Abot_, III, 17, "the _Massorah_ is a fence to the
_Torah_."
2. Simon, the Just (9), was of the last survivors of the Great
Synagogue. He used to say, "Upon three things the world rests: upon
the _Torah_, upon the Temple service (10), and upon the doing of acts
of kindness" (11).
(9) Simon, the Just, son of Onias, was high-priest about 300
B.C.E. See Josephus, _Antiquities_, XII, ii, 5. Consult
Sammter, _Mischnaioth Ordnung Zeraim_ (Berlin, 1887),
_Introduction_, pp. 10-22; Meilziner, _Introduction to the
Talmud_, pp. 22-39; the _Jewish Encyclopedia_, and Strack,
_Einleitung_, p. 82 _et seq._, for the lives of the
authorities mentioned in _Abot_ and for bibliographies.
(10) Cf. _Nedarim_, 32b, "Great is the _Torah_, for if it did
not exist, the heaven and the earth would have no permanence."
_Abodah_ is the service and sacrifice of the Temple which was
then standing. After the destruction of the Temple, this word
was used to designate the service of prayer. It is used in
one of the benedictions after the reading of the _Haftarah_:
_al ha-torah we-al ha-abodah_, "for the law and for the divine
service," see _Prayer-book_, ed. Singer, p. 149. See
Friedlander, _ibid._, p. 413 _et seq._
(11) [g'milut chasadim] "benevolence," "the doing of
kindnesses," consists of practical deeds of personal service,
as visiting the sick, burying the dead, comforting mourners,
peacemaking, etc. It is greater than [tzedakah] "charity" in
its narrower sense, as benevolence may be shown to the rich as
well as to the poor. See Friedlander, _ibid._, pp. 301-305.
On this verse, see Herford, _ibid._, p. 22 _et seq._
3. Antigonus of Soko (12) received (the tradition) from Simon, the
Just. He used to say, "Be not like hirelings who work for their
master for the sake of receiving recompense; but be like servants who
minister to their master without any thought of receiving a reward;
and let the fear of Heaven (13) be upon you."
(12) According to _Abot de-Rabbi Natan_, Chapter V, ed.
Schechter, p. 26, Antigonus had two disciples, Zadok and
Boethos, from whom arose the Sadducees and the heretical sect
of Boethusians, from their misinterpretation of this verse,
both denying the doctrines of immortality of the soul and
resurrection. Se Kohut, _The Ethics of the Fathers_, p. 43;
Schurer, _History_, II, ii. p. 29 _et seq._; Geiger, _Judaism
and Its History_, p. 99 _et seq._; and _Jewish Encyclopedia_,
arts. _Boethusians_ and _Sadducees_.
(13) "The fear of Heaven" does not mean dread of punishment,
but rather awe at the greatness and might of God, and is
identical with love and service (see Deuteronomy, VI, 13 and
X, 12). It is produced by following out the practices
ordained in the _Torah_ (Maimonides, _Guide for the
Perplexed_, ed. Friedlander, p. 392). Consult Friedlander,
_Jewish Religion_, pp. 273-274, the _Jewish Encyclopedia_,
art. _Fear of God_, and Schechter, _Aspects_, p. 72.
4. Jose, the son of Joezer, of Zeredah, and Jose, the son of Jochanan
(14), of Jerusalem received (the tradition) from them (15). Jose, the
son of Joezer, of Zeredah said, "Let thy house be a meeting-place for
the wise; cover thyself with the dust of their feet (16), and drink in
their words with thirst."
(14) In _Chagigah_, II, 2, we are told that when two leading
teachers are named in the _Mishnah_ as having received the
_Torah_, they constitute a "pair" ([zug]), the first being the
president([nasi]), and the second the vice-president ([av beit
din]) of the _Sanhedrin_. There were five pairs of such
teachers, flourishing between 170 and 30 B.C.E., the first
being Jose b. Joezer and Jose b. Jochanan, and the last being
Hillel and Shammai. See Frankel, _Monatschrift_, 1852, pp.
405-421, Mielziner, _Introduction_, pp. 22-23, and Strack,
_Spruche_, p. 13.
(15) Some texts read "from him" ([mimenu]). "From them" must
refer to disciples of Antigonus whose sayings have been lost.
(16) It was the custom of pupils to sit at the feet of their
teachers.
5. Jose, the son of Jochanan, of Jerusalem said, "Let thy house be
open wide; let the poor be members of thy household, and engage not in
much gossip with woman." This applies to one's own wife; how much
more (17), then, to the wife of one's neighbor? Hence the sages say,
"Whoso engages in much gossip with woman brings evil upon himself,
neglects the study of the _Torah_, and will in the end inherit
_gehinnom_" (18).
(17) On the _kalwa-chomer_, "a conclusion _a minori ad
majus_," see Meilziner, _Introduction to the Talmud_, p. 130
_et seq._, and Strack, _Einleitung in den Talmud_, p. 120.
Cf. Chapter VI, 3. The equivalent biblical expression is [af
ki].
(18) [gey-hinim (gimil-yud hey-nun-yud-mem(sofit))], [gei
ben-hinim], a glen south of Jerusalem where Moloch was
worshipped, whence a place where the wicked were punished in
the hereafter; "hell, being the opposite of 'the Garden of
Eden,'" "paradise." Cf. chapter V, 22 and 23. See
Friedlander, _Jewish Religion_, p. 223.
6. Joshua, the son of Perachyah, and Nittai, the Arbelite, received
(the tradition) from them. Joshua, the son of Perachyah, said,
"Provide thyself with a teacher, and possess thyself of a companion
(19); and judge every man in the scale of merit."
(19) A fellow-student.
7. Nittai, the Arbelite, said, "Keep aloof from a bad neighbor (20);
associate not with the wicked, and abandon not the belief in
retribution" (21).
(20) Cf. chapter II, 14.
(21) This may mean either that one must not imagine that
punishment for evil deeds will not befall him, or when
punishment has been meted out, one must not despair of the
good.
8. Judah, the son of Tabbi, and Simeon, the son of Shatach (22),
received (the tradition) from them. Judah, the son of Tabbi, said,
"(In the judge's office) act not the counsel's part (23); while the
litigants are standing before thee, let them be regarded by thee as
guilty, but when they are departed from thy presence, regard them as
innocent, the verdict having been acquiesced in by them."
(22) Lived about 104-69 B.C.E. He was a leader of the
Pharisees at the time of Alexander Jannaeus.
(23) A judge should be strictly impartial.
9. Simeon, the son of Shatach, said, "Be very searching in the
examination of witnesses (24), and be guarded in thy words, lest
through them they learn to lie."
(24) It is related that the son of Simeon b. Shatach was
innocently condemned to death, because the witnesses were not
carefully cross-questioned.
10. Shemaiah and Abtalion (25) received (the tradition) from them.
Shemaiah said, "Love work; hate lordship (26); and seek no intimacy
with the ruling power" (27).
(25) Lived about the middle of the first century B.C.E.
(26) "Woe to leadership, for it buries those who possess it."
(_Pesachim_, 87b).
(27) That is, Rome. Avoid office seeking.
11. Abtalion said, "Ye sages, be heedful of your words, lest ye incur
the penalty of exile and be exiled to a place of evil waters, and the
disciples who come after you drink thereof and die, and the Heavenly
Name be profaned" (28).
(28) Scholars must be careful in their teachings, lest their
disciples misinterpret their words, and thus adopt false
doctrines, as was the case with the disciples of Antigonus of
Soko (_Supra_, n. 12). "Evil waters" may stand for evil
doctrines or evil people. When a teacher went into
banishment, he was usually followed by his disciples.
Departure from the law is equivalent to death.
12. Hillel and Shammai (29) received (the tradition) from them.
Hillel said, "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing
peace (30), loving mankind and drawing them night to the _Torah_"
(31). 13. He used to say, "A name made great is a name destroyed
(32); he who does not increase (his knowledge) decreases (it); and he
who does not study deserves to die; and he who makes a worldly use of
the crown (of the _Torah_) shall waste away." 14. He used to say, "If
I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I care for myself
only, what am I? (33). And if not now, when?"
(29) Hillel and Shammai, the most renowned of the "pairs"
([zugot]), lived about 100 years before the destruction of the
Temple. Each was the founder of a school, _Bet Hillel_ and
_Bet Shammai_, being generally opposed to one another in the
interpretation of the _Torah_. Hillel was the embodiment of
humility, gentleness, and kindness; Shammai was irritable, and
lacked gentleness and patience. The former's most celebrated
saying is, "What is hateful to thee do not do unto thy fellow
man; this is the whole _Torah_, the rest is mere commentary."
See Bacher, _Agada der Tanaiten_; Schurer, _History_, I, ii,
p. 359 _et seq._; Myers, _story of the Jewish People_, I, p.
136 _et seq._; geiger, _Judaism and its History_, p. 113 _et
seq._
(30) Psalm XXIV, 15: "Seek peace and pursue it."
(31) Draw men to the _Torah_ by good example, not by
endeavoring to make converts.
(32) He who seeks a name loses fame.
(33) Be self-reliant, but not selfish.
15. Shammai said, "Set a fixed time for thy (study of) _Torah;_ say
little and do much (34); and receive all men with a cheerful
countenance."
(34) Or "promise little." Be like Abraham, who promised only
bread, but brought a "calf tender and good" (Genesis XVIII, 5
and 7).
16. Rabban (35) Gamaliel said, "Provide thyself with a teacher; be
quit of doubt (36); and accustom not thyself to give tithes (37) by a
conjectural estimate."
(35) "Our teacher," "our master," a title given only to the
presidents of the _Sanhendrin_, Gamaliel being the first to be
thus known. Gamaliel was a grandson of Hillel and a teacher
of Paul. See Strack, _Einleitung_, p. 85.
(36) Establish over you the authority of a teacher, to hold
you from the clutch of doubt (Kohut).
(37) There were three kinds of tithes (the tenth part of
anything): (a) "the first tithe" (_maaser rishon), given to
the Lebites; "the second tithe" (_maaser sheni_), taken to
Jerusalem and consumed there by the owner and his family; and
(c) the tithe paid to the poor (_maaser ani_). See Leviticus
XXVII, 30 _et seq._, Numbers XVIII, 21-24, and Deuteronomy
XIV, 22-29; also _Tractates Maasrot_ and _Maaser Sheni_ of the
_Mishnah_. Consult Babbs, _The Law of Tithes_.
17. Simeon (38) his son, said, "All my days I have grown up amongst
the wise, and I have found nothing better for man than silence (39);
not learning but doing is the chief thing (40); and whoso multiplies
words causes sin" (41).
(38) Simeon beg Gamaliel I lived at the time of the war with
Rome. See Josephus, _Jewish Wars_, IV, 3, 9.
(39) Cf. chapter III, 17.
(40) Where words fail, deeds tell. _Non scholae sed vitae_.
(41) Cf. Proverbs X, 19.
18. Rabban Simeon, the son of Gamaliel (42) said, "By three things is
the world preserved (43); by truth, by judgment, and by peace, as it
is said, 'Judge ye the truth and the judgment of peace in your gates'"
(44).
(42) Rabban Simeon II, son of Gamaliel II (80-115 C.E.) and
grandson of Simeon (verse 17).
(43) Cf. chapter I, 2. _Torah_, Temple service, and
benevolence are the foundations and, at the same time, the
aims of the world. Truth, judgment, and peace maintain the
world's permanency.
(44) Zechariah VIII, 16.
Rabbi Chanania (45), the son of Akashia, said, "The Holy One, blessed
be He, was pleased to make Israel worthy; wherefore He gave them a
copious _Torah_ and many commandments, as it is said, 'It pleased the
Lord, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify the _Torah_ and make it
honorable'" (46).
(45) This saying did not belong originally to _Abot_, but was
taken from _Makkot_, III, 16. According to Goldschmidt, it
was introduced into the _Mishnah_ from the separate editions,
and then found its way into the Talmudical texts of _Abot_.
This verse is recited at the end of each chapter. See Rawicz,
_Commentor des Maimonides_, p. 114, n. 1.
(46) Isaiah, xlii, 21.