Torah Community Connections

Week 138 - Monday - 15 July 2002

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 5: MISHNAH 18

He who leads the multitude to virtue, no sin shall come to pass through him; but he who leads the many to sin, shall not be granted the means to repent. Moses was virtuous and he led the many to virtue; the virtue of the many is attributed to him, as it is written (Deut. 33:21): "He executed the Lord's judgments and His ordinances with Israel." Jeroboam sinned and led the many to sin; the sin of the many is attributed to him, as it is written(I Kings. 15:30): "For the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he caused Israel to sin."

Kehati

This Mishnah teaches us how great is the reward of one who prompts others to choose the path of righteousness and how great the punishment of one who lures people to sin.

He who leads the multitude to virtue - by teaching them Torah and morality and thereby sets them on the right course in life, no sin shall come to pass through him - Providence prevents him from stumbling into sin, "lest he find himself in Gehinnom (Hell) while his disciples reach Gan Eden (Paradise)" (Yoma 87a); but he who leads the many to sin - enticing them to flout the Divine precepts and leading them astray, shall not be granted the means to repent - he is not assisted by Providence to repent, "lest he reach Gan Eden while his disciples are consigned to Gehinnom" (ibid.).

According to Rambam the privilege of free will is withdrawn from him and he is thus prevented from repenting, so that he might receive due punishment. Thus in Avot de Rabbi Natan (Chapt. 40): He who leads the multitude to virtue, no sin is allowed to occur through him, lest his disciples inherit the world-to-come while he descends to Sheol, as it is written(Ps. 16: 10): "For You will not abandon my soul to the nether-world neither will You suffer Your faithful servants to see the pit;" meaning, God will not allow me to fall into sin, and thus be doomed to Hell, and will not allow the "faithful servants" i.e., my disciples whom I enabled to reach Paradise, to see me in the abode of the dammed (Tosefot Yom Tov). And he who leads the people to sin, is not granted the opportunity to repent, lest his disciples descend to the nether-world while he inherits the life everlasting, as it is written(Prov. 28:17): "A man that is laden with the blood of any person, shall hasten his steps into the pit; none will support him;" meaning, whoever is guilty of ruining another man's soul, none will support him to prevent his fall; rather, he will be allowed to sink into the pit of hell (Rashi. Yoma 87a).

Moses was virtuous - he achieved the highest degree of human perfection in both the intellectual and executive spheres, and led the many to virtue - by teaching Israel the Torah and its precepts, whereby they attained the rank of a chosen people; therefore, the virtue of the many - who fulfill the Divine commandments, is attributed to him - as if he himself took part in the fulfillment of all these mitzvot. as it is written: "He executed the Lord's judgments and His ordinances with Israel" - meaning that he completed and fulfilled the whole Torah, he and all Israel with him (Hameiri). Jeroboam sinned - by making the golden calves and addressing the children of Israel: "You have gone up long enough to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (I Kings. 12:28), and led the many to sin - that of bowing down to the calves and worshipping idols, the sin of the many is attributed to him - as if he himself had perpetrated all their vices, as it is written: "For the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he caused Israel to sin" - it is not written: For the sins of Jeroboam and Israel. but rather, For the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned and wherewith he made... to teach us that all these evils were attributed to Jeroboam (Bartenura).

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 5: MISHNAH 19

He who has the following three attributes is of the disciples of our father Abraham but he who has three other attributes is of the disciples of Balaam the wicked. A good eye, and a humble spirit, and a lowly soul, mark the disciples of our father, Abraham. An evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a proud soul, mark the disciples of Balaam the wicked. How do the disciples of our father Abraham differ from the disciples of Balaam the wicked? The disciples of our father Abraham partake of this world and inherit the world-to-come, as it is written (Prov. 8:21): "That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance, and that I may fill their treasuries;" but the disciples of Balaam the wicked inherit Gehinnom and descend into the pit of destruction, as it is said (Ps. 55,24): "But You, O God, will bring them down into the nethermost pit; men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days, but as for me, I will trust in You."

Kehati

He who has the following three attributes - specified below, is of the disciples of our father Abraham - who emulate his qualities and follow in his footsteps; but he who has three other attributes - listed below, which are the reverse of the previously listed characteristics, is of the disciples of Balaam the wicked - who appropriate his pernicious ways.

He who has a good eye - is satisfied with his portion and happy with his lot; and a humble spirit - full of humility, and a lowly soul - that avoids the enticements and luxuries of this world, mark the disciples of our father, Abraham - who excelled in all these qualities: a good eye - as is evident in his statement to the king of Sodom (Gen. 14:23): "That I will not take a thread, nor a shoelatchet, nor anything that is yours;" a humble spirit - as reflected in (Gen. 18:27): "for I am but dust and ashes;" and a lowly soul - as shown in what he said to his wife, Sarah (Gen. 12:11): "Behold, now I know you are a fair woman to look upon," which meant, according to the Midrash, that until that time he had not looked upon her. There are several other verses testifying to Abraham's moral superiority, as outlined above. The three qualities enumerated are the reverse of envy, lust and honor which, according to Rabbi Eliezer HaKappar, take a man out of the world (see above, Chapt. 4:21). Thus, one who has a good eye is happy with his portion, and free of envy; one who has a humble spirit does not seek honor; and he who has a lowly soul will not be ruled by his physical passions (Hida quoting Minhat Avot).

On the other hand, one who has an evil eye - that lusts after gain, he is full of greed and he begrudges the possessions of others, a haughty spirit - full of arrogance, and a proud soul - enslaved by lust. These characteristics mark the disciples of Balaam the wicked - who possessed these evil qualities: An evil eye - overflowing with greed prompted him to curse Israel, as Rashi explains the verse (Num. 22:18): "if Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold," - this reveals an arrogant soul, coveting the riches of others; a haughty spirit - as borne out by the reference to himself (Num. 24:16): "The saying of him who hears the words of God, and the knowledge of the Most High;" and a proud soul- filled with lust, hence his suggestion that the daughters of Moav resort to harlotry, which revealed his own corrupt character; for a man always directs and counsels others on the basis of his own character and mentality," for the virtuous do not propagate evil, they rather warn against it; but the Scripture says(Num. 31:16): "Behold, these caused the children of Israel (to rebel) through the counsel of Balaam" i.e., it was at the prompting and advice of Balaam that they (the Moabites) surrendered their daughters to sin (Rambam).

How do the disciples of our father, Abraham, differ from the disciples of Balaam the wicked? - what is the reward gained by the disciples of Abraham and the punishment meted out to the disciples of Balaam? The disciples of our father, Abraham, partake of this world - they enjoy the fruits of their charitable deeds upon earth, and inherit the world-to-come - where they gain their full reward, as it is written: "That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance, and that I may fill their treasuries." - Those that love me refers to the disciples of Abraham, who was called a lover, as in (Is. 41:8): "the seed of Abraham, who loves me;" and Scripture states: To cause them to inherit substance (yesh) in the world-to-come (yesh denotes something permanent), from which our Sages learned that God will present each righteous person with three hundred and ten (the numerical equivalent of yesh) worlds. This means that the joy and bliss reserved for each righteous person in heaven outweighs the value of earthly life 310 times (Bartenura); the closing phrase of this verse and that I may fill their treasuries refers to life in this world.

But the disciples of Balaam the wicked inherit Gehinnom - in this life (Tosefot Yom Tov), and descend into the pit of destruction - in the world-to-come, as it is said: "But You O God, will bring them down into the nethermost pit; men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days, but as for me, I will trust in You" - Balaam is called a man of blood because his counsel caused the destruction of twenty-four thousand Israelites, and a man of deceit for devising evil schemes (Rambam). Hence, his disciples are also called men of blood and deceit, concerning whom it is written: bring them dawn into the nethermost pit - in the world-to-come, and they shall not live out half their days - upon earth.

Return to Mishna Yomit Index

Visit the Mishna Yomit Archives