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Week 134 - Friday - 21 June 2002

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 3: MISHNAH 10

He used to say: He in whom the mind of mankind finds pleasure, in him the mind of G-d finds pleasure; but he in whom the mind of mankind finds no pleasure, in him the mind of G-d finds no pleasure. Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas said: Morning sleep, and midday wine, and children's talk, and sitting in the houses of assembly of the ignorant - drive a man out of the world.

Kehati

Whereas in the preceding Mishnah Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa dwells on the nature of human wisdom, he here points out that it is man's character and behavior, which determine how both God and people relate to him.

He - Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, used to say: He in whom the mind of mankind finds pleasure - whose deeds gratify society, in him the mind of G-d finds pleasure - because the name of Heaven is sanctified and enhanced by him. But he in whom the mind of mankind finds no pleasure - whose offensive character evokes general hatred, in him the mind of G-d finds no pleasure - because the Name of Heaven is desecrated by him. Thus we read (Yoma 86a): "He who studies Torah and Mishnah, serves upon Torah scholars, addresses people pleasantly, and deals honestly - what do men say of him? Happy is he who studied Torah; happy is his father who taught him Torah; happy is his teacher who taught him Torah... Behold, how pleasant are his ways and how perfect his deeds! Of Him Scripture says (Is. 49:3): And He said: 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.' But he who studies Torah and Mishnah, and serves upon Torah scholars, but does not deal honestly, nor speaks to people in a pleasant manner - what do men say of him? Woe to him who studied Torah; woe to his father who taught him Torah; woe to his teacher who taught him Torah. Behold, how perverse are his deeds, and how ugly his ways! And of him Scripture says (Ezek. 36:20): 'They profaned My holy Name; in that men said of them: These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land"'

Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas - a contemporary of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai; said: Morning sleep - indulged in by the lazy, when it is time to rise and serve the Creator, to read the Shema and to pray; and midday wine - which befuddles the mind and causes drunkenness; and children's talk - an enjoyable, but time-consuming diversion; and sitting in the houses of assembly of the ignorant - to join in their idle talk; all these things drive a man out of the world. In the previous chapter (Mishnah 11) we learned: An evil eye and an evil urge and hatred of mankind take a man out of the world. Those three dispositions, listed by Rabbi Yehoshua, are negative in principle, even physically hurtful, shortening man's life upon earth. However, the four things listed in the present Mishnah, are in themselves welcome and gratifying to the body, but they are detrimental to the soul; and when a man pursues luxuries and vulgarities habitually, he destroys his world with his own hands (Rashbatz).

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 3: MISHNAH 11

Rabbi Eleazar of Modin said: He who profanes the sacred things, and he who despises the festivals, and he who shames his fellow in public, and he who violates the covenant of our father Abraham (peace be upon him), and he who interprets the Torah not according to the Halakhah, even though he may boast of Torah knowledge and good deeds, he has no portion in the world-to-come.

Kehati

Rabbi Eleazar who hailed from Modin, the Hasmonean stronghold, is mentioned nowhere else in the Mishnah. He was known principally as a master of aggadah (Rabbinic lore), and as an outstanding interpreter of Scriptures. Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh, who admired him in this capacity, would say: "We still require the services of the Modinite." (Shab. 55b; Meg. 15b, et al.). Rabbi Eleazar was the uncle of Bar Kokhba, and a major supporter of the Jewish revolt against Rome. However, eventually, during the siege of Betar, Bar Kokhba suspected him of readiness to make peace with the enemy, and killed him (see Ekhah Rabba, Chap. 2). In the present Mishnah, Rabbi Eleazar the Modinite points out five sins which deprive the transgressor of his share in the world-to-come

Rabbi Eleazar of Modin said: He who profanes the sacred things - who causes objects sanctified for Temple use to become ritually impure; or fraudulently puts them to his private use; or causes them to become defective, or takes them beyond their prescribed boundaries (the most sacred items, outside the Temple courtyard; items of lesser holiness, beyond Jerusalem) - all these trespasses are covered by the phrase, profanes the sacred things; both things dedicated for sacrifice on the altar, or donations for the upkeep of the Temple building; such wanton acts of desecration denote a negation of the sanctity of these objects, and a denial of their subjection to the authority of G-d (Rambam, Sefer Hama'or); and he who despises the festivals - i.e., the Intermediate Days (of Pesach and Sukkot - tr.) by performing work that can be postponed without incurring an irretrievable loss; or if he dresses, eats, and drinks as if they were ordinary days; and he who shames his fellow in public - lit. causes his face to "blanch" after blushing, as our Sages put it (B.M 58b): "Redness departs and paleness comes on," and they added (Ber. 43b): "It is far better for a man to throw himself into a fiery furnace, than to shame another's face in public," lit. whiten his face, as though spilling his blood; and he who violates the covenant of our father Abraham (peace be upon him) - i.e., fails to circumcise his son, or himself it he was not circumcised in his childhood; or who stretches his foreskin to disguise circumcision; and he who interprets (lit. reveals aspects in - tr.) the Torah not according to the Halakhah - this recalls the phrase, There are seventy aspects to the Torah, i.e., one who interprets the Torah improperly e.g., claiming to know the mysteries of the Torah, whereby the plain text of Scriptures with its Divine ordinances is reduced to a symbolic lesson. Thus, the Biblical prohibition of pork would not signify an actual ban on pig meat; the Torah merely employed a metaphor to signal its condemnation of unethical and uncouth behavior. This approach denotes radical heresy, for granting the mystical aspects of the mitzvot, their essence is undoubtedly to be found in the plain connotation of the text. Indeed, it is impossible to plumb the spiritual depths of a mitzvah without actually performing it in accordance with the plain text (Hameiri). Alternatively, the revealing of aspects in the Torah in opposition to the Halakhah denotes actual violation of the precepts of the Torah in public, the most brazen form of heresy, as it is written (Num. 15:30): "But the person who acts defiantly... reviles the Lord" (Rambam).

Whoever commits one of these sins even though he may boast of Torah knowledge and good deeds, if he fails to repent (Bartenura), he has no portion in the world-to-come - because these transgressions are extremely severe, for whereas in the case of other trespasses a man might justify his behavior by claiming that he succumbed to passion, these offenses denote a gross defiance of and disregard for the word of G-d. In the words of our Sages (Sanh. 99a): "'Because he has despised the word of the Lord' (Num. 15:31) - this refers to one who interprets (lit. reveals aspects in) the Torah not according to the Halakhah, 'and has broken His commandment' (ibid.) - this refers to one who violates the covenant of the flesh (circumcision - tr.), 'that person shall be utterly cut off (hikkaret tikkaret)' (ibid.) - hikkaret (inf.) in this world, and tikkaret (fut.) in the world-to-come." Here is the source of Rabbi Eleazar the Modinite's assertion that the perpetrator of the above transgressions forfeits his share in the world-to-come.

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