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Week 134 - Thursday - 20 June 2002

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 3: MISHNAH 8

Rabbi Dostai the son of Rabbi Yannai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: He who forgets a single word of his studies, Scriptures account it unto him as though he transgressed against his own soul, as it is said (Deut. 4:9): "Only take heed to yourself, and guard your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw." Could this be so even if his studies were too hard for him? The Torah therefore states (ibid.): "and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life"; hence he is not guilty against his soul unless he deliberately removes them from his heart.

Kehati

Having been warned in the previous Mishnah against the interruption of Torah study, we are now instructed that it is necessary to rehearse one's lesson until it is well engraved in his memory, for the lapse of but a single item of this sacred study is tantamount to a capital sin. Rabbi Dostai appears to have been a disciple of Rabbi Meir.

Rabbi Dostai the son of Rabbi Yannai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: He who forgets a single word of his studies - by not rehearsing his lessons, even if this affects but one item, Scriptures account it unto him as though he transgressed against his own soul - having been negligent in rehearsal, he evidently does not care whether or not he fully retains his lesson (Tiferet Yisrael). Moreover, he who forgets a single item of his studies, in fact forgets many things, for the principles of the Torah are interconnected (Midrash Sh'muel), as it is said: "Only take heed to yourself, and guard your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw" - this warning could not refer to physical observation, i.e., to the miracles which they had witnessed in the wilderness, for the Torah was given to all Israel, even to those of the latter generations who did not witness the miracles; hence, the instruction obviously refers to intellectual comprehension, and we are exhorted to be most careful not to forget the lessons that we had grasped with our minds (Tiferet Yisrael). Similarly, we are instructed (Sifrei, Ekev): "Just as one must be careful not to lose his coins, so must he be careful not to forfeit his studies, as it is said (Prov. 2:4): 'If you seek her (wisdom) as silver' - just as silver is difficult to come by, so it is difficult to acquire the words of Torah; or does it mean: Just as silver is difficult to lose, so are the words of the Torah? Therefore Scripture says (Job 28:17): 'Gold and glass cannot equal it (the Torah); neither shall its change be vessels of fine gold' – the lessons of the Torah are difficult to acquire like vessels of fine gold, but they are easily lost like vessels of glass. Rabbi Shimon used to say: 'Only take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently' - this recalls the parable of a king who caught a bird and handed it over to his servant, saying: Keep this bird for my son; if you lose it, do not think you have lost a bird of little value, but rather consider it as if you have lost your life."

Could this be so even if his studies were too hard for him? - you might think that even if his lessons were beyond his grasp, and he forgot a part of it unwittingly, that he is also guilty? The Torah therefore states: "and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life"; hence he is not guilty against his soul - this verse teaches us that he is not culpable unless he deliberately removes them from his heart - through wanton neglect of Torah study. If, however, his lapse is involuntary, he is not penalized. Thus we read (Ber. 8b): "Be respectful towards a scholar who has forgotten his learning through the force of circumstances, for it is stated that the fragments of the broken Tablets were placed in the Ark together with the Tablets (of the Ten Commandments, cf. Bava Batra 14b, Menahot 9a, i.e., seeing that even the broken pieces merited the honor of being deposited in the aron hakodesh - tr.).

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 3: MISHNAH 9

Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa said: He whose fear of sin takes precedence over his wisdom, his wisdom endures; but he whose wisdom takes precedence over his fear of sin, his wisdom does not endure. He used to say: He whose deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom endures; but he whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, his wisdom does not endure.

Kehati

Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, a disciple of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, known for his piety and righteousness, was able to perform miracles by the power of his prayers. The Gemara relates (Ber. 34b): "It happened once, when Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa went to learn Torah from Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, that the son of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai fell ill. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Hanina, my son, pray for mercy on my son's behalf, that he may live! Hanina put his head between his knees and prayed for mercy, and the lad lived. Rabban Yohanan said: If ben Zakkai (i.e., himself) had wedged his head between his knees all day long, it would have been of no avail. His wife asked him: Is Hanina greater than you? He said to her: No, but he is like a servant of the king (who has constant access to the king, and his requests are promptly answered), whereas I am like a minister of the king (who does not see him that often)". It is likewise related (Ber. 5:5): "It was told of Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa that he would pray for the sick, and say: This one will live and this one will die. They asked him: How do you know? And he answered: If my prayer is fluent, I know that he (the sick person) is accepted, but if not, I know that he is rejected." Rabbi Hanina's proverbial honesty and his trust in G-d are reflected in the rabbinic utterance (Mekhilta, Yitro):"When the Torah spoke of 'Men of Truth' (Ex. 18:21), it referred to Hanina ben Dosa." The Gemara relates (Ber. 33a): "In a certain place there was once a poisonous lizard which harmed people. They came and told Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa. He said to them: Show me its hole! They showed him its hole. He put his heel over the mouth of the hole, whereupon the lizard came out and bit him, and promptly died. Hanina put the carcass on his shoulder and carried it to the Bet Hamidrash. He said to the students: My sons, it is not the lizard that kills; it is sin that kills. At that incident they said: Woe to the man who is met by a lizard, and woe to the lizard which is met by Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa."

Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa said: He whose fear of sin takes precedence over his wisdom - who considers the fear of sin as the goal of his studies, his wisdom endures - for the knowledge and Torah which he thus acquires animate his character and deeds, as it is written (Ps. 111:10): "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"; but he whose wisdom takes precedence over his fear of sin - who does not study in order to fulfill its teachings, but mainly for the sake of intellectual satisfaction, his wisdom does not endure - without the fear of sin, his learning belies him and is contradicted by his actions, and in the end his insights likewise forsake him. The Rabbis explained that in ordinary life a man might say to his friends: I am rich; I have large quantities of grain, oil and wine. Whereupon his friends reply: Indeed you have everything; but do you possess a storehouse in which to place it all? If not, then you have nothing! Similarly, one who is rich, wise and knowledgeable, but does not fear sin, is left with a void, as it is said (Eccl. 12:13): "The end of the matter all having been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole man."

He - Rabbi Hanina, used to say: He whose deeds exceed his wisdom - whose primary aim is the maximal performance of deeds, his wisdom endures - since it is put into practice, as we explained above. According to Bartenura, Rabbi Hanina's first statement refers to the scrupulous observance of the negative commandments, whereas in the present instance he is concerned with the zealous observance of the positive commandments; but he whose wisdom exceeds his deeds - whoever does not practice what he learns, his wisdom does not endure - when learning does not materialize in the realm of fact, it eventually disintegrates. Others explain: He whose deeds exceed his wisdom - who instructs his public by his personal example rather than by mere words, his wisdom endures -in his audience who take his counsel to heart; but he whose wisdom exceeds his deeds - who does not practice what he so eloquently preaches, his wisdom does not endure - for his advice is rejected (Minhat Shabbat).

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