11 chapters · by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
Essays on Pirkei Avos: Chapter One, Mishnah One
Published by the Jewish Discovery Center. Every chapter is free to read below.
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – A Lesson for Rabbis On the opening words of Avos, “Moses received the Torah from Sinai,” there is a well-known question. Why does it describe Moses’ role as the recipient…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – As It Is Taught in Heaven Pirkei Avos is dedicated to the teaching of ethics. The very first Mishnah—after delineating the order in which the Torah was transmitted from Sinai…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – : Avos According to Pardes Avos begins with an enumeration of the pivotal periods of Torah transmission. Moses received the Torah at Sinai and from there it was passed on to…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Earlier and Later Morality Pirkei Avos begins with a chronology of generations from Moses through the Men of the Great Assembly; how the Torah, which was given to Moses at…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Joining Opposites When the author of the first Mishnah in Avos describes the order of Torah’s transmission it states: Moses received the Torah from Sinai.” Why,…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – One Recipient “Moses received the Torah at Sinai and passed it on to Joshua and Joshua to the elders…”
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Refinement Through Torah When surveying the first Mishnah of Avos we are struck by the way the author combined apparently disparate themes in one Mishnah. The Mishnah begins…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Take and Give The first Mishnah of Avos comprises two themes: First, Moses’ receiving of the Torah and the order of its transmission through the Men of the Great…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – The Five Prerequisites The very first Mishnah of Pirkei Avos delineates the order of the transmission of the Torah. Moses was the first to have received the Torah from G-d…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – The Order of Transmission This Mishnah appears to comprise two distinct themes. The first segment of the Mishnah describes the order of the transmission of the Torah. Moses…
- Pirkei Avos 1:1 – The Prophet Sage When the author of Avos listed the stages of the Torah’s transmission from Moses onwards, it lists the prophets as one of the links in the tradition.