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Pirkei Avos
Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Pirkei Avos 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 rather than G-d’s role as the giver of the Torah? It could have said, “G-d gave the Torah to Moses...” Pirkei Avos 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 through Moses and subsequent generations—contains three inaugural teachings that were imparted to us by the Men of the Great… Pirkei Avos 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 subsequent periods until it reached the Men of the Great Assembly, whose ethical teachings are the first to be mentioned in this… Pirkei Avos 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 Sinai, was transmitted by him to Joshua etc. The Mishnah then details three ethical directives that were authored by the Men of the… Pirkei Avos 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, commentators ask, was it necessary to stress that Moses received the Torah and that he received it at Sinai? Wouldn’t it have been more… Pirkei Avos 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 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 Assembly. And second, the three maxims of the Men of the Great Assembly: “Be deliberate in judgment, raise many students and make a… Pirkei Avos 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 at Mount Sinai and he, in turn, transmitted it to Joshua. From Joshua it was passed on to the elders, from the elders to the… Pirkei Avos 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 with a list of recipients of Torah and how it paws passed on from Moses—who received it at Sinai—to Joshua, and from Joshua to the… Pirkei Avos 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 received it from Sinai and had then transmitted it to subsequent generations until it reached the Men of the Great Assembly. The… Pirkei Avos 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. Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Attributes of the Soul Pirkei Avos essentially comprises five chapters. Chapter number six, which is in actuality a Beraisa, was added as an appendix to Avos. The Holiday of Shavuos, which received its name from the Biblical phrase “seven weeks you shall count” follows the six weeks of recitation of… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Dual Preparations There are two customs concerning the recitation of Pirkei Avos: The first is to recite it every Shabbos between the Holidays of Passover and Shavuos. The alternate custom is to continue saying it throughout the Sabbaths of the summer up until Rosh Hashanah. Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Prelude to Sinai It is a well-known practice throughout the Jewish community to recite and study the Talmudic treatise known either as Avos (Fathers) or Pirkei Avos (Chapters of the Fathers) between the two festivals of Passover and Shavuos. Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Preparation for Shavuos One of the reasons for reciting Pirkei Avos between Passover and Shavuos is to provide us with a means to prepare for the giving of the Torah during the Festival of Shavuos. By learning the instructions contained in this tractate that is devoted to “ethics and [refinement] of… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Sabbatical Ethics The universal custom is to recite and study Pirkei Avos on the Sabbaths between Passover and Shavuos, while others continue to recite it throughout the Sabbath of the summer. The common denominator of all the customs is that it is recited only on Shabbos. The question arises,… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Preparation for the Future The season for reciting Pirkei Avos every Sabbath begins on the very first Shabbos following Passover in the (end of the) month of Nissan, the “month of Redemption” One can find a connection between the recitation of Pirkei Avos and the future Redemption. Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Taste of Sinai One of the reasons given for the study of Avos after Passover is that the study and implementation of the ideals of Avos serves as a preparation for the receiving of the Torah on Shavuos. One may add the following point: This function of the study of Avos as a preparation for… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – The Aleph, Beis, Gimmel of Judaism Pirkei Avos is punctuated with teachings that revolve around the number three. However, the three-fold nature of Avos is actually rooted in the very nature of Torah itself. The Talmud states: “Blessed is the Merciful one Who gave a three-fold Torah to a three-fold people,… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Whose Fathers? The name. Avos literally means fathers, which begs the question, why would the rabbis of the Talmud name this tractate that deals with ethics, “fathers?” Wouldn’t there be a more suitable name that more clearly describes the content of this book? Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos – Two Dimensions of Avos and Two Lev- Els of Torah Re- Newal The universal custom is to recite Pirkei Avos in the Sabbaths between Passover and Shavuos, while in many communities—and this is also the Chabad custom—it is also recited on all the Sabbaths after Shavuos until Rosh Hashanah. There is a fundamental difference between the…