Introduction
What is Pirkei Avot, and why is it interesting?
This tractate of Mishnah is a collection of teachings about Judaism, ethics, and approaches to life. Unlike the majority of the Mishnah, this section is not rooted in specific laws of practice or a holiday but rather something deeper and more foundational.
Because of this unique quality, it is visited and revisited as source material for Jewish thinking.
The Mishnah was compiled in the second century and reflected an early Rabbinic Judaism. As Judaism has evolved and we, as modern readers, reflect on this collection, we can recognize that there are certainly some unsavory ideas and issues to be wrestled with. We do not ignore these issues but tackle them head-on, reinterpreting and drawing on our understanding of the text.
Pirkei Avot is a deep well of Torah to be drawn upon, and I find myself returning to it constantly. And I have not done a deep dive into Pirkei Avot, which is partly why I’ve taken on the project of writing on each one.
Mishnah 1:1
משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה:
Moses received Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and prophets transmitted it to the members of the Great Assembly. They said three things: be patient with judgment, stand up many students, and make a fence for the Torah.
There are two core parts of this initial Mishnah:
The chain of transmission
The three things "they" said
The Chain of Transmission
If we are to imagine writing the first Mishnah of Pirkei Avot, we might want to write an introduction, establish the ground rules, or perhaps state the core principles of the tractate. While it may not seem apparent on its surface, I would argue this is what we see here with this first part of the Mishnah.
The core principle is that we are a part of the transmission and that it extends back to the beginning of Torah itself.
Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai and now it is in our hands.
The trials and tribulations, wins and losses, and challenges each of our ancestors faced bring us to this moment. We are also reminded of our responsibility to continue that transmission and keep the chain going.
Moses on Sinai
The rabbis often use the phrase “from Moses on Sinai” and its many variations to talk about traditions that extend back so far that their source is effectively impossible to find. My favorite example of this is the answer to the question, why are tefillin black? The Talmud answers: “הלכה למשה מסיני, it is a law from when Moses was on Sinai!” In other words, it has always been that way.
This pushes us even further to recognize that the importance of keeping the transmission going is so ancient that it is nearly primordial.
The Three Things “They” Said
The “they” in this sentence isn’t clear in context. We could read it to mean the members of the Great Assembly, or we could read it to represent the entire list of transmitters. I want to propose we understand this teaching as referring to everyone—the whole list, from Moses to our teachers.
They wanted us to understand three things:
Be patient in judgment.
The verb, מתון matoon, denotes a sense of slowness, of patient caution, while דין din denotes strict justice. Together, it is a powerful reminder that we should be thoughtful in how we judge others.
How often do we interact with someone and decide who they are in a split second? How often do we write off someone because of a tiny thing, something they wear or say? We are encouraged to pause, take stock and be thoughtful of our understanding of circumstances and context. And more than that, to be hesitant to judge them harshly.
Stand up many students.
In this part of the Mishnah, we are instructed to “stand up” many students. What does this verb mean? I’ve translated it pretty literally here.
I think this means two things for us:
1. We should strive to teach Torah to as many students as possible. This can be literal text and this can be values rooted in Tradition. There are many manifestations of “Torah.”
2. We should empower those students to understand and live out Torah on their terms. This, a much more challenging task, is recognizing the possibility that your students might disagree with you. And, to the point, “stand” on their own.
Make a fence for the Torah.
Traditionally, this refers to an understanding of creating boundaries around the laws so that we won’t accidentally transgress our obligations. I think this Traditional understanding is valuable. Metaphorically speaking, we want folks to be careful in their actions, for there are lines we don’t wish to cross.
And it is also vital that we reflect on what Torah is being fenced in and why.
Fences can be damaging, used to hurt and harm others and exclude people. Fences can be positive as they provide protection, boundaries, and privacy, all things we value.
The task is to create suitable fences for the right moments and the right reasons.
What do you think?
I think I 100% love all of this, and it also makes me miss translating Post-Rabbinic Lit over Maté with our clunky Lexicons!