Hot answers tagged pirke-avot-ethicsof
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The Rav (ad loc.) explains that these are opposites: One who borrows without repaying doesn't foresee that, therefore, people will refuse to lend to him in the future. R' Shim'on b. N'san'el didn't want to say "one who doesn't see what's coming", explains the Rav, because others who don't see what's coming aren't so bad, as they may be able to get around ...
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Nitei Gavriel cites sources that say that in that case the people in Eretz Yisrael indeed start saying Pirkei Avos on Shabbos the 22nd of Nissan and continue from there, so that they recite the sixth chapter on the sixth Shabbos of the Omer. For the seventh Shabbos, then, they study the first chapter of Maseches Derech Eretz Zuta.
(He actually says ויש ...
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The Baal Shem Tov asked this question (Keser Shem Tov Siman 22, quoted by the Lubavitcher Rebbe here) and answered as follows: The Gemora in Chagiga (3b) says that words of Torah are compared to a plant, for just as a plant grows and increases, so the words of Torah grow and increase. This means that when one teaches a Torah idea to another, he is not ...
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A few answers:
It's to make the simple Jews feel better, knowing that they too have a share in Olam Haba, not just the scholars (Kol Bo, cited in Mateh Moshe 486)
Before studying the maxims for proper behavior in Pirkei Avos, we want to start off by describing the goal towards which these lead us. (R' Moshe Almosnino, cited there)
We recite these chapters ...
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First of all, as @msh210 noted, R' Shimon ben Nesanel cannot have said "someone who does not see the consequences of an action", because that is simply the absence of a good trait, but not necessarily a bad one. It would have been equivalent to if R' Eliezer had said "one who does not have a good eye."
That said, the simplest way to understand R' Shimon's ...
5
Mishnayoth regularly employ a style of continuing a train of thought and then returning to a previous thought. It's actually codified by the Gemara as a standard practice of Mishnah, so much so that laws are derived from the juxtaposition of subject to subject within a Mishnah or adjoining Mishnayoth. See Bab. Berachoth 2a, for example ("תנא פתח בערבית והדר ...
4
In Maseches Kallah Rabosi (4:2) asks similar questions: 1) why does the Mishnah begin with a Golem, he should have begun with the Chochom (7 things of a Chochom and afterwards 7 things of a Golem)? 2) Why does he enumerate the 7 of the Chochom and not the 7 of the Golem?
The Gemara answers: Because he wanted to state the advantages of the Chochom, and the ...
4
The Great Synagogue of Rome still says Pirkei Avot between Mincha and Maariv as a communal liturgical recitation in the summer. Source: I was there once.
In light of edits to question: They did not do it before Aleinu IIRC, but they did do it before they broke for Seudah Shelishit, so I'd say it was still part of the general Mincha service and not part of ...
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Maimonides's commentary on Avos explains that
when someone has a lot of words he will sin, after all, as it's impossible that among his words won't be one word that's inappropriate to say.
He goes on to list five categories of speech: mitzva speech (like Torah study), forbidden speech (like false testimony), inappropriate but not outright forbidden ...
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Several of your questions are answered in "Vedibarta Bam" on Pirkey Avos.
1. Why is it in Aramaic?
Hillel used the Aramaic, the vernacular, in expressing this important
belief in retributive justice, so that it would be understood by the
masses. He felt it important for them to know that if for any reason
whatsoever a murderer or evil-doer is not ...
2
The Radak explains that קדושיו refers to the ascetics of the world, just like a nazir is called "kadosh" for being an ascetic (similar to the language of נזיר אחיו "[Yosef] elevated over his brothers" (ba)). He is telling them not to fear that they will run out of things to feed themselves — fear only G-d.
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I'm not sure if this answers the question, but the Tosafot Yom Tov on the Mishna explains that a Golem is not the opposite of a Chacham.
He (based on the Bartenura) explains that a Golem means something which is formed, but is unfinished. In our case, someone who has intellect and good character, but has not yet completely refined himself (both ...
1
Regarding Pirkei Avos:
Many (including Chabad) continue this chapter-a-week regimen throughout the summer months, until Rosh Hashanah.
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It seems to me that there is no canonical division of mishnayos beyond the level of perek.
My basis for the statement is the way the Gemara handles and speaks of the mishnayos. In the Gemara, the division of the mishnayos is based only on the discussion. At times (ex. the third chapter of Taanis, starting on 18b) the Gemara will have the entire perek of ...
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