Nissan 30, 5771 * May 4, 2011
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E T H I C S O F O U R F A T H E R S
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On The Essence of the Ethics
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Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] would say: Which is the correct path for man to choose? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind...
- Ethics of the Fathers, 2:1
[Rabbon Gamliel the son of Rabbi Judah HaNassi] would say... Make that His will should be your will, so that He should make your will to be as His...
- Ethics of the Fathers, 2:4
* * *
On the surface, Rabbi Judah HaNassi's statement appears to go against the grain of the rest of the Ethics and, indeed, the essence of Judaism itself.
Simply stated, the basis of the Jewish faith is the belief that the Torah is G-d's blueprint for existence. In the words of the Midrash, ``An architect who builds a palace does not do so on his own. He has scrolls and notebooks which he consults how to place the rooms, where to set the doors. So it was with G-d: He looked into the Torah and created the world.''
Furthermore, G-d did not complete His ``palace'' in the initial six days of creation; all He did was to provide the raw material which man, His ``partner in creation,'' is to develop in accordance with the vision contained in the ``scrolls and notebooks.'' At Sinai, the architect (G-d) delivered his plans to his contractors (man); He imparted His concept of reality (the Torah) to those whom He had charged to implement it in His creation.
So how can Rabbi Judah say that the ``correct path'' is defined by ``whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind''? Imagine the worker who consults the original state of his materials rather than the architect's plan. ``The blueprint calls for a square plank,'' he muses, ``but the log I have is round. Perhaps we can edit the plans a little?'' This is what man is doing when he refers to the ``way things are'' in his own nature, in society or in the world at large for guidance as to how to live his life. Indeed, why labor to change the world if we can conform our moral vision to reflect it?
To the Jew, the ``correct path for man to choose'' is determined by the Divine revelation at Sinai, not by what is comfortable or what goes down well in the prevailing moral climate. To be a partner in creation means that one must, at times, contest the opinion polls as well as one's own nature.
This is why the Ethics, which is the Talmud's summarization of the Jew's moral philosophy, opens with the words ``Moses received the Torah at Sinai.'' Morality, for the Jew, is not the product of man's subjective thinking but of Divine revelation.
So how are we to understand the opening words of the Ethics' second chapter?
Within The Line
By understanding its place in the Talmud, which incorporates the entire body of Torah law in its 63 tractates.
Sixty-two of them deal with the dos and don'ts of life, instructing the Jew how to pray and how to study, how to eat and how to marry, how to observe the Shabbos, bury his dead, punish criminals, conduct his business, and so on. The single exception is the Ethics of the Fathers, which discusses not the law (din) but the area defined as ``lifnim mishuras ha-din''---that which is ``within the line of the law.'' ``One who wishes to be a chassid (pious individual),'' says the Talmud, ``should study the Ethics of the Fathers.''
What does it mean to act ``within the line of the law''?
On the most basic level, it means going beyond the law's minimum requirements. If the laws of charity mandate that one set aside 10% of his earnings for the needy, the ``pious individual'' gives more. He has stricter standards of kashrut, dons a higher quality pair of tefillin and devotes more time to Torah study than the laws of the Torah require of him.
On a deeper level, the chassid is one who goes ``within'' the parameters of the law in the literal sense: he strives to perfect not only the externalities of his behavior but also his internal self, his very mind-set and character.
The ``letter'' of Torah law deals primarily with the conduct, rather than the nature, of man. There is no law that obligates us to be of a generous disposition - only that we actually share our resources with the needy. Nowhere does the Torah demand of us to be revolted by the taste of pork - only that we refrain from eating it. The practitioner of the Ethics, however, is one who does not suffice with making his behavior conform to the Torah's directives. He insists that all of him, his outlook, his desires, his feelings--indeed, the very essence of his character--be permeated with the vision contained in the Divine blueprint for life.
Precedent at Sinai
Obviously, this represents a more advanced phase in a person's efforts to realize his partnership with G-d in creation. His first objective must be to actually fulfill the directives of the Torah.
For man to seek to transform his nature without having first disciplined his behavior is as futile an endeavor as the attempt to train an unbridled horse or to draw energy from an undammed river. First, the ``animal'' in man must be reined in and controlled. Only then can it be refined and sublimated.
The way we originally committed ourselves to our ``partnership'' with the Almighty also included both these stages. When we first arrived at Sinai and were told of G-d's desire to give us the Torah, ``the entire nation answered together, and said: `All that G-d has spoken, we will do.' '' Several days later, after a period of intense preparation, we reiterated this commitment; this time we said, ``All that G-d has spoken, we will do and we will comprehend.''
This is how we are to approach Torah. The foundation of the ``partnership'' must be an unequivocal ``we will do.'' Only then can we proceed to internalize what is already ingrained in our behavior. Only then can we hope to transform the basic drives of our soul so that G-d's will is not only what we actually do but also what we desire to do with every fiber of our being.
Chapter II
Thus, the first chapter of the Ethics begins with the words ``Moses received the Torah from Sinai.'' Not ``discovered,'' not ``chose,'' not ``learned,'' but ``received''---the basis of Torah being the unequivocal acceptance of and commitment to the Divine plan for life on earth.
Chapter Two, however, opens with a second, deeper realization of G-d's purpose in creation: that man himself choose the correct path. That his fulfillment of the Torah's commandments be not only an act of submission to the Divine will but also something that is harmoniously consistent with his nature. In the words of Rabbi Judah Hanassi's son, Rabbon Gamliel, quoted further along in the chapter, ``Make that your will should be as His will.''
Furthermore, we are not to suffice with the transformation of self. We must seek to influence our surroundings, so that the very conscience and character of society come to embody the Divine ideal. When the ``correct path'' of Torah is made to be both ``harmonious for the one who does it'' as well as ``harmonious for mankind,'' then G-d and man's joint project of creation will be complete.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Introductory reading to Ethics of the Fathers:
All Israel has a share in the World to Come, as is stated: ``And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever. They are the shoot of My planting, the work of My hands, in which I take pride.'' (Sanhedrin, 11:1)
Chapter Two
1. Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] would say: Which is the right path for man to choose for himself? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind. Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot. Consider the cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression against its cost. Contemplate three things, and you will not come to the hands of transgression: Know what is above from you: a seeing eye, a listening ear, and all your deeds being inscribed in a book.
2. Rabban Gamliel the son of Rabbi Judah HaNassi would say: Beautiful is the study of Torah with the way of the world, for the toil of them both causes sin to be forgotten. Ultimately, all Torah study that is not accompanied with work is destined to cease and to cause sin. Those who work for the community should do so for the sake of Heaven; for then merit of their ancestors shall aid them, and their righteousness shall endure forever. And you, [says G-d,] I shall credit you with great reward as if you have achieved it.
3. Be careful with the government, for they befriend a person only for their own needs. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person at the of his distress.
4. He would also say: Make that His will should be your will, so that He should make your will to be as His will. Nullify your will before His will, so that He should nullify the will of others before your will. Hillel would say: Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not believe in yourself until the day you die. Do not judge your fellow until you have stood in his place. Do not say something that is not readily understood in the belief that it will ultimately be understood. And do not say ``When I free myself of my concerns, I will study,'' for perhaps you will never free yourself
5. He would also say: A boor cannot be sin-fearing, an ignoramus cannot be pious, a bashful one cannot learn, a short-tempered person cannot teach, nor does anyone who does much business grow wise. In a place where their are no men, strive to be a man.
6. He also saw a skull floating upon the water. Said he to it: Because you drowned others, you were drowned; and those who drowned you, will themselves be drowned.
7. He would also say: One who increases flesh, increases worms; one who increases possessions, increases worry; one who increases wives, increases witchcraft; one who increases maidservants, increases promiscuity; one who increases man-servants, increases thievery; one who increases Torah, increases life; one who increases study, increases wisdom; one who increases counsel, increases understanding; one who increases charity, increases peace. One who acquires a good name, acquired it for himself; one who acquires the words of Torah, has acquired life in the World to Come.
8. Rabban Yochanan the son of Zakkai received the tradition from Hillel and Shammai. He would say: If you have learned much Torah, do not take credit for yourself---it is for this that you have been formed.
9. Rabban Yochanan the son of Zakkai had five disciples: Rabbi Eliezer the son of Hurkenus, Rabbi Joshua the son of Chananya, Rabbi Yossei the Kohen, Rabbi Shimon the son of Nethanel, and Rabbi Elazar the son of Arach. He would recount their praises: Rabbi Eliezer the son of Hurkenus is a cemented cistern that loses not a drop; Rabbi Joshua the son of Chananya---fortunate is she who gave birth to him ; Rabbi Yossei the Kohen---a chassid ; Rabbi Shimon the son of Nethanel fears sin; Rabbi Elazar ben Arach is as an ever-increasing wellspring. [Rabbi Yochanan] used to say: If all the sages of Israel were to be in one cup of a balance-scale, and Eliezer the son of Hurkenus were in the other, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul said in his name: If all the sages of Israel were to be in one cup of a balance-scale, Eliezer the son of Hurkenus included, and Elazar the son of Arach were in the other, he would outweigh them all.
10. [Rabbi Yochanan] said to them: Go and see which is the best trait for a person to acquire. Said Rabbi Eliezer: A good eye. Said Rabbi Joshua: A good friend. Said Rabbi Yossei: A good neighbor. Said Rabbi Shimon: To see what is born. Said Rabbi Elazar: A good heart. Said He to them: I prefer the words of Elazar the son of Arach to yours, for his words include all of yours. He said to them: Go and see which is the worst trait, the one that a person should most distance himself from. Said Rabbi Eliezer: An evil eye. Said Rabbi Joshua: An evil friend. Said Rabbi Yossei: An evil neighbor. Said Rabbi Shimon: To borrow and not to repay; for one who borrows from man is as one who borrows from the Almighty, as is stated, ``The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous one is benevolent and gives.'' Said Rabbi Elazar: An evil heart. Said He to them: I prefer the word of Elazar the son of Arach to yours, for his words include all of yours. They would each say three things: Rabbi Eliezer would say: The honor of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own, and do not be easy to anger. Repent one day before your death. Warm yourself by the fire of the sages, but be beware lest you be burned by its embers; for their bite is the bite of a fox, their sting is the sting of a scorpion, their hiss is the hiss a serpent, and all their words are like fiery coals.
11. Rabbi Joshua would say: An evil eye, the evil inclination, and the hatred of one's fellows, drive a person from the world.
12. Rabbi Yossei would say: The property of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own. Perfect yourself for the study of Torah, for it is not an inheritance to you. And all your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven.
13. Rabbi Shimon would say: Be meticulous with the reading of the Shma and with prayer. When you pray, do not make your prayers routine, but [an entreatment of] mercy and a supplication before the Almighty, as is stated ``For He is benevolent and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and relenting of the evil decree.'' And do not be wicked in your own eyes.
14. Rabbi Elazar would say: Be diligent in the study of Torah. Know what to answer a heretic. And know before whom you toil, and who is your employer who will repay you the reward of your labors.
15. Rabbi Tarfon would say: The day is short, the work is much, the workers are lazy, the reward is great, and the Master is pressing.
16. He would also say: It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it. If you have learned much Torah, you will be greatly rewarded, and your employer is trustworthy to pay you the reward of your labors. And know, that the reward of the righteous is in the World to Come.
Studied at the conclusion of each lesson of the Ethics:
Rabbi Chananiah the son of Akashiah would say: G-d desired to merit the people of Israel; therefore, He gave them Torah and mitzvot in abundance. As is stated, ``G-d desired, for sake of his righteousness, that Torah be magnified and made glorious.'' (Makot, 3:16)
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