A STUDY GUIDE

Pirke Avot is a collection of sayings, teachings, and ethical maxims. A popular and eminently quotable work, it is one of the sixty-three tractates of the Mishnah. The Mishnah, consisting of centuries of oral teachings passed down from one generation to the next, was finally codified by Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nasi in 200 c.e. Pirke Avot is unique among the tractates of the Mishnah in that it doesn't contain any halachah (law), only aggadah (stories or legends). Its popularity is reflected in the fact that it is included in most prayer books (including, in part, in Gates of Prayer) and is regularly studied in the synagogue.

What are the purposes of these commentaries?

• In his foreword to the Kravitz and Olitzky volume, Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut suggests that Pirke Avot "teaches us the essentials of what life might be at its best." It deals with some of life's most basic and important questions: What is our purpose and destiny? What is sin, and how do we conquer it? What is wisdom? What is my relationship to God? The authors of this edition present the text in readable, intelligible English, along with explanatory notes and traditional commentaries, using an easily understood style and format. Essays help explain, interpret, and extend the text and Gleanings from a wide range of liberal scholars address the Jewish theological issues that are raised. The full Hebrew text is also included.

• Rami Shapiro's primary aim is to make the inner message of Pirke Avot clear by interpreting the text in a meaningful way for the contemporary Jew. This book is not a translation but an interpretation, whereby the author strives to distill the spiritual essence of the text. Shapiro's clear, poetic language gives the text the power to touch the reader in a very personal way.

How should I use these books?

Using these books together would be the best way to maximize their effectiveness. Rami Shapiro's volume can serve as an additional commentary to the Kravitz/Olitzky translation. But whether you choose to study one book or decide to use them both, there are a number of ways in which you can incorporate a study of Pirke Avot into your life.

1. Tractate Avot is divided into chapters, and each chapter is further divided into individual statements, each called a Mishnah. That makes Pirke Avot an excellent text for individual study. You might commit yourself to studying one Mishnah a day or one chapter a week, setting aside time to read the text and the commentaries and reflect upon them, using the questions below. Since Wisdom of the Sages is designed in a style and size similar to a book of poetry, you can carry it with you (in a briefcase or a handbag) and reflect upon it in the course of daily living.
2. Studying Jewish text is traditionally a communal rather than an individual activity. Pirke Avot is regularly studied in the synagogue on Shabbat. The Sephardim read one chapter each Shabbat from Pesach to Shavuot. Ashkenazim read two chapters a week from Shavuot to Rosh Hashanah, so that Pirke Avot is read three times each year. You might adopt one of these traditions at your synagogue or start a study group that will study some of Pirke Avot each Shabbat before or after tefilah. Alternatively, you might make the study of at least one Mishnah of each chapter, along with the commentaries, a regular part of your Shabbat afternoon, preferably with friends! The questions below will help you guide your study.
3. Look at the section titled "General Subjects and Themes" in the index of the Kravitz/Olitzky volume and choose one theme as a focus, studying the relevant Mishnayot (plural of Mishnah).

1. Provide you with some essential questions to consider when reading each chapter.
2. Tie some of the different statement together in order to highlight common themes.
3. Suggest contemporary issues and questions that are relevant to the text.

Rabbis Kravitz and Olitzky have written an important introduction to their work, including background and context that will greatly enhance your reading of the text. The introduction also provides critical information about Pirke Avot and its commentary.

After you have read the introduction, consider or discuss the following questions:

1. Why was it so important for the rabbis to claim that the Oral Law was of divine origin? This question will also be addressed in the first Mishnah.
2. What is the implication of an ethical tradition whose source is God rather than human beings?
3. Why is Pirke Avot, in particular, studied in the synagogue? What is the connection between prayer and this work on ethical teachings?

Just as we create a holy context for daily actions by saying blessings and we begin the study of Torah with a blessing, so does the study of Pirke Avot each Shabbat begin with a passage from the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 10:1. (See Kravitz/Olitzky, page xiv).

1. Why do we emphasize that "every Israelite has a portion in the world to come" before studying Pirke Avot ?
2. What does God's calling us "the branch of My planting, the work of My hands" say about humanity? In what way is this passage a meaningful reminder to us before we begin to study the ethical maxims of this text?

Read each Mishnah aloud and discuss it, along with the relevant commentaries. The rest of this guide contains study or discussion questions for some of the Mishnayot in each chapter. References to "Gleanings" or essays apply to Kravitz/Olitzky's work. Note that the Mishnayot in Rami Shapiro's book are at times divided and enumerated differently from those in Kravitz/Olitzky. References to Rami Shapiro's book will be noted with the word "Wisdom" and a page number.

Chapter 1

1. 1:1 Beginning with this Mishnah and continuing through most of chapter two, Pirke Avot establishes the chain of Jewish tradition. Beginning with Moses, Joshua, and the elders, the rabbis are listed in order through Yochanan b. Zakkai (and his students), who established the academy at Yavneh after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. (See the chart in Kravitz/Olitzky, pp.112-114) Why is the exact chain of tradition of such concern to the rabbis? Read Solomon Freehof's commentary "The Written and Oral Law" on page 16 in the "Gleanings." What is your personal chain of tradition? Who passed Torah on to you? Have you followed what you have been given exactly, or have you altered it?
2. 1.1 Does the idea of a "fence" around the Torah strike you as constructive or harmful? Read the essay "A Fence around the Torah" on page12 and "The Bible and the Talmud" by Leo Baeck on page 17 in "Gleanings." Has the "fence" preserved Judaism from generation to generation, or has it resulted in the development of more numerous and more absurd restrictions? How does page 2 of "Wisdom", define the function of "the fence" and our mandate in relationship to it?
3. 1:4 This Mishnah begins the exploration of the proper student-teacher relationship, a subject that will recur. How do you compare this description with the more familiar and informal way in which students relate to their teachers and other authority figures today?
4. 1:14 This famous Mishnah describes the ideal balance between particularism and a more universal outlook. How do you balance these two demands in your own life?
5. 1:15 What does "Make your Torah (study) a habit" mean? How can you achieve this goal?
6. 1:16 Rabban Gamliel counsels us to "remove doubt." Do you think that doubt is harmful? What do pages 7 and 17 of "Wisdom" add to our understanding of this counsel?
7. 1:18 Compare this Mishnah to Mishnah 1:2. Which one in your view expresses more precisely the three essential things upon which "the world stands"?

1. 2:1 Try writing your own answer in the style of Pirke Avot to the question "Which is the proper path (of life) that one should select?"
2. 2:1 Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nasi suggests that it is unwise to make choices between seemingly minor and seemingly major mitzvot. Which mitzvot do you consider "minor"? Which do you consider "major"? Look at Maimonides' opinion in Be as careful on page 19. Most Reform Jews would disagree with Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nasi. Do you? Read "Mitzvot and Ethics" by Maurice Eisendrath on pages 32-33 in "Gleanings" as you consider if and how you would make choices about which mitzvot to observe.
3. 2:3 Look at this Mishnah and Mishnah 1:10. What kind of relationship with the government is reflected in these texts, and how does it compare with the relationship we have with our government today?
4. 2:4 What does the metaphor of the river and the ocean on page 25 of "Wisdom" express about the divine-human relationship? Does it strike you as a meaningful way to think about your relationship to God?
5. 2:5 What does the motto "in the place where there are no human beings, try to be one" demand of you? On page 27 of "Wisdom" Shapiro suggests that the quality required to be a human being in a place where there are none is courage. Do you agree?
6. 2:8 The opening words of this Mishnah talk about the purpose for which we were created. After looking at the translation and at page 30 of "Wisdom," how would you describe your purpose in life?
7. 2:13 Read the comment "Jewish Prayer: Keva and Kavanah " on page 32 and page 38 of "Wisdom." What enables you to pray most the fixed words of our prayer book or your own inner thoughts? How can our communal worship best balance the tension between fixed and spontaneous prayer?
8. 2:16 Look at page 41 of "Wisdom." What does Rabbi Tarfon counsel to us in a time in which it is so easy to become numb to social injustice and, therefore, apathetic? What meaning does Shapiro give to the notion of "the World to Come"?
9. Look at the many statements in this chapter and in chapter 1 about Torah and study, including 1:17, 2:2, 2:4, 2:7, 2:14, and 2:16. (Also see pages18, 23, 29, and 39 of "Wisdom.") What picture begins to emerge? Does it reflect your own feelings about the role and importance of Torah?

1. 3:1 Do you agree with the view of humanity depicted in this Mishnah? Rather than one's current circumstances, what does Akavya ben Mahalalel suggest is of ultimate importance?
2. 3:2, 3:3 and 3:6 These Mishnayot until now explore the idea that when one is studying and eating in community, God's Presence can be felt. Why do these Mishnayot emphasize these activities? Do you feel God's Presence at such times? Mishnah 3:6 suggests that even when one studies alone, God is present. Read "Revelation and Silence" by Lawrence Kushner on page 53 and "My Faith" by Lily Montagu on pages 93-94 in "Gleanings." When do you sense God's Presence in your life? Are you more often alone or with people at such times? What are some of the obstacles that at times make it hard to hear God in our lives? (Also see page 46 of "Wisdom.")
3. 3:9 This Mishnah suggests that an important attitude to possess is fear of sin. Several other Mishnayot, 2:2, 3:1, 3:4, and 4:17, explore behaviors that may or may not lead us to sin. How do these texts define "sin"? Is fear of erring a significant factor in your life? Is fear of sin motivating or inhibiting? Look at the essay "Transgression and Sin" on page 69 and "Can We Atone?" on pages 74- 75 by Abraham J. Feldman in "Gleanings."
4. 3:10 Look at page 56 of "Wisdom." How is the ultimate Unity of all things expressed in this interpretation? What signs do you see in the world that "God and creation are at root One"?
5. 3:14 This Mishnah uses familiar love imagery to describe the relationship between God and Israel. Jewish tradition describes us as husband and wife, with the Torah as the ketubah that God has given us as a sign of love. Look at the Ahavah Rabbah prayer on page 302 in the Gates of Prayer to see how this idea is expressed there. If God gave us the Torah out of great love for us, how should we reciprocate that love? What word does the interpretation on page 61 of "Wisdom" use to help us determine what our task is?
6. 3:15 Read the essay "God's Omniscience and Free Will" on page 52. This fundamental paradox often troubles contemporary men and women. How do you feel about the dilemma presented? Can you accept the paradox or do you feel that you must make a choice between your free will and God's omniscience? How does "Wisdom" on page 62 address this tension?
7. 3:15 Read "Between God and Man" by Hugo Hahn on page 74 in "Gleanings" and apply it to the last sentence of this Mishnah: "Yet all things follow the larger portion of [human] acts." How is this idea related to the first part of the Mishnah, and what does that tell us about our obligations? Also see page 62 in "Wisdom."

1. 4:1 Would you answer Ben Zoma's questions the same way that he does? Is the definition of the human ideal presented in this Mishnah compatible with your own definition?
2. 4:2 Ben Azzai suggests that behaviors become habit-forming. Have you found this to be true? Does the performance of one commandment make you more likely to do another? Does one transgression make additional ones more probable?
3. 4:4 Compare the translation "profane the name of God" with the interpretation on page 72 in "Wisdom.": "ignores Reality, wandering without attention." Is Shapiro's understanding of profaning God's name the same as yours? When discussing this question, consider the comment of Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob on page 80 in "Wisdom."
4. 4:5 This Mishnah considers the relationship between study and practice. Look at Mishnayot 3:9, 3:17, and 5:14, which deal with similar issues, and at the essay "To Study to Do" on page 70. Do you think that one of these is more important than the other? Is there a relationship between study and practice? How have these activities been intertwined in your own life?
5. 4:12 It is understandable that Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua draws an analogy between a teacher and the Holy One. Would you use the same comparison or a different one?
6. 4:15 Rabbi Yannai is remarkably honest in his willingness to admit that we are unable to fully understand why the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. How dose Rami Shapiro respond to this dilemma on page 86 of "Wisdom"? What does he suggest is our best response?
7. 4:16 and 4:17 The belief in a "world to come" in which true justice exists was one rabbinic response to Rabbi Yannai's dilemma. Throughout our study of Pirke Avot, we have encountered numerous comments about the afterlife: 1:7, 2:7, 3:11, and 4:22, the comment "The World to Come" on page 13 and "The Problem of Evil" by Joshua Loth Liebman on page 35 in "Gleanings." Based on all of these sources, what do you think the rabbis believed about the afterlife? What do you believe about life after death? Do you believe that you will ultimately be held accountable for your deeds, as 4:22 suggests? How important is the notion of a "world to come" to the way in which you comprehend and live your life?
   7a. Rami Shapiro interprets the idea of the "world to come" with a number of poetic images, see 2:16 above. Look also at pages 88, 89, and 28, 58, and 96. What is the main theme of these selections? What kind of life do they urge us to live?
8. 4:18 Based on your own experiences, is "when your friend is recently bereaved, don't try to comfort him" good advise? What does to "honor the shock of grief" mean? See also page 90 of "Wisdom."
9. 4:20 What view of old age is depicted by this Mishnah? "Wisdom" on page 92 transforms the idea of young and old from a description of years to a description of attitude. Do you agree with this interpretation and with the way in which Shapiro defines an open mind?

1. The organizing principle in much of this chapter is that most of the Mishnayot are structured around numbers. What purpose does this serve? For what are there certain commonly used numbers?
2. 5:15:5 Are these Mishnayot presented in a meaningful order? What is it?
3. 5:3 Although we may be moderns, we find it difficult to embrace the notion that God sends trials and hardships to "test" us, this Mishnah accounts it to Abraham's merit that he was able to withstand the tests he was given. How do you make sense of this notion? Do you believe that "through suffering one opens the heart to compassion"? Also see page 101 of "Wisdom." Do you believe that you are being tested? Notice how the idea is reversed in 5:4/ page 104 of "Wisdom." Do you accept the idea that we test God?
4. 5:45:6 The biblical and rabbinic tradition had no difficulty accepting the possibilities of miracles. Read the essay "At the Twilight of Creation" on page 90. How do you interpret the miracles in the Bible? Do they affect your ability to relate to our sacred text? How does Shapiro suggest we should react to miracles? See page 102 of "Wisdom."
5. 5:105:12 Can you combine these texts to describe and label four types of people in the world? What human ideal emerges? See pages 110-112 of "Wisdom."
6. 5:13 Do you view giving tzedakah as an absolute obligation or as a gesture of generosity? Look at "Maimonides' Eight Levels of Charity" on page 30. What are the most important aspects of giving tzedakah according to Maimonides? How can we teach our children and our community to accept the obligation of tzedakah willingly and not as a burden?
7. 5:15 Read "Seal the Torah in Their Hearts" by Norman J. Cohen on pages 92-93 in "Gleanings." Have you ever had the kind of teacher described in this essay? How can our educational institutions embody this ideal?
8. 5:17 Also see 4:11. What are some examples in your life of arguments "for the sake of Heaven"? What are the characteristics of each type of argument? Look at pages 81 and 117 of "Wisdom" for one definition. Read the biblical text about Korach (Numbers 16: 117:15) to see more closely an argument that was not "for the sake of Heaven." Who is a modern day example of Korach?
9. 5:21 What are the distinguishing features of each age that led the rabbis to assign these roles or set of characteristics to the individual at different stages? For example, why is thirteen the age at which one is responsible for mitzvot? Why does one gain understanding at forty? How might we describe the Jewish cycle of learning today?
10. 5:22 Read "Novelty Seekers" by Abba Hillel Silver on page 73 of "Gleanings" for insight into Ben Bag Bag's "turn it" statement. How might you apply Silver's idea to Ben Bag Bag's motto that everything is in this ancient text?
11. 5:23 How does the translation in Kravitz/Olitzky differ from the interpretation on page 124 of "Wisdom"?

Read the explanation of this chapter on page 98 in order to understand its subject matter and how it differs from the others.

1. 6:1 How does the Torah make you like "an ever-flowing spring, like a river that never dries up"?
2. 6:2 In what way is the individual who is "engaged in the study of Torah" truly free? Also see page 127 of "Wisdom."
3. 6:5-6:6 Look at the list of requirements for acquiring Torah. How are qualities such as having a good heart and accepting suffering (6:5) necessary in order to acquire Torah? What about being beloved and loving others (6:6)? Is there anything you would add to the list?
4. 6:7 Look at page 133 of "Wisdom." What does Torah enable us to do?
5. 6:9 In the opinion of Rabbi Yose ben Kisma, what is most important in life? What has enduring value? How would you respond to these questions regarding your life? What does "Torah and good deeds accompany us" when we die mean?
6. 6:11Look at page 137 of "Wisdom." What does it teach us about God's essential nature? In what way is it a fitting end to Pirke Avot?
7. Chapter 6 praises Torah and those who study Torah. Read "The Spiritual Journey" by Lawrence Kushner on page 109 in "Gleanings." As a concluding activity for this chapter and your study of Pirke Avot, write a personal statement about the meaning of Torah.

1. What are the chains of relationships between God and the individual that are depicted here? How do these unfolding stages of development enable us to know God?
2. What is the relationship between God and Torah and between Torah and humanity, as depicted here?
3. Why is this a meaningful way to end Pirke Avot?

1. Select one motto that particularly touched you and apply it to your life.
2. Write your own motto in the style of Pirke Avot.
3. Reflect on Rami Shapiro's "Wisdom of the Jewish Sages" as a whole. What common themes, words, or principles does the author use to express the ethical maxims of Pirke Avot? Write a letter or an "ethical will" to a friend or child based on "Wisdom of the Jewish Sages."

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