With ten utterances the world was created. And what is learned: "And He said" is written nine times from "In the beginning" (Genesis 1:1) to "And completed" (Genesis 2:1). And "In the beginning" is also an utterance, as it is stated (Psalms 33:6), "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made" - as it is impossible that the heavens and the earth were created without an utterance.

And what is learned - couldn't it have been created by one utterance?: It wants to say, what is this teaching us, when it says, "With ten utterances the world was created?" Or the explanation is "what is learned" in creating it with ten utterances.

Rather, [it is] in order to punish the wicked who destroy with their actions the world which is a big thing - as it was created with ten utterances: And the trait of strict justice will punish them accordingly in the future.

and to give reward to the righteous who sustain the world that was created with ten utterances: As the world was only created to do in it that which is 'straight in the eyes of the Lord.' And [hence] those that do so, preserve it.

There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, to demonstrate the great extent of [God's] patience, for each one of those generations provoked [God] continually until [God] brought the waters of the flood upon them: And it comes to teach us that [just] like you see that in the generations between the first man (Adam) and Noah, all of them provoked Him with the action of their hands to cause bad to themselves - and while He had great patience with all of those generations - in the end, He brought the waters of the flood upon them, as He is not greatly patient forever; so should you think about our exile. And that you not say, "How many days and years is it that He restrains His anger from upon [the evil] kingdom while we are in exile - He will have great patience towards them forever, as He is of great patience." And you should surely know that in the end, He will pay them back according to their activities and the action of their hands; and He will redeem us and save us. As [even though] His patience is very great; still in the end of days, He visits 'the first iniquities [upon them,] and may You quickly bring forward Your mercies, as we have become very poor.'

There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham: And our rabbis said (Bereshit Rabbah 30:8), "When Noah died, our father, Avraham was fifty-eight years [old]." Still, when you count the children you will find ten generations among them. As even if Noah had length of days, it is [still] considered ten generations.

to demonstrate the extent of [God's] patience, for each one of those generations provoked [God] continually, until Abraham came: And here they did not say, "until He punished them" - as our father, Avraham, made up for all of their shortcomings and did good corresponding to all of their bad, and [so] he saved them from punishment. However, Noah was not able to save them, because he was not righteous enough to make up for their shortcomings.

and received the reward of them all: And even though there is a portion in the Garden of Eden and a portion in Gehinnom for every person - if he merits [it], he takes his portion in the Garden of Eden; and if he is guilty in his judgement, he takes it in Gehinnom - nonetheless, since everyone is commanded to do good and this one does not do [it] and his fellow fulfills his commands and his own commands; the trait of justice would indicate that he should take his portion and the portion of his fellow in the Garden of Eden. And for this [reason] did our father, Avraham take the reward of all of them. And this is what is stated (Psalms 119:126), "It is a time to act for the Lord, for they have violated Your Torah" - if you see a generation that is negligent from [study] of the Torah, be involved in it (Berakhot 63a). And the simple meaning of the verse is "It is a time to act for the sake of the Lord." And similar to it is (Genesis 20:13), "say for me, 'He is my brother'" - [which is] like "for my sake." "They have violated your Torah" - since they are all violating Your Torah, I should do for the sake of the Lord more than in other generations, so that Torah is not, God forbid, forgotten in Israel. There is a parable [relevant to this] about a king whom all of his servants betrayed except for one. Does [that servant] not need to go with him truthfully and with a whole heart at that time more than other times? And so all of his days the king will love him with a great love and increase his gift [to be] equal to the gifts of all of them [together].

With ten tests Abraham, our father, was tested - and he withstood them all: The first was 'Ur (which besides being a place name can also mean fire) Kasdim' - that Nimrod dropped him down into the fiery furnace and he was saved. And this is not explicit in the Torah and it is from the words of tradition. But we have a hint about this thing from the Torah; that before Parshat Lech Lecha Meartsekha ouMemoladetekha, Ur Kasdim is mentioned twice above [it], to make known that it was because of that test that he withstood that God, may He be blessed, promised him and brought him to the land [of Israel. This is] like we find with Noah. As at the beginning it is written (Genesis 6:8), "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord," and afterwards in Parshat Eleh Toledot Noach that he was saved from the waters of the flood - [which indicates that it was] because he found favor in his eyes. And the second is that He commanded him to go out from his land and from his birthplace, and he did so. And the third is that is stated (Genesis 12:10), "And there was a famine in the land." And even though the Holy One, blessed be He, promised him and said to him (Genesis 12:3), "And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you”; when He brought the famine, he did not question His traits. The fourth is the taking of Sarah to Pharaoh. The fifth is the war of the four kings when he deployed [only] three hundred and eighteen men and trusted in the Holy One, blessed be He; and a miracle was done for him that he was saved and he saved his brothers and all of the property of Sedom and Ammorah. And he endured the events [accepting that it was] for his good and for his merit. The sixth is that he was ninety-nine when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin [and] placed himself in danger due to his old age, and he was saved. The seventh is the taking of Sarah to Avimelekh. The eighth is when he sent Hagar and Yishmael away by the commandment of God. And [even] if 'the thing was bad in his eyes on account of his son,' he fulfilled the commandment. The ninth was the binding of Yitzchak his son, about which it is written (Genesis 22:12), "For now I know that you fear God.” And did He not know until now - and is not everything revealed and seen in front of Him? Rather when the thing is known to the creatures, the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it, "For now I know that you fear God." And it comes to inform us that [this showed] greater fear of Heaven than all of the other commandments in the Torah. Since with all the tests except for this, He did not say to him "that you fear God" - as this test was the greatest of all of them, since he took his son to bring him up as a sacrifice. The tenth was the burial of Sarah. As it was stated to him (Genesis 13:17), "Get up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you”; but when his wife died, he could not find a place to bury her until he bought it - and he did not question.

in order to show how great was the love of Abraham, our father: He tested him in order to reveal to the creatures that he feared God and was complete in all of his traits.

Ten miracles were performed for our ancestors in Egypt: As our forefathers were not hurt by all of the ten plagues that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought on the Egyptians in Egypt. And it is explicit in all of them except the plague of lice, about which it is written (Exodus 8:14), "and the lice were upon men" - and the Torah did not distinguish between Egypt and Israel. But it is a tradition in the hand of the sages that also with this [one] were they not struck .

and ten [miracles were performed] at the [Reed] Sea: The first is the splitting of the Reed Sea, as it is stated (Exodus 14:21), "and He opened the waters." The second is that the water formed a bow and like a type of dome and it came out that the water was on top of them. And about this is it stated (Habakuk 3:14), "You have pierced with his rods, the head of his rulers." The third is that the springs of the great foundations opened and [absorbed all the moisture so that] no mud or sludge remained on its ground, as [is not the case] when other springs dry up. Rather it was like marble stone on its bottom and [so] Israel crossed the sea as one who walks in his house. The fourth is that the places that the Egyptians tread upon in the sea were like a type of clay, and this is what the verse states (Habakuk 3:15), "Your horses tread the sea, the clay of the mighty waters." It states "Your horses," as also the horses of the Egyptians were given into the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He. And the fifth is that the waters hardened more than necessary and they became hard as boulders and slabs and hurt the Egyptians that were chasing Israel. And about this King David, peace be upon him, stated (Psalms 74:13), "You smashed the heads of the sea monsters upon the waters" - these sea monsters were the Egyptians. The sixth was that [the waters] were torn into twelve parts - one path for each tribe that would pass over there. And this is what is stated (Psalms 136:13), "to tear the Reed Sea into many parts." The seventh is that the partitions between one tribe and another were clear like white glass so that the tribes could see one another. The eighth is that the water did not congeal into one piece, but rather it was made into [many] small pieces - like one block on top of another and one brick on top the other, as it is written (Psalms 74:13), "You crumbled the sea with Your power." The ninth is that the sweet (fresh) water did not harden like the rest of the waters of the sea but [rather] would flow; and they would drink from all of the streams going towards the sea. The tenth is that after their drinking, [the fresh water] would immediately harden - as the flowing water would not descend to the floor. Rather, Israel would drink from it, and the rest would go out and fall to the ground like a piece of snow. And so too each and every time that they needed to drink.

Ten plagues did the Holy One, blessed be He, bring on the Egyptians in Egypt: [These are the ten known by the acronym,] Detsach, Adash, Beachav.

and ten at the sea: The first, "and it lit the night" (Exodus 14:20) - and like the translation of Onkelos, "and it was (darkness) [cloud and fog] for the Egyptians and light for Israel all night." And the second and the third are "And the Lord looked down upon the Egyptian camp in a pillar of fire and cloud" (Exodus 14:24) - the cloud would come down and make it like sludge and the pillar of fire would boil it, [such that the] hoofs of their horses would be severed. The fourth is "He removed the wheels of their chariots" (Exodus 14:25) - that He removed the wheels from the wagons and the Egyptians fell and were crushed. The fifth is "and they drove with heaviness" (Exodus 14:25) - after they fell and were crushed, they could not stand. And [so,] they stayed in the place that they fell. And the sixth is that they wanted to flee and they could not, as it is stated (Exodus 14:25), "And Egypt said, 'Let us flee from Israel.'" And [this is] not like we found with Sisera, as it stated (Judges 4:15), "and Sisera descended from his chariot and fled on foot." But these did not descend and they did not have the possibility of fleeing. And the seventh is "And the Lord shook the Egyptians into the sea" (Exodus 14:27) - likes its [classic Aramaic] translation, "and He confounded," which is an expression of breaking. As He shook them like a man shakes a pot, [such] that what is above [goes] below and what is below [goes] above. And the eighth is that the earth at the bottom of the sea swallowed them, as it is stated (Exodus 15:12), "You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them." The ninth is that they descended heavily into the depths of the sea like lead, as it stated (Exodus 15:10), "They sank like lead in the mighty waters." The tenth is that the sea spit them out, as it stated (Exodus 14:30), "And Israel saw Egypt dead on the shore of the sea."

[With] ten trials did our ancestors test the Omnipresent, blessed be He, in the Wilderness, as it is said (Numbers 14:22): "Yet have they tested Me these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice:" The first is that they said (Exodus 14:11), "Are there not enough graves in Egypt?" And the second is (Exodus 15:24), "And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'" And a miracle happened that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moshe to throw wood into the bitter waters, as it is stated (Exodus 15:25), "And he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood." And they said in Tractate Pesachim that this tree [that the wood come from] was a hardofanei, which is bitter. He threw bitter into bitter and it turned sweet. (The editor said, I did not find this in Pesachim, but rather in Rashi on Pesachim 39 in the name of the Mekhilta on Parshat Beshalach. And Tosafot on Pesachim 36 cites the Mekhilta that it was an olive tree; and in truth these are two [different] opinions in the Mekhila - see there.) The third was in the Wilderness of Sin when they asked for bread, as it stated (Exodus 16:3), "when we sat over the fleshpot." The fourth is (Exodus 17:7) "Is the Lord amongst us or not?" There is a parable [relevant to this] about a man who carried his son on his shoulder; and [the son] was competent, but he said, "Have you seen Father?" What did his father do? He flung him from his shoulder. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, carry them 'on the wings of eagles' - [and yet they] ask, "Is the Lord amongst us?" What did He do? He brought Amalek upon them. The fifth is that they left manna over. The sixth is that in Refidim 'they did not have water for the congregation' (the editor says, I could not understand this, as he already counted this in the fourth test; and further study is also required about his whole count regarding this, and see Arakhin 16). The seventh was at Chorev with the story of the [golden] calf, as it is stated (Exodus 32:1), "the people gathered against Aharon, etc." The eighth was (Numbers 11:1), "And the people were like grumblers of evil in the ears of the Lord." And 'He set a fire of the Lord against them and it consumed the edge of the camp,' 'as the Lord, your God, is a consuming Fire, He is a jealous God.' The ninth was at the Graves of Desire (Kivrot HaTaavah) when they said (Numbers 11:4), "Who will feed us meat?" And did they not have meat; and did they not have the quail at each and all times, as it is stated (Exodus 16:8), "in that the Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satiation." And [just] like the manna did not cease, the quail [also] did not cease. Rather they wanted meat in the evening to satiation, [just] like they had the bread. And about this our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, stated, (Numbers 11:22), "Could enough flocks and herds be slaughtered to suffice them, etc." Our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, "They have much meat; their request is [only] from the evil of their hearts. And 'since they are a stiff-necked people,' even if You give them much more, they will continue to say [there is] not enough. 'Could enough flocks and herds be slaughtered' - and their mouths will [still] not be satiated." The Holy One, blessed be He, said [back] to Him, "'Is the hand of the Lord short?' I will give them meat until they are satisfied and they will no [longer] be able to open their mouths to say, 'we are not satiated'." And He added and brought them much more of the quails 'and they spread them all around' 'and the least gathered ten chomer' and they could not eat it [all]. Such is the simple meaning of the verse. And you will [hence] come to say that Moshe did not sin with his words. But our rabbis in the Talmud (Yoma 75a) did not interpret it thus. And the tenth was in Midbar Paran when they sent the scouts. And there it states (Numbers 14:22), "and they have tried Me these ten times."

Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in the Temple: No woman had a miscarriage from the scent of the meat that is on the outer altar and gives off a scent similar to any roast. And [since] is forbidden to derive benefit from holy meat, the Holy One, blessed be He, protected the women all of those days - that they should not have a miscarriage from that scent [given they could not eat from it to prevent the miscarriage].

and no holy flesh ever went putrid: Holy things with a lower level of sanctity (kodashim kalim) that are eaten for two days and one night that were held for such a long time never went putrid.

and a High Priest did not have an accidental emission on Yom Kippur so that would he not require the assistant. And even though they would know that he would not have an accidental emission, they [still] appointed an assistant; as we do not rely on miracles, because of "Do not test" (Deuteronomy 6:16) - as is found in the Yerushalmi Yoma 1:4.

and a fly was not seen in the room of slaughtering due [to its] sanctity.

and there was not found a disqualification in the omer (a special barley offering, offered the day after Pesach, which permits grain harvested in the new harvest to be eaten): No disqualification, of being outside the wall or held overnight, was ever found with the omer; which was at the time of barley, in order that all of Israel be permitted to eat new grain.

or in the two breads: They come to permit bringing up the new offering form the new grain. And no disqualification, of being outside the courtyard or held overnight, was ever found with them.

or in the showbreads: As it was arranged on Shabbat day, and it was warm at the time of its removal from the table as on the day that they placed it there - as it is stated (I Samuel 21:7), "(and it) [to place] warm bread on the day of its being taken." And no disqualification, of being outside the wall or being held over was ever found in it. As they needed to eat it during the week after the Shabbat that they took it away; but if it remained through another week it would become disqualified. And no mishap [like this] ever happened to them.

and rain did not extinguish the fire of the wood pile: As the fire burnt upon the outer altar which stood [unprotected] in the Tabernacle courtyard.

and the wind did not overpower the pillar of smoke: As it would billow straight up.

they would stand up crowded and bow down with [enough] space: They would stand in the courtyard all in rows, this one crowded next to the other; but they would bow down with space, such that not one of them would push his fellow. And that is a wonder.

and a snake or scorpion never hurt a person in Jerusalem

and a person did not say to his fellow, "The place is too cramped that I should lodge in Jerusalem": When they went up to Jerusalem, he would not say, "The place is too crowded for me; make room for me to settle.” And this is what David, peace be upon him, stated, (Psalms 122:3), "Jerusalem that is built up, a city constructed together for it" - he wanted to say that when they built it, they measured it so that all of Israel could be contained in it. And the explanation of "for it" is for its sake; as [it was] for the sake of the congregation of Israel that would gather together that it was constructed.

Ten things were created on the eve of the [first] Shabbat at twilight. And these are they: The mouth of the earth for the swallowing of Korach and his assembly.

and the mouth of the well: The boulder that Moshe struck.

and the mouth of the donkey of Bilaam - "And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey" (Numbers 22:28).

and the rainbow: "My rainbow have I given in the cloud" (Genesis 9:13).

and the manna of the wilderness.

and the staff of Moshe, with which he did the signs.

and the shamir: It was a type of long worm. And King Shlomo built the Temple with it, as he would place it on the stone and it would split (Gittin 68a). "And no hammer or ax or any iron tool was heard in the House while it was being built" (I Kings 6:7).

and the letters: The Torah that was written in front of God, may He be blessed, from the six days of Creation with black fire on top of white fire.

and the writing: The form of the letters carved on the tablets.

and the tablets themselves.

And some say, also the destructive spirits, and the burial place of Moshe: "And no man knew his burial place" (Deuteronomy 34:6).

and the ram of Abraham, our father "caught in the thicket by its horns; and Avraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son" (Genesis 22:13).

And some say, also the tongs, made with tongs: These are pincers with which a blacksmith holds metal when it is hot until he makes it into a vessel. And we learned in a beraita in Tractate Pesachim 54a, "Rabbi Yehuda says, 'Tongs can be fashioned only with other tongs, but who fashioned the first tongs? Rather, (in its coming) [it was created] by the hands of Heaven.' They said to him, 'It is possible for one to make it in a mold and align it.'" And why was it necessary to count these ten things? To make known that all the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He created on condition that it change its nature when it is told [to do so] at a time when it is needed. As there is nothing (from the depths) [novel] in the world that did not come up in the thought [of God] in the story of Creation. When the luminaries (fell) [were suspended] on the fourth day, He decreed upon them that they would stand for Yehoshua and Hizkiyahu; the sea, that it should split for the Children of Israel; and so [on] with all of them. However, these ten went up into [His] thought "on the eve of the [first] Shabbat at twilight," [though] they are included in the things that [have change] embedded in them.

Seven things are [found] in a golem (an unformed person): Anything the form of which has not been completed is called a golem, as it is stated (Psalms 139:16), "Your eyes saw my unformed limbs (golmi); they were all recorded in Your book" - before the formation of the limbs. So [too], one who knows that which is taught to him, but does not know how to build an argument on his own is called a golem - as his wisdom is not recognizable. And his mind will never reach to fathom these seven things, some of which are from the topic of wisdom and some of which are from the good traits. And so did Rambam, may his memory be blessed, explain.

and seven in a wise man who knows how to build an argument.

A wise man does not speak in front of someone who is greater than him in wisdom: As he listens, is quiet and learns; and [in this way,] he [builds] wisdom - which is not the case with the golem. As he does not desire understanding - but rather to reveal [what is on his mind], as we wrote above.

and he does not interrupt the words of his fellow, but he allows him to speak until he finishes all of his words; and afterwards he gives him an answer. And that is a good trait. But the golem does not do [this], but answers something before he hears [it].

and is not impulsive in answering: When they ask him, he is not quick to give an answer until he hears all of their claims and all that the questioners want to say and to elaborate on the question. Rather, he will study the words intently. And his mouth will not be impulsive and his heart will not be quick to put something out until it be clear as the sun in front of him. And this is from the way of wisdom, as this answer will be correct [this way].

and he asks to the point and answers as is proper: Rabbi Meir (Halevi), may his memory be blessed, explained, "he asks to the point": If he asks to get a reason for anything, he should only ask for a reason that is possible to give for that thing, according to the nature of that thing. And so [too], if they ask him, he "answer as is proper."

and he speaks to the first [point] first and the last [point] last: And its explanation is not that he should answer about the first thing first, and about the last question last. Rather that if the first question is clarified by the last thing, he should elucidate that first, and then elucidate the first; so as to understand and clarify his answer and [so] that the thing will be assimilable for his listener. And that is why it is called first, [even if] it is last - because it precedes it [logically] and the first thing is clarified by it. And if the matter is the opposite, it is called last. And about this is it said, "to the first [point] first and the last [point] last." And this is from great wisdom and understanding of things. And the golem does not know from all of these [things].

and about that which he has not heard [anything], says, "I have not heard [anything]": [About] that which he has not heard from the mouth of his teacher, he should say, "I have not heard [it] from my teachers." And if he has a hypothesis about the thing, he should say, "But it appears to me like this." And this thing is from the good traits that the golem will not grasp.

and he concedes to the truth: Even if he is sufficiently wise to know how to respond with many claims and intelligent words and he can refute the claims of his fellow - since [the latter] is not as wise as he - he should not do so; if it appears to him that the truth is with [the other]. Rather he should concede to his words and not be concerned with victory. And it is honorable for him, since this is a beautiful and accepted trait. And the golem will not think about this, and it is a disgrace for him when he is defeated.

And their opposites [are the case] with a golem: As he will err in all of these, as he does not have the understanding of the wise man - as he is not whole in this dispositions and in his wisdom.

Seven kinds of punishment come to the world for seven categories of sin: [When] some of [the people] give tithes, and others do not give tithes, a famine from drought comes: A famine that comes because of the withholding of rains in their time.

and some go hungry, and others have plenty: [This is] poetic justice - "some of them give tithes, and others do not give tithes."

[When] they all decide not to give tithes: Since they all do not tithe:

a famine from tumult and drought comes: This is a famine that comes because of war and disasters that come to people and [so] they are not able to work their land. 'And the Lord will send tumult' and they will all go hungry - poetic justice - as they all do not tithe.

[And when they decide, in addition,] not to set apart the dough [offering]: Since they all do not set apart the dough [offering]:

a famine of annihilation comes: A year that no rain falls at all - 'and the skies above your head shall be copper.' Because of the proliferation of sins, there is a great punishment.

Pestilence comes to the world for the death penalties set forth in the Torah that are not given over to the court [to carry out]: For example, excision and death penalties at the hand of the Heavens.

and for [violation of the laws governing] the produce of the Sabbatical year: That he does not dispose of them from his house and does business with them and [that is] forbidden. And for this, pestilence comes from the angle that (the leaders of) Israel agreed to turn their eyes away from the community. In this which they are doing evil, pestilence comes to all of 'the haters of Israel' - and from them, it extends to the whole world. However, if the heads do not have the power to protest against the lesser people, "pestilence comes to the world" is understood to be talking about an individual person - who is called a small world. And he is evil and will die in his sin. And all of Israel is [then] exempt.

[The] sword comes to the world: Since it is written (Leviticus 26:25), "I will bring a sword against you to wreak vengeance for the covenant." And covenant only [means] Torah, since it is written after it (Leviticus 26:43), "because and because they rejected My judgments.

and because of those who interpret the Torah counter to the accepted law [declaring] the forbidden, permissible, and the permissible, forbidden.

Destructive animals come to the world because of false oaths: They sinned with the mouth - 'the teeth of beasts will I send upon them.' As the difference between us and the beasts is in [oral] expression. And this is why we rule over them. And therefore, one who does not concern himself [in this way] for the glory of his Creator is fitting that he should be trampled by the beasts. And this is a cause for desecration of God's name, may He be blessed. As 'You adorned him with glory and majesty; You have made him master,' 'and it is reversed' - that the beasts will rule over the people that desecrate the glory of the Glorious one.

Exile comes to the world, etc.: And we learn all of them in the chapter [entitled] Bemeh Madlikin (Shabbat 33a): As it is written about sexual prohibitions (Leviticus 18:25), "And the land became defiled; and I called it to account for its iniquity, and the land spewed out its inhabitants." And about idolatry, it is written (Leviticus 26:30), "and My soul will spurn (gaala) you" - like a man who drives out his fellow from in front of him. As any ejection of something is called geeul. And about the sabbatical year, it is written (Leviticus 26:34), "Then shall the land make up for its sabbatical years throughout the time that it is desolate... it shall rest." And spilling of blood is even when accidental, and the proof of the thing is from the cities of refuge.

At four periods of time, etc.: As it is written (Proverbs 22:22), "Do not rob the poor, as he is poor." And is there something that can be robbed from the poor? Rather these are the gifts to the poor, since any one that withholds them and does not give them to the poor is as if he takes the soul (life) of the poor person. And he also robs the soul of the robber for himself, as it is written (Proverbs 22:23), "For the Lord will take up their cause and despoil those who despoil them their soul" - ["their soul" being plural is] meaning to say the soul of the robber and of the poor person. And therefore pestilence increases and is common at these four periods of time - from the time that they hold on to [the gifts].

In the fourth [year], it is because of the tithe to the poor in the third [year] and they did not give it. As it is written (Deuteronomy 14:28), "At the end of three years, you shall bring out all the tithe, etc." And such is the order of the tithes.

And after the holiday (Sukkot) in every single year, it is because of the theft of gifts to the poor: As at the time of the holiday of Sukkot, it is the time of the harvest. And when they steal the gifts of the poor - as they do not leave over the dropped stalks, the forgotten stalks and the corners of the field - the Omnipresent punishes them immediately after their harvest. And therefore, it said, "At four periods of time, etc."

There are four temperaments, etc.: the one who says "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours" He is not generous, but he is good in that he 'hates presents.' And it is difficult. As how can they say that this is an [average] temperament? And is not someone who prevents himself from giving charity completely wicked? And [granted] that it is true that according to the one that says that it is the temperament of Sodom, it comes out well - as it is stated (Ezekiel 16:49), "Behold this was the sin of your sister, Sodom, etc.; she did not support the poor and the needy." Rather, it is dealing with one who gives charity from fear of God, however his nature is to be stingy. And hence since he 'supports the poor and the needy,' what does his nature matter to us - the actual temperament (in practice) is [average]. "And some say that it is the trait of Sodom" and that its source is very bad, since his nature is to be stingy. But [regarding] if he 'does not support the poor and the needy at all,' everyone agrees about this that he is completely wicked and that it is the temperament of Sodom.

"what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine" - [that's an] am ha'arets (literally, a man of the land): Because this one wants the improvement of the world, he is called a man of the land. As he wants to give and to take, since love increases among them through this. And even if this is a good trait for the improvement of the world, this is not from wisdom. As one who 'hates presents shall live.' And the good temperament is to give but not to take.

[A person who is] easy to anger and easy to appease - his gain is canceled by his loss: As the loss is greater than the gain. As what is the use of his being appeased quickly, as [long as] his anger lay in his lap, and he will [often] come to sin. And 'who will be able to fix what he has made crooked' during the time of his anger, even if he is quickly appeased.

[A person who is] hard to anger but [also] hard to appease - his loss is canceled by his gain: The gain is greater than the loss, since he only gets angry sporadically, for a great necessity. And even if he is not quickly appeased from that anger - behold, he is patient most of the time.

[A person who is] hard to anger, but easy to appease - [that's a] pious person: And it is not necessary that he never get angry, as sometimes a person needs to get angry out of zeal for God like Pinchas. Hence it said, "hard to anger," since he still needs to get angry - however it should be with difficulty at the times when he is not allowed to be without anger. And about this the wise men of ethics have said, "Do not be sweet, lest they swallow you up." And it is also a good thing to be appeased immediately - even when his anger is still upon him. And not after his anger has left him, but precisely at the time of his anger is he easy to appease - as this is from the trait of piety and good-heartedness.

Quick to understand and quick to forget: His loss is greater. Since he forgets immediately, what is the use of that which he comprehends and knows quickly - behold, he forgets everything. But slow to understand and slow to forget: His gain is greater. As even if it comes to him with great toil, he does not forget after he knows [it]. And both of them should not desist from Torah study, as they have a good reward from their labor. And we learn from this mishnah to give preference to one who remembers over one who forgets - if they do not have enough to support both of them, they should support the one who remembers. This mishnah does not mention pious or wicked as it is not relevant here, since the mind of a person is from God. It is as the wise men of ethics said, "The mind is a gift, but [character] is acquired."

There are four temperaments, etc.: One who wishes to give, but [that] others not give: He wants the good and the praise for himself and his want is not for the benefit of the creatures.

[One who wishes that] others give, and he [himself] not give as he is stingy.

[One who wishes to] give and [that] others give: And this is what King Shlomo, peace be upon him, stated (Proverbs 11:25), "A generous soul" which is one that gives charity with a good eye "will prosper," but "one who benefits others" is greater, as he is one who benefits others and teaches them that they should give charity - as he wants to "give and that others give" - and this is [the meaning of the end of the verse,] "shall also be sated." And so [too] did Yishayahu state (Isaiah 32:8), "But the generous advises generosity and he stands upon generosity"; meaning to say, he advises himself to give, but he also stands on generosity - on the generosity of others who he tells to do like himself.

There are four temperaments, etc.: [One who] goes but does not do: The intention is not that he does not do anything from that which he heard in the House of Study - as one who prevented himself from doing the commandments is completely wicked, even if he does not do sins. Rather, the intention is that he does not search for them in order to do them, but he [rather] does them by happenstance when they come to his hand.

[One who] does but does not go to the House of Study to know the detail of the commandments and to be stringent about them - but he [rather] does them according to his [limited] knowledge - receives reward for this doing.

There are four temperaments, etc.: the sponge: [This is] a metaphor for a student who does not distinguish between a correct argument [and one that is not], similar to a sponge that collects and absorbs water - whether it is dirty or whether it is clear.

the funnel: As it accepts all of the things, but loses them immediately.

the strainer: [This is like] a student that retains in his mind the argument that is incorrect and loses the correct one. And about this King Shlomo, peace be upon him, stated (Proverbs 12:8). "A man is praised according to his intelligence, but a twisted heart is disgraced" - that it is not fitting to disgrace [one who knows less, but it is fitting to disgrace] one whose heart is twisted. As this one's heart is twisted, in that he retains the thing that is incorrect - such that he is compared to a strainer, as it says.

The sieve - because it lets out the [inferior] flour which is the incorrect argument; and does not retain it.

and retains the fine flour meaning the correct argument - it retains it and does not lose it.

Any love etc. What's a love that is not dependent on something, etc. [This is] the love that has no interruption, even though a person estimates that some damage and disgrace will come to him [from it, like] the example of David and Jonathan. As even though [Jonathan] was fit to rise in the place of his father and David was going to remove him from the monarchy, nonetheless [Jonathan] loved him with a firm attachment. And that is what King David, peace be upon him said in his eulogy of Jonathan (II Samuel 1:26), "your love was wonderful to me than (which can also be read as, from) the love of women." [This is] meaning to say, from where did I know that your love for me was wonderful? From the love of women. When he was the second to Shaul, the women had said (I Samuel 18:7), "Shaul has slain his thousands; David, his tens of thousands" - and Shaul became jealous, as is known. However it wasn't enough that Jonathan did not become jealous, but just the opposite - he saved him from the hand of his father. And this was from the angle that he loved him and it was not love of the body. And that is what is written (I Samuel 18:7), "and the soul of Jonathan was attached to the soul of David." However the love of Amnon and Tamar is [already] clear and there is no [need] to elaborate.

Every argument, etc. [This is] to say about that which it said, "Every argument that is for [the sake of] heaven's name, it is destined to endure" - the intention is that they will endure in their argument forever. And [so,] today they will argue about one thing and tomorrow about another; and argument will endure and continue between them all the days of their lives. And not only this, but [also] 'length of days and years of life will be added to them.'

But if it is not for [the sake of] heaven's name - it is not destined to endure: Rather they will cease in their first argument. 'They will end and die there' - as in the argument of Korach.

Anyone who brings merit to the many, sin does not result from him: So that his students not be in the Garden of Eden while he is in Gehinnom, as it is written (Psalms 16:10), "For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, or let Your pious one see the pit." And how is it possible that one who is pious should see the pit? Rather, since [(the following is) from a manuscript: He is pious, He does not let him commit a sin - so that he should not see the pit on its account.]

"He fulfilled the righteousness of God and His statutes with Israel": [This is] to say that he completed and fulfilled the entire Torah - he and all of Israel with him.

Anyone who has these three things, etc.: It would have been possible for the tanna (author of this mishnah) to be brief and not to elaborate [by way of] the category and the particulars. And he could have said, "Anyone who has a good eye, a humble spirit and a small appetite is from the students of Abraham, our father. An evil eye, a haughty spirit and a broad appetite - is from the students of Bilaam the evildoer." And why did he teach the general category and then go back to explain the particulars? Rather, he is coming to teach us that in these three things that he mentioned first are included all of the virtues, even if they have many parts; and so [too] the three things that are their opposites include all vice. And that is because if he had been brief in the way that he said [it], it would have been understood that one who would have the three things mentioned is from the students of Abraham, our father; however there would be many thousands and tens of thousands of virtues besides this to the students of Abraham, our father. And so therefore he first said that one who has these three things which he will mention - that is the student of Abraham our father. And afterwards, he explained that the students of Abraham, our father, are a good eye, etc. - which is to say, all of their virtue for which they were called the students of Abraham, our father, was a good eye, etc. And therefore, he does not say, "The students of Abraham, our father, had a good eye, etc." - [meaning] that they had these three things, even if they had many things like them. But by his saying "the students of Abraham, our father, are a good eye, etc.," he hinted that these three things were the causes of their being from the students of Abraham, our father, etc. And also the opposite of this [is the case] with the students of Bilaam the evildoer. As he did not say, "the students of Bilaam had an evil eye, etc." - to teach that the essence of the teaching that they learned from Bilaam the evildoer were these three things, without any other evils. [It is only these three things] upon which they were students of Bilaam, since all of the evils were included in them - even if they have many parts.

Yehudah ben Teimah says, etc. Be brazen like the leopard to rebuke those that commit sins; and to be much involved in Torah. 'You will not grow weary and grow faint.' And so did Yishayahu state (Isaiah 40:31), "But they who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength." When they grow weary, those that hope in the Lord shall have their strength increased and will renew it to be a new strength for them, [with which] to do the work of the Lord still longer.

light like the eagle: "Grow new wings like the eagles."

swift like the deer: He wants to say, "They shall run and not grow weary." Other people get worn out when they run, but they do not get worn for the matter of a commandment. And so [too], towards the matter of a commandment, "they shall march and not grow faint." As [with] other people, when one walks more than what he [generally] walks during the day, he is faint and grows weary.

and mighty like the lion to become stronger towards the commandments. [This is] to say that all of his thought and the actions of his limbs be for the act of God.

to do the Will of your Father Who is in Heaven: [This is] to say, so long as it is [in order] to do the Will of your Father Who is in Heaven.

brazen-faced: King Shlomo, peace be upon him, stated (Proverbs 14:9), "Guilt intercedes for fools" - as the evil fool will speak about the ugly thing and the guilty thing in a person when he sees them. [That is] like those imbeciles that said, "How foul is that carcass!" But, "among the upright, good will" - they only speak about the praise and the good will. It is like the wise man said [regarding the same carcass], "How white are its teeth!"

He used to say, etc. Ninety [is the age] for [a] bending [stature] (lashuach): This is [related] to the expression, 'pit (shiach) and cave,' meaning to say that he is fit for burial. And some explain it is from the expression, 'siach' (speaking), as he should only be occupied by words of Torah - since his days are close to dying.

Search in it, etc.: Review the words of Torah, as all the wisdom of the world is included in it.

Ben Bag Bag says, etc.: Since above it warns severely about Torah study and even until old age and hoary-headedness, and even if it causes great pain and it weakens his strength, he should not move from it; Ben Hey Hey comes to console a person and to speak to his heart, that he should not be concerned about his great pain, as According to the pain is the reward.