¹, ‘The Chapter on the Acquisition of the Torah’, or as Pereḳ R. Meir, ‘The Chapter of R. Meir’, is an appendix to the tractate Aboth. Cf. Aboth, Sonc. ed., p. 78, n. 2. It is printed in P.B., pp. 208ff.BARAITHA. R. Meir said: Whoever occupies himself with the Torah for its own sake merits many things; nay more, the whole world is beholden to him. He is called friend,² beloved,³. a lover of the All-present and a lover of his fellow-creatures, one who gladdens⁴. The Torah is compared by the Rabbis to wine. the All-present and his fellow-creatures. It clothes him⁵. with meekness and reverence [of God]; it fits him to be righteous, pious, upright and faithful; it keeps him far from sin and brings him near to merit. From him men enjoy counsel, sound knowledge, understanding and strength; as it is stated, Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.⁶ It gives him sovereignty,⁷ dominion,⁸ greatness and [the ability to be] searching in judgment, and to him are revealed the secret [meanings] of the Torah.⁹ He becomes like a well that never fails and like a stream which gathers strength as it flows on. He is modest, patient and forgiving of insults directed at him It makes him great and exalts him above all things.

footnotes: ¹ This chapter, known as Pereḳ Ḳinyan Torah ² Cf. Isa. 41, 8, where it is used of Abraham. ³ Cf. Prov. 8, 17, I love them that love me ⁴ Cf. Judg. 9, 13, [wine] which cheereth God and man ⁵ Cf. Isa. 61, 10, He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation ⁶ Prov. 8, 14. ⁷ A regal appearance. ⁸ An impressive personality. ⁹ Cf. Ps. 25, 14; Amos 3, 7.

R. Joshua b. Levi said: Every day a Bath Ḳol¹⁰ goes forth from Mount Ḥoreb¹¹ and proclaims, ‘Woe to mankind for the contempt which they display¹² towards the Torah! For whoever is not constant in his study of the Torah is termed ‘censured’,¹³. as it is stated, As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman that turneth aside from discretion,¹⁴ and it states, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.¹⁵ Do not read¹⁶ ḥaruth [engraven] but ḥeruth [freedom], for no man is free but he who occupies himself with the Torah; and whoever studies the lore of the Torah is exalted, as it is stated, And from Mattanah to Naḥaliel; and from Naḥaliel to Bamoth.¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁰ lit. ‘a daughter of a voice’, used of a heavenly proclamation. ¹¹ Another name for Sinai. ¹² By neglect to study and observe its laws. ¹³ Heb. נזוף. By the Rabbinic method of Noṭariḳon, the word is constituted from certain letters of the Heb. phrase, a ring of gold in a swine’s snout ¹⁴ Prov. 11, 22. ¹⁵ Ex. 32, 16. ¹⁶ A form of Rabbinic exegesis, where, by a change of vowel, another and sometimes higher interpretation is derived. ¹⁷ Num. 21, 19. These are place names meaning lit. ‘gift’, ‘inheritance of God’ and ‘heights’. They are interpreted homiletically as the stages of a man’s spiritual progress through the study of the Torah. By accepting the Torah, which is God’s gift, and making it his valued possession, the inheritance of God, he rises to the spiritual heights.

Whoever learns from his fellow a single chapter, a single rule, even a single verse or even a single small letter¹⁸ must treat him with honour; for so we find with David, king of Israel, who learnt from Ahitophel only two things,¹⁹ yet he treated him as his teacher and guide, as it is stated, But it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion, and my familiar friend.²⁰ Now is there not an argument from minor to major? If David, king of Israel, who learnt from Ahitophel only two things called him his teacher and guide, how much more so must one who learns from his fellow-man a chapter, a rule, a verse, a word or even one letter treat him with honour! And ‘honour’ means nothing but Torah, as it is stated, *The wise shall inherit honour;*²¹ [it is also stated,] The whole-hearted shall inherit good,²² XXVIII, 10. and good is nothing else than Torah, as it is stated For I give you good doctrine; forsake ye not my teaching.²³ IV, 2.

footnotes: ¹⁸ The spelling of a word. Cf. the Gemara below. ¹⁹ For the two lessons, cf. Aboth, Sonc. ed., p. 81, n. 6. ²⁰ Ps. 55, 14. ²¹ Prov. 3, 35. ²² ibid. ²³ ibid.

This is the way [conducive to] the study of the Torah: a morsel of bread with salt thou shalt eat,²⁴ and water by measure²⁵ shalt thou drink, thou must sleep on the ground and live a life of hardship²⁶ and [yet] labour in the Torah. [If you act in this manner,] *Happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee:*²⁷ happy shalt thou be in this world, and it shall be well with thee in the World to Come. Seek not greatness and covet not honour Not learning, but doing is the more important.²⁸ and do not crave for the table of kings, for your table is greater than their table and your crown than their crown.²⁹ IV, 17 (Sonc. ed., IV, 13, p. 51). The crown of the Torah is first in the enumeration, to indicate its superiority over the other two. Faithful is your Employer to pay you the reward for your labour.

footnotes: ²⁴ The usual meal of the poor; cf. Ber. 2b (Sonc. ed., p. [[illegible]]). ²⁵ Cf. Ezek. 4, 11. ²⁶ i.e. privation. ²⁷ Ps. 128, 2. ²⁸ Cf. Aboth I, 17 (Sonc. ed., p. 9), III, 12 (Sonc. ed., III, 9, pp. 32f.). ²⁹ Cf. ibid.

The Torah is greater than the priesthood and kingship, inasmuch as kingship [is acquired] in the form of thirty distinctions, the priesthood in [the form of] twenty-four, but the Torah in [the form of] forty-eight, viz.: by sedateness, [knowledge of] Scripture, good manners, moderation in sleep, moderation in conversation, moderation in business, moderation in hilarity, moderation in pleasure, moderation in intercourse with the world, patience, goodness of heart, confidence in the wise, resignation under affliction, study, the faculty of hearing,³⁰ ordered presentation [of one’s subject-matter] with one’s lips,³¹ understanding and discernment of heart,³². rising [out of respect],³³ reverence, wisdom, meekness, attendance upon scholars, painstaking examination³⁴ [of a subject] together with colleagues, keen discussion with pupils, knowing one’s place, rejoicing in one’s portion, making a fence to one’s words,³⁵ claiming no credit for oneself, loving the All-present, loving reproof, loving just courses, loving rectitude, keeping oneself far from [worldly] honour and not pursuing [worldly] honour, not priding oneself on one’s learning, not taking delight in giving decisions, bearing the yoke with one’s fellow-man, judging him in the scale of merit, guiding him to truth and peace, being deliberate in one’s study, asking questions and answering them, hearing and adding [to what he has heard], making one’s teacher wiser, concentrating upon one’s discourse, and repeating a statement in the name of him who made it. Hence you learn that whoever repeats a statement in the name of him who made it brings redemption into the world, as it is stated, And Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai’s name.³⁶

footnotes: ³⁰ i.e. being attentive. ³¹ He rehearses aloud the expositions which he had heard. ³² The first means coming to a conclusion by means of logical processes, and the other deep insight into the hidden intentions of the Torah. Cf. Aboth, Sonc. ed., p. 84, n. 6 ³³ For the aged and the scholar; cf. Lev. 19, 32 and Ḳid. 32b (Sonc. ed., p. 159) where ‘rising’ is defined as a token of respect. ³⁴ Another reading is בדבוק חברים, ‘attachment to colleagues’. ³⁵ He is mindful of what he says. Cf. Aboth I, 11 (Sonc. ed., p.7): ‘Ye Sages, be heedful of your words’. ³⁶ Esth. 2, 22.

Great is the Torah for it gives life to those who keep it, both in this world and in the World to Come, as it is stated, *For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh;*³⁷ and it states, *It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones;*³⁸ III, 8. [and it states,] *Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;*³⁹ 17. and it states, *She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that holdeth her fast;*⁴⁰ 18. and it states, *She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow on thee;*⁴¹ IV, 9. and it states, *For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and a necklace about thy neck;*⁴² I, 9. and it states, *Length of days is in her right hand; in her left are riches and honour;*⁴³ III, 16. and it states, For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to thee.⁴⁴ III, 2. R. Simeon b. Judah said in the name of R. Simeon [b. Yoḥai]: Beauty, strength, riches, wisdom, old age, hoariness, honour and children are becoming to the righteous and becoming to the world; as it is stated, *The hoary head is a crown of glory, it is found in the way of righteousness;*⁴⁵ XVI, 31. and it states, *Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of the children are their fathers;*⁴⁶ XVII, 6. and it states, *The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is the hoary head;*⁴⁷ XX, 29. and it states, And before His elders shall be glory.⁴⁸ R. Simeon b. Menasia said: The seven qualifications which the Sages associated with the righteous were all realized in Rabbi [Judah the Prince] and his sons. ⁴⁹ [R. Jose b. Ḳisma said: Once I went on a journey when a man met me and greeted me.⁵⁰ He asked me, ‘Rabbi, from which place do you come?’ I replied, ‘From a great city of scholars and scribes’. He said to me, ‘Rabbi, if you agreed to dwell with us in our place, I would give you a thousand thousand golden dinars and precious stones and pearls’. I replied, ‘My son, were you to give me all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls in the world, I would not dwell in any place but in a place of Torah. Because in the hour of a man’s departure [from the world], neither silver nor gold nor precious stones and pearls accompany him but only Torah and good deeds; as it is stated, When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.⁵¹ When thou walkest, it shall lead thee—in this world; when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee—in the grave; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee—in the World to Come. And so it is written in the Book of Psalms of David, king of Israel, *The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver;*⁵² and it states, Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold, saith the Lord of hosts.]⁵³

footnotes: ³⁷ Prov. 4, 22. ³⁸ ibid. ³⁹ ibid. ⁴⁰ ibid. ⁴¹ ibid. ⁴² ibid. ⁴³ ibid. ⁴⁴ ibid. ⁴⁵ ibid. ⁴⁶ ibid. ⁴⁷ ibid. ⁴⁸ Isa. 24, 23. ⁴⁹ This paragraph is not in the text, but is inserted because it is referred to in the Gemara. The translation follows the text of H. ⁵⁰ R. Jose did not return the man’s salutation. Cf. the Gemara. ⁵¹ Prov. 6, 22. ⁵² Ps. 119, 72. ⁵³ Hag. 2, 8.

Five acquisitions has the Holy One, blessed be He, made His very own⁵⁴ in this world, viz.: Torah, heaven and earth, Abraham, Israel and the Temple. Whence do we know this of the Torah? As it is stated, The Lord made me as the beginning of His way.⁵⁵ Whence do we know this of heaven and earth? As it is stated, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.⁵⁶ Whence do we know this of Abraham? As it is stated, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth.⁵⁷ Whence do we know this of Israel? As it is stated, Till Thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over that Thou hast gotten;⁵⁸ and it states, As for the holy that are in the earth, they are the excellent in whom is all My delight.⁵⁹ And whence do we know this of the Temple? As it is stated, *The sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established;*⁶⁰ and it states, And He brought them to His holy border, to the mountain which His right hand had gotten.⁶¹ All of them the Holy One, blessed be He, created only for His honour, as it is stated, *Every one that is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him;*⁶² and it states, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.⁶³

footnotes: ⁵⁴ i.e. especially dear to Him. ⁵⁵ Prov. 8, 22. ⁵⁶ Isa. 66, 1. ⁵⁷ Gen. 14, 19. ⁵⁸ Ex. 15, 16. ⁵⁹ Ps. 16, 3. ⁶⁰ Ex. 15, 17. ⁶¹ Ps. 78, 54. ⁶² Isa. 43, 7. ⁶³ Ex. 15, 18.

GEMARA. ‘R. Meir said’: The Rabbis have taught:⁶⁴ R. Meir once went to a certain place where an old man asked him, ‘Why is it written, It is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord,⁶⁵ [and elsewhere it is written, An offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord]?’⁶⁶ He was not in possession [of the answer], so he went to the Beth Hammidrash and inquired. They told him, ‘The one passage refers to those who occupy themselves with the study of the Torah for its own sake, and the other to those who occupy themselves not for its own sake’.⁶⁷ first and an offering made by fire second; otherwise it is reversed. For the comparison of the Torah to fire, cf. Deut. 33, 2, a fiery law. As for R. Meir who taught: ‘Whoever occupies himself with the Torah for its own sake’, etc.,⁶⁸ was he not in possession of what R. Joḥanan⁶⁹ said: [It is written,] And the Lord saith: Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, etc.⁷⁰: The Holy One, blessed be He, said [54b], ‘I have exiled Israel not because of idolatry, immorality and murder, but because they forsook My law; as it is stated, And have forsaken Me, and have not kept My law⁷¹ XVI, 11.—if they forsook Me why did they not keep My law?’⁷² Hence the Sages declared:⁷³ Let a man ever occupy himself with the Torah even not for its own sake; because from doing it not for its own sake, he will come to do it for its own sake. [R. Meir] made his statement on the principle of R. ‘Aḳiba, for it has been taught: R. ‘Aḳiba said: Whoever reads [the Torah] not for its own sake, it were better for him that he had died at birth;⁷⁴ for it is stated, And ye shall keep My commandments, and do them.⁷⁵ But whoever reads [the Torah] for its own sake, Scripture accounts it to him as though he had fulfilled [the precepts], as it is stated, And do them.⁷⁶ The following was quoted in refutation of R. Joḥanan’s statement: What was the cause of the first destruction of Jerusalem? Idolatry. And of the second destruction? Causeless hatred;⁷⁷ so were there not two causes?⁷⁸ R. Joḥanan can reply: It is the Holy One, blessed be He, Who spoke thus: They have forsaken Me. Why? Because *they have not kept My law;*⁷⁹ consequently if they had kept My law they would not have forsaken Me. And as to your question on [the destruction of] the Second Temple, causeless hatred is different because it is more grievous than idolatry.⁸⁰ Whence do we know this? For it is written, *Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone:*⁸¹ As long as they are joined together even [to worship] their idols, *leave them alone;*⁸² [and it is written,] Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt.⁸³ X, 2. Only when the people are divided through enmity they suffer divine punishment. If so, what [was the cause of] the first destruction? With the First Temple it was different; He deferred the punishment from the days of Rehoboam. Or if you wish I can say that the First Temple was also destroyed for the reason their heart is divided. The Rabbis have taught:⁸⁴ Whoever hates another is as though he were his murderer, as it is stated, But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die⁸⁵—were it in his power he would kill him.

footnotes: ⁶⁴ The story is not found elsewhere in Talmudic literature. ⁶⁵ e.g. Ex. 29, 18. ⁶⁶ e.g. Num. 29, 13. The words within brackets are not in V but added by H. ⁶⁷ Where the motive is disinterested the study of the Torah is a sweet savour ⁶⁸ At the beginning of the Baraitha. ⁶⁹ This name varies in the sources, e.g. R. Isaac and R. Abba. ⁷⁰ Jer. 9, 12. ⁷¹ ibid. ⁷² j.Ḥag. I, 7, 76C. ⁷³ Pes. 50b (Sonc. ed., p. 245). ⁷⁴ lit. ‘it would have been better for him had the afterbirth been turned on his face’. ⁷⁵ Lev. 22, 31. The purpose of studying the precepts of the Torah is to do them. ⁷⁶ Cf. Sanh. 99b (Sonc. ed., p. 675). ⁷⁷ Tosiftha Men. XIII, 22 (ed. Zuckermandel, p. 533) cites this in the name of R. Joḥanan b. Torthah. ⁷⁸ R. Joḥanan gives only one cause for the first destruction and one for the second destruction. ⁷⁹ One cause was the effect of the other, and so there were not two causes. ⁸⁰ Hence one cause sufficed. ⁸¹ Hosea 4, 17. ⁸² So long as there was unity among the people, even for a base purpose, God would not punish them. ⁸³ ibid. ⁸⁴ This statement is not found in the Talmudic sources. ⁸⁵ Deut. 19, 11. Hatred may lead to murder. Cf. Sifrë, Deut., §§186f. (ed. Friedmann, p. 108b).

‘He is called friend’ of the Divine Presence,⁸⁶ (Prov. 27, 10) is the Holy One, blessed be He’. as it is written. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say: Peace be within thee.⁸⁷ ‘Beloved’, as it is written, I love them that love me, and those that seek me earnestly shall find me.⁸⁸ ‘One who gladdens the All-present and his fellow-creatures’: This teaches that a man should appear justified before his fellow-creatures as well as before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, Then ye shall be clear before the Lord, and before Israel.⁸⁹ ‘Gladden the All-present’: as it is written, Behold, this is the joy of his way.⁹⁰ [‘Gladden] his fellow-creatures’: as it is written, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.⁹¹ ‘It clothes him with meekness’: Who taught this? R. Joshua b. Levi who said:⁹² Meekness is the greatest of them all. Since the last part reads ‘R. Joshua b. Levi said’, it must be deduced that the first part is not by R. Joshua b. Levi! Something is missing in the Baraitha and read it as follows: ‘[Meekness is] the greatest of them all, and further said R. Joshua b. Levi’. But perhaps the author of the statement is R. Meir? We do not find anywhere that R. Meir said, ‘Reverence is best’.⁹³ ‘It fits him to be righteous, pious’, etc. What is meant by ‘righteous’ and what by ‘pious’? ‘Righteous’ is one who does right actions; ‘pious’ is one who practises acts of loving-kindness. Since [the Baraitha] cites these [virtues], why does it mention ‘upright [and faithful]’? ‘Upright’ means one who is upright in his ways, ‘faithful’ denotes one who is faithful in spirit. ‘It keeps him far from sin’: even from the sin of others. ‘And brings him near to merit’: even the merit of others. ‘From him men enjoy sound knowledge’: What is meant by tushiyyah? The Torah. And why is it called tushiyyah? Because it weakens the strength of a man⁹⁴ [through his constant study of it]. Another explanation: Because it was given in secret on account of Saṭan.⁹⁵ Saṭan opposed the Torah being given to Moses because he argued that the Israelites would later violate it by worshipping the Golden Calf. Cf. Shab. 89a, Tosafoth s.v. Torah quoting a Midrash. Another explanation: Because it is composed of chaotic matter which is the foundation of the world.⁹⁶

footnotes: ⁸⁶ Midrash Rabbah, Exodus, XXVII, 1 (Sonc. ed., p. 321): ‘Thine own friend ⁸⁷ Ps. 122, 8. ⁸⁸ Prov. 8, 17. ⁸⁹ Num. 32, 22. ⁹⁰ Job 8, 19 interpreted of God. ⁹¹ Isa. 49, 3. ⁹² Cf. ‘A.Z. 20b (Sonc. ed., p. 107). ⁹³ The word ‘reverence’ seems to be an error for ‘meekness’, otherwise the answer is unintelligible. [Because in the Baraitha ‘reverence’ is linked with ‘meekness’, the answer may be that since R. Meir nowhere makes the statement with respect to the first, it cannot be his statement.] ⁹⁴ Cf. Sanh. 26b (Sonc. ed., p. 155) where the word is derived from the root תשש, ‘to weaken’. ⁹⁵ Cf. Sanh. loc. cit. ⁹⁶ תושיה is taken to be a combination of תו, i.e. תהו, ‘chaos’ and שיה, equated with שתיה, ‘foundation’.

Come and hear: [It is written,] He frustrated the devices of the crafty, so that their hands can perform nothing substantial.⁹⁷ is tushiyyah in the Heb. It is all right in this last-quoted verse where it is clear from what is written, so that their hands can perform nothing, that it refers to what they have begun to do; but on the basis of the first statement there is a difficulty!⁹⁸ [It can be answered that] on the basis of the first statement there is also no difficulty, because anxiety⁹⁹ affects one’s learning.¹⁰⁰ And as for him who interprets [tushiyyah] ‘because it was given in secret on account of Saṭan’, there is a twofold difficulty: first, the word cannot bear such an interpretation, and secondly the verses [which are cited] afford no proof¹⁰¹, ‘enlighten’ for it! The difficulty certainly [remains unsolved]. ‘Counsel is Mine, and sound wisdom’—thus declared the princes of the Torah: Mine is counsel and sound wisdom, and [the Torah] responded, I am understanding. Or if you wish I can say that [the Torah] declared, ‘Although [understanding] is not my relative,¹⁰² counsellor or friend, yet counsel is Mine and was approved by Heaven; but as for the principles of understanding, although men may master them, no one can do so unless he takes his stand with me’.¹⁰³ ‘It gives him sovereignty … and [the ability to be] searching in judgment’—that is, in civil cases. ‘The secret [meanings of] the Torah’—[so that he is able to deduce] one thing from another.¹⁰⁴ ‘Like a well that never fails’—once he has gained wisdom he does not cease [to add to it]. ‘And like a stream which gathers strength as it flows on’—every day he discovers a new interpretation. ‘Modest’—although you have become very wise and other men cannot acquire wisdom with the same rapidity, do not harshly judge them. ‘Forgiving insults directed at him’—he does not pursue a quarrel. ‘And it makes him great and exalts him.’

footnotes: ⁹⁷ Job 5, 12, where substantial ⁹⁸ If study weakens a man and so he fails to achieve his purpose, there is no incentive to study. ⁹⁹ lit. ‘thought’ about one’s livelihood. ¹⁰⁰ lit. ‘the Torah’. God frees scholars from anxiety by providing them with sustenance, because otherwise they could not progress in their studies. The verse from Job is accordingly understood in this sense: ‘He abolisheth the thoughts of the skilled (i.e. scholars), lest their hands perform nothing substantial’. Cf. Sanh. 26b (Sonc. ed., p. 155, n. 11). ¹⁰¹ Reading with H menaher ¹⁰² i.e. the source of my wisdom (so L. Ginzberg quoted by H). ¹⁰³ Cf. ARN XXIII, 1, above p. 116, where ‘the mighty’ are defined as they who are such in Torah. ¹⁰⁴ i.e. by analogy.

‘R. Joshua b. Levi said: Every day’, etc. Whence do we know this? For it is written, Hark! the Lord crieth [yiḳra’] unto the city—and it is wisdom to have regard for Thy name.¹⁰⁵ Perhaps the verse speaks of an ordinary voice [calling and not a Bath Ḳol]? Here it is stated yiḳra’, and elsewhere it is stated, And the Lord called [wayyiḳra’] unto him out of the mountain:¹⁰⁶ as there it was [God calling] from Sinai, so here too it is [God calling] from Sinai. Alternately, here it states yiḳra’ and of the tent of meeting it states, And the Lord called [wayyiḳra’] unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tent of meeting.¹⁰⁷ But it might be argued that here¹⁰⁸ is used, translated hark. it uses the word ḳol and elsewhere it states, God answered him by a voice [beḳol]!¹⁰⁹ Then quote, Then he heard the Voice speaking.¹¹⁰ [It might also be argued,] Here it states, unto the city¹¹¹ and there it does not! [Draw the inference] from the following: Hark [ḳol]! one calleth [ḳore’]: Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord,¹¹² where ‘calling’ and ‘wilderness’ occur, and it is written, They encamped in the wilderness¹¹³—perhaps this refers to the periodical ‘callings’! When it mentions ‘calling’ it implies a regular calling, as it is written, When I call unto them, they stand up together.¹¹⁴ Our Rabbis have taught:¹¹⁵ Five things the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself proclaims, viz.: the leader, famine, plenty, the sword, and those who escape the sword. ‘The leader’, as it is written, See, I have called by name Beẓalel.¹¹⁶ ‘Famine’, as it is written, For the Lord hath called for a famine.¹¹⁷ ‘Plenty’, as it is written, And I will call for the corn and will increase it.¹¹⁸ ‘The sword’, as it is written, For I will call for a sword.¹¹⁹ ‘Those who escape the sword’, as it is written, And among the remnant those whom the Lord shall call.¹²⁰ It is all right with three since the Divine Name is written in connection with them, but with And I will call for the corn, perhaps [this means] by a messenger, as it is written, *I will call my servant Eliaḳim!*¹²¹ If you do not admit this, surely there [with Eliaḳim] the Divine Presence called to him [to act as leader], because it was similar to that of Beẓalel who was a leader.

footnotes: ¹⁰⁵ Micah 6, 9. ¹⁰⁶ Ex. 19, 3. ¹⁰⁷ Lev. 1, 1. ¹⁰⁸ In Micah 6, 9, where the word ḳol ¹⁰⁹ Ex. 19, 19, which seems to imply that it was not God Who spoke. ¹¹⁰ Num. 7, 89. Here it is clear that God is speaking. ¹¹¹ In Micah 6, 9, and therefore the comparison is not complete. ¹¹² Isa. 40, 3. ¹¹³ Ex. 19, 2, which refers to a time before Sinai. ¹¹⁴ Isa. 48, 13. ¹¹⁵ Ber. 55a (Sonc. ed., p. 335). R. Joḥanan there enumerates three things: famine, plenty and leadership. ¹¹⁶ Ex. 31, 2. ¹¹⁷ 2 Kings 8, 1. ¹¹⁸ Ezek. 36, 29. ¹¹⁹ Jer. 25, 29. ¹²⁰ Joel 3, 5. ¹²¹ Isa. 22, 20.

We have learnt:¹²² Every day a proclamation goes forth [in heaven], ‘The daughter of So-and-so is [to marry] So-and-so; the wife of So-and-so is [to marry] So-and-so; the money of So-and-so [will belong] to So-and-so’. Some add. ‘The house of So-and-so [will belong] to So-and-so’. Whence do we know this? For it is written, Men of low degree are vanity; and men of high degree are a lie; if they be laid in the balances, they are together lighter than vanity.¹²³ Men of low degree are vanity: this refers to one who says, ‘The daughter of So-and-so [will marry] So-and-so’; men of high degree are a lie: this refers to one who says, ‘The wife of So-and-so [will marry] So-and-so’; if they be laid in the balances: this refers to one who says, ‘The money of So-and-so [will belong] to So-and-so’. And what about the added statement? ‘House’ is the same as ‘money’. It was stated above, Men [’adam] of low degree are vanity; and men [’ish] of high degree are a lie. Why is vanity used with ’adam and lie with ’ish? David said: I said in my haste: all men [’adam] are liars.¹²⁴ CXVI, 11. Because ’Adam was the first name by which man was designated, as it is written, And the Lord God called unto the man [’adam] *and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’ And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked;’*¹²⁵ should [man] therefore [be called] a liar? Did not the world [after the Flood] begin with Noah who was not a liar, for it is written, *Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted?*¹²⁶ VI, 9. Even so, this does not help; we go back to the earliest origins.¹²⁷

footnotes: ¹²² M.Ḳ. 18b (Sonc. ed., p. 118). ¹²³ Ps. 62, 10. ¹²⁴ ibid. ¹²⁵ Gen. 3, 9f. ¹²⁶ ibid. ¹²⁷ i.e. the first man, Adam.

‘For whoever is not constant in the study of the Torah is termed “censured”; as it is stated, As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout’—gold refers to the Torah, for so it states, *And I put a ring upon thy nose;*¹²⁸ and it also declares, As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout: this refers to one who studies the Torah at [irregular] intervals.¹²⁹ The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Of what [use] is this before swine, seeing that My Torah is beautiful and I have given it [to man] to meditate thereon, but he does not meditate on it until he forgets it’. ‘And it states, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables; and it is stated, And from Mattanah to Naḥaliel; and from Naḥaliel to Bamoth’. What is [the force of] the additional verse? Should you say that although such a man is under ‘censure’ he can still be considered a free man, come and hear: Graven upon the tables—he only is free who meditates on the Torah.¹³⁰ And it declares, From Mattanah to Naḥaliel—what is [the force of] this additional verse? Should you say: He is not a free man¹³¹ but receives his reward, come and hear: And from Mattanah to Naḥaliel—this is to teach that the reward is [only] for those who make themselves in connection with [the Torah] like an overflowing brook.¹³² with נחל, ‘brook’, and אל, ‘mighty’, i.e. he makes a great effort to study the Torah. You might perhaps derive this from the verse, *As the channel of brooks that overflow!*¹³³ Come and hear: And from Naḥaliel to Bamoth—they are like the high places [bamoth] which did not cease.¹³⁴ are like the bamoth which continued in existence after God commanded their abolition.

footnotes: ¹²⁸ Ezek. 16, 12. ¹²⁹ Cf. Sanh. 99b (Sonc. ed., p. 673). ¹³⁰ Cf. ARN II, 3, p. 21. ¹³¹ V inserts ‘from the Torah’, which H deletes. ¹³² Connecting Naḥaliel ¹³³ Job 6, 15. The verb overflow is lit. ‘pass’, which is here taken in the sense ‘pass away, dry up’. ¹³⁴ This translation follows the text of V and H, according to which the meaning given to overflow as ‘pass away’ is countered by the explanation that the brooks

‘Whoever learns from his fellow a single chapter.’ Since [the Baraitha] refers to ‘a single small letter’, what need was there to mention ‘one word’? And [since it refers] to ‘one word’, why mention ‘a single rule’ or ‘a single chapter’? [The intention is] one letter of the Talmud, one word of the Mishnah, one verse of Scripture, one rule even though it has not been established, one chapter even of [the tractate] Derek ’Ereẓ.¹³⁵ is a treatise on ethical conduct, included in this series of Minor Tractates. How [can one learn] ‘a single letter’? For example,¹³⁶ or ‘ayin. me’ammeẓin or me‘ammeẓin; gar’inin or gar‘inin; or ’ommemoth or ‘ommemoth. And he¹³⁷. gave a reason [that the word should be spelt] gar ‘inin, for it is written, And an abatement shall be made [wenigra‘] *from thy valuation;*¹³⁸ is spelt with ‘ayin. ‘ommemoth, for it is written, *The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it;*¹³⁹ is spelt with ‘ayin. me‘ammeẓin, for it is written, And shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil.¹⁴⁰ has the letter ‘ayin. He did not, however, give his own opinion [whether these words should be written] with ’alef or ‘ayin. But one [of the examples cited] is written with ’alef? They are surely written with ’ayin! He speaks of words which enter the heart,¹⁴¹ as for instance, massiḳin, meziḳin.¹⁴² But is not this [a better] example—for instance that which we have learnt:¹⁴³ One may let fruit drop [mashshilin] through a trap-door on a Festival? If [one uses the verb] mashshilin he does not make a mistake; for we have learnt:¹⁴⁴ [If the firstling is a] shaḥol or a kasol, [it may be slaughtered]; shaḥol [means an animal] whose hip has become dislocated and kasol [an animal] one of whose hips is higher than the other.¹⁴⁵ means ‘slip, fall’, the same as the root nashal in mashshilin. If one teaches the word mashshirin¹⁴⁶, ‘fall’. he does not make a mistake; for we have learnt:¹⁴⁷ If one’s clothes fell [nashru] in the water on a Sabbath he may walk in them without fear. He who uses the word mashshirin does not make a mistake; for we have learnt:¹⁴⁸. The hair-clipper [shaḥor]¹⁴⁹ and the barber’s scissors are susceptible to defilement even though [the two parts] are separated. But [we are speaking of the change] of one letter and here it [deals with the change of] one word! It was only necessary as an opinion.¹⁵⁰ Raba said: Even with the waw, which is clearly one letter, you might argue that since it does not add anything to the meaning, conclude that one is not [obliged to honour him who teaches it]! Hence [the Baraitha] teaches that, since at times with the help of it a reason [for a law] is established [it is to be taken into consideration],¹⁵¹ and it only applies where the reason [for a law] is established by it. Raba said: [It also applies] in connection with Scripture, although the reason for a law may not be established by it and it may be a letter that is not pronounced. But you said ‘a verse of Scripture’!¹⁵² This was necessary for a case when he expounded it in connection with a halakah.

footnotes: ¹³⁵ The text of H is followed. Derek ’Ereẓ ¹³⁶ Cf. Shab. 77b (Sonc. ed., p. 365, nn. 4, 6, 8) where the discussion is on whether certain Hebrew words are to be spelt with the letter ’alef ¹³⁷ Rabbah b. ‘Ulla in Shab. loc. cit ¹³⁸ Lev. 27, 18, where the root gara‘ ¹³⁹ Ezek. 31, 8. There the root ‘amam ¹⁴⁰ Isa. 33, 15. Again the root ‘aẓam ¹⁴¹ So rendered by H. It may mean examples of a natural interchange of sibilants. ¹⁴² Cf. B.B. 116b (Sonc. ed., p. 695) where both words are used in the sense of ‘bandits’. ¹⁴³ Beẓah 35b (Sonc. ed., p. 179). ¹⁴⁴ Beẓah loc. cit. ¹⁴⁵ Hence the root shaḥal ¹⁴⁶ From the root nashar ¹⁴⁷ Beẓah loc. cit. ¹⁴⁸ ibid ¹⁴⁹ Which causes the hair ‘to fall’ from the head. ¹⁵⁰ A general example of the interchange of letters. ¹⁵¹ i.e. he is obligated to pay honour to him who teaches it to him. ¹⁵² If taught warrants respect to the instructor.

‘For so we find with David, king of Israel, who learnt from Ahitophel only two things.’ What were they? Raba said: Can you not learn them from the verse itself? [It is written,] *We took sweet counsel together:*¹⁵³ [Ahitophel] said to him, ‘David, why do you sit and occupy yourself alone with the study of the Torah? The words of the Torah can be preserved only in association with companions.¹⁵⁴ Just as counsel frustrates thoughts,¹⁵⁵ so [is thought frustrated] where there is no counsel’.¹⁵⁶ And whence did he illustrate it? For it is written, Keep silence [hasketh], and hear, O Israel¹⁵⁷ [which means,] Divide yourselves into groups¹⁵⁸ [for the study of the Torah]. And what was the other thing [David] learnt [from him]? He said to him, ‘When you go to pray, run like a man running after a king’. And whence did he illustrate it? For it is written. After the Lord your God shall ye go.¹⁵⁹ XIII, 5. E.V. walk. And whence do we know that David referred to these [two thoughts] and spoke in praise of them? For it is written, *We took sweet counsel together, in the house of God we walked with the throng;*¹⁶⁰ is understood as ‘in haste’. and it is written, *I have more understanding than all my teachers;*¹⁶¹ CXIX, 99, which is given the meaning: I have gained understanding from all my teachers (Ahitophel included). and it is also written, I will run the way of Thy commandments.¹⁶² 32.

footnotes: ¹⁵³ Ps. 55, 15. ¹⁵⁴ i.e. taking counsel together. ¹⁵⁵ Fellow-students in the course of discussion refute each other’s conclusions if wrongly arrived at. ¹⁵⁶ One is often misled by his own false reasoning. ¹⁵⁷ Deut. 27, 9. ¹⁵⁸ The second syllable of הסכת is read as כת, ‘group’. ¹⁵⁹ ibid. ¹⁶⁰ Ps. 55, 15. The first clause is interpreted as studying Torah together with others, and in the second with the throng ¹⁶¹ ibid. ¹⁶² ibid.

‘This is the way [conducive to] the study of the Torah: a morsel of bread with salt thou shalt eat.’¹⁶³ [Rab] saw [R. Kahana] indulging himself¹⁶⁴ and asked him, ‘Do you not know of the verse,¹⁶⁵ Neither is it found in the land of the living¹⁶⁶ [which means that] the Torah will not be found in one who attends to his needs [instead of studying it constantly]?’ He replied, ‘It refers to [abstention from pleasant things] which enter the body, but does it refer also to such matters?’¹⁶⁷ [Rab] said to him, ‘Has it not been taught:¹⁶⁸ Three things enter the body without its deriving any benefit therefrom, viz. melilot,¹⁶⁹ date-berries and unripe dates; three things do not enter the body but it derives benefit therefrom, viz. washing, anointing and regular motions?’ He asked him, ‘Does, then, the study of the Torah entail affliction?’ He replied, ‘Yes, for it is written, It is good for me that I have been afficted, in order that I might learn Thy statutes.¹⁷⁰ Furthermore, is [Torah] found [in all others] except those [who attend to their wants]? But has it not been taught:¹⁷¹ It is not in heaven¹⁷² [which means that] Torah will not be found with those who exalt their knowledge, Neither is it beyond the sea [which means that] it will not be found among merchants, traders and sailors. With these Torah is not found but craftiness is found. And whence do you know that beyond [‘eber] the sea refers to merchants? For it is written, And there passed by [wayya‘abru], Midianites, merchantmen’.¹⁷³ is the same as of ‘eber, ‘beyond’, and the inference is drawn that the Midianites were merchants who came from beyond the sea. ‘Do not seek greatness for yourself’: so that you should not say, ‘Behold, I study the Torah and what a great man I am!’ Should you do so, the consequence will be that you will occupy yourself with the Torah not for its own sake.

footnotes: ¹⁶³ Cf. Sanh. 111a (Sonc. ed., p. 762). ¹⁶⁴ He was dressing his hair instead of attending to his studies. ¹⁶⁵ Or, do you not accept the teaching? ¹⁶⁶ Job 28, 13. ¹⁶⁷ As dressing one’s hair. ¹⁶⁸ Ber. 57b (Sonc. ed., p. 356). ¹⁶⁹ A kind of clover. ¹⁷⁰ Ps. 119, 71. ¹⁷¹ ‘Erub. 55a (Sonc. ed., p. 384). ¹⁷² Deut. 30, 12. ¹⁷³ Gen. 37, 28. The root of the verb passed

‘The Torah is greater than kingship, inasmuch as kingship [is acquired] in the form of thirty distinctions.’ What are they?¹⁷⁴ By silver, gold, women, menservants, maidservants, houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, family, treasures,¹⁷⁵ 8. provinces, male singers, female singers, delicacies, demons and demonesses,¹⁷⁶ which is variously translated: A.J. women, very many; A.V. musical instruments; R.V. concubines. The Talmud, Giṭ. 68a (Sonc. ed., p. 322) records that it was rendered ‘male and female demons’ in Babylon and ‘carriages’ in Palestine. horses, chariots, the sword, garments, armaments, troops, spices,¹⁷⁷ counsellors, guards, spies, justice and righteousness, as it is stated, For the throne is established by righteousness.¹⁷⁸

footnotes: ¹⁷⁴ The list is partly based on Eccl. 2, 4ff., which describes a king’s wealth. ¹⁷⁵ Cf. ibid. ¹⁷⁶ ibid. shiddah weshiddoth ¹⁷⁷ V repeats ‘chariots’ here, omitted by H. ¹⁷⁸ Prov. 16, 12.

‘The priesthood [in the form of] twenty-four distinctions’:¹⁷⁹ viz. ten in [the precincts of] the Temple, ten in the provincial towns and four in Jerusalem. Ten in [the precincts of] the Temple, viz. the sin-offering [of an animal], trespass-offering [for a known sin], peace-offerings of the congregation, sin-offering of a bird, trespass-offering for a doubtful sin, the log of oil in the case of a leper, the two loaves, the shewbread, remnant of the ‘Omer and remnants of the meal-offerings. Ten in the provincial towns, viz. terumah, the terumah of the tithe, ḥallah, the first of the fleece, the shoulder, cheeks and maw, the redemption of the first-born son, the redemption of the firstling of an ass, [payment of a fine for] robbery committed against a proselyte,¹⁸⁰ devoted [articles],¹⁸¹ and a field of possession.¹⁸² And four in Jerusalem, viz. the firstlings, the first fruits, the portion separated of the thanks-offering, and of the ram of the Nazirite. What are these [portions]? The breast and the thigh. It has been taught:¹⁸³ All these [perquisites] were granted to Aaron by ḳal waḥomer, gezerah shawah, binyan ’ab and kelal uferaṭ.¹⁸⁴

footnotes: ¹⁷⁹ These were the perquisites of the priests. Cf. B.Ḳ. 110b (Sonc. ed., p. 646). ¹⁸⁰ Cf. Ḥul. 133b (Sonc. ed., p. 758, n. 16). ¹⁸¹ Num. 18, 14. B.Ḳ. reads ‘a field devoted’. ¹⁸² Lev. 27, 16-21. ¹⁸³ B.Ḳ. 110b (Sonc. ed., p. 645, n. 9). ¹⁸⁴ These are the first four of the thirteen exegetical principles by which the Torah is interpreted and enumerated by R. Ishmael. Cf. the text in P.B., p. 13.

‘But the Torah [is acquired in the form of] forty-eight’: Great is the Torah for it gives life. What is the force of the additional verse?¹⁸⁵, quoted in the Baraitha. Should you say that [the Torah gives] health to a man’s flesh but not to his bones, come and hear: [It is written,] and marrow to thy bones. And should you say that [it gives health] to the bones but not to the heart, come and hear: And all her paths are peace. And should you say that [it gives] peace but not life, come and hear: She is a tree of life. And should you say that [it gives] life but not honour, come and hear: For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head. And should you say that it brings honour but not protection, come and hear: A crown of glory will she bestow on thee.¹⁸⁶ IV, 9. The Heb. for bestow also means ‘to shield’. And should you say that [it gives] protection in this world but its reward is lost in the World to Come, come and hear: Length of days is in her right hand,¹⁸⁷ III, 16. and it declares, O Lord, for evermore.¹⁸⁸ And should you say that it mentions days but not years, come and hear: For length of days and years of life … will they add to thee.¹⁸⁹ ‘R. Simeon b. Judah said in the name of R. Simeon [b. Yoḥai].’ The question was asked: To which [verses] does R. Simeon’s statement make reference? Is it to the verses preceding [the earlier part] ending with and years of life, etc.? Or is it perhaps to those which he was about to cite [in the Baraitha]? Since he enumerates seven things¹⁹⁰ it is proved that he refers to the earlier part because there also there are seven. The question was asked: What is the meaning of *And before His elders shall be Glory?*¹⁹¹ Come and hear: Rab said: Who has a share in the World to Come? He to whom can be applied, And before His elders shall be Glory.¹⁹², ‘elder’, in the Rabbinic sense of ‘one who has acquired [ḳanah] wisdom’. Cf. Shab. 153a (Sonc. ed., p. 781).

footnotes: ¹⁸⁵ Prov. 3, 8, It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones ¹⁸⁶ ibid ¹⁸⁷ ibid. ¹⁸⁸ Ps. 93, 5. ¹⁸⁹ Prov. 3, 2. ¹⁹⁰ Counting ‘old age’ and ‘hoariness’ as one. ¹⁹¹ Isa. 24, 23. ¹⁹² Interpreting zaḳen

‘R. Jose b. Ḳisma said: Once, etc.’ Why did he not return his salutation?¹⁹³ He discerned in him the signs of an ‘am ha-’areẓ. But it is permissible to greet even the heathen in the street!¹⁹⁴ He was undecided about a halakah and was pondering over it, and would not speak until he solved the difficulties; but when he realized that the man was an Israelite he thought to himself, ‘Now I will return [his salutation]’. What is the meaning of the additional verse?¹⁹⁵ If you say that a man who gives [charity which is dispensed] after his death benefits by it¹⁹⁶ although he gave nothing in his lifetime, come and hear: Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold.¹⁹⁷ That is, you should have done [good with it] while it was still yours. Raba said: Infer from this that when a man dies his money is lost to him.

footnotes: ¹⁹³ Cf. §9 of the Baraitha. ¹⁹⁴ Cf. Ber. 17a (Sonc. ed., p. 102) where it is related that Rabban Joḥanan b. Zakkai was the first to greet all men, even the heathen, in the street. ¹⁹⁵ From Hag. 2, 8, cited in the Baraitha. ¹⁹⁶ i.e. it is accounted to him as merit. ¹⁹⁷ Hag. 2, 8.

‘Five acquisitions.’ Just as the heavens and the earth will be renewed in the future, so also will Israel be renewed in the future, as it is stated, For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.¹⁹⁸ By whose [merit]? By the merit of Abraham and by the merit of the Torah. And where? In the Temple.

footnotes: ¹⁹⁸ Isa. 66, 22.