Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

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Chapter 1 Mishna 4
פרק א משנה ד

Yossei ben Yoezer of Tzreidah, and Yossei ben Yochanan of Jerusalem, received the tradition from them. Yossei ben Yoezer of Tzreidah would say: "May your house be a meeting place for the wise; become dusty in the dust of their feet, and drink thirstily their words".
יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה וְיוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. יוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה אוֹמֵר: יְהִי בֵיתְךָ בֵּית וַעַד לַחֲכָמִים, וֶהֱוֵי מִתְאַבֵּק בַּעֲפַר רַגְלֵיהֶם, וֶהֱוֵי שׁוֹתֶה בַצָּמָא אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם


~Level 1~
Tiferet Yisrael - "received the tradition from them" - from Shimon Hatzadik and Antignos. At first they learned from Shimon Hatzadik, and when he died they completed receiving the tradition from Antignos.
~Level 1~
Rashi - "may your house be a meeting place for the wise" - to study [torah].
~Level 2~
Bartenura - when the sages want to get together, let your house be ready for this. So that they are used to saying: "let us get together in the house of ploni". For it is impossible for you to not learn some wise thing from them. The analogy is to one who enters a perfume store. Even though he buys nothing, it is impossible for him to not absorb some of the good fragrance.
~Level 1~
Vilna Gaon - "become dusty in the dust of their feet" - i.e. go always after them as written: "He who goes with the wise will become wise.." (Mishlei 13:20). The analogy where the dust remains on him. And in Avot d'Rebbi Natan: "sit before them on the ground and receive their words with awe, fear, trembling, and sweating, in the way our forefathers received the torah at Sinai, as written in Berachot (21b).
~Level 2~
Chida - Kikar laeden - "your house", i.e. your best and most important house give it to the sages to meet.. if you say, yes I want my house to be a meeting place for the torah sages. But nevertheless, I want them to honor me too. On this he wrote: "become dusty in the dust of their feet", it should not be for your honor. Rather, "become dusty in the dust of their feet", to serve them like a slave.. if you honor them thus, you will merit to learn from them and: "drink thirstily their words". For they are the words of the living G-d. From this you will realize that which you did to provide your house, it was for your own benefit. For the torah is your life.
~Level 2~
Sforno - "your home" - i.e. let your home be in a neighborhood where there is a meeting place of sages (i.e. a torah community).
"become dusty in the dust of their feet" - even outside the batei midrash, as written by Elisha: "he got up and went after Eliyahu" (Melachim-I 19:21) (one who walks behind others becomes dusty from the dust raised by their feet).
"drink thirstily their words" - even their mundane words, as our sages said: "even the mundane words of torah scholars needs study" (Avodah Zara 19b).
~Level 2~
Rabeinu Yonah - "drink thirstily their words" - this is as written: "A sated soul tramples honeycomb, but to a hungry soul all bitter is sweet" (Mishlei 27:7). He who is satiated from words of torah and his desire is not in them, even if he is told pearls of torah, his soul will trample it. But one who is hungry for them and lusts to hear them, even if he is told something [dry] without a reason, it will be sweet to his palate and he will rejoice in it because he knows it is truth after his Rav said it.
~Level 2~
Ruach Chaim - "become dusty (wrestle) in the dust of their feet" - in the 48 ways through which the torah is acquired (chapter 6, mishna 6), one of them is: "making wise one's teacher", i.e. through his sharp questions which expand the matter. It is known that torah study is called war (milchama), as written: "milchamta shel torah (war of torah)" (Kidushin 30b). If so, the students are called warriors, and as our sages said:

"'they shall not be shamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate' (Tehilim 127:5), even a father and son or a rabbi and his student, who are engaged in Torah together in one gate become enemies with each other due to the intensity of their studies.." (Kidushin 30b)

And it is forbidden for a student to accept the words of his Rabbi when he has questions on them. Sometimes, the truth will be with the student, and "as a small piece of wood kindles a big piece" (so too students ignite the wisdom of their Rabbi).

This is the meaning of: "become dusty (hitavek, wrestle) in the dust of their feet", from the word: "Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled (became dusty) with him until daybreak" (Gen.32:24), which is a matter of battling in war. For it is a war of mitzva. So too are we against our holy teachers (buried) in the land, whose souls are on high, the famous commentaries. Their books are with us. Behold, through the books in our homes, our homes are a "meeting place" to these sages. We have been exhorted and granted permission to wrestle and battle their words and answer their questions, not to favor any man, only to love the truth. But even so, one must be careful to not speak with arrogance when finding room to disagree.. Rather it needs to be with great humility. This is the meaning of "become dusty", as before. But on condition of "in the dust of their feet", i.e. with humility and submission, to judge before them on the ground.

Alternatively explanation, "dust yourself", even if you yourself don't understand and you are just dusting yourself with the dust of their feet, nevertheless, drink thirstily their words with great desire. For it is as one who enters a perfume store and absorbs the scent (even if he buys nothing).
~Level 3~
Maharal - We already explained why there was no pair with Antignos of Socho as there is from here onwards. Without a doubt, this is no coincidence. The explanation is that when the Tradition passed from Moshe to Yehoshua and from Yehoshua to the Elders, etc., the latter was always on a lower level (of wisdom) than the former.

AFTER ANTIGNOS, THE TRADITION IS NO LONGER IN EACH SAGE SEPARATELY

It was not proper for the Tradition (Oral Law) to go from the "men of the great assembly" to the pairs because they are so far apart from each other. For during the pairs [of sages], the Tradition was not entirely in the hands of each one. Rather, it was in both of them together. This was unlike the Elders and Prophets. Even though they were many, the Tradition was entirely in the hands of each individual. For it does not mention how many elders or prophets so that you could deduce that the Tradition was in all of them together, as it mentions the pairs by name. This teaches that [for the pairs] the Tradition was combined in both of them together (not in each individual separately as was the case for Antignos and before him).

But the Elders, Prophets, and "men of the great assembly" were not mentioned by name. This is because the Torah Tradition was in the hands of each and every individual sage. This is why the mussar given by the "men of the great assembly" was stated in plural tense: "be deliberate in judgment" ("be" is in plural tense in hebrew). Likewise for the mussar of Antignos: "do not be like servants.." (plural tense in hebrew). But the mussar of the pairs is given in singular tense "let your house.." (singular tense in hebrew).

The reason for the plural tense (of Antignos, Shimon Hatzadik, etc.) is because there is no one with him (for he has the entire tradition in his hands). Therefore, he speaks in plural tense just like he is considered (important) as many.

But for the pairs whereby each one was not by himself and he did not have everything (i.e. the entire Oral Law), thus, the plural tense was not used, only the singular tense, just like he was a single person (i.e. not important enough to be in plural tense since he did not have the whole Oral Law).

RECTIFICATION OF ONE'S HOME

We already mentioned that the mussar is according to the greatness of the sage. Yossi ben Yoezer comes to exhort on a man's home, where he lives, that there should be wisdom there. Without a doubt, it is of great primary importance that the place where one lives should be a holy place of G-d. For a man is always there, and when his home is on a high level, it is considered that he has a great and high level. We will explain later that he is coming to rectify man's home in the service of G-d, especially in love and fear of G-d.

We already said that Antignos rectified man himself. But man is not alone. For he needs a home, wife, and children. This pair (of sages) are coming to rectify the home he needs with love and fear. Thus, he said: "May your house be a meeting place for the wise". Namely, that there be Chachamim (torah scholars) inside his home. This is a great Shelemut (perfection), to have one's home in use by Chachamim.

He said: "become dusty in the dust of their feet". That is to say, he should not consider them as (equal) friends. For in this, he would be diminishing the virtue of wisdom since he is not yet a Chacham like them. Rather, he should connect with them, namely, lower himself under their feet. This is the meaning of "become dusty in the dust of their feet", which is their lowness (shiflutam) until he connects to their lowest part. Thus, he should mitavek (dust himself) with them to lower himself completely until he connects to their lowness (shiflutam).

This is proper because the intellect (sechel) is also separate (nivdal), and if he connects to the wise man like two friends, the chacham will not be by him at the level of Intellect which is separate (nivdal). [So too] he should not be totally separate from the Talmid Chacham, for then the talmid chacham would not be to him as the level of intellect is inside man.

Because the intellect in man is as a human being inside a house. The human is the intellect whereas the physical body is as the house. The intellect is separate (nivdal) from man. Only that man has a connection with the intellect, and through this, man is mitavek (dusts himself) with the intellect.

Thus he should relate with the talmid chacham in his house. Namely, that the talmid chacham be inside his house but that he not have a full connection to them, only "become dusty in the dust of their feet". It is proper to conduct oneself thus, just like for one's own intellect, where it is separate from man and he does not have a full connection with it. It is only found inside him. Understand this.

"drink thirstily their words" - the explanation is that just like the intellect completes (mashlim) a man, and when there is no intellect inside man, he is lacking. Hence, through the intellect man becomes complete.

Therefore so too, "drink thirstily their words". For the man who does not drink will be lacking, and if he drinks he will be complete. Therefore, (if his body lacks water) he drinks thirstily. He is very eager to fill his lacking, and all the time he is lacking, he is not in a good state. Therefore, drink thirstily their words also. For in the talmid chacham is the completion (hashlama) of men, just like the intellect is the completion of man, and when he does not have intellect, he is lacking.

Yossi ben Yoezer taught and exhorted a man on rectifying his home, that it be a house of wisdom, and that there be wise men there.

This is proper for one's home. Since, it is proper for one's home to resemble the "home" of the body. For man's body also receives the intellect. The intellect dwells in man and resides within him. Therefore, if a man wants to rectify his home so that it be proper, let his home be a "meeting place for the wise".

For all these things are also found in the intellect. The intellect is separate from man, but it has an existence within him. Corresponding to this: "may your house be a meeting place for the wise; become dusty in the dust of their feet". For this teaches on the talmid chacham, the intellect, being separate, only that he has an "existence connection" (kesher metziut) since the talmid chacham is in his home. This is only an "existence connection" (kesher metziut). For the talmid chacham is with him. But it is not a complete mixing and joining. All this follows from the way the intellect exists inside man as we explained. And because the intellect completes a man, therefore, he should also drink their words thirstily. For this shows he receives completion (hashlama) from the talmid chacham. It is proper to understand this.