Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

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Chapter 2 Mishna 1
פרק ב משנה א

Rebbi says: what is the proper (straight) path that a person should choose? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious to other people.

Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the reward given for the mitzvot. Consider the loss of a mitzvah against its reward, and the reward of a sin against its loss.

Look at three things, and you will not come to the hands of sin: Know what is above you: a seeing eye, a hearing ear, and all your deeds are inscribed in a book.
רַבִּי אוֹמֵר, אֵיזוֹהִי דֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיָּבֹר לוֹ הָאָדָם, כֹּל שֶׁהִיא תִפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹשֶׂיהָ וְתִפְאֶרֶת לוֹ מִן הָאָדָם.

וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּמִצְוָה קַלָּה כְבַחֲמוּרָה, שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת. וֶהֱוֵי מְחַשֵּׁב הֶפְסֵד מִצְוָה כְּנֶגֶד שְׂכָרָהּ, וּשְׂכַר עֲבֵרָה כְנֶגֶד הֶפְסֵדָהּ.

וְהִסְתַּכֵּל בִּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים וְאִי אַתָּה בָא לִידֵי עֲבֵרָה, דַּע מַה לְּמַעְלָה מִמְּךָ, עַיִן רוֹאָה וְאֹזֶן שׁוֹמַעַת, וְכָל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ בַסֵּפֶר נִכְתָּבִין.


~Level 1~
Chida - Mussar u'Pshat, Kisei Rachamim, Mesechet Sofrim 1:9 - Rebbi says - the straight way one should choose is: "Whatever is harmonious for the doer, and harmonious for other people". It is not enough that it is good in one's eyes (the doer). Rather, it needs to also be good in the eyes of others. And even if it is good in one's eyes and in the eyes of others, it is still not enough until it is according to the Torah. Thus he continues: "Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one". For the mitzvot and laws of the Torah are not according to human intellect. Every tiny detail therein contains tremendous mountains (tilei tilim) of lofty secrets.
~Level 1~
Vilna Gaon - as written: "and find favor and good understanding in the eyes of G-d and man" (Mishlei 3:4).
~Level 1~
Orech Apaim sec.3 - The holy Rabbi Moshe Leib from Sasiv wrote this explicitly in his book Likutei HaRamal, here is a quote:"Contemplate in solitude at least 2 hours 'what is the proper path that a person should choose?' (Avot 2:1). This is the guide for the ways of service, and without this you will always be far from it."
~Level 1~
Bartenura - "be as careful with a light mitzvah as with a weighty one" - to be zealous and quick in a light mitzva just like one is zealous and quick in a weighty mitzva.
~Level 3~
Daat Chachma u'Mussar 2:70,59 - "be as careful with a light mitzvah as with a weighty one" - it does not say here be careful of a small mitzvah as with a big mitzvah. But rather "a light mitzvah as with a weighty one". For the measure of "big" and "small" is different altogether.

A big mitzvah is a clean mitzvah. It has no leaning to the physicality (chomer), pure from any impurities and mixtures of any self will, even the slightest - this is a big mitzvah - even if it is a "light mitzvah".

And so too if the mitzvah has a leaning to the physicality (chomer), etc, even the slightest, then even if it is the weightiest of the weightiest - it is called a small mitzvah.
~Level 1~
Zerah Yitzchak - "the reward given for the mitzvot" - that which he said "giving of reward" (matan scharam) and not "payment of reward" (tashlum schara), this is because the Holy One, blessed be He, is not obligated to pay anything. The reward He gives is solely a gift. As the Midrash says on the verse: "Who has preceded me, that I should repay him? [All that is under the whole heaven is mine"] (Iyov 41:11)
~Level 3~
Divrei Binah (Admorei Biala) - it is written: "the soul of man is the candle of G-d, searching all his innermost being" (Mishlei 20:27), i.e. just like for one who goes to a dark place and takes out a candle to illuminate it, so too is the candle of G-d. For a mitzva is a candle. In truth, a mitzva is like a candle which illuminates a man. Only that it depends on the soul of man. According to how much a man has purified his soul will be the corresponding illumination of his mitzvah. Namely, that it rouses others to desire the mitzvah. Not only that but "searching all his innermost being" - it rouses oneself to repentance, whereby he "searches all his innermost being".

This is the meaning of: "Whatever is harmonious (Tiferet) for the one who does it", that the mitzvah becomes harmonious and beautiful through its doer. And through this - "and harmonious to other people", that he rouses others also to do the mitzvah and inspires inside them a desire for torah and mitzvot..

Alternatively, the primary trait of Tiferet hints that a man needs to pride himself (lehitpaer) that he merited to be among the servants of G-d, as one who prides himself that the king himself personally commanded him to do some service. Then, indirectly this trait will correspondingly be roused above. Namely, that G-d prides Himself on us, that He has such a holy people. Thus, "tiferet lo min haadam" - i.e. pride to Him, i.e. to G-d - that this trait is correspondingly roused and G-d prides Himself on him.

"be as careful (heve zahir).." - from the term zohar (shining light) as written: "the wise will shine as the shining of the sky..." (Daniel 12:3). Namely, since all the torah purifies man's soul and illuminates it like the shining of the sky (zohar harakia), as known. For the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments correspond to the limbs and sinews of man's body and through the mitzvah, he illuminates and shines his body.. and this matter applies equally to all mitzvot. Thus, in this it is not relevant to make a distinction between a light and weighty mitzvah.
~Level 1~
Chida - Zeroa Yamin - "look at three things and you will not come to sin..." - which are known and true to you, and which you admit to. Only that it needs constant looking and contemplation. Through this, you will not come to sin nor even to the "hands of sin (yedei aveira)", which are bad thoughts or forbidden words..
~Level 2~
Chida - Ahavat David derush 13 - "look at three things" - by this constant looking one annuls all the sins. For the Kli Yakar wrote that all the claims of the yetzer hara are that the pleasures of this world are visible to the eye, as written: "for it is desirous (taava) to the eye" (Gen.3:6). From this is drawn most sins, and our sages said: "the yetzer hara rules only on that which the eyes see" (Sotah 3b).

Through looking at these three things, the looking of the yetzer hara becomes annulled (mitbatel). Thus: "look..and you will not come to sin", i.e. the [constant] looking at the vanities and pleasures of this world. For this looking [at three things] annuls the other one (of the evil inclination)..
(Translator: hence as long as one keeps his eye on these three things, the "looking of the yetzer hara" is annulled. As soon as he stops, the "looking of the yetzer hara" is reactivated and gravitates him slowly towards sin).
~Level 1~
Tosfot Yom Tov - "know what is above you" - since this "looking" is not with one's physical sense of sight, but rather with one's intellectual sense of sight (reiat hasechel) Thus, he said "know".
~Level 3~
Meorei Ohr - "look (histakel) on these three things" - in the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim siman 229: "one who sees a rainbow says... but it is forbidden to look (lehistakel) on it much". In the Biur HaGra commentary there: "the term 'histaklut' (look) refers to iyun harbe (much in depth)".

Thus, here too that which the Tanna says "histakel on three things..", this histaklut (looking) certainly refers to great depth (iyun) and delving of the mind and great contemplation in these three things. Likewise, without a doubt this looking (histaklut) is not through one or two times, that in a day or two it will have an effect on the soul of a man, to fear G-d and not come to sin, and especially so for one whose heart is of stone and hard as a flint. Thus, every day look at these three things, each person according to his makeup, occupations, and temperament.
~Level 3~
Michtav m'Eliyahu Vol.5 pg.146 - the single way (haderech hameyuchad) to drill feelings of fear of sin into the inner heart is through the way of mental imagery and imagination.. Our sages said regarding the yetzer hara: "the eye sees, the heart desires, and the body does the sin". Rashi explains: "when the eye sees, then the heart desires and automatically (memeila) the body does the sins" (Bamidbar 15:39).

The primary work of the yetzer is to picture images of lusts in a man's imagination. Once he succeeds in this, his work is already done. For the "spirit of folly" already comes on a man (Sotah 3a) and all considerations of Fear of Heaven (yirat shamayim) are annulled. Therefore, the advice is to pre-empt and toil in pictures of yirat shamayim before the situation of trial comes and to deepen in the pictures of fear and the pictures of the sweetness of the spiritual before the pictures of lusts come. For the first picture wins. Furthermore, if one waits till the time of trial, then the pictures of holiness lack the necessary power. For "when the Evil Urge gains dominion, none remember the Good Urge" (Nedarim 32b). Likewise for wars of this world, each army needs to train and prepare at peacetime.If the army waits until war has already broken out - it will fall.

(Translator: this is hard work as Rabbi Dessler himself writes later on there (pg.170): "breaking the yetzer (shevirat hayetzer) is the greatest of sufferings".)
~Level 1~
Etz Hadaat Tov v'Rah - siman 128 - "all your deeds are inscribed in a book" - even though there is no forgetfulness by the Holy One,blessed be He, but nevertheless they are written in a book in order to instill great awe (eima yetera) on a man in knowing that all his deeds are written down. Thus he will worry and fear and will not sin.
~Level 2~
Pirkei Moshe - why does it say in passive tense "all your deeds become inscribed (nichtavim) in a book", instead of "all your sins are inscribed (kotvim) in a book" (active tense). The latter would imply that in Heaven all man's deeds are inscribed.

The answer is that it is man himself who inscribes his own deeds, as the talmud says: "man's limbs testify on him" (Taanit 11a)... (for G-d does not want to write or testify on man's sins. Thus, it all happens automatically by the effects "inscribed" on man's soul and on the mystical worlds - Magen Avot).
~Level 2~
Yavetz - the "book" upon which man's deeds are inscribed upon is man's own soul, as they said: "man's soul testifies on him" (Taanit 11a). For on the nefesh (soul) is chiseled all the mitzvot and sins.

It is analogous to a man whose body is covered with leprosy but he conceals it with his garment. When his garment is removed, his disgrace (cherpato) is revealed and apparent. So too, the body is the garment to the soul. While it is alive, the blemishes of sins are concealed. But when the body is removed from the soul, the disgrace of the soul is revealed. This is what the verse says: "by the hand of every man he seals so that every man should know his deed" (Iyov 37:7).
~Level 3~
Rabbi Avraham Azoulai - Ahava b'Taanugim (continued) - "Know what is above from you" - some explain that if you look at these three things [in yourself], you can know and recognize that there is a seeing eye above. For from the fact that you yourself have a seeing eye you can infer and know that: "Will He Who implants the ear not hear or will He Who forms the eye not see?" (Tehilim 94:9). Thus he said "know what is above from you" (from yourself).

Some explain, "Know what is above from you", that even though G-d is in Heaven and you are on the land in your innermost chambers, do not say: "who can see me? who can know me?".

For everywhere "the eyes of G-d watch", on the bad and the good, and He stands "above you", right over your head.

"a seeing eye" - for your eye does not really see (intrinsically). It is merely an instrument prepared to receive sight. Thus you are unable to see in darkness, rather you can see only where there is light. The reason is because the eye itself does not really see (intrinsically), nor does the ear really hear by itself (intrinsically). Thus, if the voice is far away, you cannot hear it. But the eye of G-d sees intrinsically and the ear hears intrinsically. For it itself is the hearing and "[He knows what is in the dark] and light dwells with Him" (Daniel 2:22). Therefore He knows what is in darkness and does not need any other light..