Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

Main Page

Chapter 4 Mishna 11
פרק ד משנה יא

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov would say: he who performs one mitzvah (commandment) acquires for himself one advocate, while he who commits one transgression acquires for himself one accuser. Repentance and good deeds are as a shield against punishments.
רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת, קוֹנֶה לוֹ פְרַקְלִיט אֶחָד. וְהָעוֹבֵר עֲבֵרָה אַחַת, קוֹנֶה לוֹ קַטֵּגוֹר אֶחָד. תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, כִּתְרִיס בִּפְנֵי הַפֻּרְעָנוּת.


~Level 1~
Bartenura - "advocate (praklit)" - a defending angel (melitz tov, ie a "defense attorney" to assist him).

"accuser (kategor)" - a prosecuting angel (melitz rah, ie a "prosecuting attorney" against him).
~Level 1~
Rambam - "advocate (praklit)" - this is [a man] who speaks good on someone to the king.

"accuser (kategor)" - this is the opposite. He slanders a man to the king and strives to have him executed.
~Level 2~
Binyan Avot - "accuser" - (katigor) it ascends on high and accuses him, not resting, not silent, until judgment is executed (gezar din). Even if the person has merits, the katigor waits and accuses until the time comes (to exact retribution)... the word "katigor" means argument and dispute (ketata v'tagar). For it always argues and argues until its wish is fulfilled..

"acquires for himself" - he used the words acquires, to rouse a man that the matter of mitzvot and sins are not like imaginary acquisitions of this world. For they pass and go after a person dies. He leaves behind all his properties and money in the hands of others. Of all his efforts, nothing remains in his hands. "they leave their wealth to others" (Tehilim 49:11). But in matters of mitzvot, it is not so. Rather, one who does a mitzvah - "acquires to himself", one who does a sin, etc. No one else can touch it. Regarding the mitzvot, it says: "your righteousness shall go before you" (Isaiah 58:8), while for sins, it is written: "the paths of their way turn aside, [they go nowhere and perish]" (Iyov 6:18).
~Level 3~
Yachel Yisrael - in the prayers of the high holidays, we mention several times the defenders (sanegorim) and prosecutors (kategorim) which stand before the Heavenly Beit Din in the judgment of all human beings on those days.

For example, in the Yom Kippur prayer, we beseech G-d "silence the prosecutor and advance the defender in his place (hass katigor, v'kach sanigor..)"..

Who are these prosecutors and defense attorneys we are referring to? Our mishna says: "one who does a mitzvah acquires one defender.." and likewise: "one who commits a sin acquires a prosecutor".

"acquires" - every man is judged every second, every day, every year (Rosh Hashana 16a), and of course after death and in the future world.

In every judgment, the defenders stand to his merit and the prosecutors to accuse him of his sins.
All the defenders and prosecutors accompany a man forever and ever, standing by him in all his judgments.

Thus the Talmud says in tractate Sotah (3b): "whoever does one mitzvah in this world - the mitzvah advances and walks before him in the world to come". The defending angel created from the mitzvah walks before this man and announces on him everywhere he goes, as written: "your righteousness shall walk before you" (Isaiah 58:8).

Rashi's commentary on this mishnah brings our sages teaching (Avot 6:9):

"When you go it will direct you, when you lie down it will watch over you, and when you awaken it shall be your speech" (Mishlei 6:22) - "When you go it will direct you" - in this world; "when you lie down it will watch over you" - in the grave; "and when you awaken it shall be your speech" - in the World To Come.
Ony a person's torah and good deeds accompany him forever and ever, standing at his side in all circumstances, in all stages of judgment he will endure..

Likewise, all of a man's prosecutors do not let go of him. They also accompany him forever. Thus we find in the talmud:

Sotah (3a) - whoever performs one commandment in this world, it precedes him for the World-to-Come; as written: "your righteousness shall go before you" (Isaiah 58:8); and whoever commits one sin in this world, it clings to him and precedes him for the Day of Judgment, as written: "The paths of their way are held by them; they go up into the waste and perish" (Iyov 6:18). R. Eleazar says: "It attaches itself to him like a dog; as it is said: "He (Yosef) did not listen to her, to lie with her (Potifar's wife), and be with her" (Gen.39:10) - "to lie by her" - [refers to] in this world, "or to be with her" - [refers to] in the World-to-Come.
Rabbi Eliezer there gives us a picture of this attachment saying "the sin attaches itself to him like a dog", like a person who ties a dog on a leash and holds it strongly so the dog does not flee. So too the sin is attached to a man like a leech and does not separate from him forever and ever.

A source for this is from a diyuk (inference) of a verse in the torah. When Yosef was tempted by the wife of Potifar, it is written there that Yosef refused her repeated temptations: "he did not listen to her, to lie with her and be with her" (Gen.39:10). Our sages expounded this double expression: "to lie with her" - in this world, "to be with her" - in the World-to-Come.

The sin does not let go of a man. It cleaves to him in his judgments in this world and also in his future judgment, it accuses him.

The righteous Yosef knew that if he succumbed to his evil inclination and committed the sin, this deed would cleave to him in this world and the next. Therefore, "he did not listen to her..."

"he who does ONE mitzvah... ONE sin" - the Tanna used a singular tense to impress on us the importance of every mitzvah and every sin. Sometimes one single mitzvah or the opposite can tip the entire scales to merit or the opposite, r"l..
~Level 4~
Etz Hadaat Tov, R. Chaim Vital, parsha Matot - every word a person utters with his mouth, whether good or bad, if it is good, it creates a good angel, and if it is evil, then an evil angel.

Therefore, a man should be exceedingly careful to not profane his word with loshon hara (slander) or nivlut peh (profanities), or false oaths. One should not tell himself: "there is no deed in this. It is merely light speech". Know that it is not so. Rather, all that goes out of one's mouth makes a complete act. If it is good, it creates a good angel. And if it is evil, an evil angel. Therefore, do not profane your word.
~Level 4~
Chida - for when one fulfills a mitzvah, one angel (spiritual being) of good is created. If he did the mitzvah wholly, the angel is created whole. But if it lacked intent or a detail of the mitzvah, the angel is also created lacking and blemished, and this is enough of a disgrace. If he did not finish the mitzvah, the angel is also not finished. This is the reason why our sages said: "one who starts a mitzvah but does not finish it is punished". For the angel created is greatly distressed and recognizes his lacking. It screams on him and demands justice until the decree of punishment is sentenced, r"l. (Roshei Avot).

And in the verse "when you make a vow (neder) to the L-ord, your G-d, do not delay in paying it. For seek He will seek it (darosh yidreshenu) from you" (Devarim 23:22). The rishonim (early sages) wrote that one must be careful of vows (nedarim). For from the time he makes the vow, an angel is created and it is not whole until the vow is fulfilled. When he fulfills the vow, the angel is made whole. But all the time he delays the neder, this angel is in suffering..

This is what the torah says: "when you make a vow", an angel is created.. but it is suspended and waiting. "do not delay to pay it (shalmo), ie to complete (hashlim) the angel. For "seek he will seek", double expression, since it refers both on the vow and on the angel. ( Pnei David, ki teitzei ot 7).

"kategor" - this prosecutor is created from the power of the sin he committed. It itself always demands justice and accuses until the judgment is exacted from this prosecutor himself. With this we will explain the verse: "woe to the wicked, evil, for the work of his hands will be exacted on him" - ie woe to the wicked for the "evil". Namely, an avenging angel is created from each one of his sins. Woe to him for "the work of his hands will be exacted on him" - the angels of destruction he created. They themselves will exact revenge on him. (Kise David, Drosh 9).