מַסֶּכֶת אָבוֹת · פֶּרֶק רִאשׁוֹן

משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי,

Moshe received Torah from Sinai, directly from Hashem,

וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ,

and he transmitted it to Yehoshua, his faithful disciple,

וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים,

and Yehoshua transmitted it to the elders who succeeded him,

וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים,

and the elders transmitted it to the prophets,

וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה.

and the prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly.

הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים,

They said three things as guiding principles for the leaders of the generation:

הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין,

Be deliberate in judgment, taking your time to analyze the case carefully,

וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה,

and establish many disciples, teaching Torah to all who wish to learn,

וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה:

and make a fence for the Torah to protect its sacred mitzvos from being violated.

שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה מִשְּׁיָרֵי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה.

Shimon the Righteous was from the remnants of the Great Assembly, the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah.

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר,

He would constantly say:

עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד,

On three things the world stands and is sustained:

עַל הַתּוֹרָה

on the Torah, which we must study and keep,

וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה

and on the Temple service, which brings us close to Hashem,

וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים:

and on acts of kindness that we perform for one another.

אַנְטִיגְנוֹס אִישׁ סוֹכוֹ קִבֵּל מִשִּׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק.

Antigonus, a man of Socho, received the Torah tradition from Shimon the Righteous.

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר,

He would constantly say to his talmidim:

אַל תִּהְיוּ כַעֲבָדִים הַמְשַׁמְּשִׁין אֶת הָרַב עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס,

Do not be like servants who serve the master on condition to receive a reward, for that is serving out of self-interest;

אֶלָּא הֱווּ כַעֲבָדִים הַמְשַׁמְּשִׁין אֶת הָרַב שֶׁלֹּא עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס,

but rather, be like servants who serve the master not on condition to receive a reward, serving Hashem purely out of love;

וִיהִי מוֹרָא שָׁמַיִם עֲלֵיכֶם:

and let the fear of Heaven be upon you, so that you have both love and awe of Hashem.

יוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה

Yose ben Yoezer, who was a man of Zeredah,

וְיוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם

and Yose ben Yochanan, who was a man of Yerushalayim,

קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם.

received the Torah tradition from them, the previous leaders of the Sanhedrin.

יוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה אוֹמֵר,

Yose ben Yoezer, the man of Zeredah, says:

יְהִי בֵיתְךָ בֵית וַעַד לַחֲכָמִים,

Let your house be a house of meeting for the Sages, so that talmidei chachamim will always find a welcoming place to gather and discuss Torah in your home,

וֶהֱוֵי מִתְאַבֵּק בַּעֲפַר רַגְלֵיהֶם,

and be attaching yourself in the dust of their feet, sitting humbly on the ground before them to absorb their teachings,

וֶהֱוֵי שׁוֹתֶה בְצָמָא אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם:

and be drinking with thirst — their words, eagerly taking in every holy word of Torah they speak.

יוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אוֹמֵר,

Yose son of Yochanan, a man of Yerushalayim, says:

יְהִי בֵיתְךָ פָתוּחַ לִרְוָחָה,

Let your house be open wide to guests,

וְיִהְיוּ עֲנִיִּים בְּנֵי בֵיתֶךָ,

and let poor people be members of your household, so they can find sustenance there with dignity.

וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה שִׂיחָה עִם הָאִשָּׁה.

And do not increase conversation with the woman.

בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ אָמְרוּ,

Even regarding his own wife they said this, that one should not engage in idle chatter,

קַל וָחֹמֶר בְּאֵשֶׁת חֲבֵרוֹ.

and it is a light and heavy logical deduction, a kal vachomer, that this applies with the wife of his fellow.

מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים,

From here the Sages said:

כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאָדָם מַרְבֶּה שִׂיחָה עִם הָאִשָּׁה,

All the time that a man increases conversation with the woman,

גּוֹרֵם רָעָה לְעַצְמוֹ,

he causes evil to himself by bringing about improper thoughts,

וּבוֹטֵל מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה,

and he desists from words of Torah, wasting precious time that should be spent in learning,

וְסוֹפוֹ יוֹרֵשׁ גֵּיהִנֹּם:

and his end is that he inherits Gehinnom.

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְנִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם.

Yehoshua son of Perachyah and Nittai the Arbelite received the tradition from them, from Yosei ben Yoezer and Yosei ben Yochanan.

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר,

Yehoshua son of Perachyah says:

עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב,

Make for yourself a teacher to guide you in Torah and halacha,

וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר,

and acquire for yourself a companion to study with and grow in yiras Shamayim,

וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת:

and be judging — every man to the scale of merit, always giving them the benefit of the doubt.

נִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי אוֹמֵר,

Nittai the Arbelite says:

הַרְחֵק מִשָּׁכֵן רָע,

Distance yourself from a neighbor who is evil, so that you do not learn from his bad deeds,

וְאַל תִּתְחַבֵּר לָרָשָׁע,

and do not associate with the wicked person, even if he is not your immediate neighbor,

וְאַל תִּתְיָאֵשׁ מִן הַפֻּרְעָנוּת:

and do not despair of retribution, but remember that Hashem runs the world and justice will ultimately be served.

יְהוּדָה בֶן טַבַּאי וְשִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטָח קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם.

Yehudah son of Tabbai and Shimon son of Shetach received the Torah tradition from them, from the previous zugos.

יְהוּדָה בֶן טַבַּאי אוֹמֵר, אַל תַּעַשׂ עַצְמְךָ כְעוֹרְכֵי הַדַּיָּנִין.

Yehudah son of Tabbai says, do not make yourself like the arrangers of the judges, by acting as a lawyer who coaches the litigants on what to argue.

וּכְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ בַעֲלֵי דִינִין עוֹמְדִים לְפָנֶיךָ, יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ כִרְשָׁעִים.

And when the masters of judgment, the litigants, are standing before you in court, they should be in your eyes like wicked ones, meaning you must suspect both of lying and remain completely impartial.

וּכְשֶׁנִּפְטָרִים מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ כְזַכָּאִין,

And when they are dismissed from before you after the trial, they should be in your eyes like innocent ones, and you must judge them favorably,

כְּשֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הַדִּין:

when they accepted upon themselves the verdict of the judgment.

שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטָח אוֹמֵר,

Shimon the son of Shetach says to the judges:

הֱוֵי מַרְבֶּה לַחְקֹר אֶת הָעֵדִים,

be much to investigate — cross-examining the witnesses thoroughly to find any contradictions,

וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּדְבָרֶיךָ,

and be careful with your words when you question them,

שֶׁמָּא מִתּוֹכָם יִלְמְדוּ לְשַׁקֵּר:

lest from within them — from the hints in your questions — they will learn to lie and fabricate a story.

שְׁמַעְיָה וְאַבְטַלְיוֹן קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם.

Shemaiah and Abtalion received the tradition of the Torah from them, from Yehudah ben Tabbai and Shimon ben Shatach.

שְׁמַעְיָה אוֹמֵר, אֱהֹב אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה,

Shemaiah says, love — work, so that a person can support himself and not rely on others,

וּשְׂנָא אֶת הָרַבָּנוּת,

and hate — lordship and positions of power over the community,

וְאַל תִּתְוַדַּע לָרָשׁוּת:

and do not make yourself known to the ruling authority, for they draw a person close only for their own benefit.

אַבְטַלְיוֹן אוֹמֵר,

Avtalyon says:

חֲכָמִים, הִזָּהֲרוּ בְדִבְרֵיכֶם,

Sages, be careful with your words,

שֶׁמָּא תָחוּבוּ חוֹבַת גָּלוּת

lest you will obligate yourselves to the obligation of exile,

וְתִגְלוּ לִמְקוֹם מַיִם הָרָעִים,

and you will be exiled to a place of evil waters of heretical teachings,

וְיִשְׁתּוּ הַתַּלְמִידִים הַבָּאִים אַחֲרֵיכֶם וְיָמוּתוּ,

and the disciples who come after you will drink from these teachings and they will die spiritually,

וְנִמְצָא שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם מִתְחַלֵּל:

and it will be found that the Name of Heaven is profaned.

הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם.

Hillel and Shammai received the tradition of the Torah from them, the previous leaders of the Sanhedrin.

הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר,

Hillel says in his teachings: Be

הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן,

among the disciples of Aharon the Kohen Gadol, who was famous for his ways of chessed, by

אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם,

loving peace and pursuing peace between people, and

אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת

loving the creations, even those who seem far from Torah, and by

וּמְקָרְבָן לַתּוֹרָה:

drawing them close to the Torah through warmth and darkei noam.

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר,

He, Hillel, used to say:

נָגֵד שְׁמָא, אָבֵד שְׁמֵהּ.

One who makes great his name for his own self-aggrandizement, destroys his name and loses his reputation.

וּדְלֹא מוֹסִיף, יָסֵף.

And one who does not add to his Torah learning ceases and his existing knowledge will decrease.

וּדְלֹא יָלֵיף, קְטָלָא חַיָּב.

And one who does not learn Torah at all, death he deserves at the hands of Heaven.

וּדְאִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּתָגָא, חָלֵף:

And one who makes use of the crown of Torah for his personal benefit passes away from the world.

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר,

He, Hillel, used to say to inspire people in their avodas Hashem:

אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי.

If I am not for myself, meaning if I do not arouse my own neshama to do mitzvos, who will be for me to help me acquire merit?

וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי.

And when I am for myself alone, relying only on my own limited righteousness, what am I and what is my worth before Hashem?

וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי:

And if not now, while I still have life and the opportunity in this world, when will I ever do it?

שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר,

Shammai says:

עֲשֵׂה תוֹרָתְךָ קֶבַע.

Make your Torah study fixed and primary, rather than secondary.

אֱמֹר מְעַט וַעֲשֵׂה הַרְבֵּה,

Say little and do much, promising little but performing a great deal for others,

וֶהֱוֵי מְקַבֵּל אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם

and be receiving of every person

בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת:

with a cheerful expression of face, showing them warmth and kindness.

רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר,

Rabban Gamliel would say:

עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב,

Make for yourself a teacher to guide you in halachic decisions,

וְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק,

and remove yourself from doubt by avoiding situations where the law is unclear,

וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה לְעַשֵּׂר אֹמָדוֹת:

and do not increase to tithe your produce by estimation, but rather measure it precisely to avoid any uncertainty.

שִׁמְעוֹן בְּנוֹ אוֹמֵר,

Shimon his son says in his father's name:

כָּל יָמַי גָּדַלְתִּי בֵין הַחֲכָמִים,

All my days I grew up among the Sages, the great Torah scholars of the generation,

וְלֹא מָצָאתִי לַגּוּף טוֹב אֶלָּא שְׁתִיקָה.

and I did not find for the body anything better than silence, which guards a person from forbidden speech.

וְלֹא הַמִּדְרָשׁ הוּא הָעִקָּר,

And it is not the study of Torah that is the main thing on its own,

אֶלָּא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה.

but the action, the actual fulfillment of the mitzvos.

וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה דְבָרִים, מֵבִיא חֵטְא:

And anyone who increases words unnecessarily brings about sin.

רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר,

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says,

עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד,

on three things the world stands:

עַל הַדִּין

on justice,

וְעַל הָאֱמֶת

and on truth,

וְעַל הַשָּׁלוֹם,

and on peace,

שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר זכריה ח

as it is said in the Sefer of Zechariah, chapter 8,

אֱמֶת וּמִשְׁפַּט שָׁלוֹם שִׁפְטוּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶם:

"truth and judgment of peace judge in your gates."