Humility in the Household

Hi,

"Teach your household humility, for when a person is humble and his household members are humble, then when a pauper comes to his gate and asks, ‘Is your father here,’ they will say, ‘Yes, come in.’ Before he even enters the table will be set before him, and he will enter and eat and drink and bless Gd, and he will have great satisfaction. When a person is not humble and the members of his household are demanding people, when a pauper comes to his gate and asks, ‘Is your father here,’ they will say, ‘No,’ and they will rebuke him and remove him sharply.

"Alternatively: Teach your household humility. How so? When a person is humble and the members of his household are humble and he travels overseas, he says, ‘Thank You, my Gd, that my spouse does not fight with others and my children do not fight with others,’ and his heart is not afraid and his mind is settled until he returns.

"When a person is not humble and the members of his household are demanding people and he travels overseas, he says, ‘May it be Your will, my Gd, that my spouse not fight with others and my children not fight with others,’ and his heart is afraid and his mind is not settled until he returns."

(Midrash, Avot d'Rabbi Natan 7:2)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

The tent with four doors

Hi,

"Your house should be open wide. How so? This teaches that one’s house should be open wide to the south, east, north and west, as Job prepared four entrances to his house. Why did Job prepare four entrances to his house? So that the needy would not pain themselves to circumnavigate the entire house. One who came from the north could enter normally, one who came from the south could enter normally, and so from each direction. Therefore Job prepared four entrances to his home."

(Midrash, Avot d'Rabbi Natan 7:1)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

The value of a smile

Hi,

"One should greet every individual with a pleasant expression.

"This teaches that one who gives another person all of the great gifts in the world, but with a depressed expression, is as though he had not given anything.

"However, one who greets another person with a pleasant expression - even without giving him anything at all - is as though he had given the other person all of the great gifts in the world."

(Avot deRabbi Natan 13:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

48 Ways: #6 - Reverence

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The sixth of the 48 is eimah, reverence.

Shemot 24:16 says that Moshe Rabbeinu remained in a cloud for six days before he could meet Gd atop Mount Sinai. At the start of Avot d'Rabbi Natan, Rabbi Matya ben Charash says that this was meant to intimidate Moshe; receiving the Torah required the awareness that he was encountering something larger than himself. This is true for us as well, when we wish to learn – one who approaches Torah with reverence will be able to learn far more.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Planting trees vs greeting Mashiach

Hi,

"R' Yochanan ben Zakkai taught...If you are planting a tree and a person comes to you and tells you, 'Mashiach has arrived,' plant the tree and  then go to greet Mashiach."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan, 2nd edition, 31)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Do you live your learning?

Hi,

"Ben Azzai taught: If one's mind is at ease despite his knowledge (meaning that his studies do not make him uneasy about the way he lives  his life), this is a good sign for him. Otherwise, it's a bad sign for him."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 25:1)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Four worthy endeavors

Hi,

"There are four endeavors which bring a person fruit in this world, while the essential reward is held over for the next world. Three are:
Honoring one's parents,
Performing acts of kindness,
Bringing peace between people.
Studying Torah is parallel to all of these."

(Avot deRabbi Natan 40:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Say little, Do much

Hi,

"Gd, too, said little and performed much, as in, 'And Gd said to Avram: Know that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, who will work them and oppress them for four hundred years. I will judge (דן) that nation, too, and then they will leave with great wealth.'

"Gd only said this with the [two] letters דן, but when He punished the Jews' enemies He did it with 72 letters, as in, 'Has Gd ever taken a nation from within a nation with signs - symbols, wonders and great, awesome deeds!'"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 1:13)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Work for food

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Even Adam tasted food only after having worked, as it is written, 'And Gd placed him in the garden to work it and to guard it,' and then it is written, 'You may eat from any tree in the garden.'

"Rabbi Tarfon said: Gd did not dwell among the Jews until they worked, as it is written, 'And they will build a Temple for Me, and I will dwell among them.'"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 11:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Build a strong foundation

Hi,

"Elisha ben Avuyah said: To what may one compare a person who performs good deeds and also learns a great deal of Torah?

"To a person who builds a wall using stones in the lower part and then bricks on top of them. Even if a lot of water flows to the wall, the wall not be worn away."

(Avot deRabbi Natan 24:1)

[And yes: The identity of the author is interesting.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A deathbed declaration

Hi,

"When Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was dying, he raised his voice and cried… He explained to his students, "Am I going to greet a mortal king, such that his anger would only be in this world, his incarceration would only be in this world, and his execution would only be in this world? Further, I could appease him verbally and bribe him financially. But I am going to greet only the King of kings of kings, Gd, such that His anger is in this world and the next, and I cannot appease Him verbally or bribe Him financially. Further, I have two paths, Gan Eden and Gehennom, and I don’t know whether He will incline me to Gehennom or bring me into Gan Eden.""

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan I 25)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of planting

Hi,

"If a sapling is in your hand and you are told, "Mashiach is here", plant the sapling and then go greet him."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan II 31)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Moshe receives the Torah in awe

Hi,

"R’ Natan asked: Why did Moshe need to wait for six days, without Gd’s communication? To clean out all eating and drinking from within him, until he could be sanctified and become like a ministering angel.

"R’ Matya ben Charash replied: My master! It was only to intimidate him, so that he would receive the words of Torah with intimidation, awe, trembling and shaking, as it is written, ‘Serve Gd with awe and rejoice with trembling.’"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Mitzvot with reward here and in the next world

Hi,

"Four endeavors bring a person fruit in this world, while their essential reward is held over for the next world. Three are: Honoring one's parents, Performing acts of kindness and Bringing peace between people. Studying Torah is parallel to all of these."

(Avot deRabbi Natan 40:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Healthy eating

Hi,

"One who eats foods which harm his body violates three prohibitions: He degrades himself, he degrades the food, and he recites an inappropriate blessing [upon the food]."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan, Chapter 26; cited as well in Biur haGRA to Yoreh Deah 116:19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One Mentor or Many Mentors? (Part II)

Hi,

Part II of III

"Rabbi Meir said: If you have learned from one rav, do not say, ‘It is enough for me,’ but go to learn Torah with another sage.

"Do not go to all, but go first to one who is close to you, as it is written (Mishlei 5:15), ‘Drink water from your cistern, and flowing water from your well.’"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 3:6)

To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One Mentor or Many Mentors? (Part I)

Hi,

"“Make a rav for yourself” – How? This teaches that one should make himself a fixed rav, and learn mikra, mishnah, midrash, halachah and aggada from him. If the rav were to omit an explanation in mikra, he would say it in mishnah. If the rav were to omit a reason in mishnah, he would say it in midrash. If the rav were to omit an explanation in midrash, he would say it in halachah. If the rav were to omit a reason in halachah, he would say it in aggada. Thus this person will sit in his place and be filled with good and blessing.

"Rabbi Meir would say: To what may we compare someone who learns Torah from one rav? To someone who owns one field, and plants part with wheat and part with barley, part with olives and part with other trees, and thus this person will be filled with good and blessing.

"When someone learns from two or three, he is like someone who has many fields, and who plants one with wheat, another with barley, one with olives and another with other trees. Thus he is scattered among the lands, with neither good nor blessing."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 8:1-2)

This is not the whole picture, though. To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Poverty of Rabbi Akiva and Rachel

Hi,

"Each day R’ Akiva would bring a bundle of wood. Half he would sell to support himself, and the other half he would use for his own needs. His neighbors complained, saying to him, ‘Akiva! You have destroyed us with smoke! Sell the wood to us, and purchase oil with the money and study by the light of a lamp!’

"He replied, ‘I meet many needs with the wood; I use part to study, part to warm myself and part on which to sleep.’

"R’ Akiva will make paupers liable for judgment, for when they are asked [by Gd], ‘Why did you not learn Torah’ and they reply, ‘Because we were poor,’ they will be told, ‘R’ Akiva was exceptionally poor and destitute!’ And when they say, ‘We had children,’ they will be told, ‘R’ Akiva had sons and daughters.’ But they will say: It is because of the merit of his wife Rachel.

"R’ Akiva went to study Torah when he was forty years old. After thirteen years he taught Torah publicly.

"They said: He did not pass away until he had tables of silver and gold, and he ascended to his bed with ladders of gold. His wife had tunics and a "City of Gold" ornament. His students said: Our master, you have embarrassed us with what you have made for her! R’ Akiva replied: She endured great pain with me, for Torah."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 6:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

To know the Mind of Gd

Hi,

"Torah study is more beloved to Gd than burnt offerings, because one who learns Torah knows the mind of Gd, as it is written (Proverbs 2:5), ‘Then you will understand awe of Gd, and you will find knowledge of Gd.’"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 4:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Moshe received the Torah with awe

Hi,

"Moshe was sanctified in a cloud and he received the Torah from Sinai, as it is written, ‘And the glory of Gd rested atop Mount Sinai’ – it was for Moshe, to purify him.

"This was after the Aseret haDibrot, according to R’ Yosi haGlili.

"R’ Akiva said, ‘And the cloud covered him for six days’ – This was Moshe, as it is written, ‘And Gd called to Moshe,’ to give honor to Moshe, ‘on the seventh day, from within the cloud.’

"R’ Natan asked: Why did Moshe need to wait for six days, without Gd’s communication? To clean out all eating and drinking from within him, until he could be sanctified and become like a ministering angel.

"R’ Matya ben Charash replied: My master! It was only to intimidate him, so that he would receive the words of Torah with intimidation, awe, trembling and shaking, as it is written, ‘Serve Gd with awe and rejoice with trembling.’"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai