GEN790 Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa said: Any person in whom the fear of sin comes before wisdom, his wisdom shall endure; but anyone in whom wisdom comes before fear of sin, his wisdom shall not endure.  Pirkei Avot III:11.  Here we have a clear, superb statement of one of Judaism’s basic insights:  Wisdom, thought is subservient to the will, which is so inextricably bound up with the motions; therefore, unless a person be first imbed with “fear of sin,” a strong moral sense, his wisdom cannot itself be influential in any fundamental way, no matter how marvelously developed it may be.  For sooner or later the mind and its wisdom become a rationalizing handmaiden, subservient to the wishes and demands of the self that wills.  When Abraham journeyed to the Land of the Philistines, as a measure of self-defense he concealed the fact that beautiful Sarah was his wife, and announced instead that she was his sister. [this verse]. Later Abimelech king of the Philistines felt hurt that Abraham should have suspected his people of being wife-snatchers, wince taking another man’s wife was forbidden, under one of the Seven Noachian Laws, as a crime punishable by death. Abraham replied, however, that “I though: there is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife.” Genesis 20:11 By this he meant: Of course you have a law that no one may take another man’s wife. But where there is no “fear of God,” no wisdom, no abstract knowledge of the law is enough to overcome the evil inclination. You would probably find some way of disposing of me, and then there is no law to prevent you from marrying Abraham’s attractive widow!  Where “fear of sin” does not come before wisdom, to form a basis and background for it wisdom cannot endure. Consider the man who swears that he will never touch a single dollar that belongs to the next fellow. Under his breath he may well add, “Try to convince me that this dollar really belongs to the next fellow.”  SINAI1 273-4

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GEN862 … the world is judged with goodness. Pirkei Avot III:19   …. Our Sages note that the Almighty foresaw Ishmael’s unworthy future; after all, He had Himself foretold it: “And he shall be a wild mule of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him.” [this verse] Since the Almighty has an infinite knowledge of the future, He surely had in mind the fanatic, impassioned Islamic invasions of the past and the seething Arab hostility and marauding in the present. In His goodness, however, the Almighty considered Ishmael “where he is now”; He regarded the boy’s present condition alone: Never mind his future; judge the lad according to the goodness of the present hour, and now he is pleading and praying for his life. Now he is righteous.  Talmud Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah I,3; Genesis Rabbah LIII, 14; Exodus Rabbah III, 2; Midrash Tanhuma, Yayyetze 5; Miedrash T’hillim V,5. And when someone’s past or future bespeaks goodness, that will serve to weigh the scales in his favor.  Jeremiah declares to the people Israel in the name of the Almighty, ‘I remember for you [or about your] the loving devotion of your youth … how you followed Me in the wilderness, in an unsown [desolate] land.” Jeremiah 2:2 True, at the present moment you are not worthy, but I recall your past goodness. By the same token the Torah forbade us to attack the nations of Moab and Ammon Deuteronomy 2:19, 19 because, as the Sages explain, Ruth the princess of Moab Talmud Nazir 23b, Midrash Rabbah, Ruth II was destined to embrace Judaism and become in time the great-grandmother of Kind David, while from Ammon would come Naamah, wife of Solomon and other of Rehoboam. I Kings 14:21, 31; II Chronicles 12:13. Talmud Baba Kamma 38b.  This is perhaps the secret underlying reason that mankind continues to exist despite so much evil in its actions day after day, year after year, century after century. “The world is judge for its good,” be that good in the past, present, or the future.  We can also interpret this phrase to mean that “the world is judged for the sake of the good,” or “for a good purpose.” If the Almighty must sometimes punish or chastise someone, He does so for the person’s own good and benefit.   There was once a great Hassidic rabbi whose gabbai (secretary, attendant) would always find fault with the master’s disciples.   He would constantly complain to the rabbi that this fellow kept his store open too late before the onset of the Sabbath on Friday evening, another was guilt of talebearing, a third was not too careful to eat strictly kosher food. The rabbi could not tolerate the constant criticism, and voiced his displeasure in no uncertain terms.   One hassid (disciple) overhead him. “Why do you object?” he asked the rabbi in perplexity.   “After all, do you not also criticize and find fault with us in your sermons? What does it matter if the gabbai criticizes us too?” The rabbi replied: “The difference between us is the difference between a home owner and a cat. Both the home owner and the cat strongly desire to rid the house of mice.   The difference, however, is that the owner is happy when there are no mice; the cat is happy when she catches mice. Similarly, I am happy when there is no longer any sin.   My gabbai seems to be happy when he catches sinners.”   The Almighty judges the world for the sake of goodness. He is happy when there is no sin.   SINAI1 328-9

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GEN892 Let the poor be members of your household.   Pirkei Avot I:5  … The word ani means not only “poor” in the strictly financial sense. A man may be wealthy and still be an ani. Does not King David cry out, “I am poor and suffering!” Psalms 69:30 – and surely David possessed great wealth. Any man who is in need is, in regard to that need, poor. A man who is depressed and needs cheering; a lonely person in need of a friend; one who has a problem and needs advice – for all these who seek the warmth of friendship and sympathetic counsel, “let your house be open wide.” The Hebrew word which we translate as “wide,” r’vahah, also means “profit.” There is no word in our vocabulary which is so evocative of a sense of earnestness and efficiency, dispatch and self-sacrifice, as the word “business.” Consider the expressions, “He means business”; “a business-like manner”; “business is business.”   Now, for the authentic Jew, observance of Torah is his true, his only business. Recall how perturbed our father Abraham was when no travellers appeared, to whose wants he could minister. [In Scripture we read about Abraham, “The Lord appeared to him … as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day” [this verse] Rashi comments: “He sat in the tent door, to see if anyone came passing by, whom he could bring into his house” – to provide hospitality; this is the Midrashic view that we find in Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan, B14, and Midrash haGadol on the verse (See Torah Shelemah on the verse §§20, 23. Rashi continues: “In the heat of the day: The Holy One took the sun out of its sheath [so to speak], that he should not be troubled with guests [in the intense heat Abraham would find no one on whom to lavish hospitality]. But because He saw that he was so distressed that no [potential] guests came, He brought the angels to him in the guise of men” (verse 2). This is based on a passage in Talmud Baba Metzia 86b, and is stated expressly in Midrash Aggada p. 39.] ] These were Abraham’s “customers” ; and why  should he not be unhappy when “business” was so bad that day! Bearing this in mind, we can now interpret our teaching: Let your home be open for profit-making. Your entire approach to the mitzvah of hospitality should be with the same verve, spirit of dedication and punctiliousness with which you do your business. Let your home be open for the spiritual “profits” implicit in this mitzvah, for the divine blessings in store for those who fulfill it.   Included in this teaching is the principle of being generally accessible to others. The urge for privacy in our day has become almost a craze. Impassable secretaries, unlisted telephone numbers, and stuffy doormen are all signs of the times. The Mishnah, however, urges us to be available to the poor, accessible to those in need. Let your home be open lir’vahah: the word also means “for relief” – for aid and deliverance.   SINAI1 57-8

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GEN916 Say little and do much. Pirkei Avot I:15   Abraham provides the classic illustration of this dictum. He said to his guests, “I will fetch a morsel of bread, and do you sustain your hearts.” [this verse] Yet what did he really do? Not only did he serve bread, but also milk and butter and later meat and wheat cakes. There are many people who do the reverse: they say much, promising many things, but actually do very little there are others who base their talk on some real performance, but then boast of what they have done out of all proportion to the actual deed.   In fact, many people seem to live in a world of verbalization, a universe of words, recounted and repeated to friends and acquaintances. One trivial incident can serve as the source of a spate of words that runs through five cocktail parties and six marathon telephone conversations. So Shammai reminds us: the world of reality is still the world of deeds. The arena for achievement is still “doing.” Hence, “say little and do much.” Even in the field of learning, do not pose as a scholar simply because you have memorized a few passages from Scripture. Say “little”: consider that you have studied only a bit; “and do much”: let this stimulate you to achieve much more.  SINAI1 99

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GEN921 Where there is no flour [bread] there is no where there is no Torah, there is no flour [bread] Pirkei Avot III:21   … Some commentaries on Avoth see in this dictum a historical allusion. They read, “If it were not for flour there would be no Torah.” We have leant in our Oral Tradition that when Moses ascended to Heaven to receive the Torah, the angels protested, asserting that mere mortals were not fit to be entrusted with the resplendent Divine Word. The Midrash relates that they were ready to attack him, when the Almighty altered his appearance so that he looked like Abraham the Patriarch. And then the Almighty asked the angels: “Are you not ashamed to attack the one in whose house you ate and drank?” (See Genesis 18:2-8. In the Talmud and Midrash it is accepted without question that Abraham’s visitors were three angels (see Torah Shelemah, there)).   Turning to Moses, the Alight said, “On account of the merits of Abraham have you come into possession of the Torah!” Exodus Rabbah XXVIII,1  Moses could be thankful that Abraham the patriarch had given Sarah orders to “make ready quickly three measure of fine flour.” [this verse] Hence, “without the flour” of Abraham’s hospitality, there would have been no Torah: Moses would have failed to get it.  In the economic situation of the world, the condition of “no flour” – inadequate provisions – is always a relative one.   The sub-marginal conditions and diets of America might be considered “upper middle class” conditions in India. What one might consider, beyond question, “intolerable poverty,” another person, with a different set of values, might regard as a good living standard.   Now, a person who is thoroughly imbued with Torah will always be able to find a level of happiness, a sense of meaning, achievement, and esteem even in the most dire situation in the most precarious condition.   Therefore, our mishnah could mean: Because there is no Torah, there is a sense, a feeling, a conviction of “no bread.” Because a person has no allegiance to any higher values, but has rather sunk all his interest and regard into his natural possessions, he is constantly dissatisfied with his present conditions and complains of “no bread”: he remains dissatisfied and hungry He may go on thinking his hunger is for more ‘bread,” money, possessions, when it is actually a hunger for the spiritual verities of Torah.   A man came to Rabbi Israel Salanter and asked, “If someone has only ten minutes a day to study, to what branch of Torah should he devote himself in this short period: Bible, Mishnah or Talmud?” The Lithuanian Sage wisely answered, “Let him study mussar,” the system of personal soul-searching and moral chastisement to come nearer to the Holy One, “for then he will soon discover that he can spare more than ten minutes a day to study Torah.”   There is a similar lesson that we can learn from this mishnah: Study absorb its immutable values and profound truths, and you will soon discovery that “there is bread”: in the words of our Sages, “He who gives life will also give the sustenance for life.” (A Jewish folk-saying in the Aramaic of the Talmud, based on the Talmud’s aphorism, “When the Compassionate One grants abundance, it is to the living that He grants it” Talmud, Ta’anith 8b. It may also have been suggested by the Midrashic dictum, “The One who has created the day has created its sustenance” M’chilta, Vayyassa 2, etc.).  SINAI1 342-3

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GEN925 Do not indulge in too much conversation with your wife. Pirkei Avot I:5  What connection does this have with the previous teaching regarding hospitality? The average woman does not take very kindly to the prospect of unexpected guests.   Even Sarah, always hospitable enough, was no exception. When Abraham invited in his three wayfarers, he requested Sarah to take kemah soleth and bake cakes for her guests. [this verse].   Kemah is ordinary coarse flower; soleth is fine cake flour.   Only when he saw that Sarah had no objection, he improved the menu. Then again, a man might hesitate to invite guests, for then he could not spend the evening in conversation with his wife, discussing the day’s happenings and the local gossip.  And so Rabbi Yose implies: You will have many opportunities to indulge in such chatter. Forgo the talk with your wife now, and open your home wide to the poor.”   Or perhaps we have here some excellent practical advice; If, when you bring home some deserving guests, your wife becomes excited, “do not indulge in too much conversation.” Leave her alone. Women are like that. In a little while she will realize the wonderful mitzvah involved, and she will be only too happy. At the moment do not press the issue. Your wife’s natural good heart will soon reassert itself. Sir Walter Scott called woman “the toy of the evening.” Rudyard Kipling surpassed that with the adage, “A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.” [The Betrothed, 1886] this type of evaluation is reflected in the endearing term we moderns use for woman: “a doll.” But what is a doll? A toy, a plaything with no heart and no brains! A woman is a “doll” and a man is a “guy,” and they both proceed to play out their respective roles in character.   Between the two, there is no sense of divinity.   Judaism, however, regards the woman with esteem. “A man’s home,” says the Talmud, “is his wife.” Zohar III, 178b. Mishnah, Yoma I, 1 (Talmud, Shabbat 118b, Gittin 52a) Woman is highly regarded and appreciated in Jewish tradition. “If your wife is shorter than you, bow down to her.” Talmud, Baba Metzi’a 59a.  Consult your wife and listen to her advice. Marriage is called kiddushin: this means “sanctification,” and involves the highest degrees of holiness.   When the traditional practice of separate seating or men and women at prayer is attacked as reflecting the inferior place of women in orthodoxy, we must label this a patent misconception.   Separation, m’hitzah, is necessary not for the woman but for the man. His eyes, his thoughts and his temptation travel too far and too fast. When he prays, his sight, mind, and inclinations tend to wander.   He is too easily distracted from his devotions.  Hence we curtain off the woman because we do not trust the man!   The word sihah means “idle talk.”   The Mishnah is, in effect, advising a man not to restrict his wife’s companionship to the level of idle chatter.   Elevate your level of communication with your wife. Instead of “where the Goldsteins are spending their vacation,” discuss which Yeshivah to choose for your child.  Instead of the “new fur coat now displayed by Mrs. Cohen,” discuss your future regarding the Land of Israel.  Elevate your conversation; keep the sihah to a minimum and create a true communion of thought with the woman who is your helpmate in life.   SINAI1 60-1

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GEN1056 Among the laws of kashruth is the central prohibition against eating the flesh of an animal considered trefah, an animal which had a physical ailment of such seriousness that it would likely have died within a year. The Talmud and Codes enumerate in detail all the possible categories of physical disability and disease which render an animal trefah. Now, if a fowl has fallen and struck hard against body of water and it is uncertain whether the bird has sustained serious injuries, the Talmud gives a rule: See how it behaves in the stream of flowing water.  If the bird tries to swim against the tide, it will live. If the bird merely floats with the tide, it is mortally wounded! Hullin 51b.   So too with Jewry. Once free as a bird in our homeland, we fell and suffered severe bruises and wounds when our beth ha-mikdash, our Temple was destroyed and our land conquered, and our people sent into exile. And so, today, if an individual Jew fights the environment and swims against the mainstream, his Judaism lives within him. But if he takes the path of least resistance and simply flows along with the tide, then his Jewishness is fast ebbing away.   … Think back to the pleas of Abraham, trying to save the people of Sodom. The Almighty agreed at last that if there were ten righteous people among all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities would be spared for their sake [this verse].   Ten people could save two cities! Such is the power, the profound influence of those who can successfully withstand the influence of their milieu and rise above it.  If amidst the corruption and perversion of Sodom, a group of righteous ones can hold out and retain their piety, then all is not lost. SINAI1 238-9

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GEN1088 See [[GEN790]] Genesis 12:13 sister SINAI1 273

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GEN1165 You do not know mattan s’charan, the rewards given for mitzvoth. Pirkei Avot II;1  This can also denote what you would have to give and pay to acquire the privilege of performing the mitzvah. Many things which we have without effort are not fully appreciated. You may waste the meals your mother prepares for you. But if you went to a restaurant and had to pay five dollars [1964 dollars; equivalent $40 in 2018 – AJL] for a similar meal, you would undoubtedly value it more.   We are born Jews. The mitzvoth are here for our taking and doing. However, we do not value them properly because we are unaware of the “price’ they have cost in the blood, sweat and tears of history. We rarely think of the twenty generations that angered the Lord before the advent of Abraham. Avoth V, 2-3.   How many of us consider what Torah and mitzvoth have cost the Jewish people throughout our long and martyr-filled history? Be heedful of all the mitzvoth, for you have no idea of what they have cost us. Blood was spilled, lives were given, that or people should not abandon or forget our commandments from Sinai. Indeed, we should be most grateful that these Divine precepts, with their unique and transcendent importance, are as accessible and available as they are. The Torah tells us: “It [Torah] is not in Heaven, that you should say, “Who will go us for us to Heaven and bring it to us …?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us …?’” Deuteronomy 20:12-13 To a least one Sage this means, quite simply, that were it indeed in heaven, we should have to go there to acquire it; and were it beyond the sea, we would indeed be obliged to travel there to get it. Talmud Erubin 55a.  If our entire journey to salvation and eternity depends on these mitzvoth and this Torah, we would be justified in scaling the Matterhorn to reach it. How fortunate we are that this unique Divine word is in our midst, within the reach of everyone – “in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” Deuteronomy 30:14  Suppose that a person tells you he wishes to buy merchandise from you on credit. You ask him for references, you consult his bank, you “look him up” in Dun and Bradstreet. After you are fully satisfied that everything is in order, you may give him credit up to $100. [1964 dollars; equivalent $800 in 2018 – AJL] Should we have a doubt about kashruth, though, what might the procedure be? We might decide to stay at a certain hotel because there appears to be a vague rumor that the food is kosher. To give $100 of credit we will likely explore every avenue, check and double-check to make sure. Het, when a mitzvah is involved, we are satisfied with hearsay, with a rumor with a minimum of investigation. Consider Abraham and his dealings with Eliezer his servant. Scripture states that Eliezer was in compete charge of Abrahams’s affairs. [this verse] Presumably he bought and sold, kept the books, and had access to all the wealth. Yet, in the matter of arranging a marriage for his son Isaac, for whom he wanted a pious daughter-in-law, Abraham insisted that Eliezer take an oath! Here the emphasis is on the values that truly count. In material matters, Eliezer enjoyed the full confidence of Abraham. When matters of the spirit, of Torah were involved, Abraham took greater caution: he insisted on better assurances and exercised stronger control. Rabbi Judah haNasi reminds us that there are no unimportant mitzvoth. If we cannot be as Abraham and give them more care and attention than we devote to our business affairs, let us at lest treat them with equal regard. They are stepping stones to eternal life. SINAI1 124-5

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GEN1175 Rabban Gamaliel said: Provide yourself with a teacher, and free yourself from doubt … Pirkei Avot I:16  If a teacher is to guide you toward certainty so as to resolve your doubts, he must first be quite sure of himself and illuminate a path of life that is clear and consistent. Such a feeling of self-confidence and certainty an only be grounded in a deep knowledge and grasp of Jewish law. We are being advised therefore as to the qualifications to demand from a teacher and preacher whom we may appoint. Too many communities require only that their rabbi be an accomplished speaker, adept at socializing and raising funds. Of these qualities they make certain. But when it comes to the man’s piety or his learning, they conjecture and estimate; in short, they are in doubt.   An analogous situation exists in choosing a wife. A man can never be certain of all the qualities and characteristics of his intended spouse. But each person makes sure of those qualities which he values most. One suitor will ascertain that his fiancée cooks well; another that she dances well; a third that she is interested in the arts. When Eliezer the servant of Abraham went to seek a bride for Isaac, he made certain about another set of values altogether. The “test” which he imposed on the girl to be chosen probed for character, for kindness and generosity. [this verse]. Our Mishnah instructs us, then, that in choosing a teacher and spiritual guide, make certain of his basic qualifications, so that he can resolve your doubts and allay your uncertainties.  SINAI1 102

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