Pirkei Avot

BS"D

In many communities the first chapter of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our
Fathers) will be studied this week.

Mishna 15 reads like this:

"Shamai said: make your Torah a set priority ; say little, and do
much; and receive every person with a pleasant face."

The regular explanation of this Mishna is as follows.
- Follow the directive -we find elsewhere- to study Torah full time.
Only when one gets tired he should occupy himself with work.
- Learn from Avraham who told his guest "Ill bring you some bread"
and instead served them a full gourmet meal.
- When you have guest, smile at them and make them feel wanted.

Although this statement of Shammai is very powerful, it seems to be
out of place in Pirkei Avot. The goal of Pirkei Avot is to teach
people moral values that are not required by law.

The way we explained Shammai's words till now, all three points seem
to be existing laws.
The directive to put Torah study ahead of all other matters is a law
derived from the words in the Torah "You shall speak them" which we
say in Shema several times a day.

"make your Torah a set priority"
   The 2nd Mishna of this chapter already touched on the topic of
Torah study.
"Shimon the Righteous said: Upon three things the world stands: The
Torah; The worship of G-d (prayer); The bestowal of loving kindness."

After we already know that Torah study is needed to keep the world
standing, what does Shammai add by saying that Torah needs to be a
priority?

"Say little"
There are many laws in the Torah concerning speech. The Torah warns
us to always to keep our word. Obviously the best way to prevent
transgressing a law connected to speech is by not talking too much.
"And do a lot"
A Jew always has to try to do as much Mitzvot as possible. What is
Shammai telling us we didn't know yet?

"And receive every person with a pleasant face."
That too is basic manners and not something a sage like Shammai
needs to tell us. Especially when the Torah already commanded us to
love every Jew as ourselves.

- We also have to find a thread that connects the three seemingly
unconnected statements.

It is also interesting to note that Shammai only tells us to make
Torah study a priority but he doesn't tell us to make regular work
of lesser importance as is done in the other places that discuss
this issue.

To explain this Mishna we should look at it as a comment on the
previous statement of Shimon Hatzadik.
We were told that the world stands on three pillars.
Since it is hard to invest all one's energy in all three `pillars',
Shammai needs to tell us which one is most important.
Of course by law there is no problem for someone to become rich and
support Torah institutions. That is one of the three pillars
mentioned in the Mishna.
Shammai tells us that if we want to go beyond the letter of the law,
and live a holier life, we should choose Torah study as our main
occupation.
That explains why he doesn't mention the secondary importance of
work. He is not trying to teach us the importance of Torah study
over physical labor, which we know from different places, but the
importance of Torah over the other two pillars on which the world
stands.

That is also why he doesn't use the terminology -used by Shimon
HaTzadik to degrade work- in connection with prayer and charity; for
they are not of lesser importance, rather less of a priority for
someone who wants to go beyond the letter of the law.

As a mater of fact, Shammai's directive applies even to people who
choose to focus mainly on  prayer and charity. He said to make Torah
study `keva' a set priority.
By law, working folk are required to (only) set times for study of
one chapter in the morning and one at night. If they look at that as
something `set', then it has a positive influence on their entire
day!

Now that we know that Torah study should be our first priority, we
have to know what type of study.
`Say' little.
There are different ways to learn Torah. Of course there is the
practical side, as the Talmud says "study will bring to the deed"
(by learning the laws, one knows what to do in day-to-day life).
But there are also many parts of Torah that do not directly relate
to practical observance of Mitzvot. The reason why we study those
parts too is because ultimately we study Torah because of its own
importance as Hashem's infinite wisdom embodied in its words.

`Saying', telling people what to do, refers to Torah study the way
it relates to practical observance of the laws. Shammai tells us
that this shouldn't be our main focus; rather we should spend more
time learning Torah for the sake of Torah!

Once we know that in Shammai's opinion law doesn't always have first
priority, we might think that fulfilling the Mitzvot is not so
important.
That is why he adds right away  "and do a lot! (of Mitzvot)". If he
wouldn't have made his first statement about Torah study, there
wouldn't have been a need to tell us the importance of practicing;
now that he did, there is.

By shifting the focus away from studying practical law, another
problem may arise.
The difference between the heart and the mind is, that in order to
have emotions, others are needed. The mind on the other hands works
best when no one else is involved In order to think well, people
need quiet.
The Jewish way of study is, as we'll read elsewhere in Pirkei Avot,
to study with partners. "I have learned a lot from my teachers ..my
friends.. but the most from my students."
Nevertheless there is always an advantage of learning in seclusion
too.
One may decide that in order to study Torah properly he should
become anti social.
That is why Shammai adds he words "and receive every person with a
pleasant face."
"Every person" – even people who will not add to your knowledge of
Torah!

How is it possible for one person to fulfil all the above directives
at the same time?
How can one be full time engrossed in Torah study yet do a lot of
Mitzvot. And how can one study in seclusion and be friendly with
other people at the same time?

The way to do that is by being a Shammai!
A person who is being  `sham', is called a Shammai.
"sham" means to measure (one's steps)
When a person used all his G-d given qualities properly, he will
surely, with some management planning, find time for all he needs to
do.

This is also the thread that runs through the whole Mishna.
First we are told to study Torah only for the sake of Torah and not
for the sake of teaching others.
Next we are told to do a lot of Mitzvot.
Although "one who says I will only study Torah without doing Mitzvot
doesn't have Torah either" (for what is it worth if he doesn't
fulfil what it says threw) this is not what is being referred to
here. To prevent that it would suffice to do the necessary Mitzvot
as they come along. In the morning don tefilin, on Pesach eat some
matzah etc.
By telling us to do a lot of Mitzvot, Shammai is saying that we
shouldn't do them in order to preserve our Torah study, but for the
sake of the Mitzvot themselves.

The same is with the way we treat other people. Even people who will
not add anything to our spiritual or physical well-being should be
treated nicely just because they are G-d's creatures!

Another connection to Shammai.

Shammai was the head of a large school that argued on many aspects
of the Halacha with the school of the sage Hillel. There is a rule
that, with the exception of a few cases, the law always remains
according to the opinion of the people of Hillel.
When Moshiach comes, however, this will be changed and the law will
be like Shammai's opinion.

Shammai's instruction to do everything for its own sake; Torah for
the sake of Torah , Mitzvot for the sake of Mitzvot and kindness for
the sake of kindness, is something that can  be done (mainly) when
we live in a world where we see everything clearly the way they are.
In our present state of exile, this is not always easy. However, by
going beyond the letter of the law and fulfilling Shammai's
directives till the end including being nice to people we don't
receive anything from, we hope that Hashem will pay us in the same
measure we measure with and show us the radiance of His face with
the coming of Moshiach now!