YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
THE LIBRARY OF THE
DIVINITY SCHOOL
DIBBE ABOTH HA-OLAM.
SAYINGS OF
THE JEWISH EATHEBS.
Sontion: C. J. CLAY AND SONS,
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,
AVE MARIA LANE.
StaBfioto: 263, ARGYLE STREET.
ILeipjifl : F. A. BROCKHAUS.
#eto gorlt: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
iBomima: E. SEYMOUR HALE.
SAYINGS
OF
THE JEWISH FATHERS
COMPKISING
PIEQE ABOTH
IN HEBREW AND ENGLISH
WITH NOTES AND EXCURSUSES.
EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
BY
CHARLES TAYLOR D.D.
MASTEK OF ST JOHN'S COLLEGE CAMBEIDGE.
Second Edition with Additional Notes and a Cairo fragment of
Aquila's version of the Old Testament.
GDHmbri&ge
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
1897
[All Rights reserved.']
Mala fV..:_:*-- i ¦¦
ffiambttSge:
PRINTED BY J. AND C. F. CLAY,
AT THE UNIVERSITY PBESS.
PEEFACE.
The Second Edition of Dibrd Aboth ha-Olam, or Sayings
of the Jewish Fathers may be shortly described as a reprint of
the work as published in 1877, with a section of Additional
Notes. Interspersed with the reprint are insertions in square
brackets, a few things are omitted, and short new notes1 fill
up pages 26, 41, 77, 98. With the two titles of the book
compare Shebach Aboth Olam in the Hebrew of Ecclesiasticus
and its Greek rendering Harepcov v/ivo?.
An Appendix not yet published contains the Catalogue
of Manuscripts referred to in the Introduction, which was an
nounced as undertaken "with especial reference to disputed
readings," followed by critical Notes on the Teaat of Aboth*. It
is complete as first planned, but awaits a supplement describing
Manuscripts examined or to be examined by Mr Schechter,
Reader in Talmudic and Rabbinic in the University of Cam
bridge, to whose learning and acumen I am indebted for the
suggestion of additions and improvements throughout the work.
The collection of Manuscripts lately brought from Egypt by
Mr Schechter, with the generous consent of the Grand Rabbi
* No. 170 in the Catalogue analyses a commentary on Aboth which has been
ascribed on slight grounds to R. Meshullam ben Qalonymos. See Semitic
Studies in mem. Dr A. Kohut, art. On Codex de-Rossi 184 (Berlin 1897). An old
Cairo fragment of Aboth omits the baba or verse "O 11DK lJIK'SO (i. 6). Read
ings of this fragment are D'lJJJ with pathach under the nun (i. 5, cf. Aboth
R. N.), pm for pmn & BWnn with vau (I. 8), pun "|Vt bis with art. (in. 26),
1,B3K> bis for VMJ?E> & inDDini DTDIS! TV<2 (ni. 27), DDnn & "in'Jn with
art. (iv. 1, 2). Another fragment in the same hand reads 11D (?) with vau (n. 10),
Kin y-DD bis (n. ii), aanmo mm fear us (n. 12, 13), what nvrhw
~nnan (n. u), n^n* without •(? (n. 16), ns 3»btib> na without mm
(11. 18). The scribe used irregular scraps of parchment, and had to make some
lines shorter than they should have been.
VI PREFACE.
of Cairo*, includes some fragments of the Old Testament
in Greek with the Tetragrammaton written repeatedly in
Hebrew characters ov Tot? vvv aXKa tois ap^aioTaTofi, m
accordance with the remark of Origen on Psalm ii. (Opp. II.
539) that it so stood eV toIs a.Kpt/3eaTepoi,<; rwv avTiypa
[ttovs crou].
em Aeeva Kai ao-mba jranjcrfiy.
recto
13.
Psalm xci. 4.
5.
[ev Ki\dapa.
[on rjvcppavas p'e HlJiT ev Karepya crov
[ev n-oir/piatTi] \eipa>v o~ov aii/ecns.
6. [ fi\ao-TT)(rai ao-ej3eis o/toicos x^07?
Kai i)v6r\o-av mxvres Karepya£op,evoL
avaxpeAes
eKTpifirjvat. avrovs eas en.
9. xai croi v\naTos eis aiava 111 PI'.
10. icW oi e)(6poi crov PIIPI'J
i8ou oi e%dpoi o~ov anoXovvrai
[o-KopTrijo-drjo-ovrai Travres Karepya£o
[pevoi avaxpeAes].
* Above the Greek is part of T. J. Moed Qat. n. 4 — in. 1.
t 'Andrews is extant here only in the Old Testament.
J The Name is written in archaic Hebrew characters.
fc Wlfi u.
"B*T ^!$y ^^ffii 11 iy^iwat-^
V
RECTO (PS XC. 6-13)
,*-^3^%f^^iF
f^l) c$ M
.La
who.
%<&% <&Sk%&\ *&l$^ X,.
**ci 4ttcra ^aiwufct&»*,i
27072
E.
)>
17057
F.
))
27115
Cambridge MSS.
a. • University, Addit. 470
IS. St John's College, K. 7
Vt. University, Addit. 667
19. „ ,, 1200
®. „ „ 561
Jp. A Machazor.
A* denotes the Oxford MS., Bodl. 145. It contains the same commentary as
A (Machazor Vitry). At is a third copy of the same commentary. At and $
are in the possession of the Editor.
Bab S. denotes Isaac Bah Shelomoh, the author of the commentary in B, IS.
The text of Aboth is taken from & ; Pereq VI from an edition of the Ashke-
nazic Prayer Book.
In citations from the Talmud the letters T. J. are prefixed to those which
are from the Jerushalmi. The rest are from the Babli.
The Hebrew letters, fin, ft, Q, X, V, P, 3, PI,
are transliterated, tth, th, t, c, ', a, k, ch,
except in some cases in which familiar forms are retained.
The following Translation and Commentary with the Ex
cursuses occupied pages 25 — 145 in the First Edition. To
find the corresponding pages in the Second Edition, subtract.
fourteen, or in the case of the last page only fifteen. For the
Critical Notes on the Text which preceded the Translation
and Commentary in the First Edition see under Notes on the
Text in the Appendix.
PIEQE ABOTH.
KTDP1 '1P1D? »jm JNK) 'KPI
D"p?
man ^*0
PIEQE ABOTH.
CHAPTER I.
Some passages of doubtful genuineness are printed in italics. Omissions
of the manuscript of Chapters I — V are supplied in smaller type. On words
in thick type see the Excursuses at the end of Chapter VI.
1. Moses received the Thorah from Sinai, and he delivered
it to Jehoshua', and Jehoshua' to the elders (Josh. xxiv. 31 ;
Jud. ii. 7), and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets
delivered it to the men of the Great Synagogue. They said
three things : Be deliberate in judgment ; and raise up many
disciples; and make a fence1 to the Thorah.
1 Impose additional restrictions so
as to keep at a safe distance from for
bidden ground : " 'm»E>D PIN DmOtri
(Lev. xviii. 30), make a mishmereth to
my mishmereth " (Jebamoth 21 a).
" To what is the matter like? To a
man watching a garden. If he watches
it from without, it is all watched ; if
he watches it from within, the part in
front of him is watched ; and the part
behind him is not watched." The
J"D (m. 20 ; vi. 6) lies at the root of
the Rabbinic system. Its application
to holy days gives rise to the principle
VnprbyhvVl t'D'DIO (R. ha-Shan. 9a),
in connexion with which compare
Bashi on Gen. ii. 2, where it is said
that whereas man must sanctify the
Sabbath in advance, not knowing the
instant of its commencement, the
Creator " enters upon it to a hair's
breadth," and even seems to finish
" on the seventh day " itself. For
other examples see Aboth de R.j Na
than i., n., where it is said inter alia
that Adam misapplied the principle
of the 3"D, and gave occasion to the
Tempter, by superadding the pro
hibition, Neither shall ye touch it, and
representing this to Eve as part of
God's command, which was only,
Thou shalt not eat of it (Gen. ii. 17 ;
iii. 3). [Gen. ii. 2 Sept. 2ktv sixth,
to exclude work on the seventh.]
12
PIRQE ABOTH.
2. Shime'on ha-Caddiq2 was of the remnants of the Great
Synagogue. He used to say, On three things the world is
stayed8; on the Thorah4, and on the Worship6 (Rom. ix. 4),
and on the bestowal of Kindnesses6.
v Various traditions have gathered
round the name of Simon Justus.
" Seine Personlichkeit tritt im An-
denken der spatern Rabbinen ins
Dunkel der Fabel zuriick" (Jost,
Geschichte des Judenthums und seiner
Secten, a. 110). He is said in Joma
9 a, 39 a, 69 a, to have served as
high-priest for forty years, and to
have gone out in procession to meet
" Alexander of Macedon,'' as Jaddua'
is related (Jos. Ant. xi. 8. 5) to have
done. Various miracles were wrought
during his priesthood. In Menachoth
109 b he predicts his own death ; and
there follows an account of the build
ing of a temple in "Alexandria of
Egypt " (Is. xix. 19) by his son Onias,
or |1'31PU (a in Menach. xm. 10).
But see Jos. Ant. xin. 3. 3. Simon
has been made contemporary with
DApDJ (? Gaius Caligula. Cf. Jost,
a. 359), who attempted to set up his
statue in the temple at Jerusalem.
See Megillath Tha'anith xi. ; T. J. So-
tah ix. 13 ; Babli 33 a ; Jos. Ant. xvm.
8 ; and Jos. ben Gorion ii. 6, where
this tale likewise is told of Alexander.
See also 3 Mace. i. ii. The eulogy in
Ecclus. 1. has been applied by some
to Simon I., son of Onias, called Simon
Justus in Jos. Ant. xn. 2. 5 ; and by
others to Simon II., also son of Onias.
The latter Simon is identified in Bar
Hebr. Chronicon Eecles. (col. 22, ed.
Abbeloos et Lamy) with the 2vpeiiv
of Luke ii. 25, who is characterised as
SIkcuos. Herzfeld concludes that the
allusion in the text is to Simon H.,
and that the date of his high-priest
hood was 226—198 b.c Zunz (Die Got-
tesdienstlichen Vortrage d. Juden, p.
36) gives the date 221—202 B.C.
3 These three things are regarded
as bases or pillars of the world. Cf.
Ps. lxxv. 4 ; Prov. ix. 1 ; and (?) 1 Tim.
iii. 15. [Chagigah 12 b.]
4 See Nedar. 32 a. The world, it -
is said, was only created for the sake '
of the Thorah and its learners. The
notion of design in creation is brought
out in a striking way at the beginning ,
of Bereshith Rabbah. Thorah, or
Wisdom (Prov. viii. 1), was God's •
agent or instrument (cf. Aboth in. 23),
and plan. As a human king does not
build a palace of himself without an
artificer ; nor he of himself without
drawings and plans ; so God looked
into the Thorah and created the world,
tarn pmm d»3D pi'pi n"3pn p
D?iyPI P1X. Seven things were ere-- >
ated before the world, or existed as '
concepts in the mind of the Creator; ""
Thorah, Gehenna, the Garden of Eden,
the Throne of Glory, the Sanctuary,
Repentance, and the Name of Messiah.
Thorah counselled God to create the v
world. " Hence the wise have said,
A kingdom without counsellors is no
kingdom at all" (Pirqe B. Eli'ezer
in.). See also Nedarim 39 b.
5 This in the mouth of a high-priest ¦,
means the service and sacrifices of -
the temple which was then standing. .
Cf. Megillah 31 b, Tha'anith 27 b. In
Pirq. R. Eliez. xvi. it is proved from
Prov. xv. 8, by identifying prayer
with 'abodali ; since what other ser
vice (Dan. vi. 16) could there be in
Babel ? But the primary meaning is
more appropriate here ; and the fact
I. 2, 3.
13
3. Antigonus of7 Soko received from Shime'on ha-Caddiq.
He used to say, Be not as slaves that minister to the lord
with a view to receive recompense; but be as slaves that
minister to the lord without a view to receive8 recompense ;
and let the fear of Heaven be upon you.
that prayer, which is not enjoined in iniquities (Berakoth 5 b).
tlie Pentateuch, PITiri "QT 'J'N Pl^'Srl
(T. J. Berakoth i. 5), is not mentioned
and brought into prominence in the
sayings of this Pereq may perhaps be
taken as one sign of their superior
antiquity. [Aboth R. N. A rv., B v.]
6 This is connected in Aboth R. N.
/'rv. with PM' IDn D^IV (Ps. lxxxix. 3).
' It was declared in the beginning more
acceptable (Hos. vi. 6) than the sacri
fices which Israel were destined to
offer (Pirq. R. Eliez. xvi.). It is not
to be restricted to the requital of
benefits, but is as far reaching, and
at the same time as undefinable
(Peah i. 1), as a man's "duty to his
..neighbour." While its fruits are en
joyed in this world, the principal
remains for the world to come (cf.
1 Tim. iv. 8). With cedaqah — a
treasure laid up not on earth but in
heaven, over which the hand (of the
spoiler) has no power — it counterpoises
all the precepts of the Thorah. But
it is greater than cedaqah, as having
to do alike with person and property,
rich and poor, dead and living. It
includes the duties of sympathy (xal-
peiv /ierd xaipivruv, kKaleiv /lera, K\at6v-
7w, Rom. xii. 15) — of attending the
wedding and the funeral. It is more
beloved even than the study of Thorah.
(T. J. Peah i. 1 ; Sukkah 49 b.) The
Thorah itself begins and ends with
it (Sotah 14 a) ; for God clothed Adam
and Eve (Gen. iii. 21), and "he
buried him (Moses) in a valley " (Deut.
xxxiv. 6). He who occupies himself in
Thorah and gemiluth chasadim, and
buries his children, is forgiven all his
7 The title 131D gMtf is said (A;
bar S.) to imply that Antigonus was
vir magnus in his city. Cf. btt^W K"N
(Jud. vii. 14). For other examples of
this usage in the Mishnah, see Aboth
i. 4, 5 ; m. 9, 10 ; iv. 7, 28 ; Challah
iv. 10 ; 'Orlah n. 5, 12 ; Gittin vi. 7 ;
'Edioth vi. 2 ; Middoth i. 2.
8 Serve God from pure motives, ,
with a view which is not that of .
receiving recompense. Serve, however, .
from a sense of duty, and be not like-
voluntary workers who sometimes will,
and sometimes will not, labour. So
bar S. on the last clause, with the
suggestion that it did not belong to
the original saying, but was added
later to prevent future generations
from drawing extreme negative in
ferences like " Cadoq and Baithus."
<&. omits the clause, but be, oZc, pro
bably through homceoteleuton ; but it
is possible that the original saying
consisted of one clause only : Be not,
<&c. Antigonus inculcates disinter
ested service without expressly enun
ciating any doctrine positive or nega
tive concerning a future state of
retribution. He does not add: "in
order that your reward may be double
in the world to come " (Aboth R.N. v.);
with which compare the principle :
vd> TI33PI SpD1 P13PIKD 1Kb "Learn
out of love, and honour will come
eventually " (Nedarim 62 a). The ques
tion is raised in Sotah v. 5 : "Did Job
serve out of love?" and it is worthy
of remark that the discussion in the
Gemara turns upon the double reading
^>n'N (V? "ip) Vb (Job xiii. 15), which
14
PIRQE ABOTH.
4. Jose ben Jo'ezer of Ceredah and Jose ben Jochanan
of Jerusalem9 received from them. Jose ben Jo'ezer of Qere-
dah10 said, Let thy house be a meeting-house for the wise ;
and powder thyself in the dust of their feet11 ; and drink
their words with thirstiness.
is illustrated by "l¥ (ib >ip) tib (Is.
lxiii. 9).
9 The B'SOn from § 4 to § 13 are
named two and two as trirfvyoi. In
Peah n. 6 the chain of tradition is
given compendiously : the " pairs "
received from the prophets, and they
from Moses. In Chagigah ii. 2 each
pair is represented as divided on one
and the same question. It is added
that the first mentioned in each pair
held the office of nasi, or president of
the Sanhedrin, and the second that
of ab beth din, or vice-president.
Their chronology cannot be precisely
determined. Herzfeld (Gesch. n. 140)
gives their dates B. c. as follows :
(o) The two Josephs, 170; (/3) Je
hoshua' and Matthai, 140 — 110 ; (7)
Jehudah, 100; Shime'on, 90; (8)
Shema'iah and Abtalion, 65 — 35 ;
(e) Hillel, 30. The last date ( = 100
years before the destruction of the
temple) is given in Shabbath 15 a.
Zunz (Gottesd. Vortrage, 37, note e),
assuming a hiatus after Antigonus
(190 b.c), dates the pairs as follows :
(a) 140—130 ; (£)** ; (7) 90—80 ; (5) 60
— 50 ; (e) z. Zeit des Herodes.
10 Joseph ben Jo'ezer was a priest
of pre-eminent piety (Chagigah 11. 7).
" From the time when the two Josephs
died the clusters (Mic. vii. 1) ceased"
(Sotah 47 a). The word eshkol is
explained in Themurah 15 b, by
13 \fZi\W K»K. By some it is identified
with irxoXij. It is said (Them. 15 a)
that at the death of J. ben Jo'ezer the
eshkoloth ceased to learn Thorah like
Moses. Up to that time, but no longer,
they were free from reproach. The
sayings of ben Jo'ezer indicate that he
used his best endeavours to revive the
respect for traditional teaching, and
to establish " schools " of the wise.
The sayings attributed to particular
teachers are not, according to the
pseudo-RASHi, to be regarded as ne
cessarily originating with them. It is
only meant that they were common
places in their mouths (Berakoth 17 a).
Cf. Aboth iv. 26.
11 Cf. Luke x. 39; Acts xxii. 3.
Although entertaining scholars in thy
house assume not a position of supe
riority, but sit at their feet as a learner.
Cf. also the metaphorical expression,
JTIPI ]"\vh p3K (Baba Bathra 165 a).
That the hearer, especially in the case
of a large audience, should be placed
at a lower level than the teacher was
a matter of obvious convenience ; but
J. ben Jo'ezer recommends it as a sign
of humility. The posture of a teacher
and his scholars is discussed from a
different point of view in Megillah
21 a : " Whence is it that a Bab
must not sit on a couch and teach
his disciples on the floor? — but both
he and they must sit on the couch, or
both stand (Rashi). It is because it
is said (Deut. v. 31), Stand thou here
with me. From the days of Moses
to Rabban Gamliel, they always
learned Thorah standing. After his
death sickness came down to the
world, and they learned Thorah
sitting. It is said that Moses sat
(Deut. ix. 9), and also that he stood
(Deut. x. 10) : in the one case, said
I. 4—6
15
5. Jose ben Jochanan of Jerusalem said, Let thy house,
be opened wide ; and let the needy be thy household ; and|
prolong not converse with woman12 (-777 yvvaixi).
6. (His own wife, they meant, much less his neighbour's
Bab, to receive the law, and in the
other to announce it. According to
B. Chaninah, he neither sat nor stood,
but crouched. E. Jochanan says,
3{J>K1 in the former passage only
meant that he stayed... Easy things
are learned standing, and hard things
sitting." That it was customary in
the time of Gamaliel II. for the
scholars in the beth ha-midrash to sit
not on the ground but on subsellia,
appears from the statement (Berakoth
28 a) that after his deposition 400 or
700 additional vDBD were required.
The (On also sat, whilst an K11DX,
or "dragoman" (JDJin), who stood
before him, repeated his words, with
or without comment, for the benefit
of those who sat at a distance. In
certain cases it might be convenient
for teacher or taught to stand (Acts
xiii. 16 ; Matt. xiii. 2) ; but the evi
dence of the New Testament and of
the Talmud shews that it was more
usual to sit. The word PQ'B", sessio,
is even used of students (n. 8). The
public reader of the book Esther
might either stand or sit (Megillah
iv. 1). On the mutual respect of
Bab and Thalmid see Aboth iv. 17.
13 This saying might be applied to a
man's wife in particular (as in § 6),
or to woman in general, Kai eBaipaftv
8n peri, yvvaiKOs e\d\ei (Joh. iv. 27).
Cf. Eccl. vii. 28. Man takes prece
dence of woman in various ways,
though " The man is not without the
woman, nor the woman without the
man, nor both of them without the
Shekinah" (Bereshith Rabbah vm.
Cf. 1 Cor. xi. 11). The Thorah in its
entirety is for the man ; whereas the
woman is exempt from those positive
precepts which are to be fulfilled at
stated times (Qiddushin i. 7). She
is not to learn Thorah — much less to
teach (1 Tim. ii. 12) — not being in
cluded in such passages as Deut. xi.
19 : "And ye shall teach them your
sons." How then shall woman make
out her title to salvation ? 'Zwdiaerai
...S.a. rrjs reKvoyovtas (1 Tim. ii. 15;
v. 14). Her work is to send her
children to be taught in the synagogue :
to attend to domestic concerns, and
leave her husband free to study in
the schools : to keep house for him
till he returns. Cf. Berakoth 17 a,
'31? 1PI"J3 "npS3 1"3T 'N»3 D'EO
jm '3 irvnnj "unsai kdb"33
: pan '3» msn iv in"-i3Jl? ptMi
Women, slaves and children are men
tioned together in Berakoth in. 3 ; She-
qalim i. 5. Another remarkable grouping
is found in the Jews' Morning Prayer,
where the men in three consecutive
Benedictions bless God " who hath
not made me a gentile. ..a slave. ..a
woman." This affords an illustration
(the more striking on account of its
indirectness) of a characteristic saying
of St Paul: ovk evi 'Iou&ttos oiSk
"BUijji, ovk In doSAos oide e\e60epos,
ovk hi tLpotv Kai 8rj\v, wdpres yap upeis
eU inre iv Xpionf 'Iijo-oO (Gal. iii. 28).
Women could not in general be wit
nesses (D'ly) ; but they had their
rights of property. In the case of in
heritance, if the property is small
"filise aluntur, et filii mendicabunt "
(Kethuboth xiii. 3 ; Baba Bathra ix. 1).
[Chagigah T. B. 3 a & T. J. 75 d.]
16
PIRQE ABOTH.
wife.) Hence the wise have said, Each time that the man
prolongs converse with the woman he causes evil to himself and
desists from words of Thorah, and in the end he inherits
Gehinnom13. 7. Jehoshua' ben Perachia and Matthai14 the Arbelite
received from them. Jehoshua' ben Perachiah said15, Make
unto thyself a master; and possess thyself of an associate;
and judge every man in the scale of merit16.
8. Matthai the Arbelite said, Withdraw from an evil
neighbour; and associate not with the wicked"; and grow not
thoughtless18 of retribution.
13 Cf. vlov yehvqs (Matt, xxiii. 15).
14 On the reading, see Crit. Note.
Little of importance is known of this
"pair," except that (Jost, Gesch. A.
233) "aus ihren Lehrsatzen, die man
von Mund zu Mund weiter uberlieferte,
ist zu erkennen dass sie dahin strebten
dem milndlichen Gesetz gegen die
hervorgetretene sadducciische Ansicht
mehr Eingang zu verschaffen.''
15 Jehoshua' counsels a man to
place himself under the direction of a
traditional teacher, and to associate
himself with a worthy companion.
There was a proverbial saying, " Com
panionship or death " (Tha'anith
23 a), companionship even with such
friends as those of Job (Baba Bathra
16 b). " Two are better than one "
(EccL iv. 9), in Thorah as in other
matters, since when two study toge
ther their words are "written in the
book of remembrances" (Berakoth
6 a). Cf. Prov. xxvii. 17. Nay, more,
¦6t«1 BH3PI !?N ain (Jer. 1. 36),
which is turned : " a sword is against
the solitary, and they are stultified"
(see p. 44). The word chaber, a com
panion, came to be used especially
of men of learning. It is sometimes
equivalent to " colleague, " in an official
sense ; or to " fellow," or "associate,"
of a learned society ; and it is con
trasted with y*lKPl DJJ, which denotes
the vulgar herd (Taharoth vn. 4). An
interpretation of pseudo-Bashi is :
"Make to thyself a Bab, to learn
orally ; and buy thyself D'IBD 13n,"
buy books andlnake them a chaber.
16 Give a suspected person, whoever
he may be, the benefit of the doubt.
Let the scale in which he is weighed
have a bias towards the side of merit
or acquittal. He who thus judges
others will thus himself be judged,
'w? fp1? mix pn nn? ep1? nan pn.
See Shabb. 127 b, where the saying
follows upon an enumeration of the
things which profit in both worlds.
The saying in Shabbath might give
rise to the doubt, " who is my chaber ? "
but the words of the text apply
to all men. It may serve as a pv-qpo-
amov to remark that the zodiacal Libra
(Bemidbar E. xvi.) corresponds to the
month of Judgment, Thishri ; as Pl?!3
(Pirq. R. Eliez. vn.) to |B'3.
17 Woe to the wicked ! woe to his
neighbour! (Nega'im xn. 6). The
dry wood sets fire to the green (Sanhe-
drin 93 a). [See Wetstein's note on
St Luke xxiii. 31.]
18 Cf. Prov. xxviii. 14. The word
usually means to despair, give up
I. 7—9.
17
9. Jehudah ben Tabai and Shime'on ben Shatach19 re
ceived from them. Jehudah ben Tabai said, Make not thyself
as them that predispose the judges20 ; and while the litigants
stand before thee, let them be in thine eyes as guilty; and
when dismissed from before thee let them be in thine eyes
as righteous, because that they have received the doom upon
them.
hope of a thing; but the caution is
hot to presume upon immunity. Even
here, however, some commentators
endeavour to retain the usual meaning,
" despair not of good," if evil come
upon thee, a wrongly repeats the
clause at the end of § 11. Bar S.
aptly quotes Eccl. viii. 11 ; adding the
remark that pithgam does not mean
dabar, but 'onesh, " for Qoheleth did
not speak Pl'DIX."
19 In a narrative which there is
reason to suspect of inaccuracy, it is
said that in the time of Sh. ben
Shatach one 'Dl"l E»N DHin intro
duced, the practice of eating |"1J
)'B?lpO, or quasi-passovers, at Rome ;
and that Shime'on wrote to him :
" Wert thou not Theodos I would
pass judgment of 'HJ upon thee,"
&c. (Berakoth 19 a). Bar S. relates
that this pair escaped to Alexandria
from Jannai the king ; and that then
arose (?) the sect of the Qaraites, who
learned the written Law, the oral
Law having been forgotten. At length
Jehudah was recalled, and made nasi.
See T. J. Sanhedrin vi. 9. The
Machazor Vitry gives also the alter
native view that his colleague was
nasi, referring to Sanhedrin vi. 4,
where, in the course of a discussion
whether women who have been stoned
should be hanged, Shime'on ben
Shatach is said to have hanged eighty
women at once in Ashqalon, although
even two persons should not be con
demned in one day ; whereupon the
Gemara (46 b) remarks that, when oc
casion requires, punishments beyond
those in the Thorah may be inflicted,
as a " fence " to the Thorah. Jehudah
did not always practise the judicial
impartiality which he recommends.
Having once (Makkoth 5 b), out of
opposition to the Sadducees, put a
false witness to death before the con
demned had been executed, he ap
pealed to his colleague, who charged
him with having shed innocent blood,
and added that neither of two false
witnesses was to be punished unless
they had both been convicted. There
upon Jehudah vowed never again to
pronounce a decision except in the
presence of Shime'on.
20 The attitude of a judge should
be one of impartiality. Be not there
fore as partisans who plead the cause
of one of the litigants, and thus preju
dice the case before it comes into court.
While the suit is being tried the judge
should not look upon either party
with favour, but should examine both
sides thoroughly and suspiciously.
When it is over he should regard both
as innocent; whether as having been
proved to be in the right, or as having
paid the penalty of wrong-doing. The
difficult phrase; B'J'HPI '3"lW, "dis
posers or arrangers of the judges,"
occurs in Kethuboth 52 b, 86 a (cf.
pseudo-Rashi on Aboth), and is ex
plained in the commentary as above ;
it occurs also in Shabbath 139 a, where
it is explained of those who teach the
3
18
PIRQE ABOTH.
10. Shime'on ben Shatach said, Make full examination of
the witnesses ; but be guarded in thy words, perchance from
them they may learn to lie.
11. Shema'iah and Abtalion21 received from them. She-
ma'iah said, Love work22 ; and hate lordship23 ; and make not
thyself known to the government24.
litigants to deceive. A slight change
of reading would give the 'meaning,
" disposers of suits (fO'TPI)," or special
pleaders ; but the explanation adopted
above gives a more natural sequence.
There is another reading (with S for J?),
which gives the sense " as arch- judge,
or areA-judges." Jost (Gesch. a. 241)
renders : "Als Richter sei nicht Sach-
walter der Parteien, den andern Rich-
tern gegeniiber. "
21 Shema'iah and Abtalion, who
were said to be descendants of San-
cherib or of Haman (Gittin 57 b ; San
hedrin 96 b), have been identified
with the Sameas and Pollio of Jose-
phus, who writes (Ant. xv. 1. 1) : " But
Pollio the Pharisee and Sameas a dis
ciple of his were honoured by (Herod)
above all the rest ; for when Jerusalem
was besieged they advised the citizens
to receive Herod ; for which advice
they were well requited. But this
Pollio (or Sameas, xiv. 9. 4) at the
time when Herod was once upon his
trial of life and death foretold in a
way of reproach to Hyrcanus and the
other judges, how this Herod whom
they suffered now to escape would
afterwards inflict punishment on them
all." In the account of the trial in
Sanhedrin 19 a, Jost (Gesch. a. 252)
would read : " Shema'iah (for Shime'on
ben Shatach) said to him, Herod (for
King Jannai), stand on thy feet, &c";
and he adds the following important
remarks on the court of the Sanhedrin,
and on the status of the pairs (note 9)
in relation to it : "Die Schilderung
dieses Gerichtes ist in mehrfacher
Hinsicht merkwiirdig. Erstens berufen
sich die Anklager auf das Recht der
Juden, dass selbst anerkannte Verbre-
cher nicht eher gestraft werden diirfen
als ein Synedrion den Spruch erlassen
habe. Ein Beweis dass die Synedrial-
Einrichtung allerdings schou wurzelte.
Zweitens wird von dem Synedrion (also
dem bestimmten, offenbar dem einzi-
gen) in Jerusalem gesprochen, vor
dessen Schranken Hyrkan den Herodes
lud. Drittens fiihrte Hyrkan, nicht
aber die beiden Schulhaupter, wie man
erwarten sollte, den Vorsitz ; wie denn
Sameas auch nur als einer der Richter
bezeichnet wird, welcher den Muth
hatte den Ftirsten und die erschrocke-
nen Mitglieder an ihre Pflicht zu
erinnern." 22 Whosoever does not teach his son
a business, or " work, "' teaches him
robbery (Qiddushin 29 a). '0 x\iirruv
p-qKin Kkemtru paXAov Se kotti&tu k.t.A.
(Eph. iv. 28). R. 'Aqiba said : "Make
thy sabbath weekday, and be not de
pendent upon the creatures " (Shab-
bath 118 a ; Pesachim 112 a, 113 a. Cf.
Ecclus. xl. 28, 9). A man should hire
himself out to 'abodah zaeah, rather
than become dependent upon his fel
lows. Not literal idolatry, it is added,
but service which is strange to him.
Flay a carcase in the street and receive
pay ; and say not, I am Cahana (or
priest), and a great and learned man
(Pesachim 113 a ; Baba Bathra 110 a).
Cf. Aboth R. N. xi. The Shekinah
was not to dwell with Israel till they
I. 10—12.
19
12. Abtalion said, Ye wise, be guarded in your words;
perchance ye may incur the debt of exile, and be exiled to
the place of evil waters; and the disciples that come after
you may drink and die25, and the Name of Heaven be pro
faned.
had made a sanctuary (Ex. xxv. 8).
" Six days must (not mayest) thou la
bour, and do all thy work": labour if
poor, but find " work " to do even if
rich. A wife is relieved from house
hold work in proportion to the number
of maidservants she brings her hus
band. If she brings him four "she
sits in a chair." E. Eli'ezer says, If
she brings him a hundred she must
still work in wool, since idleness occa
sions lewdness. E. Sh. ben Gamaliel
says, that he who has exempted her
by a vow from all work may as well
divorce her (Kethuboth v. 5). Great
teachers, as Hillel, acted up to the
precept, "Hate not laborious work"
(Ecclus. vii. 15). St Paul engaged in
manual labour (Acts xviii. 3 ; 1 Cor.
iv. 12). Contrast : " The wisdom of a
learned man cometh by opportunity of
leisure : and he that hath little busi
ness shall become wise. How can he
get wisdom thatholdeth the plough?...
they shall not sit on the judges' seat,
nor understand the sentence of judg
ment : they cannot declare justice and
judgment ; and they shall not be found
where parables are spoken. But they
will maintain the state of the world,
and (all) their desire is in the work of
their craft" (Ecclus. xxxviii. 24 — 34.
Cf. xxvi. 29).
23 By Rabbanuth some understand
" das Babbi-Wesen " (Matt, xxiii. 8).
But it should perhaps be understood
of social or political dignity. The
Machazor Vitry explains it by malkuth.
Be like Saul who " hid himself among
the stuff" (1 Sam. x. 22) to avoid
being made king. Lordship brings to
an early grave, so that Joseph dies be
fore all his brethren, and one prophet
outlasts several kings (Ex. i. 6 ; Isaiah
i. 1 ; Pesachim 87 b). B. Jonah con
nects this clause with the preceding by
means of Prov. xii. 9. Dr Michael
Cahn aptly recites from Plato, Repub.
347 D : eirei KivSvvevei, iroAts dvdpwv dya.
6iov el yhoiro, irepipAxiyrov av elvai to
V.T) dpxeiv illo-irep vvvl rb apxeiv. A man
should not crown himself. "Let ano
ther man praise thee, and not thine
own mouth" (Prov. xxvii. 2). When
the first man rose to his feet, PI'PII
B'PDX PllDia 1X1DO, the creatures
were for worshipping him as their
Creator ; but Adam said, ' ' Let us go, I
and you, and make Him, who created
us, king ; for the people appoint the
king, and no king appoints himself
independently of the people" (Pirqe
R. El. xi.).
24 Avoid growing great, and coming
under the notice of the "rashuth"
( = ££ovo-ta., concretely), in such a way
as to excite jealousy or suspicion. Or :
"ne nimium familiaris fias principi-
bus " — such associations being thought
corrupting as well as dangerous. Cf.
n. 3; in. 8; James ii. 6.
25 The name Abtalion is sometimes
explained Aramaically by " pater ado-
lescentium," in allusion to the " dis
ciples " mentioned below. His sayings
are transcendental, with historical re
ference. Scholars must take heed to
their doctrine, lest they pass over into
the realm of heresy, and inoculate
their disciples with deadly error. The
20
PIRQE ABOTH.
13. Hillel26 and Shammai received from them. Hillel
said, Be of the disciples of Aharon27; loving peace, and pur-
penalty of untruth is untruth, to im
bibe which is death. Historically re
garded, the Israelite's captivity amongst
worshippers of strange gods was the
judgment upon him for irreligiousness.
Abarbanel here credits Abtalion with
a prescience that the second Temple
was to be destroyed. Since it is con
templated that the wise themselves
may be enthralled, the caution is not
-to be thought of as directed merely
against loose or insufficiently explained
expressions, nor against the opposite
extreme (cf. Chagigah n. 1) of the too
free unveiling — reading lPJrll as pi'el,
and comparing PI173 with '1?^ (cf.
Abarbanel) — of Pnifl '"IPID, which
Moses delivered by word of mouth
without comment. As regards the
figures employed, (1) waters may stand
for doctrine (§ 4), or for peoples (Is.
xl. 15). Streams while they flow upon
flXPI (an expression used especially of
the Holy Land), are good, and blessed,
and sweet, and of profit to the world ;
but when mingled with the sea they
become accursed and bitter. ..So Israel,
when they swerve to heathen cus
toms, become accursed and evil ;
and as the rivers are food for the sea,
so are they for the fire of hell (Pirqe
R. El. ix.) : (2) Death is thought of as
in Rom. vii. 9—11, where there is a
reference to Gen. ii. 17 ; iii. 3. Con
trast Prov. iii. 18, and cf. Aboth 1. 14 ;
11. 15 ; in. 7 ; iv. 9 ; Baruch iii. 4—14 :
"hear now the prayers of the dead
Israelites " ; Jalqut 762 (on Numb. xix.
14) : " Words of Thorah are established
only when a man kills himself on their
behalf." [Shabbath 83 b.]
26 Hillel was called, ha-Gadol, or
ha-Zaqen, or ha-Babli (Berakoth 4 b ;
Sukkah 28 a ; Pesachim 66 a). The
name is in Jud. xii. 13. He studied
Thorah while yet in Babylon, and at
length, for its more exclusive study,
separated from his trading bro
ther Shebna ; whereupon there came
forth Bath Qol and said, "If a man
would give all the substance of his
house for love, &c." (Cant. viii. 7).
If a man excuses himself from Thorah-
study on the ground of poverty, it will
be said to him, " Wast thou poorer
than Hillel ? " Of his small daily earn
ings a moiety went to the gatekeeper
at the schools. Once he had earned no
thing, and was shut out. He climbed
up and sat at the window to hear the
words of the living God from Shema'iah
and Abtalion. It was sabbath eve in
Tebeth, and the snow covered him
three cubits deep. Said Shema'iah to
Abtalion in the morning, Why is the
house so dark to-day? it must be
cloudy. They spied Hillel : they
brought him in : and attended to 'his
wants, saying, He is worthy that the
sabbath should be profaned for him
(Joma 35 b). The tale of his appoint
ment as " nasi " is told in T. J. Pesa
chim vi. 1, and more briefly in Babli
66 a. The principle that Passover sets
aside Sabbath when they clash had
escaped the elders, or sons, of Beth-
eira (? Sadducees). Hillel, being inter
rogated, said that it followed a fortiori
from the fact that more than 200 minor
"Passovers" ( = sacrifices) in the year
set aside the Sabbath ; and he argued
his point from every side, but in vain,
since Thorah without traditional au
thority is no Thorah, JW Pltin ^>3
pnin pu'n ax rva rb. At length
he said, It occurs to me that thus I
heard from Shema'iah and Abtalion;
and they arose and appointed him
I. 13.
21
suing peace ; loving mankind28, and bringing them nigh (Deut.
xxx. 14 ; Eph. ii. 11 )a to the Thorah.
" nasi." He was in fact the head and
founder of a school, called after him,
" Beth Hillel," the opponents in con
troversy of " Beth Shammai," to whom
however they frequently made conces
sions. With the appointment of Hillel,
" ein ganz neues, bis dahin als unterge-
ordnet betrachtetes Princip der Lehr-
weise zur Geltung kam, namlich die
bestandige Unterstiitzung der Ueber-
lieferung durch logisches Verfahren,
so oft man sich nicht auf unmittelbare
Behauptungen angesehener Lehrer be
rufen konnte " (Jost, Gesch. a. 257),
Hillel had 80 disciples, of whom 30
were worthy, as Moses, that the She-
kinah should rest upon them : 30, that
the sun should stand still for them, as
for Joshua : and 20 were of medium
capacity. The least was Jochanan ben
Zakkai : the greatest, Jonathan ben
'Uzziel, whose fire in the study of
Thorah burnt up the birds that flew
over him (Sukkah 28 a). Hillel, Shi
me'on, Gamliel and Shime'on held
office in the period 30 b.c — 70a.d.;
and the pair Jose, Jose (§ 4) much
earlier (Shabbath 15 a). At the end of
Bereshith Eabbah, the age of Moses is
divided into three periods of 40 years
(Acts vii. 23 ; Ex. vii. 7) ; and amongst
" six pairs " whose lives were equal
are included (besides Moses) Hillel
ha-Zaqen, E. Jochanan ben Zakkai,
and E. 'Aqiba. [Sifre, ed. Fr. 150 a.]
27 Seek peace at home, and pursue
it abroad (Bemidbar Eabbah xix.). The
words of Mal. ii. 5, 6 : " My covenant
was with him (Levi) of life and peace...
and (he) did turn many away from
iniquity," came to be applied especially
to Aaron [Aboth R. N. xn.]. He was
one of seven fathers who made cove
nants. Of " Phinehas, the son of Elea-
zar, the son of Aaron," it is said :
"Behold I give unto him my covenant
of peace " (Numb. xxv. 12) ; and to him
also Mal. ii. 5, 6 is applied. Aaron
was so beloved that he was bewailed
by i?X12>' ri'3 ^3 (Numb. xx. 29),
men and women ; but Moses, by the
sons of Israel alone (Deut. xxxiv. 8).
Peace-making like tjemiluth chasadim
profits in both worlds (Peah i. 1). The
Day of Atonement clears from trans
gressions against God, but not from
those against one's neighbour, till he
has been reconciled (Joma, end). For
more on peace see Bern. Rabbah, loc.
cit., where it is said, p'?n» '"?3 |'K
\yb& vbn nana, " no vessel but peace
can hold blessing, " a saying found also
at the end of the Mishnah in some
editions (Surh. vi. 503) ; but % omits
the whole paragraph, Dixit R. J. dfcc.
28 Lit. ras Kriaeis. Cf. Markxvi. 15,
and (?) Rom. viii. 19.
29 See the anecdotes of Hillel in
note 33. For an illustration (Bereshith
Rabbahxxvin. ; Chazitha, on Cant. i. 4)
which may be found to throw a new
light on Matt, xxiii. 15 (irepiayere rr\v
daAaavixv ko.1 tt\v fypdv woiTJoai eva
irpoo-qXvrov), I am indebted to Dr
Schiller-Szinessy, who informs me that
he called attention to it in a lecture
"nearly 30 years ago." I find it also in
Jellinek's Bet-ha-Midrasch, Wien 1873,
V. p. xlvi.: D'PI '3133 PIB>5?J Pn 1"N
'in -biaon nna new s^b» no
xme> 'ii -D'ma 'ii D'pi "?an '3K>i'
•poiy jn nn? pit 'xai -ma 'isn
.("HIN 13 N"l) 1PIK '11 J113T3
p'Djno jne> .nnx B'dk> xt maia
'ii -nac1? i^> ins 'ib *i -nie> "?aa
: nnan iDj/nnai x"iDn -nna vny&
"Said R. Chanin(a), There was done
22
PIRQE ABOTH.
14. He used to say, A name made great30 is a name de
stroyed ; he who increases not decreases31 ; and he who will
(? said) with respect to the districts of
the sea what was not done with respect
to the generation of the Flood: Ho !
dwellers on the sea-coast, nation of
Kerethim (Zeph. ii. 5), nation deserv
ing of excision. And by what merit
do they stand? By the merit of one
proselite : by the merit of one fearer
of Heaven; whom they raise up in
every year. R. Levi explained it in a
good sense, of a heathen who has made
(cf. Neh. ix. 8) a covenant." The par
allel passage in Midrash Chazitha
varies in detail from the above, and
runs as follows : . . . "IDX1 Xl'lPI YK
niaTai .ma a'W '11 • ¦ ¦ idxi xbw
inx BW XT maT3 -1?*'! '»
'I1? '-\ -nm nlB> ^33 t'TOJJOB*
: 'ia PP? ins. Hence it would appear
that there was a custom of making one
representative proselyte annually, to
typify the salvability of the Gentiles.
The final cause of Israel's captivities
was that that they might make prose
lytes (Pesach. 87 b. Cf. Rom. xi. 11) ;
but it does not clearly appear that
the scribes were actuated by a mission
ary spirit, or that they were overhasty
in receiving such proselytes as . pre
sented themselves (Jebamoth 47 b ;
Jost, Gesch. a. 448). The Jew was
bound to attract men to the Thorah
by his good example, but not in the
ordinary sense of the word to prosely
tise (Joma 96 a). The universality of
the Thorah is expressed by the saying
that it was originally given in all the
languages of the world. ' ' E very word
that went forth from the mouth of the
Holy One was divided into seventy
tongues," 'SO KX'^ T3'Tl T3H *?3
nine'1? B'yatr1? pbm n"apn (Shab-
bath 88 b. Cf. Berakoth 13 a, Thosaph.
on JIB'1? ^33)— which seventy tongues
had their representatives in the ship
that carried Jonah (Pirqe R. El. x.).
" The whole Thorah was spoken in
every tongue" (Sotah 33a). In like
manner the expressions ¦TJJB'D .'1'BD
• EH? P1331D -pXB "inD (Deut. xxxiii.
2) are interpreted in Sifre of a fourfold
revelation in Hebrew, Greek, Arabic,
and Aramaic. It is added that God
revealed himself from the four winds ;
and " not upon Israel only was He re
vealed, but upon all the nations. First
he went to the sons of Esau and said,
Will ye receive the Thorah ? " On
their refusal it was offered to others,
and at last to Israel.
30 Some commentators have as
sumed from the dialect of this Mishnah
(cf. n. 7 ; v. 33) that it dates from the
time when Hillel was in Babel. The
word nil in Aramaic means to draw,
or extend. It stands for HD1 or IK'O
in Targ. Gen. xxxix. 21 ; Ps. xxxvi. 11 ;
but cf . the Biblical Til. The saying
is illustrated by Is. ii. 17 ; Prov. xxix.
23 ; Matt, xxiii. 5—12. The Holy One
exalts him who humbles himself, and
humbles him who exalts himself.
Greatness flees from him who follows
after it, and follows after him who
flees from it. A man should not
" force the hour," but bide his time
('Erubin 13 b, cf. 54 a; Nedarim 55 a).
The saying is otherwise explained, as
ps-Rashi remarks, of one who continu
ally draws the Name of the Holy One
into all his occupations ; or of one who
pay vb& iby n-nn bv noc i^d
not?1? na (<&).
31 He who learns from his teacher
and adds not to his words, not having
intelligence to go beyond what he has
I. 14—16.
23
not learn (or teach) deserves slaughter; and he who serves
himself with the tiara perishes.
15. He used to say, If I am not for myself32 who is for me ?
and being for my own self what am I ? If not now when ?
16. Shammai said33, Make thy Thorah an ordinance34 ; say
been expressly taught, will come to an
end, "his mother will bury him"; or .
will bring to an end and lose what he
has learned by rote. Cf. Matt. xxv. 29.
He who refuses to impart his know
ledge (or " who will not learn at all"),
commits a deadly sin. So too does he
who utilises the crown of the Thorah,
or of the Holy Name, by teaching (or
studying) for his own profit and glori
fication. Cf. rv. 9, 19.
32 A man must be self-reliant; but
must not live for himself (Eom. xiv. 7).
According to another interpretation:
"I must work out my own salvation,
yet how weak are my unaided efforts "
(Phil. ii. 12, 13). ISoi vvv Kaipbs
eiirpSodeKTos (2 Cor. vi. 2).
33 Shammai, or Shamai, the suc
cessor of Hillel's colleague Mena-
chem (Chagigah n. 2), generally has
the first word in controversy (v. 25);
but tradition does not credit him with
the same readiness as Hillel to give
every man a patient hearing. "A
man should be gentle like Hillel, and
not irritable like Shamai" (Shabbath
30 b). The Talmud goes on to relate
how a man undertook for a wager to
exhaust Hillel's patience, but failed.
One day a foreigner came to Shamai
to be proselytised, on condition of
accepting the Written and dispensing
with the Oral Thorah. Shamai dis
missed him with a rebuke. He ap
pealed to Hillel, who on the first day
taught him the letters of the alphabet
(in the usual order), and on the
morrow gave them in reverse order.
But, said the would-be-proselyte, did
you not tell me so and so yesterday? If
you relied on me for that, retorted
Hillel, rely upon me likewise for the
Oral Law. Another came to Shamai to
be converted provided that he could be
taught the whole Thorah whilst he
stood on one foot. Shamai beat him
away, and he went to Hillel, who said:
"What is hateful to thyself do not
to thy fellow; this is the whole
Thorah, and the rest is commen
tary; go, study." Cf. S piaeis pr/Sevl
TTotfo-Qs (Tobit iv. 15), and the con
verse, Matt. vii. 12. A third over
hearing the description of the high-
priest's vestments which was being
read in a synagogue, came to Shamai
to be made a proselyte in order that
he might become high-priest. Shamai
beat him away. He went to Hillel,
who said, Do they appoint as king one
who knows not the ordinances of the
kingdom? Go, learn them. He read
as far as Numb. i. 51: "And the
stranger that cometh nigh shall be
put to death." He said to him, This
scripture, of whom is it spoken? He
said to him, Even of David, King of
Israel. A fortiori of me, argued the
stranger; for if of Israel, God's son
and first-born (Ex. iv. 22), such a
thing is written, much more of a
worthless proselyte who has come
with his staff and with his wallet...
After a time the three met together.
They said, The irritability of Shamai
sought to drive us from the world:
the gentleness of Hillel brought us
nigh under the wings of the Shekinah.
34 Contrast n. 17. Make thy study
24
PIRQE ABOTH.
little and do much35 ; and receive every man with a pleasant
expression of countenance (in. 18).
17. Rabban Gamliel35 said, Make to thyself a master, and
be quit of doubt ; and tithe not much by estimation36.
18. Shime'on37 his son said, All my days I have grown up
of Thorah a fixture: a thing to be
engaged in daily at stated times, and
to which secular engagements must
give way. 'Obadiah ben Jacob of
Sforno takes the words of Shamai as
addressed to his predecessor : " Though
thou hast gone forth, 0 Menachem, to
the service of the king, it is fitting
that thou shouldest fix times for
Thorah." Ps-Eashi is not content
with stated times, but demands the
whole day for Thorah.
35 Be like Abraham, who only pro
mised a morsel or bread, but "fetcht
a CALF TENDER AND GOOD" (Gen. Xvih.
5, 7).
The next link in the chain of
tradition is given in n. 9. In the in
terval there is a digression to the
descendants of Hillel, who himself
reappears in n. 5. The first Gamliel
(or, in the Greek form, Yapa\i-rj\),
son of Shime'on, and grandson of
Hillel, is called Eabban ; but the
title may have been permanently con
nected with his name only by a later
generation, for (1) like Hillel, who
was not called Rabban, he is distin
guished as ha-Zaqen; and (2) he is
called simply Gamaliel both in Acts
v. 34, xxii. 3 (under circumstances
which make it improbable that a
customary title of respect should have
been omitted), and likewise in Shab-
bath 15 a: "Hillel, and Shime'on,
Gamaliel, and Shime'on held the
office of nasi, while the temple was
standing, for 100 years." For his
opinion in what cases the Sabbath
strictness might be relaxed, see 'Eru-
bin 45 a. Cf. Becah n. 6. The high
esteem in which he was held is shewn
by the saying, that "from when
E. G. ha-Zaqen died the glory of the
Thorah ceased, and purity and Tilths
(in. 20) died" (Sotah ix. 15). His
death is placed eighteen years before
the destruction of the temple. From
Acts v. 39 a tradition arose that he
died a Christian. He was not the
author of the "heretic-benediction."
36 In the case of a thing whereof
the value and dimensions are not pre
cisely laid down it becomes necessary
to form a special estimate or measure
ment. Hence the root amad gives the
sense "conjecture." In Sanhedrin
iv. 5, 101K (& TaiJ?) is used of "cir
cumstantial" evidence in a capital
charge, in parallelism with hearsay.
Let duties be defined as far as may
be by rule: let doubts be resolved by*
authority: leave as little scope as .
possible for personal bias and the ,
temptations of self-interest.
37 For a defence of Simon ben
Gamaliel I. against the aspersions of
Josephus (Life § 38), see Jost, Gesch.
a. 443. Rabbinic commentators sug
gest that he is not here called Eabban
because his sayings date from the
time of his pupilage, when Jochanan
ben Zakai (n. 9) was na'B" B'XI.
But see note 35, and n. 1. Simon was
one of the peace-party in the closing
years of the Jewish state, and he
suffered "den Martyrertod...kurz vor
oder bei der Einnahme Jerusalems."
For his saying on proselytism in
Va-jiqra Eabbah ii. see Jost, a. 447.
I. 17—19.
25
amongst the wise, and have not found aught good for a man
but silence38 ; not learning but doing is the groundwork ; and
whoso multiplies words occasions sin.
19. Rabban Shime'on89 ben Gamliel said, On three things
the world stands ; on Judgment, and on Truth, and on Peace40.
38 Qoheleth Eabbah, v. 5, cites as a
saying of E. Jehoshua': "Speech for
a sheqel — silence for two; (it is) like
a precious stone"; and adds (referring
to this Mishnah) a saying of Eabbi,
KpmB'O XPlTDT XDD, Silence is the
cure of a thing. But both Talmuds
have S713T KDB, a panacea (T. J.
Berakoth ix. 1; T. B. Megillah 18 a).
The caution against undue loquacity
is applied to sacred things. BE. Jo
chanan and Jonathan found a pro
vincial chazan extemporising in his
synagogue, and they silenced him, on
the ground that he had no right to
add to the Benedictions which were
already fixed by authority. The Babli
here refers the nPBPI to the Great
Synagogue. He who talks overmuch
even in praise of the Holy One is
" swallowed up," or rooted out of the
world, for it is said (Job xxxvii. 20),
l£>3' '3 ¦ • ¦ 1^> nBD'n. Cf. Matt. vi. 7;
Eccl. v. 2; Ecclus. vii. 14; Berakoth
61 a. Silence is His praise (Ps. lxv. 2).
39 The R. Sh. b. G. here spoken of
was the son of Gamaliel II., who was
the grandson of Gamaliel I. The
second Gamaliel (80 — 115 a.d.) was a
man of liberal views, but self-willed
and overbearing. It is related that
he justified his conduct in frequenting
a bath in 'Akko which contained a
statue of Aphrodite on the ground
that the statue was made as an orna
ment for the bath, and not the bath
as an ornament for the statue ('Abo-
dah Zarah in. 4). His treatment of
the venerable R. Jehoshua', who ven
tured to differ from him on more than
one occasion (R. ha-Shanah n. 9;
Berakoth 27 b), at length aroused the
popular indignation to such an extent
that he was deposed from his presi
dency, and succeeded by the youthful
Ele'azar ben' Azariah, on the memorable
day frequently alluded to in the Talmud
in the phrase B1'3 13 (cf. "that same
year," in Joh. xi. 49; xviii. 13); but after
a time a compromise was effected, and
the two presided alternately. His son
Shime'on at length succeeded him,
and became the teacher of many illus
trious men. To this age (remarks
Jost) belong the sayings of Meir,
Jehudah, Jose, and Simon b. Gamliel
in the Mishnah. "Sein Todesjahr ist
nicht naher bestimmt, doch fallt es
in die Zeit der parthischen Kriege in
den ersten Jahren des Marcus Aure-
lius (um 164). Seine Bestrebungen
gediehen zum Abschluss durch seinen
beriihmten Sohn Jehudah."
40 Justice, truth, and peace (§ 13)
are collectively the trvvSecrpAS of so
ciety, a threefold cord which is not
quickly broken (Eccl. iv. 12). They
are a system of internal forces by
which the world is held together,
though the pillars of the former ali&v
(§ 2) have been shaken, and the Tem
ple itself has fallen. So the heavenly
bodies are said to be kept in their
orbits by the attractions of mon and
HIIDX, which draw them to n'HX.
Peace plays an important part in the
New Testament. In connexion with
aiiros ydp eanv i] elpifvq ijpwv (Eph.
ii. 14; Mic. v. 4), and 6 6eds t^s
4
26
PIRQE ABOTH.
elp-qvqs (Bom. xvi. 20), observe that
Peace is a Talmndic Name of God.
The etymological affinity in Hebrew,
of peace and perfectness, B?KT 73 n
Bl7tJ*3, "everything is perfected by
peace," gives a clue to the genesis of
some Pauline expressions. Compare
iv ay airy... iv T(p (Buber n. 6 a),
Mas. Soferim i. (Miiller pp. n. & 14).
p. 15, n. 12] With reference to this
note Prof. Mayor, in a paper read to
the Cambridge Philological Society
(Nov. 8, 1883), writes as follows : "It
seems highly probable that St Paul
had distinctly in his mind a saying
current in the Greek schools, variously
ascribed to Thales or Socrates (D. L.
i. 33) or Plato (Plut. Marius 46. § 1).
Lactantius gives it thus (in. 19. § 17),
non dissimile Platonis illud est, quod
aiebat se gratias agere naturae, primum
quod homo natus esset potius quam
mutxmi animal; deinde quod mas potius
quamfemina; quod Graecus quam bar-
barus; postremo quod Atheniensis et
quod temporibus Socratis."
p. 22, n. 29] See M. Joel Blicke
in die Religionsgeschichte it. 50, n. 1
(Breslau 1883); Bernays Gesammelte
Abhandlungen ii. 71 sq. (Berl. 1885)
on "Die Gottesfiirchtigen bei Juvenal."
CHAPTER II.
1. Rabbi1 said, Which is the right course that a man
should choose for himself? Whatsoever is a pride to him that
pursues it2, (and) brings him honour (Phil. iv. 8) from men. And
1 Babbi, which is equivalent to "my
lord," or SiSdoKaAe (Joh. i. 39), is pro
perly a vocative, but came to be used
as a title also, the possessive affix
being disregarded. As a title it is
superior to Bab (which is applied es
pecially to Babylonian doctors, where
as Babbi is applied to those of Pales
tine), but inferior to Eabban (a title
given to seven or eight descendants of
Hillel and to Jochanan ben Zakai). It
is said [Kohut A. C.i. la] that Eabbi
is greater than Bab, and Rabban than
Rabbi, yet greater than Rabban is
his name, 10K> J310 7111, i.e. the
greatest glory is to need no title at
all, but to be sufficiently distinguished
by one's name alone, like Hillel, Ezra,
and the prophets. Another form, J131,
occurs in Targum and Gemara as a
Divine title, and is also used with the
affix "my" in much the same way as
Rabbi. Cf. Mark x. 51; Joh. xx. 16,
pet/S/SouW, 8 Aiyerai diddo-KaAe. This
form '1131 occurs once in the Mishnah
(Tha'anith in. 8) according to the
manuscript fl, instead of ?{J> 11131
B^iy, "Lord of the world," which
is found in other copies.
The title of Rabbi ko.t ifyxvv was
given to Jehudah ben Simon III., who
was also called Jehudah ha-Nasi (§ 2),
and Rabbenu ha-Qadosh, or the holy.
To him is attributed the compilation
of the Mishnah ; but the Mishnah as
we have it is a later recension, as may
be inferred from the way in which
"Rabbi" himself is introduced (cf.
Menachoth vi. 3; viii. 6, &c). He is
thought to have been born about 140
a.d., shortly after the execution of
R. 'Aqiba, and to have died at Sep-
phoris, after 17 years of ill health, at
the age of 80, in 219 or 220 a.d. (Jost,
Gesch. b. 118); but by some he is
placed earlier. It is remarked that
"from the days of Moses to Rabbi we
have not found Thorah and greatness
in one place " (Gittin 59 a) ; for there
was not his like in Israel for greatness
in Thorah and wealth. " From when
Rabbi died, meekness and the fear of
sin ceased" (Sotah ix. 15). Little is
known of the details of his literary and
administrative work.
2 The interpretation of this some
what doubtful clause varies according
to the reading, and also according to
the meaning assigned to HtflP. The
rendering given above involves a de
parture from the text of %, and is
adapted to the usual reading mXBm.
28
PIRQE ABOTH.
be attentive to a light precept as to a grave, for thou knowest
¦ not the assigned reward of precepts3 ; and reckon the loss for a
duty against its gain, and the gain by a transgression against
its loss. And consider three things, and thou wilt not fall into
the hands of transgression (in. 1) : know what4 is above thee — a
seeing eye, and a hearing ear (1 Pet. iii. 12), and all thy deeds
written in a book (Dan. vii. 10).
2. Rabban Gamliel, son of R. Jehudah ha-Nasi5, said,
Jostrenders"welcherihminseineneige- nen Augen und in denen der Menschen
zum Ruhme gereicht." Taking the
former PnXBP) as subjective compare
ixsrin? 'T ne>ino (is. ix. 21). The
second DINBn is illustrated by Jud.
iv. 9 : " notwithstanding the journey
that thou takest shall not be for thine
honour." R. 'Obadiah of Sforno —
cf. Baba Bathra 16 b — remarks that
a man should choose a business to
which he can devote himself con amore,
for, " happy is he whose business is
perfumery, and woe to him whose
business is tanning." Bar S. objects
to the usual interpretation that mXSn
cannot be taken subjectively, and that
nCV does not apply well to "]Y? (but
cf. Jud. xvii. 8) ; and he proposes the
interpretation: "Whatsoever is done
for the honour of a man's Maker
(WCiy?) will bring the man honour
from his fellows." Cf. Matt. vi. 33 ;
Aboth iv. 10. A third interpretation,
which presupposes the usual reading,
is: "Whatsoever is to the glory of
God, and also has the approval of
men." Cf. Prov. hi: 4 (cited by R.
Elijah of Wilna) : " So shalt thou find
favour and good understanding in the
sight of God and man." [Nedarim
22 b ; Tamid 28 a.]
3 Cf. Nedarim 39 b. It is remarked
that a reward (length of days) is
specified in the case of two extreme
precepts, the gravest of the grave :
" Honour thy father and thy mother,"
and the lightest of the light: "Thou
shalt not take the dam with the young.
But thou shalt in any wise let the
dam (BXn) go, and take the young to
thee ; that it may be well with thee,
and that thou mayest prolong thy
days." It is inferred in Sifre (Deut.
xxii. 7), that if this light precept is
singled out for such a reward, a for
tiori will the fulfilment of other pre
cepts be rewarded. 38 remarks that
negative precepts do not come under
consideration here, since there is no
13B> for them.
1 Or, omitting HO: "Know (that)
above thee is a seeing eye, &c." This
concise reading is found in C
5 R. Jehudah is said (Kethuboth
103 b) to have nominated his (elder)
son Gamaliel to succeed him as Nasi.
The first part of this Gamaliel's say
ing relates to individuals as such, and
counsels them to combine secular oc
cupation with Thorah study. The ex
pression derek erec, or via term, may
denote the conduct of worldly business,
or an acquaintance with, and conform
ity to, the usages of society, "good-
manners," &o. The phrase occurs not
only in Rabbinic, but (with a vari
ation) in the Bible, in senses readily
determined by the context. Cf. Gen.
xix. 31 ; Josh, xxiii. 14 ; 1 Kings ii. 2.
The second part of the saying recom
mends individuals, regarded as mem
bers of the congregation of Israel, to
act els S6%av too GeoO (Rom. xv. 7), re-
II. 2-
-o.
29
Excellent is Thorah study together with worldly business, for
the practice of them both puts iniquity out of remembrance ;
and all Thorah without work must fail at length, and occasion
iniquity6. And let all who are employed with the congregation
act with them in the name of Heaven, for the merit of their
fathers sustains them, and their righteousness stands for ever.
And ye yourselves shall have reward reckoned unto you7 as if
ye had wrought.
3. Be cautious with (those in) authority, for they let not a
man approach them but for their own purposes; and they
appear like friends when it is to their advantage, and stand not
by a man in the hour of his need.
4. He used, to say, Do His will as if it were thy will8, that
He may do thy will as if it were His will. Annul thy will
before His will, that He may annul the will of others before thy
will9. 5. Hillel said, Separate not thyself from the congregation,
and trust not in thyself until the day of thy death10; and judge
lying upon the merit of the patriarchs. ipuv (Luke vi. 38).
Cf. ayainjTol bia. tovs iraripas (Rom. xi.
28). With the conclusion of the say
ing compare Rom. iv. 4, ng Si ipyafy-
pivtp 6 piffdbs ov Aoylfrerai Kara. x^Plvt
dAAb, Kara dtpeiAripa.
6 The usual reading, mT.11, is
simplest. 7 Literally, according to the text of
(or T'3) X'POB
rb]lC, the "upper" or celestial "fa
milia" (or tribunal). Cf. Eph. iii. 15.
The Holy One, blessed is He, does
nothing without consulting the familia
supema, for it is said (Dan. iv. 17),
"This matter is by the decree of the
watchers, and the demand by the
word of the holy ones" (Sanhedrin
38 b). Cf. Dan. iv. 25, 32 ; "And they
shall drive thee from men." The same
construction is found in the New Test
ament. Cf. Siitrovo-iv els rbv k6\wov
8 'Ed? ns iiAri rb BiAypa avroS
iroieiv k.t.X (Joh. vii. 17). Cf. Ps. xl. 9.
"It is revealed and known before Thee
that our will is to do Thy will. And who
hindereth? The leaven in the dough,
and servitude to the kingdoms," &c.
(Berakoth 17 a).
'¦> "At the time when Israel do the
will of God their work is done by the
hand of others, for it is said, And
strangers shall stand and feed your
flocks, and the sons of the alien shall
be your plowmen and your vinedressers
(Is. lxi. 5)r and at the time when Is
rael do not the will of God their work
is done by their own hand, for it is
said (but cf. the context), And thou
shalt gather in thy corn, &c. (Deut. xi.
14). Nay more, the work of others is
done by their hand, for it is said (Deut.
xxviii. 48), And thou shalt serve thine
enemies" (Berakoth 35 b).
10 Berakoth 29 a illustrates this
saying by the case of one Jochanan
30
PIRQE ABOTH.
not thy friend until thou comest into his place ; and say not of a
word which may be heard11 that in the end it shall be heard;
and say not, When I have leisure I will study ; perchance thou
mayest not have leisure.
6. He used to say, No boor12 is a sinfearer; nor is the
vulgar13 pious ; nor is the shamefast apt to learn, nor the pas-
who after ministering as high-priest
for 80 years became a Caduqi. Rab
binic writers do not countenance
the opinion that the priestly party
were to a great extent, or normally,
Sadducaic. Cf. Excursus in. The
Machazor Vitry (see Crit. Note) re
marks that the title "R." should not
be read, as in BX ('K) in the Mishnah see
also Parah vi. 1; vn. 5; Makshirin
in. -5 — 7; Sotah v, 3; 'Erakin viii. 7;
Themurah v. 4.
12 The word T3, of which boor may
be employed as a transliteration, is
used of "incultus, sylvestris ager." In
Prov. xii. 1: "but he that hateth re
proof is brutish," the Targum has
KT3, for Heb. nj>3.
13 The expression 'am ha-arec is
used in Rabbinic to denote the vulgar
herd, 6 o;£\os ovtos b pr] yiv&aKuv tov
vbpov (Joh. vii. 49). Cf. Ezek.vii. 27...
II. 6—8.
31
sionate to teach14; nor is every one that has much traffic wise.
And in a place where there are no men endeavour to be a
man15. 7. Moreover he saw a skull (Matt, xxvii. 33) which floated
on the face of the water, and he said to it, Because thou drown-
edst16 they drowned thee, and in the end they that drowned
thee shall be drowned.
8. He used to say, More flesh, more worms : more treasures,
more care: more maidservants, more lewdness: more men-
servants, more theft : more women", more witchcrafts (Nah. iii.
xal al x«p« toO AaoO ttjs 777s irapa-
Av8i]oovTai. In this Mishnah, and pas
sim, it is used as a singular to denote
one of the 6'xXos. So '11, the singular
of B'11, idvT), is used to denote an in
dividual heathen.
14 An iirlo-Koiros should be SiSaKTiKbs,
and not opylAos (1 Tim. iii. 2; 2 Tim.
ii. 24; Tit. i. 7).
16 A man should bear himself man
fully when left to his own resources
(cf. I. 15). It is added in Berakoth
63 a: "In a place where there is a
man, there be not a man " : refrain from
undue self-assertion.
16 He who has suffered violence
must have been a wrong-doer; and
they that have done the man violence
will themselves come to an untimely
end. Cf. irdnres yap ol Aapbvres pd-
%aipav iv paxalprj airoAovvTai (Matth.
xxvi. 52). The above saying of Hillel
— which, like some others attributed
to him (cf. 1. 14), is in Aramaic — is
one of the many ways of expressing
the great principle of retribution: "as
thou hast done, it shall be done unto
thee " (Obadiah 15). It is a common
saying in the Talmud that "with
what measure a man measures, they
(cf. note 7) measure to him": Samson,
who followed after the desire of his
eyes, was blinded by the Philistines:
Absalom, who prided himself upon
his hair, was hanged up by his hair
(Sotah 1. 7, 8). The bribed judge will
live to grow blind (Peah, end), "for
a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise"
(Deut. xvi. 19). On the other hand,
when the member that sinned has
suffered, the curse is removed. Thus,
. sentence of slavery is pronounced,
because "Ham the father of Canaan
...saw. ..and told" (Gen. ix. 22) —
thereby sinning with eyes and teeth:
and contrariwise the slave is set at
liberty (Ex. xxi. 26, 7) when he has
suffered the loss of eye or tooth
(Bereshith Rabbah xxxvi.).
17 Cf. Ex. xxii. 18. Woman is
regarded as a medium of temptation.
Man is to woman as 73B* to ion — as
vovs to IIAti, or o.UBr\o-is: as upper to
lower : as right to left : as the Divine
to the human. Philo writes (de Mundi
Opificio, Vol. 1. pp. 39, 40, ed. Man-
gey): tixs Si yonrelas Kai dwdras airrijs
il tjSovtj rip piv dvSpi ov ToApiz trpoir-
epipeiv, T17 8i yvvaiKl, Kai Sia TaVTrjs
iKelvip* irdvv irpootpv&s Kai evdv^bAios.
'Ei' i)piv yap dvSpbs piv £^ec Abyov b
xoOs, yvvaiKbs 8' alaB-qtris, k.t.A.
It is disputed whether aapKbs, in
Joh. i. 13, where it is contrasted with
dvSpbs, refers especially to the female.
The contrast "right" and "left"
(Zohar on Gen. i. 2, col. 14) is ex-
plained by the doctrine that the (left)
hand of God created earth, and the
right hand heaven, according to an
32
PIRQE ABOTH.
4) : more Thorah, more life (Prov. iii. 1, 2) : more wisdom, more
scholars™ : more righteousness, more peace. He who has gotten
a good name has gotten it for himself19. He who has gotten to
himself words of Thorah, has gotten to himself the life of the
world to come.
9. Rabban Jochanan ben Zakai20 received from Hillel and
interpretation (given also in Pirqe
R. El. xvin.) of Is. xlviii. 13,
b'db> nnao 'i'D'1 px ma' 'T «ix.
The man is elxiiv koX Sifa 0eoG" r) Si
yvvrj 5 TBn (Chagigah n.
7). There is a certain halo of an
tiquity about the word in the phrase
B'l1B>X"in B'TDH (Berakoth v. 1).
One of the conjectures about the name
Essene, or ''Ecnraios, identifies it with
TDH (regardless of the "1). But the
Essenes were opposed to sacrifice,
and the chasid might be a priest.
25 The typical traditionalist Eli'ezer
is balanced against the man of genius.
In favour of tradition ffi quotes,
ei'lV 'I'D D'ln 1p1J>1 'I'B, when the
choice lies between "Sinai" and an
"uprooter of mountains," the prefer
ence is given to Sinai. See the dis
cussions in Berakoth 64 a and Horaioth
14 a, where R. Joseph is described as
'I'B, and Rabah as B'1H "Ipiy. Cf.
also R. 'Obadiah of Sforno, in the
Bologna Machazor, who adds that the
"uprooter of mountains" has the ad
vantage in criticism, as "a pungent
grain of pepper is better than a basket
ful of gourds." [Megillah 7 a; Chagi
gah 10 a. Cf. Matt. xvii. 20.]
R. Eli'ezer incurred excommunica
tion through his opposition to the
opinion of the majority. Cf. iv. 12.
Shortly afterwards he retired from
Lydda to Csesarea. On his death-bed
he apostrophised his arms: "Alas! my
two arms, which are like two books of
Thorah rolled up." He added, that
he had learned and taught much Tho
rah, but had not by learning lessened
his teachers' store by so much as a
dog laps from the sea; nor had his
own disciples taken away from him,
mB1BE>3 7in303 xbit. He had laid
down the law (said he) times innume
rable, when his decisions had been
received without a question (Sanhedrin
68 a) ; and indeed notwithstanding the
ban under which he lay, the Mishnah
has preserved more than 330 of his
sayings — "mehr als von irgend einem
seiner Gefahrten " (Jost, Gesch. b. 35).
His respect for authority is further
shewn by his counsel (§ 14) to warm
oneself by, and yet keep at a respect
ful distance from, the fire of the wise.
After him is named the work, Pirqe
Rabbi Eli'ezer ben Hyrqanos.
II. 11—13.
35
12. He said to them, Go and see which is the good way
that a man should cleave to. Rabbi Li'ezer said, A good eye26:
R. Jehoshua' said, A good friend27: and R. Jose said, A good
neighbour : and R. Shime'on said, He that foresees what is to
be28: R. La'zar said, A good heart. He said to them, I approve
the words of Ele'azar ben 'Arak rather than your words, for his
words include your words.
13. He said to them, Go and see which is the evil way that
a man should shun. R. Li'ezer said, An evil eye29: and
R. Jehoshua' said, An evil companion: and R. Jose said, An
evil neighbour : and R. Shime'on said, He that borroweth and
repayeth not30 — he that borrows from man is the same as if he
borrowed from God (blessed is He) — for it is said, The wicked
borroweth, and payeth not again, but the righteous is merciful
and giveth (Ps. xxxvii. 21) : R. La'zar said, An evil heart.
He said to them, I approve, the words of Ele'azar ben 'Arak
26 "He that hath a bountiful eye
(J'V 310) shall be blessed; for he giv
eth of his bread to the poor" (Prov.
xxii. 9). On 37 310 (Prov. xv. 15)
see Sanhedrin 100 b. [Aboth R. N.
xiv. nina1? aio' abi B'Dts6 aio 3?.]
2? Chaber is a familiar friend, col
league, or associate : shaken, simply a
neighbour. Cf. i. 7, 8; Luke xv. 6,
KaAei tovs tpiXovs Kai robs yelrovas.
28 Cf. 1?11 BJ>7 (Ps. xxii. 32). The
saying is explained in A* as denoting
a man of insight, who considers the
consequences of things beforehand,
and thereby regulates his actions, ba
lancing the sacrifice for a duty against
its reward (§ 1).
29 "Eat thou not the bread of him
that hath an evil eye O'JJ jn)...Eat
and drink, saith he to thee; but his
heart is not with thee" (Prov. xxiii. 6,
7). "He that hasteth to be rich is
|'l? $n E"K" (Prov. xxviii. 22). The
evil eye denotes especially niggardli
ness, envy, or jealousy. Cf. Aboth v.
19 ; Matt. xx. 15. Compare also § 15,
where the "evil eye" perhaps cor
responds to nxipn (Aboth iv. 30).
R. Jonah brings out the connexion
between this saying of R. Shime'on
and the former by remarking that the
borrower should consider whether he
is able to repay, for the day of reckon
ing will surely come.
30 "He that hath pity upon the poor
lendeth unto the Lord" (Prov. xix. 17).
i oVo? iwoufiaare ivl tovtwv tCiv iAa-
XldTWV, ipol iiron)aaTe (Matt. xxv. 40).
The character here condemned is that
of a man wanting in insight, who in
curs responsibilities which he is not
able to meet and who views things
from an external standpoint, not see
ing the significance of commonplace
actions, whereas 6 iv iAaxlo-np &Sikos
Kai iv iroWic? aSiKbs imiv (Luke xvi. 10).
Another explanation (bar S.) is that
all wealth belongs to God (Haggai ii.
8), and men are His stewards. Hence
the borrower borrows from God.
36
PIRQE ABOTH.
rather than your words, for your words are included in his
words31. 14. And they said (each) three things. R. Li'ezer32 said, Let
the honour of thy friend be dear unto thee as thine own ; and be
not easily provoked; and repent38 one day before thy death.
And warm thyself before the fire of the wise, but beware of their
embers, perchance thou mayest be singed, for their bite is the
bite of a fox34, and their sting the sting of a scorpion, and their
hiss the hiss of a fiery-serpent, and all their words are as coals
of fire (Jer. v. 14).
31 "EoaSev yap (kttis KapSlas . . .66a\-
pbs irovqpbs k.t.A. (Mark vii. 21, 22).
The "heart" has not now quite the
same significance as formerly. Cf.
"Ephraim also is like a silly dove
without heart" (Hosea vii. 11); and
notice the remarkable expression, toi>s
6tp8aApobs tt)s KapSlas (Eph. i. 18 ; Clem.
ad Cor. i. 36, 59).
32 The three sayings of R. Li'ezer
are variously reckoned. Rambam re
gards: "And warm thyself, dc." as an
extraneous addition, and takes the
caution against anger as the second;
whereas "Rashbam" and others make
it part of the first, since irritability
tends to discourtesy. According to
the latter reckoning the sayings are,
(1) "Let the honour, &c"; (2) "Ee-
pent, &c"; (3) "Warm thyself, &a."
The connexion between anger and the
dishonouring of a man's neighbour
might be illustrated by Matt. v. 22,
irds 6 opyifrbpevos np dSeAtpcp avrov ivoxos
larai ry Kplaei...8s S' av elirri, M.oipi,
hoxos ZffTai els tt)v yievvav tov irvpbs.
"Whosoever is angry, punishments of
Gehinnom come upon him, for it is
said (Eccl. xi. 10), Eemove BJJ3 from
thy heart, and put away evil from
thy flesh. And 'evil' is Gehinnom,
for it is said (Prov. xvi. 4), ...the wick
ed for the day of evil" (barS.) By
three things a man is tested, 1B133
1DJ»31 1B'a31, by his cup, and his
purse, and his temper. [This saying
is in 'Erubin 65 b.]
33 E. 'Obadiah establishes a con
nexion between this clause and the pre
ceding by remarking that if anger has
got the better of a man he should re
pent at once. The saying is quoted
in Shabbath 153 a, and explained as
meaning that a man should repent to
day because he may die to-morrow:
"Let thy garments be always white"
(Eccl. ix. 8). A parable of Jochanan
ben Zakkai is added: A king invited
his servants to a banquet without spe
cifying the time: the wise (J'np'B)
dressed themselves and sat at the gate:
the foolish went to their work: sud
denly the guests were summoned : the
king was pleased with the wise, and
angry with the foolish : he said, They
that dressed themselves for the ban
quet shall sit and eat, and they that
did not shall stand and look on. The
son-in-law of E. Meir said that all
shall sit, but the wise shall eat and
drink, and the foolish shall be hungry
and thirsty (Is. lxv. 13).
34 Bar S. mentions a reading CJT11,
which perhaps crept in from a com
mentary in which it was used below to
explain SpB>.
II. 14, 15. 37
15. R. Jehoshua' said, An evil eye35, and the evil nature36,
35 The expression JTIPI |'1> might be
rendered, oculus mali, since |'J? is
usually feminine; but see Grit. Note.
It occurs in many other places. Ob
serve that the saying on 68aApbs iro
vripbs in § 13 is attributed to Eli'ezer.
not Jehoshua'.
Jehoshua' frequently appears in con
troversy with 'Aqiba, Gamliel (p. 25)
Eli'ezer, &o. "Wir haben von ihm
in der- Mischnah gegen 130 Aus
spruche...Er war zur Zeit des Tern
pels schon erwachsen, und Schiller
des Jochanan b. Zachai. Als Levit
gehorte er zu den Sangern des Tem-
pels, kurz vor dessen Zerstorung er
seinem Lehrer ins Lager der Romer
folgte" (Jost, Gesch. b. 71). When, in
sorrow for the destruction of the Tem
ple, many Pharisees refused to eat
flesh and drink wine, which were no
longer offered on the altar, he shewed
them that logically they must abstain
Ukewise from bread, and fruit, and
water, and admonished them to desist
from excessive demonstrations of grief
on the ground that no burden should
be put upon the congregation which
the majority could not bear (Baba B.
60b), k?k nmn ?j> pitm jntii |'ke>
.na T.OV7 ]bw iiav an a"s
He had the reputation of being a faith
ful observer of the Law, but an op
ponent of extravagant developments.
"Die Juden liebten ihn sehr, und sein
Wort bewirkte Beruhigung der Gernu-
ther in der Zeit furchtbarer Aufregung
unter Trajan's Regierung."
36 The omission of the article before
Ti' may be abundantly illustrated from
Rabbinic. Cf. B'HtWin B'TBn (Be
rakoth v. 1), &c. The omission is also
Biblical (Gen. i. 31).
The word Ti' denotes (1) formation,
or a thing formed (Ps. ciii. 14; Is.
xxix. 16), and (2) Siavola, especially in
connexion with 37. Cf. Gen. vi. 5;
viii. 21, inyio jn Bixn a1? iv.
The JH "IV is the evil nature or dis- -
position in or of a man : the 310 "IS' '
his good nature or disposition. These -
— cf. the rrakaibs and Kaivbs dvOptairos
(Eph. iv. 22, 23) — are frequently per
sonified. The dualism of man's na-,
ture is evolved from Gen. ii. 7, where
it is said, '13 Ti"1 (with two yods), _
He formed man with two B'Ti', the
one, 310 '', and the other, JJ"I '' (Bera
koth 61 a). A curious "parable" is
given in connexion with the murder of
Abel : A thief effected a robbery in the
night, escaping the vigilance of the
gatekeeper, who however caught him
on the morrow and began to reproach
him for his dishonesty. The retort
was, I am a thief, and thou art the
watchman: I have not neglected my
business, but thou hast neglected
thine. So Cain said to God, Thou
didst create in me JHn IV', and in
consequence I slew Abel : why didst
Thou, that art the keeper of all, let
me slay him ? It is Thou that hast
slain him, Thou that art called '31S
(see Excursus on Shema'), lor hadst
Thou accepted my offering like his, I
should not have been jealous of him ,
(Tanchuma on Gen. iv. 9). The Tar-
gum and Midr. Rab. on Eccl. ix.14, 15
make the little city the heart of man :
the great king that comes against it, the
JTl "IV: and the poor wise man that
delivers the city, the 310 Ti'. This
reminds us of the lo~x"pos, spoiled by
the Urxvporepos, and at the same time
of the indwelling dKddaprov irvevpa
(Luke xi. 21—26).
The evil Ti' (Eccl. x. 1, Targ.) lies
at the door of the heart like a K3131,
"instar muscas" (Berakoth 61a); in
38
PIRQE ABOTH.
and hatred of the creatures put a man out of the world3'
(alcov). 16. R. Jose said, Let the property (Luke xvi. 11,12) of thy
friend be precious unto thee as thine own ; set thyself to learn
¦ Thorah, for it is not an heirloom unto thee38; and let all thy
actions be to the name of Heaven39.
¦V . 17. R. Shime'on said, Be careful in reading the Shema'40,
' and in Prayer ; and when thou prayest41, make not thy prayer
connexion with which compare Geiger's that it should be omitted.
3S Cf. 1 Cor. x. 31. A* &o. refer
to the blessing of Jael, in illustration
of the principle that even evil done
from a good motive is better than
good done from an evil motive.
40 The portion of Thorah thus called,
from its initial word yOK> (Deut. vi. 4),
is appointed to be read or recited
morning and evening by every Jew.
The first tract of the Mishnah com
mences with a question about the
time for reading the VOtJ', or "audi,"
in the evening (Berak. i. 1). It was
regarded as including the Decalogue.
See Excursus iv.; and cf. Mark xii.
29, where the ivroAii vpilirt) is said to
be, "A.Kove, 'Iopar)A. Kipios 6 Qebs
ypwv 'Kipios els iarl. Kai dyawr) and read „,,£ shadow
.ovk exei fomv alwviov iv atrip pivomav
(1 Joh. iii. 15). The term "creatures"
(i. 13) was in common use in the sense
mankind. 38 Contrast Deut. xxxiii. 4. The
knowledge of Thorah is not inherited,
but must be purchased at the cost of
a man's own labour. A* remarks that
the clause is dotted above, to shew
death, for J107X (Berakoth 15 b).
41 Prayer is not to be said merely -**
at set times and as a duty, but is to \
be the expression of a heartfelt desire : ,
"He who makes his prayer J?3p, --
his prayer is not B'llinn, Se-qais" ¦
(Berakoth iv. 4). " There is no set •
time (V3p) for the evening prayer"
II. 16, 17.
39
an ordinance, but an entreaty before God42, blessed is He, for
it is said, For Ood is compassionate and easily-entreated,
(Berakoth 26 a). If it is doubtful
whether a man has read the audi he
is required to read it, but not so
with prayer. E. Jochanan said, Oh !
, that a man would pray all the day
, long (Berakoth 21 a ; Pesachim 54 b).
A man when he prays should not
stand in a high place but in a low
place, for it is said (Ps. cxxx. 1),
Out of the depths, &c. (Berakoth,
10 b). Although prayer is not directly
commanded in the Pentateuch (Pereq
i, note 5), the duty of praying three
times in the day (Ps. Iv. 18 ; Dan.
vi. 11) is made to rest upon the
authority of Abraham, Isaac, and Ja
cob. Abraham established the morn
ing prayer (Gen. xix. 27), since stand
ing is to be identified with thefillah
(Ps. cvi. 30). Two other times of
prayer, under the names nn'B>, and
njf'lB, are referred to Isaac and Jacob
(Gen. xxiv. 63 ; xxviii. 11). See Bere
shith Eabbah lxviii. On the "ten"
names of prayer, and on B'llinn,
cf. Deut. Bab. n. On J'TSri, meaning
(pvAaKTTjpia, see Buxtorf, s.v. ??B.
42 The word maqom, from qum, to
stand, denotes that in which things
exist, i.e. place or space. It is con
stantly used in Eabbinic writings as
a name of God, who is regarded as
the iv $ or locus of existence (Acts
xvii. 28), and as filling all space:
"All the earth is full of His glory"
(Is. vi. 3). Both of these meanings
of the name are mentioned in Jalqut
117 (on B1p03 JJIB'1, Gen. xxviii. 11),
where it is said that God is so called,
]'«1 a!?iy 7tr ioipo Ninty 'iso
101pO B^IVn, because He is the place
of the world, and not the world His
place — so 38, commenting upon § 12 —
according to the Scriptures, Ex. xxxiii.
21, TIN B1pO nin ; Deut. xxxiii. 27 ;
Ps. xc. 1, "Lord, thou hast been our
dwellingplace " (jWD, Karaijivyri). The
words B1pO and PI1PP are also equated
by a species of Gematria (in. 28), the
letters of the former amounting to
186, and the sum of the squares of
those of the latter (10s + 52 + 62 + 52)
being likewise 186. See Buxtorf, Lex.
Chald. col. 2001. Bar S. cites this
from E. Israel. In accordance with
the above uses, God the Father is
spoken of in the New Testament both
as containing and as filling all. The
like is also said of the Son — cf. the
Pauline iv Xpio-np on the one hand,
and iva irAypthirQ to. irdvra (Eph. iv.
10) on the other. Since space and
its complement are correlatives, the
use of maqom, t6ttos, naturally sug
gests a doctrine of a irAripupa. More
over, since maqom is an ordinary
Hebrew Name of God, it is not ne
cessary to assume that its correlative
irAripupa was originally a product of
Gnosticism. As testimony (1) to the
antiquity of this remarkable use of
tottos, (2) to the natural affinity of
the expression to irAripiiipa, and (3) to
the applicability of the conception to
the A670S, compare the following from
Philo, De Somniis Lib. I. (Vol. ±.
p. 630, ed. Mangey): Tpix&s Si in-
voeirai tottos' airal; piv x&Pa vlr0
aibparos iKTTeirAriptapivTf /cord, Sevrepov
8i Tpbirov b Beios Abyos, Sv iKTreirAiipioKev
8Aov 81' o\o)v dcriapdrois Svvdpeaiv aitrbs
b 6ebs ... Kard Si rplrov orjpaivbpevov
avrbs 6 8ebs KaAeirai tottos, rip irepiixeiv
piv rb. SAa, irepiexeaBai Si irpbs pr/Sevbs
air\ios, Kai Tip Karafpvyqv t&v avpirdv-
twv airbv elvai' Kai iireiSTJwep abros
ion X&Pa iavrov, KexvpyKois iavrbv Kai
ipcpepopevos povip iavnp. 'E7W piv ovk
elpl TO7T0S, d\A' iv rbirip, Kai iKaorov
40
PIRQE ABOTH.
longsuffering, and plenteous in grace43 ; and be not wicked unto
thyself44. 18. R. La'zar said, Be diligent to learn Thorah, wherewith
thou mayest make answer (1 Pet. iii. 15) to Epicurus46; and
know before whom thou toilest46; and who is the Master of thy
work. 19. R. Tarphon47 said, The day is short, and the task is
tuv ovtwv bpolcas' rb yap irepiexopevov
Siatpipei tov irepiixovTos, rb Si deiov, vt
ovSevbs irepiexopevov, dvayKatios iffrlv
abrb tottos iavrov.
43 The Scripture proof was probably
a later addition. <%. apparently mixes
up Joel ii. 13 and Ps. lxxxvi. 15.
44 [Cf. Ecclus. vii. 16 pi) tt poaAoy l^ov
oeavrbv iv TrMiSei apapnaAuiv, Qiddushin
4 b & Tosefta, Joma 2 b 10XJJ '1B3,
by itself.]
45 The Greek name Epicurus is used
to denote a heretic or unbeliever,
whether Jewish or foreign. On this
word, and on J'O, heretic, see Buxtorf,
Lex. Ghald. The latter is supposed
by some to be from '1X0, Manes, and
to denote primarily a Manichee ; early
Jewish writers used it especially for
Christian, but in later times, owing to
the tendency to expunge antichristi-
anisms, it was frequently crossed out,
or replaced by some other word, as
f aduqi or Kuthi ; and to such an ex
tent has this been done that wherever
there has been a suspicion of an al
lusion to Christianity the text can
seldom be entirely depended upon.
The reading of the text implies that
the Thorah itself, if diligently studied,
will supply the required answer to the
"Epicurean," who must therefore be
regarded as a Jew-heretic. The read
ing of bar S. is susceptible of the
same interpretation : " Study Thorah,
that thou mayest know what answer
to make to an Epicurus ; " or it may
mean, if JH1 be taken disjunctively :
"Study Thorah, and also know how
to answer Epicurus." The latter is
the interpretation of B. Israel, who
says that the student should first be
well-grounded in Thorah and Talmud,
and then learn scientias exterorum,
that he may be able to refute those
who go astray from the truth ; and he
remarks upon the saying (Berakoth
28 b), "Be careful of the honour of
your associates, and restrain your sons
from meditation (Jl'inPI), and set them
between the knees of a scholar; and
when ye pray, know before whom ye
stand; and so shall ye be counted
worthy of the life of the world to
come " — that a man is not required
to restrain himself from speculation,
but only his sons who have not come
to maturity. In the same way he un
derstands the injunction not to teach
one's son " Greek science" (Sotah 49 b);
and he holds that there is no Divine
command not to teach one's son
Thorah in Greek.
46 E. 'Obadiah writes on this clause
that a man should work strenuously
for the glory of God. The final clause,
especially with the longer readings
(note 1), introduces the idea of re
ward. Thus the required number of
three sayings (§ 14) is made up. This
may also be done by dividing the first
saying, and joining '13 '01 to what
precedes. 47 E. Tarphon, Trypho, or "Tera-
phon," a contemporary of the above-
mentioned five, was one of those pre-
II. 18, 19.
41
great, and the workmen are sluggish48, and the reward is much,
and the Master of the house is urgent. He said, It is not for thee
to finish the work49, nor art thou free to desist therefrom; if
thou hast learned much Thorah, they give thee much reward ;
and faithful is the Master of thy work, who will pay thee the
reward of thy work, and know that the recompence of the
reward of the righteous is for the time to come50.
sent at the death of R. J. ben Zakkai.
48 This Mishnah has points of con
tact with the Parable of the Vineyard
in Matt, xx., where the olKoSeo-iroTTis
says to the labourers whom he finds
unemployed, It wSe ecrnj/care 8~Ktiv tt)v
ripipav dpyol ; Bar S. remarks that
since man is a microcosm containing
all the affairs of the world in minia
ture, the affairs of the alibv are here
likened to those of the individual.
49 Although "ars longa vita brevis,"
a man must neither despair nor yield
to idleness, for he is not called upon
to finish the work singlehanded, and
yet is bound to contribute to the best
of his ability ; and in proportion to
his work he will be rewarded, if not
at once, in the time to come.
60 This expression, like 6 alav 6 peA-
Awv, has its ambiguity. It may refer,
as here, to the future life ; or, as in
'Erubin ix. 3, to the future in this
life. [Heb. a. 35 purdairoSoala.]
p. 29, § 4] In 'Abodah Zarah 19 a,
in connexion with the saying of Anti
gonus in Aboth i. 3, there is a discus
sion of Psalm i. 2, "But his delight is
in the law of the Lord; and in his law
doth he meditate day and night." At
first the law (mm) is called God's;
but afterwards 1D6S> 75? PlNlpl, it is
called by his (the man's own) name.
He has made the law of God his law.
p. 31, n. 17] Cf. Clem. Horn. ii. 16
iv dpXV ° Oeos els &v, wcnrep 8e£ia Kai
dpiarepd, irpwrov oroirjire rbv ovpavbv
elra ripi yijv Kai oiiras H-9)s irdaas rots
ffv^vyias. p. 33, n. 23] Codex Bezae reads
"Lazar amicus noster mortuus est"
in St John xi. 14. The Old Latin Cod. a
likewise has the form Lazar, as Mr
Rendel Harris points out in A Study
of Codex Bezae p. 183 (Camb. Texts anil
Studies n. no. 1). The form Adfap
occurs in chap. 2 of Acta Pilati literally
retranslated into Greek from an Arme
nian manuscript by Mr Conybeare
(Oxf. Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica
iv. 61, 85).
p. 35, § 13] To be npim TV13
(T. J. Joma, end) is to be in an evil
way, "far from God." The phrase in
its literal sense is found in Num. ix. 9
(cf. Sifre i. § 69).
p. 36, n. 31] The heart has eyes, as
it is said in Midrash Alpha Betha de-
R. 'Aqiba, 37? t\H B'l'V 1? B" BIN?
D'l'JJ 17 B" (Jellinek Bet-ha-M. in.
p. 34). The heart sees, for it is said
n3in nK") '371 (Eccl. Rab. i. 16).
Maimonides writes in Hilkoth Yesode
ha-Torah iv. 7, "Forms without matter
are not visible to the eye, but they are
known by the eye of the heart." 6
CHAPTER III.
1. ' Aqabiah ben Mahalaleel1 said, Consider three things2,
and thou wilt not come into the hands of transgression (n. 1).
Know whence thou camest; and whither thou art going; and
before whom thou art about to give account and reckoning3.
1 We read in the Mishnah that
'Aqabiah ben Mahalaleel testified con
cerning four things : they said, Re
tract, and we will make thee Ab Beth
Din to Israel : he said, It were better
for me to be called fool all my days
than to be made wicked before ha-
maqom for one hour, so that they may
not say that for the sake of office he
retracted. He persisted in his views,
and was excommunicated. When at
the point of death he counselled his
son to retract the four things, saying
that he himself had received them by
tradition from the many, but his son,
who received them from him alone,
must yield to the majority of his con
temporaries ('Edioth v. 6, 7), for the
halakah is according to the many as
against the one (Berakoth 9 a, 37 a).
This principle is "propped," not very
securely, upon the words, B'3T '"WIN
PllOn? (Ex. xxiii. 2), which are ren
dered by Onqelos, tb& 'N'lD "IPO
Nl'1, give judgment according to the
majority. The verse from which they
are taken is usually rendered: " Thou
shalt not follow a multitude to do evil ;
neither shalt thou speak in a cause
to decline after many to wrest judg
ment."
2 The three things to be considered
are matters of observation or revela
tion. Contrast the warning against
speculation : ' ' Whosoever considers
four things, What is above, below, be
fore, behind, it were better for him
that he had not come into the world "
(Chagigah n. 1).
3 This Mishnah is cited in T. J. So
tah n. 2; Va-jiqra Rabbah xvin. ;
Qoheleth Rabbah, on Eccl. xii. 1.
R. 'Aqiba expounded the clause, "13 TI
TNT3 PIS K3, so as to include the
three things mentioned above, thus:
"Remember . T1K3 ¦ TVI3 ¦ -|&03, thy
source, thy grave, thy Creator." It
may be remarked here that Rabbinic
citations of Scripture are not intended
always as absolute proofs of the doc
trines and ideas in connexion with
which they are adduced. A citation is
often a mere pvr)p6 '1B"1, and
He sliall cause His Shekinah to rest in
the tabernacle of Shem. In Ex. xxv.
8, Onqelos has: "And they shall make
a sanctuary before me, and I will
cause my Shekinah to rest among
them." Cf. Ex. xvii. 7; xxix. 45, 6,
&c. A further development is "lp'
44
PIRQE ABOTH.
4. One that sits and studies, the Scripture imputes to him
as if he fulfilled the whole Thorah, for it is said, He sitteth alone
and keepeth silence, because he hath borne10 it upon him (Lam.
iii. 28).
iTniaC, the glory of His Shekinah
(Gen. iii. 24, Targ. Jerus.) — which
"glory" manifests itself in flaming fire
on Sinai (Ex. xix. 18)— or Sip' 'B>
(Ps. lxviii. 19). We find NBHip 'B>
in Targ. Jonathan on Numb. v. 3, &c.
The Shekinah is especially connected
with the tabernacle (mishkan), and the
sanctuary, but it is not to be restricted
to a visible and local symbol of the
Divine Presence. This is only one of
the applications of the word, which is
used with much greater latitude. It is
said by R. Ishmael and others (Baba
Bathra 25 a) that ni'3B' is in every
place, although in the course of the
discussion other opinions are advanced.
The Thosaphoth, in connexion with the
view that the Shekinah was especially
in the west, remark that its face was
eastward, or in the direction in which
Israel worshipped, and that hence the
points of the compass N. S. E. W. are
called left, right, before, behind. It
may be noticed here (cf. p. 31) that the
left side is connected with evil. So
the north, for (Jer. i. 14) nnBPI J1BVD
nyiH- The text (cf. § 9) speaks of
an invisible Shekinah which may be
present anywhere, and it affords an
illustration of Matt, xviii. 20, o5 ydp
elffi Svo rj rpeis ffWTjypivoi els rb ipbv
8vopa, iKei elpl iv piaip abT&v. The
Shekinah may even rest upon an indi
vidual (pp. 21, 48). The righteous
in the world to come sit with crowns
on their heads, ni'3B*n 1'fO B'lnil
(Berakoth 17 a).
Shekinah is sometimes practically
equivalent to Memra, Abyos (v. 1), but
we may distinguish between them by
regarding the one as the medium of a
passive, the other of an active, mani
festation : the one as creative, the
other as "overshadowing" or indwell
ing. The two are brought together by
St John, in whose theology the con
ceptions assume a new definiteness,
and the medium becomes a Mediator :
6 A670S o~b.pl; iyivero, Kai io~KT)vioiT ev
iv ijpiv (Joh. i. 14). The word o-kt-vt)
and its derivatives are chosen on ac
count of their assonance with the He
brew to express the Shekinah and its
dwelling with men — compare especi
ally Rev. xxi. 3 : 'I5oi) r) o-KT/vi) tov BeoQ
perd twv dvBpibTruiv, Kai cTKTjvtjcTei per' '
abT&v — and indeed so closely does She
kinah resemble irKr/vr), that the former
has even been thought of as a trans
literation of the latter. The word is
rare in the Mishnah, but occurs fre
quently in Midrash and Gemara.
9 The MS. a expresses niT by "
followed by a vertical stroke or flourish
wholly above the line. In some MSS.
a 1 is inserted in order to make up
the numerical value of HIT, viz. 26.
The shorter Name PI' is identified by
Gematria (§ 28) with the longer Name
by writing out the names of its letters,
Nn, Ti', which are thus made to
amount to 10 + 6 + 4, and 5 + 1. The
saying, "two that sit, &c." is repeated
in §9.
10 The word natal is used of " bear
ing off " a reward. The whole saying
is probably an interpolation. There
is a saying of an opposite tendency
which may be noticed here: "The
Thorah is acquired only n"l13PI3, by
association" (Berakoth 63b). "Asword
is against the solitary, &c." (p. 16). A
man's wits are sharpened by his friend
III. 4—8.
45
5. R. Shime'on said, Three that have eaten at one table,
and have not said over it words of Thorah, are as if they had
eaten of sacrifices of (the) dead11, for it is said, For all tables are
full of vomit and filthiness without maqom12 (Is. xxviii. 8).
6. But three that have eaten at one table, and have said
over it words of Thorah, are as if they had eaten of the table of
maqom, blessed is He, for it is said, And he said unto me, This
is the table that is before the Lord (Ezek. xli. 22).
7. Chananyiah ben Chakinai said, He who awakes by
night, and he who is walking alone by the way, and13 turns
aside his heart to idleness, is "guilty of death."
8. R. Nechonyiah ben ha-Qanah said, Whoso receives upon
(Prov. xxvii. 17). The Thorah is like
fire : fire does not burn alone, with no
thing to feed it : so words of Thorah,
'TPl'3 l'0"priD |'N. A great scholar
profits from association with the mean
est, as "the small wood is used to set
on fire the large" : a disciple may even
be his master's best teacher (Tha'anith
7 a ; Makkoth 10 a). See p. 63.
11 Idols are "dead" (Is. viii. 19), and
powerless, in contrast with God the
living one ; and as " corpses " they
also defile by contact. Cf. Ps. cvi. 28.
12 The expression naturally means,
" without place," with no spot clear
from defilement ; but the use of 6 rb-iros
as a name of God (p. 39) suggests a
secondary meaning: "without men
tion of the Name of God." The idea
of §§ 5, 6 is illustrated by 1 Tim. iv. 4 :
8n TTav Krlffpa Qeov KaAov, Kai obSiv
diro^Arrrov, perk ebxapurrlas AapfSavo-
pevov' dyid^erai yap 8ia Aoyov Qeov Kai
ivrevgeus. Compare EiVe ovv iaB'iere,
eire where, elre n -roieire, Trdvra els
8o%av Qeov TroieTre (1 Cor. x. 31).
13 He who is sleepless at night
should think on words of Thorah (Ps.
lxiii. 7) : if even at such a time he
turns his mind to idleness and idle
thoughts, he incurs guilt. So with
the solitary traveller. Compare... ha
etre yp-nyopiopev, eire KadevSicpev, apa
abv avrip ff-rwpev (1 Thess. v. 10) . The
Mishnah thus interpreted forms an
apposite sequel to §§ 5, 6. According
to another reading (niBDm) and in
terpretation the meaning is, that (1)
he who is wakeful at night, (2) he who
frequents solitary places, and (3) he
who indulges in idle thoughts, deserve
condemnation ; in explanation of which
"Rashbam" is quoted as remarking
that at night time, and in desert places,
and in unguarded moments, a man is
especially liable to assaults of the
J'p'TD, or evil spirits. This notion
might indeed be illustrated from the
Talmud, but the first interpretation
better suits the context. Thorah study
is incumbent upon a man at all avail
able times... "when thou sittest in
thine house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou liest down,
and when thou risest up" (Deut. vi. 7:
xi. 19). "At midnight I will rise to
give thanks unto Thee..." (Ps. cxix.
62). A man should "increase" his
time of study by making inroads upon
the night (Crit. Note 1. 14). When he
walks by the way he must let nothing
interrupt his "mishnah" (§ 11).
46
PIRQE ABOTH.
• him the yoke14 of Thorah, they remove from him the yoke of
, royalty and the yoke of worldly care ; and whoso breaks from
bim the yoke of Thorah, they lay upon him the yoke 01 royalty
. and the yoke of worldly care.
9. R. Chalaftha of Kaphar-Chananiah said, When ten sit
, and are occupied in words of Thorah the Shekinah is among
• them, for it is said, God standeth in the congregation 15 of the
14 "Apare rbv fruyov pov itp' vpds, Kai
pddere dir' ipov...b yhp £vyos pov XPV'
o~tos, Kai to tpoprlov pov iAa-ppov iaTiv
(Matt. xi. 29, 30). The yoke of mal-
kuth stands for the burdens, as of tax
ation, put upon a man by the govern
ment under which he lives, or the
oppression which he may suffer at the
hands of the great. The yoke of derek
ere-} is the anxiety which a man suf
fers in the struggle for existence : the
cares of labour, poverty, or discontent
with his condition. Every man (writes
bar S.) is by nature continually rest
less and changeable, saying in winter,
would that it were summer, and in
summer, would that it were winter : he
longs for children if he has none, and
if his family increases he is impatient
of the care of rearing them, &c. From
over anxiety on all such matters an
absorbing devotion to Thorah frees a
man. The Tables of the Law are a
charter of freedom (vi. 2). For a para
phrase of this Mishnah see Aboth R.
N. xx.
The word 71JJ may be used absolutely,
as in T. J. Peah 1. 1. It likewise en
ters into several Rabbinic expressions
analogous to those in the text. Thus
we read of a yoke of malkuth shamayim,
and of micvah (Berakoth 13 a) : a yoke
of flesh and blood (Aboth E. N. xx.): a
yoke of n"3pn.
16 Ten is the number which consti
tutes a congregation (iYIV), since it is
said (Numb. xiv. 27), How long shall I
bear with this evil congregation ? From
the twelve spies take away Joshua and
Caleb, and there remain ten, which is
therefore the number of an 'edah. A
' ' great " city is one that contains ten
batlanim, or men of leisure, to make a
congregation (Megillah 1. 3). A place
containing less than ten is a kaphar.
Omitting from the text the words in
italics as probably interpolated, we
pass on to the number three, which
is connected with milK, fasciculus.
Compare Baba Meci'a 1. 8, where an
nTllX of documents is explained to
mean three or more tied together, while
the corresponding word T"I3P), invo-
lucrum, means three or more rolled
together. In like manner A* connects
PlTilK with the number three, refer
ring inter alia to Ex. xii. 22, where
Eashi interprets 31 TN milN as a
bundle of three stalks. The number
five is not mentioned in the similar
passages of Berakoth 6 a ; Mekiltha,
Jethro xi.; Jalqut 1. 305, where the
series of sayings springs naturally out
of a context. From the verse Ex. xx.
24, iffitf m T3TK "1B>N BIpOPl ?33
'13, the question arises under what
circumstances is the Shekinah pre
sent with men? "In every place...
where I am revealed to thee, Pl'33
PlTnan, in the chosen house (or
Temple). Hence they have said, The
incommunicable Name [hi. n. 35] must
not be uttered in the provinces. Hillel
(cf. p. 30) said, If thou wilt come to
My house, I will come to thy house,
and if thou wilt not come to My house,
III. 9.
47
mighty (Ps. lxxxii. 1). And whence (is it proved of) even five16 ?
Because it is said, He judgeth among gods. And whence
even three ? Because it is said,... and hath founded his troop
in the earth (Amos ix. 6). And whence even two ? Because it
I will not come to thy house, To the
place that my heart loves thither my
feet lead me. Hence they have said,
Every ten men that are assembled in
the synagogue, the Shekinah is with
them, for it is said, God standeth in
the 'edah, &c. And whence even three
that judge, because it is said, He
judges among gods, &o." Here an en
tirely new case, suggested by the second
hemistich of the same verse, is brought
under consideration. It is granted
that the Shekinah is with an iKKAricrla,
a congregation assembled for the dis
charge of religious duties : but is the
Shekinah present likewise at secular
functions? Yes! where three are ga
thered to administer justice, the She
kinah is in the midst. From the pub
lic meeting of a beth din ( = three), we
pass next to the private meeting of
two friends to study and discuss Tho
rah, — this transition is most clearly
marked in Berakoth — and thence to
the case of the individual. Berakoth
then takes the numbers in reverse
order. If the Shekinah is with one,
why make separate mention of two?
Because the words of two are written
in the book of remembrances : discus
sion is required to make a lasting im
pression. But why should three be
mentioned? To show that judgment
is Thobah, a sacred and not merely a
secular function. Lastly, why mention
ten? If J'T is min, what advantage
has the 'edah over the beth din? It is
that the Shekinah comes to the three
only when they are seated, but comes
beforehand to the place of the 'edah:
the "congregation" intend ab initio to
perform a sacred function, but J'T is
only ex post facto mm. It may be
remarked that Jonathan targumises
Ex. xx. 24: "In whatsoever place I
cause my Shekinah to rest, and thou
worshippest before me, there I will
send upon thee my blessing and will
bless thee." As some have found a
difficulty in 'OB> PIK T3tK, and wish
to read T3tn, observe that R. Josiah
in Jalqut calls the verse B11BO, and
reads in inverse order, In what place
soever I come unto thee, there will I
cause my Name to be mentioned.
16 The great mass of MSS. retain
the number five, but some connect it
with judgment — making up the num
ber by adding two litigants to three
judges ; while others connect it with
the fasciculus, which is assumed to be
that which can be grasped with the
five fingers of a hand. The simplest
hypothesis (suggested by (&) is that the
parallels from Berakoth, Mekiltha, and
Jalqut (see note 15) give the original
reading, and that the number five
should be expunged. The clause
'13 31p3 is the second hemistich of
the verse already quoted for the 'edah,
and would therefore probably be quot
ed, if at all, in the second place. The
mention of judgment could then scarce
ly fail to suggest the number three (see
Grit. Note). The "mishnah" in ques
tion is an adaptation of a series of
sayings on Thorah and other matters
to the case of Thorah alone. Accord
ingly the scripture proof for the num
ber three is struck out, since it brings
in the inappropriate notion of judg
ment, and a new proof for the same
number, viz. from the aguddah, is in
serted,
48
PIRQE ABOTH.
is said, Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to
another (§ 3). And whence even one ? Because it is said, In
all places where I record my name I will come unto THEE, and
I will bless thee (Ex. xx. 24).
10. R. La'zar ben Jehudah of Barthotha said, Give Him
of what is His, for thou and thine are His17 ; and thus he saith
in David18, For all things come of Thee, and of thine own have
we given thee (1 Chron. xxix. 14).
11. R. Jacob said, He who is walking by the way and
studying, and breaks off his study19 (Mishnah) and says, How fine
is this tree ! how fine is that tree ! and how fine is this fallow !
they account it to him as if he were " guilty of death."
12. R. Dosithai20, son of R. Jannai, said in the name of
R. Meir, When a scholar of the wise sits and studies, and has
forgotten a word of his Mishnah, they account it unto him as if
he were "guilty of death," for it is said, Only take heed to
thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the words
which thine eyes have seen (Deut. iv. 9). Perhaps his Mishnah
17 Cf. Joh. xvii. 9, 10: dAAa irepl
lov SiSioKas poi, 8ti ool eloi. Kai rb. ipb.
irdvTa ad ion, k.t.A.
18 Compare the formula of citation
" in David" in Heb. iv. 7.
19 The word niC means to change,
or to repeat, and hence generally to
study or learn. The Aramaic form of
the word is K3PI, on which see the
lexicons. The word iniB'O is pointed
with a horizontal stroke under the 1.
This sign, which is now appropriated
to Pathach, served in an older system
of punctuation, out of which that now
in use was developed, for Qamec also.
The latter then came to be distinguish
ed by a dot placed under the "Pa
thach" (— ); and finally the dot was
brought into contact with the "Pa
thach," and the modern "Qamec" (T)
arose. The citation from the Cam
bridge University MS. Oo i. 19, fol.
12 b, in the Rabbinic footnote, may
serve as a pvi-potrvvov of this fact.
20 "R. Israel writes that this wise
man is mentioned in the Mishnah only
here and in 'Erubin" [v. 4] (bar S.).
Forgetfulness is regarded as sinful
in so far as it arises from carelessness
and neglect of SevTipuais. A man is
not to be blamed for a forgetfulness
arising from sickness or any cause
beyond his control. In Berakoth 8 b,
an old man who has forgotten his
"Thalmud" 1B11N nOPIO is compared
to the shattered tables of the Law,
and it is said, Plini1? '-I3C1 mm1?
|1-|K3 DinnO, the tables and the
fragments of the tables were laid up
in the Ark. So the broken-down
scholar is to be treated with respect.
Of prayer it is said in Berakoth v. 5
that to make a mistake in it is JO'B
17 jn, an evil sign to a man. The
expression B'"I3T (Deut. iv. 9) does
not mean merely written "words."
III. 10—14.
49
has but grown hard21 to him ? What need then to say, "And
lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life " ? Lo !
he is not guilty, till he has sat down and suffered them to
depart from his mind.
13. R. Chananiah ben Dosa said, Whosesoever fear of sin
precedes his wisdom22, his wisdom stands ; and whosesoever wis
dom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom stands not.
14. He used to say, Whosesoever works are in excess of
21 Some commentators understand
5|pPl as of wine which has turned sour
or lost its flavour; but it is unneces
sary to bring in this meaning here.
The case under consideration is that
of a man who has not absolutely for
gotten, but does not remember readily;
his Mishnah is not fluent in his mouth.
Compare Berakoth 34 b: "They said
of B. Chanina ben DoBa that he used
to pray over the sick, and say, This
one lives, and that one dies. They
Baid to him, Whence knowest thou?
He said to them, If my prayer is fluent
in my mouth, 'S3 Tl?an milt? BK,
I know that it is accepted, and if not,
I know that it is rejected." Bar S.,
quoting Sifre, writes that a man should
be as careful to preserve his Thorah
as his money, for it is hardly gotten,
as gold, and perishes easily, like glass,
n'BIBT (Job xxviii. 17). He who learns
Thorah and does not "repeat" is as
one who sows and does not reap. He
who learns and forgets is like a mother
that bears and buries. Sanh. 99 a.
22 Different meanings are assigned
to the precedence of the fear of sin to
"wisdom." The saying is taken to
denote either that a man's fear of sin
should be instinctive, rather than a
result of calculation ; or that the f ear
of sin should be a motive urging him
to the acquisition of knowledge as a
safeguard against transgressions into
which his ignorance might betray him.
The former interpretation is to be pre
ferred : a man should build upon the
foundation of religious feeling, rather
than of philosophy.
It may be conjectured that the se
cond clauses of §§ 13 — 15 are later
additions. They are not found in
Aboth R. N. xxii., and their omission
is partly favoured by the reading of the
Machazor Vitry in § 14. Compare also
note K on § 15. Aboth R. N., after
the first clause of § 13, refers to Ps.
cxi. 10: "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning (?) of wisdom." Then fol
lows the first clause of § 14, with a
scripture proof from Ex. xxiv. 7: We
will do, and we will heae. "They
said before Rabban Jochanan ben Zak
kai, A wise man and a sinfearer, what
is he? He said to them, Lo! he is a
workman, with his tools in his hand.
A wise man but not a sinfearer, what
is he? He said to them, He is a work
man who has not his tools in his hand.
A sinfearer but not wise, what is he?
He said to them, He is no workman,
but has his tools in his hand." A*
quotes this baraitha, with some re
marks upon his reading of it. An
other comparison is given, from Joma :
A man with wisdom but without the
fear of Heaven is like a man with the
key of an inner court, but unable to
enter because he has not the key of
the outer court.
50
PIRQE ABOTH.
his wisdom23, his wisdom stands; and whosesoever wisdom is in
excess of his works, his wisdom stands not.
15. He used to say, With whomsoever the spirit of men
is pleased24, the Spirit of God is pleased ; and with whomsoever
the spirit of men is not pleased, the Spirit of God is not pleased.
16. R. Dosa ben Horkinas said, Morning sleep, and mid
day wine26, and the babbling of youths86, and frequenting
family below" (Berakoth 16 b, 17 a).
The condition or action of either of
these communities must have its ana
logue in the other. "He who occu
pies himself in Thorah for its own
sake makes peace in the family above
and in the family below, for it is said
...'? w bi?e> '7 nbe> rwy (is.
xxvii. 5). Rab said, It is as if he
built a palace above and below... More
over he protects the whole world, yo3 'i7n.
24 For the expression compare Baba
Bathra viii. 5, where it is said that
when a man has left his property to
strangers and passed over his sons,
what he has done is done, but his act
is not approved, " sapientium spiritus
non requiescit in eo." The sayings in
the text may be compared with 1 Joh.
iv. 20 : 6 yelp pi) dyairdv rbv dSeAtpbv
avrov Sv iibpaKe, rbv Qebv 8v obx iibpaKe
irfe Svvarai dyair^v ; This Mishnah is
taken by bar S. as exemplifying the doc
trine that there is a correspondence in
all respects between the upper world
and the lower : "Whatever exists above,
exists also below." Thus there is an
archetypal and celestial Adam analo
gous to the lower Adam, and made
literally in the image of God. There
is also a familia above corresponding
to the human familia below, with re
spect to which it is said: "May it be
thy pleasure, 0 Lord our God, to make
peace in the family above, and in the
III. 15—18.
51
the meeting houses27 of the vulgar, put a man out of the
world. 17. R. Li'ezer ha-Moda'i said, He that profanes things
sacred28, and contemns the festivals, and annuls the covenant
of Abraham our father, and acts barefacedly against the Thorah29,
even though he be a doer of good works, has no portion in the
world to come.
18. R. Ishma'el said, Be pliant of disposition (or to a chief)
divine decree, niO TJ13 IT1D, mea
sure for measure.
26 Constant association with young
men tends to frivolity, and withholds
a man from serious study. Behoboam
took the counsel of young men (1
Kings xii. 8), and caused the disrup
tion of the kingdom. There is a pro
verb, B'ipt rn'riBi pn'no B'-iyi pa
t'13, young men's construction is de
struction, and old men's destruction is
construction. 27 Bar S. confirms the omission of
'P13 by reference to his " ancient
Mishnaioth." The synagogue served for
meetings not merely "precum et sa-
crorum causa," but for general educa
tional purposes. It served inter alia
as a schoolhouse for the young (p. 15),
in contrast with beth ha-midrash, the
college for those of riper years. Here,
however, the primary reference is to
Thorah. Everything which leads the
mind astray from it is to be avoided
as destroying a man's soul, and put
ting him out of the world (alibv). On
the other hand, "he that increases
Thorah increases life" (n. 8). 'Epev-
vare ras ypacpds, oti bpeis SoKehe iv
avrais fwrjK alibviov lxelv (Job. v- 39)-
28 The fifth Seder of the Mish
nah, called Qodashim, treats of holy
things, and the second, Mo'ed, of fes
tivals. He who despises sacred things, and
repudiates the covenant of circumci
sion, and acts in defiance of the
Thorah, cannot be saved by moral ex
cellence. The sense is impaired by
reading: "Thorah and good works."
The text gives a more effective con
trast. "He who acts impudently
against the Thorah," &c, cannot be
saved by good works. The expression
B'lB rbi"0 is explained in T. J. Peah
i. 1 as meaning, " one who says
that the Thorah was not given from
Heaven." Buxtorf s.v. X?l writes:
"Revelat faciem contra legem, id est,
proterve, impudenter agit vel insurgit
contra earn." The unveiled face may
also denote confidence in a good sense
(2 Cor. iii. 18).
29 In Sifre on Numb. xv. 31, where
this Mishnah is quoted, the clause
'13 nPlOni is omitted, but it occurs
and is explained in the context. He
who hath " despised the ivord of the
Lord" is there said to be a Caduqi;
and he who hath "broken ("IBPI) His
commandment," an Epicurus. Another
explanation is then given, in which
the former expression is rendered,
in the words of our text, B'lB n?!On
mm3, and the second by Pl'TJ "IBDn
"W2. Then follows this Mishnah, with
the ending, P111XD 1T3 tW B"5>N
B7iyn p imn-i? Kin 'ia nam,
however many precepts he may per
form, he merits expulsion from the
world.
52
PIRQE ABOTH.
and yielding to impressment30 (Matt. v. 41), and receive every
man with cheerfulness.
30 The text of <3 has the peculiar
reading, Be light of head die. The usual
reading, which is given in the footnote K,
is generally taken to mean : Be pliant
towards a great man, and easy in thy
bearing with the young — Esto levis
sive velox erga caput, et facilis erga
juventutem sive juvenem (Buxtorf, Lex.
Chald. s. r. 1rKJ>, col. 2372) ; but some
of the older commentators assign very
different meanings to the expressions
used, and especially to the rare word
rendered juventutem.
minilWI] The meaning youth is
supported by the analogy of Eccl. xi.
10, ?an niin^ni niT>n '3, and
is derived either from dawn, or black
ness (of hair), both of which meanings
are found under the root "in2\ It has
also been deduced from "int?, petere.
Cf. ~Y\n2,electus. Pseudo-Rashi assigns
to it the opposite meaning senectus,
quoting in favour of this view the same
verse Eccl. xi. 10. A third meaning,
which is well supported, is fobced
seevice or dyyapla ('Aruk; "Rash-
bam"; &c). For a corresponding use
of the verb cf. Onqelos on Num. xvi.
15: JV"inK> iipiid im tnon ab,
Nullius asinum unquam petii. There
is a saying, quoted in the Machazor
Vitry and elsewhere, "Attach thyself
to an dyyapevs, and they will do thee
homage," "]7 unnB»i Tins?? pain.
The meaning melancholy has also
been assigned to the word. Midrash
Rabbah on Lam. ii. 11 is ambiguous.
We read there of three kinds of tears,
"but the tear of merriment (pints') is
the best of all. " It is added that there
are three kinds of evil tears, "but
that of mineri is hardest of all."
Then follow tales of a man and of a
woman each of whom had minBTI J3,
and he died &c. The commentaries
on the Midrash are at variance ; some
give the meaning juventus, but the
nima mino quotes the interpreta
tion of the 'Aruk with approval.
b nil] This expression is used in
relation (i) to actions, (ii) to persons.
The latter construction is chiefly found
in such sayings as, S031 NTtJ* 1? Pill,
It were better for him that he had
not been born. For examples of the
former construction see n. 14; v. 17;
and compare Bereshith Eabbah xvn.,
where it is said that man is open to
persuasion, niPIBnn? nil, and woman
is not open to persuasion, because man
was formed of earth, which a little
water easily dissolves, but woman was
made of bone, which will not melt.
In the passage under discussion, the
construction will be unexceptionable if
rnint/TI — preceded by 7 (see Crit.
Note) — be interpreted d77a/>/a, but not
so if it be taken concretely of a person,
juvenis. E>tn ?p] [Most] MSS. with the ex
ception of 3 read E>KT>, but the pas
sage is quoted as in the text in a MS.
of the 'Aruk, Cambridge University Ad
ditional 471.2, where s.v. 7p, we find
immediately after Wl P|l7p the words
'ia 'Kot "na .e>tn bp 'in n'apv'sa;
but another MS. of the 'Aruk, Addi
tional 376, reads E>N"1 wb bp . . .
. . . 'KOT and a third MS., Additional
473. 2, has the brief reading B>JO bp '1PI
. . . 'NOT In this case a confusion
has arisen from the immediately fol
lowing reference to the "beginning of
Demai." The reading of <1 gives the
most natural construction, since b bp
is used of an action (v. 30), but not
usually of a, person : on the other hand,
III. 19.
53
19. R. 'Aqibah31 said, Merriment, and lightness of disposi
tion32, accustom a man to lewdness.
it is open to the objection that it re
commends levity, which is condemned
in § 19 and elsewhere. This however
is partly in favour of the reading,
which from its paradoxical nature
would be in danger of corruption by
the copyists. It may have been in
tended to contrast the "lightness"
which is condemned in general terms
in § 19 with a "lightness" which is
lawful or expedient under certain cir
cumstances. In like manner bashful-
ness is condemned from a certain point
of view in n. 6, but is singled out for
the highest praise in v. 31 ; and pini^
has both a good sense and a bad sense.
Compare, also, the praise of "impu
dence " and shameless pertinacity :
" Impudens et importunus vincit ho-
minem malum, quanto magis Deum,
qui bonitas mundi ipsa est " (Jalq. ii.
550, on Jonah iii. 8) ; which illustrates
Luke xviii. 4 — 8, and Matt. xi. 12.
Cf. Buxtorf, Lex. s. v. S)¥n, a word
which is used for TJP in the Targum on
Prov. vii. 13. If, as is probable, ril7p
SWI denotes primarily an iXacppla
(2 Cor. i. 17) which results from want
of deliberation (note 32), the reading of
the text may be explained as meaning
that a man should be hasty, and yield
ing to dyyapla. When such a service
is put upon him, he should not pause
to deliberate, but should take it upon
him at once, and yield himself unre
servedly to the exaction, in accordance
with the saying: koI 8) renders : " sei dienst-
fertig gegen einen Vornehmen und
schmiegsam gegen die Regierung (den
Regierer). "
31 R. 'Aqiba(h) ben Joseph, though
descsnded from non-Jewish parents,
and until middle age averse from
study, became one of the greatest
lights of Judaism both before and
after the death of Gamaliel II., with
whom, as with R. Jehoshua' (see p.
37), he is brought into connexion in
Sukkah in. 9 and elsewhere. In his
early years he kept the flocks of the
wealthy Kalba Shebua' of Jerusalem,
whose daughter he at length married.
He espoused the cause of bar Kokba,
or Koziba (Sanhedrin 97 b), and ac
knowledged his claim to the Messiah-
ship: was led captive (?) at the destruc
tion of Bethar (135 a.d. See Jost,
Gesch. B. 81 note) by Severus : and was
54
PIRQE ABOTH.
20. He used to say, Tradition33 is a fence to Thorah ; tithes
put to death, after a long imprison
ment, by tortures which he bore with
heroic constancy. When the " Greek "
[read wicked] kingdom had decreed
that Israel should not occupy them
selves in Thorah, Pappus ben Je
hudah came and found 'Aqiba holding
large public assemblies for Thorah-
study. He said to him, 'Aqiba, art
thou not afraid of the kingdom ?
'Aqiba answers by a parable of a fox
which was walking by the river side.
He sees the fishes clustering from
place to place, and asks them from
what they are fleeing. They say,
From the nets which men are bringing
upon us. He asks, Is it your pleasure
to come up on to the land, that I and
you may dwell together, as my fathers
dwelt with your fathers? They said
to him, Most foolish of beasts, if we
are afraid in the place of our life, how
much more in the place of our death !
So Israel may be distressed even in
their native element of the Thorah,
which is " thy life and the length of
thy days," but to leave it is certain
death... When 'Aqiba was being led
out to execution, it was the time of
reading the Shema', and they were
combing his flesh with combs of iron,
and he was receiving upon him the
yoke of the kingdom of Heaven (i.e.
reciting the Shema'). To his disciples
who remonstrate : ' ' Thus far, thou
hast endured enough " ; " all my days
(said he) I have been troubled about
this verse: Thou shalt love the Lord
...with all thy soul, even if He should
take away thy spirit. When, said I,
will it be in my power to fulfil this?
Now that I have the opportunity shall
I not fulfil it?" As he was protracting
the word "jntf, one, till he expired,
the heavenly voice, Bath Qol, went
forth and said: "Happy art thou R.
'Aqiba that thy spirit went forth at
*7nx " (Berakoth 61 b). The minister
ing angels said before the Holy One,
" such is Thorah and such (a death)
is its reward" (cf. Menachoth 29 b),
according to Ps. xvii. 14, "]T B'PIOD
'13 B'P100 '". Bath Qol went forth
and said, Happy art thou R. 'Aqiba,
that thou art invited to the life of the
world to come. [Midr. Prov. ix.]
'Aqiba learned tradition from Eli'e
zer ben Hyrqanos, and acquired the
minutise of scholarship from Nachum
of Gimzo, with whom he studied for
22 years, investigating the uses of par
ticles, as BI, PIX, pi, "|K, wherever they
occurred in Scripture (Chagigah 12 a ;
Pesachim 22 b ; Bereshith Rabbah i.).
Once when the chazan summoned him
to read Thorah to the congregation,
he excused himself on the ground that
he had not read over the portion twice
(or four times), privately, in accord
ance with the example of the Holy
One (Midrash Tanchuma on Ex. xx.
1; Bereshith Rabbah xxiv.), who first
thinks His words over and meditates
upon them, and then communicates
them to men, for it is said (Job xxviii.
27, 28), '13 nso tN, and afterwards,
B1N7 "ION'1. In like manner it is
written in Ex. xx. 1 : And God spake
all these words saying, n-i na 7p' vb,
a man should not "lighten his head"
before the eastern gate. Since 7pp|
also means hold in light esteem, or
dishonour, and since tJ'XI Pll?p is
especially to be avoided in prayer, we
may perhaps compare the expression
KaTai&n rll7p, and vain words"
(Berakoth 31 a). But pint? is not
universally condemned. Cf. Ps. cxxvi.
2 : " Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, and our tongue with joy."
A non-natural interpretation is given
to the above verse in Berakoth 31 a :
" It is forbidden to a man to fill his
mouth with pint?, for it is said, Then
shall our mouth be &c, pint? K^O' tS
11'B. When? In the time when the
nations shall say, The Lord hath done
great things &c." Some commentators
remark upon § 19, that such pint?
only as is combined with "lightness
of head" is condemned; but others
take the expressions separately.
33 Masobah, or Massoketh, is used
of tradition in general, and is correla
tive to Qabbalah (i. 1). The expression,
" from their fathers " in Job xv. 18,
is expanded by the Targumist into :
"from the tradition, NHTBD, of their
fathers." This form of expression is
also found in the Mishnah. Cf. She-
qalim vi. 1, where it is said that there
was a PIT, BO in the possession of the
houses of R. Gamliel and Chananiah,
sagan of the priests, with regard to
the place in which the Ark was hidden.
The allusion in the text is to the oral .
Tradition by which the written Thorah
is supplemented or interpreted. Ma-
sorah in the modern sense is especially
a system of rules for the reading of
the text of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The view that these rules are referred
to here has the support of At, C, and
R. Jonah ; but although the begin
nings of the textual " Masorah " were
of ancient date, there is nothing in the
Mishnah to limit the generality of the
word PIT BO.
34 The clause omitted by $[ is illus
trated by the proverbial saying, "IK'S?
"lB>imnB> ?'at?3 (Shabbath 119 a).
36 The meaning of PIIC'IB is "sepa
ration" from defilement, and hence
sanctity of life. It is used in the
Mishnah in parallelism with mno,
purity, at the end of Sotah, where it
is said that, — "From when Rabban
56
PIRQE ABOTH.
21. He used to say, Beloved is man that he was created
" in imagine" ; greater love (was it that it) was made known to him that
he was created "in imagine Dei," as it is said, For in the image of
God36 made He man (Gen. ix. 6).
Gamliel ha-Zaqen died, the glory of
the Thorah ceased, and purity and
PI1E}""lB died.'' For a satirical classi
fication of the various kinds of Phari
sees, see T. J. Berakoth ix. 7, and
Buxtorf, Lex. s. r. BHB. Under the
same root is found the expression BtJ*
tfTBOn for the name nm\ [Compare
Wisdom xiv. 21 rb dKoivibviyrov Svopa,
the incommunicable name.]
36 Man is beloved by God in whose
image (Gen. i. 27; ix. 6), or likeness
(Gen. v. 1), he was created ; and he
should be beloved by his fellow-men
as a consequence of this love towards
God Himself. This principle is brought
out by the verse partly cited in the
text: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood,
by man shall his blood be shed : for
in the image of God made He man,"
on which R. 'Aqiba remarks (Bereshith
Rab. xxxrv.) ; "Whosoever sheddeth
blood, they reckon it to him as if he
diminished the likeness." See also
Excursus on Shema' (n- 17). " On
these two commandments (Love God,
Love thy neighbour) hang all the law
and the prophets " (Matt. xxii. 40).
The second of these is included in the
first, according to Bereshith Rabbah,
xxiv. (end), where, " Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself," is brought
into connexion with the saying of Gen.
v. 1 : "In the likeness of God made He
him." Hence the contrast in James
iii. 9 : iv airy ebXoyovpev rbv Kvpiov
Kai iraripa, Kai iv aiirjj Karapibpeda robs
avSpdmovs robs Ka0' bpolicaiv 6eo0
yeyovbras. Compare 1 Joh. iv. 21 ; Kai
TabTT)V ri]v ivroXipi fyopev dir abTOv,
'(va 6 dyaTTwv rbv Qebv dyair^ Kai rbv
dSeAcpbv avrov.
The Midrash is full of speculations
on the creation of the world and of
man, some of which serve to illustrate
the language of the New Testament
Scriptures, as may be seen from the
following examples.
'0 TTpUTOS &V0pU>1TOS iK T1)S 77)5, X0,K°S'
6 Seirepos dvOponros i£ obpavov (1 Cor.
xv. 47). A conception which pervades
the Midrash literature is that there is
an " upper " and a " lower " Adam : a
celestial man, made strictly in the
image of God, and a terrestrial man
corresponding in detail to his arche
type, of which he is the material
adumbration. This twofold conception
makes it difficult at times to estimate
the precise value of the brief enig
matical sayings of the Rabbis on the
Creation and the Fall. The matter is
further complicated by their tendency
to ignore the distinction between the
potential and the actual : between the
embryo and its development : be
tween the "idea" and its temporal
manifestation. There are two aspects
of the statement that man was made
in the celem, or image, of God, accord
ing as we regard the resemblance to
God as predicated of the actual man
or of his archetype ; and as a conse
quence of this there are also two ways
of regarding the Fall, viz. (1) as a loss
of the Divine image in which man was
actually created, and (2) as a falling
away of the terrestrial Adam from
his archetype. In the "Book of the
generations of Adam " the Divine like
ness is described as not wholly lost
but perpetuated (cf. James iii. 9) :
" God created man in the likeness of
God... Adam begat a son in his own
III. 21, 22. 57
22. Beloved are Israel that they are called children of
likeness, after his image " (Gen. v. 1,
3) ; on which Ramban remarks : " It
is known that all that are born of
living beings are in the likeness and
image of their parents; but because
Adam was exalted in his likeness and
his image, for it is said of him that,
In the likeness of God made He him,
it says expressly here that his off
spring likewise were in that exalted
likeness, but it does not say this of
Cain and Abel, not wishing to dilate
upon them, &o." This agrees with
the Targum of Jonathan which intro
duces the remark that "before this
Eve bare Cain who was not like him
(Adam), &c." The Midrash dwells
with much emphasis on the word
tholedoth, "generations" or offspring,
and regards the human race as com
prised in Adam as embryo or golem.
To this is applied Ps. cxxxix. 16 :
" Thine eyes did see my golem, and in
thy book they all were written, B'O'
Bn3 inK N7l ITi'." "He created
him golem, an unshapen mass : and
he was extended from one end of the
world to the other." (Bereshith Eab
bah xxiv.) "Everything that was
created in the six days of Bereshith
needs 'making' (i.e. preparation or
concoction). The muBtard for ex
ample needs sweetening : lupines (0ip-
poi) need sweetening : wheat needs
to be ground: even man needs Jipn,
amendment" (B. Rabbah xi.). Ac
cording to this view the " image " and
" likeness " is that to which man ap
proximates, and which is found in
greater perfection in the BIN PUTRID
than in Adam himself.
The saying that the first man was
coextensive with the world is found in
various places of the Talmud and the
Midrash. The old philosophic concep
tion that the world is a piyas &v0pw-
ttos, and man a microcosm, is adopted
by Philo and the Rabbis. The con
stituents of man were gathered from
all parts of the earth (Pirqe R. El. xi.).
The faculties of the earth correspond
to his (Qoheleth Rabbah, on Eccl. i. 4):
"Whatsoever the Holy One, blessed is
He, created in man, He created its
analogue in the earth. Man has a
head : the earth has a head (Prov.
viii. 26). Man has eyes and ears, &c,
&e.: the earth has eyes and ears, &c,
&o. (Ex. x. 15 ; Is. i. 2)." " Why was
man created alone? To teach thee
that whosoever destroys one soul of
Israel, it is reckoned to him as if he
destroyed a whole world ; and whoso
ever preserves one soul of Israel, it is
reckoned to him as if he preserved a
whole world" (Jalq. i. 15). [Sanh. iv.
5.] Man, who at first stretched from end
to end of the world, was diminished
by the hand of God, for it is said,
"Thou didst form me Blpl "linK,
and didst lay thine hand upon me "
(Ps. cxxxix. 5). See Chagigah 12 a,
where it is also said, that the first
man extended from the earth to the
firmament, for it is said that he was
created flKfi 7j>, upon or above the
earth. "Twice didst thou form me
(writes the commentator), at first high,
then low." The primal man fell short
of the Creator's n3tVnO, or idea, of
which the realization will be in the
future, when the Son of Man bridges
the chasm between heaven and earth
(Joh. i. 52). In like manner the 0us
dXvSivbv which was created in the be
ginning was withdrawn from the gene
rations that were unworthy of it (Job
xxxviii. 15), and remains hidden away
for the righteous in the time to come,
when " the light of the moon shall be
8
58
PIRQE ABOTH.
God37 ; greater love (was it that it) was made known to them
that they are called children of God, as it is said, Ye are the
children of the Lord your God (Deut. xiv. 1).
23. Beloved are Israel that there was given to them the
instrument with which the world was created37; greater love
as the light of the sun, and the light
of the sun shall be sevenfold, TN3
B'O'n PI5?3ty, as the light of the
seven days" (Is. xxx. 26) of the
creation week (Bereshith Rabbah in.,
xi., xn., xlii. ; Chagigah 12 a). With
this light the first Adam saw from end
to end of the world. The world itself
was created by it (B. Rabbah xn.,
B?ij?n N-i3i nat? miKPi nruK).
Compare Joh. i. 5 — 10 ; Kai rb &s iv
rrj OKOTta tpalvei, Kai t) crKorla abrb ob
Kar iXaftev...TJv rb tpibs rb aXijSivbv 8
tpiorl^ei irdvra dvdpioiTov ipxbpevov els
rbv Kbirpov iv Tip Kbopip i)v, Kai b
xbtrpos St' avrov iyivero, Kai b
Kbopos abrbv ovk 'iyvio.
A doctrine of progressive creations
culminating in the present order is
propounded in Beresh. Rabbah in.,
ix. : " And God saw all that He had
made, and behold it was veey good...
R. Tanchuma said, The world was
created in its season : the world was
not fit to be created before that. Said
R. Abuhu, This signifies that the
Holy One, blessed is He, was creat
ing worlds and destroying them, and
creating worlds and destroying them,
till he created these. He said, These
are satisfactory to me ; those are not
satisfactory to me."
37 Compare 1 Joh. iii. 1, 2 : "ISere
TTOTaTri)v dyd-trr-v SibioKev ijpiv b TTaTt)p,
'tva riKva Qeov KArj$wpev dyaTTTrrol,
vvv riKva Qeov iffpev, Kai oti-Tio iipave-
piL'0T) tI iabpeBa- otSapev Si on idv
tpavepio0rf opoioi avnp icrbpeda, &n bfio-
pe8a abrbv KaB&s iim. The sonship
of Israel implies their possession of
the Divine likeness in a higher degree
than Adam, or man in general. There
is a progression from § 21 to § 23.
The primal man, the embryo of the
race, is created an adumbration of
Elohim : Israel is singled out for the
distinction of sonship to niT : and
not only do they resemble the Creator
passively, but their work is likened to
His, for they have in their hands the
creative instrument, the Thorah, by
which the world was made, and by
which the Divine image is perpetuated.
R. 'Obadiah of Sforno dilates upon
man's faculty of acquiring a perfection
with which he was not specifically
created. He remarks that the expres
sion, "according to (as it were) our
likeness" (Gen. i. 26) is approximative,
and signifies, 11711013 «7 11PI101 103
'PIOKH ; and that " In imagine &c."
implies the twofold possibility (1)
of rising to perfection by means of
wisdom through which the love and
fear of God are acquired, and (2) of
lapsing into chaos and perishing, ac
cording to the words of the Psalmist,
'13 ]'3' K7l ip'3 B1K (Ps. xlix. 21),
if he will not understand, he will be
like the beasts that perish; for if man
had been wholly spiritual he might
have been called actually Elohim, a
word which is applied not only to God
but to intellectual and incorporeal
beings, as angels, and also to judges,
in respect of the voOs, or '?3tJ' pbn,
which properly belongs to them; but
since he is in part material he is de
scribed not as Elohim, but, in lower
terms, as "in the image of Elohim."
In favour of this view is Gen. iii. 5,
III. 23—25.
59
(was it that it) was made known to them that there was given
to them the instrument with which the world was created, as it
is said, For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not MY LAW
(Prov. iv. 2).
24. Everything is foreseen38; and freewill is given. And
the world is judged by grace; and everything is according to
work. 25. He used to say, Everything is given on pledge (dppa-
8oiv) ; and the net (Eccl. ix. 12) is cast over all the living. The
office is open; and the broker gives credit39; and the ledger
where, notwithstanding the original
creation "In imagine," temptation is
presented in the form, "Ye shall be
as Elohim, &c."
3S This Mishnah touches upon two
great controversies, and affirms that
the opposites, Predestination and
Freewill, Mercy and Justice, are
reconcileable. The word 'IBS might
indeed mean only that the affairs of
the world are known to God, Kai ovk
ian kt'i-tis dtpavijs ivilnriov abrov (Heb.
iv. 13), but it seems best to take it
here as including /oreknowledge, in
accordance with the remarks of R.
Jonah, who quotes Ps. cxxxix. 1, 2 :
" 0 Lord, thou hast searched me, and
known me. Thou knowest my down-
sitting and mine uprising, thou under -
standest my thought afar off." We
have thus a sharply defined contrast
between the foreknowledge of God,
and the freedom of will which is never
theless given to man. The reading of
the text, which gives a parallel con
trast between the xj"lITT0TV^ of God
(Bom. xi. 22) and His just judgment
of men according to their works, is to
be preferred to the negative reading :
"not according to work." The inser
tion of 311, which is strongly sup
ported, gives the meaning, that every
thing is according to the preponderance
of work ; that is to say, a man's good
deeds are set off against his evil deeds,
and he is condemned or acquitted ac
cording as the latter or the former are
found to be the more weighty or nu
merous. 39 The words 'llin and 'in'jlB' are
found in Ma'aser Sheni iv. 2. The
latter denotes a numularius; the former
has the more general meaning taber-
narius, and is also used for numularius,
which perhaps best suits the reading
of the text— but see note H. The world
is likened to the office of a merchant,
or of a money-broker : the tabernarius,
or numularius, the Lord of the world,
gives credit, but records the obligations
incurred; in due time the collectors,
who are daily going their rounds, exact
payment from each debtor : in the case
of a defaulter they have the arm of the
law to rest upon, and its sentence will
be according to truth.
On the meaning of TpO see Levy's
Ghaldaisches Worterbuch, s.r. t)pl.
The word is used in Qiddushin 40 a:
" They give no credit in the case of
profanation of the Name"; they grant
the offender no respite, but punish him
at once. It is used also in the-passage
cited in note 35 from the Jerushalmi,
in explanation of 'Bp'l C1TJ (one of
the seven kinds of Pharisees), who
60
PIRQE ABOTH.
(¦/rival;) is open; and the hand writes; and whosoever will
borrow comes and borrows ; and the bailiffs go round continu
ally every day, and exact from a man whether he wills or not ;
and they have whereon to lean ; and the judgment is a judg
ment of truth. And everything is prepared for the banquet40.
26. R. La'zar ben 'Azariah41 said, No Thorah, no culture;
says, niVOT35)N!K! b TpN, "warte
(eig. leihe mir Zeit), ich muss zuvor
ein gottgefalliges Werk verrichten."
40 The enjoyment of the world to
come is figuratively spoken of in Rab
binic writings as the banquet. In
the New Testament compare : Mo/tdptoi
ol els rb Seiirvov tov ydpov tov dpvlov
KeKA-qpivoi (Rev. xix. 9). The Talmud
cites Ex. xxiv. 11: "And upon the
nobles of the children of Israel he laid
not his hand : also they saw God, and
did eat and drink" — in the sense that
the vision of God, or of the Shekinah,
was meat and drink to them: "It was
a commonplace in the mouth of Rab,
that in the world to come there is
neither eating, nor drinking, nor pro
creation, nor barter, nor envy, nor
hatred, nor strife; but the righteous
sit with their crowns on their heads,
and enjoy the splendour of the She
kinah, for it is said, And they saw
God, and did eat and drink" (Bera
koth 17 a). The word akal, to eat, is
frequently used in a. secondary sense,
as in the saying of R. Hillel : " There
is no Messiah for Israel, since they
have already eaten him in the days of
Hezekiah" (Sanhedrin 98b, 99a). The
ministering angels, who are flaming
fire, are fed on the splendour of the
Shekinah, |'11T1 DPI ni'3B> 1'tO (Be-
midbar Rabbah xxi.), for it is said
(Prov. xvi. 15), "In the light of the
king's countenance is life." Lower
down in the same chapter the Holy
One is represented as saying to Israel :
"In this world ye offer before me the
shewbread and oblations. In the world
to come I will spread for you a great
table, and the nations of the world
shall behold and be confounded, for it
is said, Thou wilt prepare a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies
(Ps. xxiii. 5)... Behold, my servants
shall eat, but ye shall be hungry : be
hold, my servants shall drink, but ye
shall be thirsty" (Is. lxv. 13). The
female Leviathan is preserved for the
banquet of the righteous in the world
to come (Baba Bathra 74b). "At the
fourth hour the Holy One, blessed is
He, sits and plays with leviathan, for
it is said (Ps. civ. 26), That leviathan
whom thou hast made to play with
him, 13 pnt}>7" ('Abodah Zarah 3 b).
Compare Targ. on Ps. civ. 26, where
it is said to have been created, "jnlO?
nnno n'a my/Da x'pm1? n'a.
Cf. also, TreTTOiripivov iyKaTairai^eo-0ai
biro T&V dyyiXwv abrov (Job xl. 14 ; xli.
24), in the LXX. description of behe
moth. [Lagarde omits n'3.]
41 The rich and influential Ele'azar,
or(?) Eli'ezer,ben 'Azariah, was chosen,
notwithstanding his youth, to succeed
the second Gamaliel on his deposition
from the presidency ; whereupon B.
'Aqiba remarked: "It is not that he
excels me as a son of Thorah, but as a
son of great men" (T. J. Berakoth iv. 1).
Ben 'Azariah, who is said to have been
but 17 years of age, describes himself
as prematurely aged: "Lo, I am as a
son of 70 years, but am not a son of
III. 26—28.
61
no culture, no Thorah. No wisdom, no fear (of God) ; no fear
(of God), no wisdom. No knowledge, no discernment42 ; no dis
cernment, no knowledge. No meal, no Thorah ; no Thorah, no
meal43. 27. He used to say, Whosesoever wisdom is in excess of his
works, to what is he like ?44 To a tree whose branches are abun
dant, and its roots scanty; and the wind comes, and uproots
it, and overturns it. And whosesoever works are in excess of
his wisdom, to what is he like ? To a tree whose branches are
scanty, and its roots abundant; though all the winds come
upon it, they stir it not from its place.
28. R. La'zar Chasmah said, " Qinnim " and " Pitheche
70 years" (T. B. Berakoth 28 a). That
day they removed the doorkeeper and
gave free admission to all, whereas
Gamaliel had excluded every disciple
who was not the same inwardly as out
wardly. It is added that when any
thing is recorded as having happened
D1'3 13, the occasion of ben 'Azariah's
accession is referred to; and the day
is described as one in which all the
pending controversies were decided. It
should rather be described as the day
on which the principle of decision in
accordance with the opinion of the
majority (iv. 12), to which even Ga
maliel gave in his adhesion, came at
length to be distinctly recognised. On
the restoration of Gamaliel they did
not depose ben 'Azariah (T. J. loc. cit.)
[Berak. 7 d], but made him Ab beth din.
According to the Babli, three sabbaths
(or weeks) in the month were assigned
to Gamaliel as president, and the fourth
to ben 'Azariah. Hence it is said:
" Whose Sabbath is it ? The Sabbath
of R. El. ben 'Azariah."
42 Prov. ix. 10: "The pear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom : and
the knowledge of the holy i& under
standing." [The Torah itself teaches
pK jn (Joma 4b).]
43 The want of "corn," or, generally,
of the means of sustenance, prevents
a man from obtaining instruction, and
studying Thorah. The converse, taken
literally, would imply that Thorah fits
a man for the discharge of secular
duties, and brings worldly prosperity
in its train: "Seek ye first the king
dom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added
unto you" (Matt. vi. 33). But "Wis
dom," which is sometimes identified
with Thorah, provides sustenance also
in a spiritual sense: "Come, eat of
my bread, and drink of the wine which
I have mingled. ..For by me thy days
shall be multiplied, and the years of
thy life shall be increased" (Prov. ix.
5, 11). [Ecclus. xv. I — 3 aprov avviireas
Kai iiSiap aoiplas.]
44 The Rabbinic parables, like those
of the New Testament, are commonly
introduced by some such formula as
Mashal T'nO?, to what is the matter
like ? [Cant. Bab. i. 1 § 8 teaches that
parables are wanted to draw out the
sense of Torah.]
62
PIRQE ABOTH.
Niddah " are essentials of Thorah** ; canons of astronomy and
Gematria46 are afbercourses of wisdom47.
45 The fifth Seder of the Mishnah
contains a tract called B'lp, or nests;
and the sixth contains a tract called
mi. Qinnim relates to the young
birds which men and women were re
quired to offer in certain cases (Luke
ii. 24; Shebi'ith viii. 8). Niddah re
lates to the uncleannesses of women.
46 N'lOOl, a Hebraised form of yeio-
perpla, denotes an arithmetical method
of exegesis, in which the numerical
values of the Hebrew letters — which,
like the Greek, are used to denote num
bers — are taken into account. Thus
one word may be substituted for ano
ther to which it is numerically equiva
lent, as in Bereshith Rabbah lxviii.,
where Jacob's ladder is identified with
mount Sinai, since B?B (60 + 30 + 40)
is equal to 'I'D (60 + 10 + 50 + 10). For
other examples of this species of gema
tria see Buxtorf 's Lex. Chald. s.v. The
Egyptian Bondage was/to last 210 years,
because it is said in Gen. xiii. 2: "go
dotvn thither," the letters of 11*1, go
down, amounting to 200 + 4 + 6. The
first Temple was to stand 410 years,
for it was said (Lev. xvi. 3): "Thus
(PIKT3) shall Aaron come into the holy
place"; or, by gematria, "(2+7+1+400)
years shall he come into it." This
example and the preceding are quoted
by the so-called Rashbam in illustra
tion of the received interpretation of
gematria. The antiquity of the method
of Gematria may be gathered from
Rev. xiii. 17, 18. [Mr Burkitt (Camb.
Philolog. Soc. March 5, 1896) suggests
that Tyconius (fl. 380 a.d.) in his lost
commentary on the Apocalypse had in
mind the figure ^f- as being the mark
and representing the number (v. I.
616) of the beast. It "is a combina
tion of X' = 600, I' = 10, and c~~ (the
older form of the Episemon £"') = 6."
It would suit Antichrist as being like
the Monogram for XpiCTOC reversed,
"anti enim contra dicitur" (Beatus).
This "may have been that explanation
of 616 which S. Irenaeus (Haer. v 30)
does not think fit to explain to his
readers. In that case it would afford
the earliest trace of the use of the
Monogram as a symbol of Christ."]
47 The things first mentioned are
"corpora legis," essentials of Thorah,
as opposed to the refinements of " Ge-
matria,"and astronomical calculations.
On nBlpPl, revolution, orbit, see Levy's
Chald. W'drterbuch. According to the
usual interpretation, PIINIBIB denotes
"Delieiffi, Cupedise, Edulium vel obso-
nium ex rebus minutis et delicatis,
quod vel ante cibum sumitur excitandi
appetitus causa, vel post cibum, volup-
tatis oausa " ; and accordingly Gematria
and the like are described either (1) as
intellectual delicacies which stimulate
the appetite for wisdom, or (2) with
greater probability, as small and unim
portant matters in comparison with the
pieces de resistance mentioned above.
According to another view (given in
note n), Gematria &o. belong merely
to the outer circle of wisdom — they are
the irepi-bipeia, not the centre, of the
Thorah. Or they are the dress or
adornment (fr. vopipvpa) of wisdom, ac
cording to an improbable interpreta
tion which "Bashbam" mentions with
approval, referring to "Bab Nathan
who compiled the 'Aruk."
CHAPTER IV.
1. Ben Zoma1 said, Who is wise ? He that learns from
every man ; for it is said, From1 all my teachers I gat under
standing (Ps. cxix. 99).
2. Who is mighty? He that subdues his nature2; for it
1 Shime'on ben Zoma, » younger
contemporary of 'Aqiba, belonged to
the school of the mystics, and, from
being profoundly versed in theosophic
speculation, was said to have entered
Paradise (Chagigah 14 b; Cant. Bab.
i. 4). [Ezek. xxviii. 13.] Three others
entered with him : 'Aqiba, ben 'Azai,
and Elisha' ben Abuyah (in. 19; rv.
27). "Things which were not re
vealed to Moses were revealed to R.
'Aqiba andhis companions " (Bemidbar
Rabbah xix.). Ben Zoma, according
to Chagigah, "looked, and became
demented," from indulging too freely
in the "honey" (Prov. xxv. 16) of
metaphysics. " He who sees ben Zoma
in a dream may expect wisdom " (Bera
koth 57 b). With him the darshanim
ceased, according to Sotah 49 b.
The verse cited in proof of ben
Zoma's first saying is rendered in its
original context : "I have more under
standing than all my teachers." R.
Israel has some remarks on the love of
wisdom for its own sake. It is written,
"If thou seekest her as silver, and
searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Then shalt thou understand the fear
of the Lord, and find the knowledge
of God" (Prov. ii. 4, 5). As a man
seeks silver wherever it is to be found,
and values it all the same whether
he obtains it by the help of high, low,
rich, or poor, so let him seek wisdom
for its own sake, and from any teacher
who is able to teach him.
Why is Thorah like water? because
as a great man is not ashamed to say
to an inferior, Give me a drink of
water, so a great man is not ashamed
to say to an inferior, Teach me one
pericope, one word, one verse, or even
one letter (Chazitha, on Cant. i. 2).
And why is it like £6Xov (Prov. iii. 18)?
because, as small wood kindles the
great, so little scholars sharpen great
ones (Tha'anith 7 a). Then follows
the oft quoted saying (cf. Makkoth
10 a) : I have learned much from my
masters; and from my associates more
than from my masters; and from my
disciples more than from them all.
Bar S. observes, that the man who
struggles against the evil nature within
him has a harder warfare than he who
fights against an external foe, since
his enemy never leaves him.
2 " The wicked watcheth the righteous ,
and seeketh to slay him" (Ps. xxxvii.
64
PIRQE ABOTH.
is said, He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty ;
and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city (Prov.
xvi. 32).
3. Who is rich? He that is contented with his lot; for
it is said, When thou eatest the labour of thy hands, happy
art thou, and it shall be well with thee (Ps. cxxviii. 2).
" Happy art thou " in this world ; " and it shall be well with
thee " in the world to come3-
32). The "wicked "is man's evil nature
(Sukkah 52 b), which he must subdue,
yet not wholly destroy and eradicate,
for this would be to ruin the body by
the destruction of the psychic force.
The evil yecer rules over the animal
soul, which a man is commanded to
preserve: "Take heed to thyself, and
keep thy soul diligently" (Deut. iv. 9) ;
and in order to do this, he must to a
certain extent follow the promptings
of the yecer. Even the evil yecer is
good, for it is said: "And God saw
everything that he had made, and, be
hold, it was very good" (Gen. i. 31).
The good "IV was very good, and so
was the evil ")¥', but for which a
man would never build a house, nor
marry, nor beget, nor trade (Bereshith
Babbah rx.). The evil nature, and a
child, and a woman are things which
the left hand should repel, and the
right bring near. [Sanhedrin 107 b.]
The evil nature is called "yecer"
absolutely from its existing originally,
and for a long time alone, for "the
imagination of man's heart is evil from
his youth" (Gen. viii. 21), whereas
yecer ha-tob, which is presided over
by poOs, is added later, and then only
coexists with the evil, which is thirteen
years older (Midrash Qoheleth ix. 14;
Aboth, Addenda). The strong and
great man is he in whom the evil
nature is strong; "and therefore our
wise men, of blessed memory, have
said, In the place, where penitents
stand, the faultlessly righteous stand
not," for it is said (Is. lvii. 19), Peace.
peace to him that is far off, and to
him that is near : to the far off first,
and afterwards to the near (Berakoth
34 b).
3 It is a characteristic of Talmudic
exegesis, that, as far as possible, every
expression of Holy Scripture is re
garded as having a separate signifi
cance. In such texts as the above the
darshan allows no mere cumulation
of phrases for the sake of symmetry
or emphasis, but he sees distinct al
lusions in T"IE>K and -\b 310 to the
present and future worlds. Such two
fold allusions are continually being
pointed out in the Talmud and Mid
rash. In the text we may perhaps sup
pose a play upon the words, ashreka,
thy happiness, and 'oshreha, thy wealth.
With this saying compare 1 Tim. vi. 6:
tan 8i iropiapbs piyas t) eboifleia peri,
abrapKelas. The three sayings may
be taken as a commentary on Jer. ix.
23: "Let not the wise man glory in
his wisdom, neither let the mighty
man glory in his might, let not the
rich man glory in his riches."
It is said in Berakoth ix. 5, that all
the benedictions in the Temple used
to end simply with a seculo; but
from the time when the Epicureans
(& reads ha-minim) cavilled and said,
There is but one world, it was or
dered to conclude with a seculo in
seculum.
IV. 3—5.
65
4. Who is honoured ? He that honours mankind ; for it
is said, For them that honour me4 1 will honour, and they that
despise me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Sam. ii. 30).
5. Ben 'Azzai6 said, Hasten to a slight precept, and flee
^ from transgression ; for precept induces precept, and trans-
* In the original context the speaker
is God; but the verse is here applied
to establish the principle of reciprocity
more generally. One interpretation
is, that he who honours men is
reckoned as honouring God himself,
in whose image they were created
(in. 21), in accordance with a well-
known Rabbinic principle, which may
also be illustrated from the New
Testament. Observe that the evil is
not attributed to God : it is not said,
"I will despise them," but, they
shall be despised. "If one comes for
defilement, they suffer him ; if he
comes for purification, they help him"
(Joma 38 b) : the naphtha seller lets
his customer measure for himself: the
perfumer says, Let me help you with
the balsam, that we may both enjoy
its fragrance. "The memory of the
just is blessed" (Prov. x. 7) by his
neighbour : " but the name of the
wicked shall rot" of itself.
" Greatis PII'Tjn "1133, which super
sedes a negative precept of the Thorah "
(Berakoth 19 b).
5 Shime'on ben 'Az(z)ai, prospective
son-in-law of R. 'Aqiba, appears to
have separated from his wife for more
complete devotion to study, although
recognising the religious duty, as the
Jews regard it, of marriage and n'"IB
n'3T, in accordance with the com
mand, "Be fruitful and multiply," to
abstain from which is as murder:
" Whosoever (says ben 'Azai, in Bere
shith Eabbah xxxiv.) abstains from
procreation, the Scripture reckons it
unto him as if he shed blood, and
diminished the likeness," for it is for
bidden to shed the blood of a, man
because he was created in the image
of God (Gen. ix. 6), and in the very
next verse it is said, And you, be ye
fruitful, and multiply.
Ben 'Azai was one of the four who
entered Paradise (note 1). "He looked,
and perished", i.e. he died prema
turely, worn out by his preternatural
activity. With him the shaqdanim
came to an end (Sotah 49 b). "He
who saw ben 'Azai in a dream might
hope for chasiduth" (Berakoth 57b).
"Ben 'Azai was sitting and com
menting, and the fire was flaming
about him. They went and said to
R. 'Aqiba, Babbi, ben 'Azai sits and
comments, and the fire flames about
him. He went to him, and said to
him, I have heard that thou wast com
menting, and the fire was flaming
about thee. He said to him, Yea,
yeal He said to him, Perchance in
the recesses of the chariot thou wast
employed. He said to him, Nay, I
was but sitting and concatenating in
Thorah, and from Thorah onward to
the Prophets, and from the Prophets
to the Scriptures; and the words were
as pleasing as at their proclamation
from Sinai, and sweet as when they
were originally given" (Chazitha, on
Cant. i. 10) out of the midst of the
fire. " Habits are formed by the repeti
tion of single acts. When a man
discharges or disregards a duty he
thereby predisposes himself for a like
course of action on a future occasion. 9
66
PIRQE ABOTH.
gression induces transgression"; for the reward of precept is
precept, and the reward of transgression is transgression7.
6. He used to say, Despise not any man, and carp not at
any thing ; for thou wilt find that there is not a man that has
not his hour, and not a thing that has not its place.
7. R. Levitas of Jabneh said, Be exceeding lowly of spirit, for
the hope of man is the worm. R. Jochanan ben Baroqah said, Whoso pro
fanes the name of Heaven in secret, they punish him openly.
The erring is as the presumptuous, in profanation of the
Name8.
The passing act of transgression leads
up to a settled course of evil. He who
first "walks in the counsel of the
ungodly" (Ps. i. 1), next "stands in
the way of sinners," and at length
"sits in the seat of the scornful."
The passage cited from Sifre in Ex
cursus i. 2 (ix.), cf. Sukkah 52 a, and
Sanhedrin 99 b— interprets Is. v. 18:
"Woe unto them that draw iniquity
with cords oe vanity, and sin as it
were with a cartrope," as meaning
that the band of sin is at first slender,
like a spider's thread, but afterwards
becomes thick and strong as a cart-
rope. It is added: B. said, He who
performs one precept for its own sake,
let him not rejoice over that precept
(alone), for in due course it will draw
after it many others ; and he who com
mits one transgression, let him not
deplore that (only), for it will be the
cause of many others, For "precept
leads on to precept, and transgression
to transgression."
7 Welldoing is the fruit of well
doing, and evildoing the fruit of evil-
doing. This is interpreted by B.
Jonah as meaning, not that "virtue is
its own reward," and the consciousness
of wickedness its sole punishment, but
that a man is responsible for his ac
tions, inasmuch as one action is con
sequent upon another, and he has thus
the power of educating and predis
posing himself for good or evil. The
performance of duty is rewarded by an
increased facility of subsequent per
formance. 8 In the case of profanation of the
Name of God, no allowance is made
for inadvertence, but the man is pun
ished forthwith. Sins of ignorance
and those committed deliberately are
reckoned as one and the same. "On
account of what was Gechazi pun
ished? Because he called his master
by his name, for it is said, And Ge
chazi said, My lord, 0 king, this is the
woman, and this is her son, whom
Elisha restored to life" (2 Kings viii.
5 ; Sanhedrin 100 a). A feeling of re
verence leads the Jews to avoid, as far
as possible, all mention of the Names
of God. This feeling is manifested,
not only in the case of CTBOn BB>
(p. 56), for which Adonai or Elohim
is substituted in the reading of Scrip
ture, but, in their post-canonical litera
ture, even with regard to less sacred,
and not incommunicable Divine names.
In the Talmud and Midrash, and (with
the exception of Prayer Books) in the
Rabbinic writings generally, it is the
custom to abstain from using the Bib
lical names of God, except in citations
from the Bible; and even when Elohim
is necessarily brought in, it is often
IV 6—8.
67
8. R. Ishma'el his son said, He that learns in order to
intentionally misspelt, Elodim, or Elo-
qim. For i"I1iT again, especially in
Qabbalistio works, we find the spell
ings, TuT and T.T. In the treatise
Pirqe Aboth, as the reader may easily
verify for himself, all direct mention
of " God " is avoided, except in Biblical
quotations, and in an interpolated
liturgical formula (v. 31).
D'Ot?'] Heaven is one of the usual
substitutes for the Name of God. Cf.
i. 3, 12; ii. 2, 16; iv. 7, 16 (note),
17; v. 24, 25. It is a well-known
characteristic of St Matthew's Gospel
that, amongst other Hebraisms, it
makes frequent use of the phrase t)
flaaiAeta t&v obpavuv, instead of t) fiaai-
Aela toC GeoO. Compare also Matt.
xxiii. 22: Kai b dpbaas iv rip obpavip
dpvvei iv rip 0pbv(p tov Qeov, Kai iv rip
Kadijpivip iirdvoj abrov. St Paul again
writes, rravra els Sbl-av Qeov iroieiTe
(1 Cor. x. 31), the equivalent of which
in the Mishnah language is, "Let all
thy deeds be to the name of Heaven "
(Aboth n. 16).
BlpOn] Place, or Space, is another
Name of God which was in common
use. Cf. n. 13, 17; in. 5, 6, 15, 22;
v. 7. There is external evidence for
its antiquity in Philo's use of 6 rbiros,
on which see note 42, p. 39. This use
of 6 rbvos throws light upon the peri
phrasis of the LXX. in Ex. xxiv. 10:
Kai elSov rbv tSttov ov elaTT)Kei b Qebs.
Btyn] The Name (iv. 7; v. 14) was
used as a substitute for i"I1iT, or
"God." Traces of this usage are
found in birip tov dvbparos dnpaa09)vai
(Acts v. 41), and birip yap tov dvbparos
i%r)X0ov, pij8iv Aapfidvovres dirb twv
iffviKuv (3 John 7). Since rb ovopa
was used as a synonym for "God,"
the actions of God himself appeared
to be attributed to the Name of God.
Hence the Qabbalistio mode of expres
sion, according to which a power and
efficacy was attributed to the most
holy Name, which was regarded as an
instrument in the hand of the ini
tiated. n"3pn] The Holy One, blessed
is He, is used as a Name of God,
either as a supplement to other ex
pressions (ni. 1; iv. 32), or alone (v. 6).
The use of a benediction, as XI n "|1"I3,
or "pan*, at the mention of God is
thought to be required by Prov. x. 7 :
"The memory of the just is blessed,"
the mention of the Holy One should
be accompanied with benediction.
(The hemistich is also quoted by its
initials when reference is made to a
"just" man who is no longer living.
The use of these initials, 7"ST — or
briefly 7"t, beata memoria ejus — indi
cates that the person whose name
they follow is dead.) But 'pn is found
alone, without n"3, in the Machazor
Vitry. Compare Job vi. 10: "for I
have not concealed Clip 'ION, the
words of the Holy One." In like
manner d 0710s is used in the book of
Ecclesiasticus, Kai bvopaala tov aylov
pi) avve0ia0-rjs (xxiii. 9). On the other
hand, 6 6^X07777-65 stands alone as a
Name of God in Mark xiv. 61.
The pronunciation of nin' was
thought to be prohibited by Lev. xxiv.
16: "And he that blasphemeth the
name of the Lord, he shall surely be
put to death, and all the congregation
shall certainly stone him : as well the
stranger, as he that is born in the
land, when he blasphemeth the Name,
shall be put to death." The Jews here
render 3pl not blaspheme, but pro
nounce distinctly. So the LXX., 'Ovo-
pd$oiv Si rb Svopa Kvplov Bavdnp 0ava-
Toba0w. The non-pronunciation of
nin', which was already an established
practice when the LXX. version was
68
PIRQE ABOTH.
teach9, they grant him the faculty to learn and to teach : he
that learns in order to practise, they grant him the faculty
to learn, and to teach, and to practise.
9. R. Qadoq said, Make them10 not a crown, to glory in
them ; nor an ax, to live by them. And thus was Hillel wont
to say, And he who serves himself with the tiara perishes
(i. 14). Lo, whosoever makes profit from words of Thorah
removes his life from the world.
10. R. Jose said, Whosoever honours the Thorah11 is
himself held in honour with men; and whosoever dishonours
the Thorah is himself dishonoured with men.
11. R. Ishma'el said, He that refrains himself from
judgment, frees himself from enmity, and rapine, and false
swearing12; and he that is arrogant in decision13 is foolish,
wicked, and puffed up in spirit.
made, may be regarded as the germ of
the Qabbalistio theosophy, in which
God was removed to an infinite dis
tance from the material world, and
the interval was populated with a suc
cession of intermediate creations, or
emanations from the Deity.
9 It is said in Sanhedrin 99 a, that
he who learns Thorah and does not
teach it, he it is that "hath despised
the word of the Lord" (Numb. xv. 31).
The initial letters of the .words
HO1?!? PllO b]l form the word 70S?.
Conversely, by one of the Rabbinic
artifices of exegesis, Job v. 7 (as
noticed by P. Ewald) is made to
mean, not that "man is born to
trouble," but that he is born to learn
in order to teach. Another example
of the method of PI13PI 'CN"I or ini
tials, is afforded by the word JON,
Amen, which is Qabbalistically ex
plained as an abbreviation of "|7D ?K
{OKI, God is a Faithful King.
10 Another reading is: "Make it
(the Thorah) not a crown, &c." The
reading of the text is explained in two
ways, either (1) make not words of
Thorah a. crown, or (2) make not thy
disciples a crown, &o. The latter
explanation may be supported by St
Paul's use of aritpavos in Phil. iv. 1,
and 1 Thess. ii. 19. " On account of
what was Abraham our father punished,
and his sons subjugated to Egypt for
210 years? Because he impressed
scholars into his service" (Gen. xiv.
14 ; Nedarim 32 a) in his expedition
for the rescue of Lot.
11 Pseudo-Rashi gives the following
explanations of, Whosoever honours the
Thorah; "He who does not leave
the book of the Thorah on the floor,
or on a bench; and some say, He
who inclines his ear to the book of
the Thorah, and does not talk while
the Chazan is reading it; and some
say, He who does not leave it open,
and go out. "
12 He who arbitrates between con
tending parties incurs the enmity of
those who are disappointed by his
decisions. He also runs the risk of
IV. 9—15.
69
12. He used to say, Judge not alone, for none may judge
alone save One; and say not, Accept ye my opinion, for
they are free-to-choose14, and not thou.
13. R. Jochanan said, Whosoever fulfils the Thorah in
poverty15, will at length fulfil it in wealth ; and whosoever
neglects the Thorah in wealth, will at length neglect it in
poverty (Luke vi. 21, 25).
14. R. Meir said, Have little business, and be busied in
Thorah; and be lowly in spirit unto every man; and if thou
idlest from the Thorah, thou wilt have idlers many against
thee16; and if thou labourest in the Thorah, He17 hath much
reward to give unto thee.
15. R. Li'ezer ben Jacob said, He who performs one
precept has gotten to himself one advocate18; and he who
doing injustice by erroneous judg
ments, and of giving occasion to false
hood and perjury on the part of the
litigants. Compare i. 10, where the
judge is admonished to be on his
guard whilst examining the witnesses
in a suit: "be guarded in thy words,
perchance from them they may learn
to he."
13 "He who puffs up his heart,
thinking within himself that he knows
how to decide in a cause without fail,
behold, he is foolish. He is called
foolish because he is wise in his own
eyes, than which there is no greater
folly, for (Prov. xxvi. 12; xxix. 20)
there is more hope of a fool than of
him" (R. Jonah). To exemplify the
use of the word ntOin, cf. Horaioth
3b: "Whatsoever decision has gone
forth publicly in the congregation, an
individual who practises it is released,
because decision was only given to
distinguish between the erring and the
presumptuous." 14 It rests with thy colleagues to
choose whether they will adopt thy
opinion: it is not for thee to force it
upon them.
15 " 'Whosoever ' blackens his visage '
for the sake of words of Thorah in
this world, the Holy One, blessed is
He, will make his splendour to shine
in the world to come, for it is said
(Cant. v. 15), His countenance is as
Lebanon, excellent as the cedars
Whosoever starves himself for the
sake of words of Thorah in this world,
the Holy One, blessed is He, will
satiate him in the world to come, for
it is said (Ps. xxxvi. 8), They shall be
abundantly satisfied with the fatness
of thy house; and thou shalt make
them drink of the river of thy plea
sures" (Sanhedrin 100 a).
16 He who is watchful [Jer. i. 12] in
the study of Thorah has given to him
11113 {'I'lptS', and he who idly desists
from Thorah study has given to him
11113 {'1703— as lions, bears, thieves,
and robbers. See Aboth B. N. xxix.
[p. 87].
17 Here again the good only, and
not the evil, is attributed directly to
God. See note 4.
18 We have here in a Hebrew form
the word irapdK\r)Tos, or Advocate
(1 Joh. ii. 1), one who is called to a
70
PIRQE ABOTH.
commits one transgression has gotten to himself one accuser.
Repentance and good works19 are as a shield against punish
ment.
person's aid, which is rendered, per
haps wrongly, comforter in Joh. xiv.
16, 26; xv. 26; xvi. 7. With this
Mishnah compare Shemoth Rabbah
xxxii. : "If a man performs one pre
cept, the Holy One, blessed is He,
gives him one angel to guard him, for
it is said (Ps. xxxiv. 7) : The angel of
the Lord encampeth round about them
that fear Him. If he performs two
precepts He gives him two angels to
guard him, for it is said (Ps. xci. 11):
For He shall give His angels charge
over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
If he performs many precepts He gives
him the half of His host, for it is said
(Ps. xci. 7) : A thousand shall alight
at thy side, and ten thousand at thy
right hand: that is the half of his
host, for it is said (Ps. lxviii. 17) : The
chariots of God are twenty thousand,
even thousands of angels."
19 "It was a commonplace in the
mouth of Baba that, The perfection of
wisdom is repentance" (Berakoth 17a).
"When a man has been wholly wicked
all his days, and has repented at last,
the Holy One, blessed is He, receives
him." This follows from Ezek. xxxiii.
19: But if the wicked turn from his
wickedness, and do that which is law
ful and right, he shall live thereby.
Said E. Jochanan, Nay, more. All
the transgressions which he has com
mitted are imputed to him as merits,
as is proved by Ps. xiv. 9 : Myrrh and
aloes and cassia are all thy PI1T13 :
all the transgressions which thou hast
committed against me are as myrrh
and aloes and cassia (T. J. Peah i. 1).
A similar play on 1'113, in Gen. xxvii.
27, which may be pointed so as to
mean transgressions or transgressors,
is implied in Bereshith Rabbah lxv.
Penitents are set above "just persons
which need no repentance" in a say
ing quoted in note 2.
Repentance was created before the
world (Nedarim 39 b. Cf . p. 12) : with
out it the world could not stand: the
repentance of one man brings forgive
ness to the whole world. On the effi
cacy of repentance, and of sacrificial
Atonement, see the end of Mishnah
Joma, and the Gemara upon it. For
certain sins, repentance gives a respite,
and the day of atonement atones ; but
he who sins against his neighbour
must first be reconciled to. him. The
unpardonable sin, in the case of which
repentance gives not respite, nor does
the day of atonement atone, nor have
sufferings a purgatorial efficacy, but
these together only give respite, till
death purges (Is. xxii. 14), is profana
tion of the name (Joma 86 a).
The wise man, 310 IX', delivers
the citadel of the body from TPIV by
means of repentance and good works
(Nedarim 32 b). Said R. Ele'azar b.
R. Jose, All the righteousness and
piety that Israel perform in this world
make great peace and great paracletes
between Israel and their Father which
is in Heaven... Great is righteousness,
which brings the redemption nigh...
Ten hard things were created in the
world. Rock is hard, but iron cuts it :
fire fuses iron : water quenches fire :
clouds bear water : wind scatters
clouds: the body bears the wind: fear
shatters the body: wine dispels fear:
sleep dissipates wine; and death is
harder than all of them, but right
eousness delivers from death (Prov. x.
2 ; Baba Bathra 10 a).
IV. 16, 17.
16. R. Jochanan Sandalarius said, Whatsoever assemblage
is in the name of duty20 will in the end be established ; and
that which is not in the name of duty will not in the end be
established. 17. R. La'zar said, Let the honour of thy disciple be dear
unto thee as the honour of thine associate21 ; and the honour of
20 Or "of Heaven," according to the
usual reading. Aboth R. N. xl. reads
niXO, and illustrates the saying from
the Great Synagogue, on the one hand,
and the Generation of the Dispersion
(Gen. xi. 8) on the other.
21 The climax is broken by the
reading: "Dear unto thee as thine
own," which may have arisen from
assimilation to other passages, as n.
17. R. Jonah remarks that a man is
not enjoined to honour his disciple
precisely as he honours his associate,
but rather to be equally scrupulous in
according to each the honour due to
him, " each one according to his
honour.'- Fear includes honour, but
honour does not include fear. The two
words are brought together in Mal. i. 6 :
"A son honoureth his father, and a
servant his master: if then I be a
father, where is mine honour? and
if I be a master, where is my fear ? "
With the concluding words of this
Mishnah compare St Paul's np Kvplip
(Eph. vi. 7).
The claims of a man's Father and
his Teacher to precedence in certain
cases are laid down in Baba Meci'a ii.
11: "Si res sua perdita sit et patris
sui, turn sua pracedit; si sua et ma-
gistri ipsius res perdita sit, turn sua
prascedit. Si patris et magistri ipsius
...res magistri prsecedit, nam pater
eum quidem produxit in hune mun-
dum,- sed magister ejus, qui ipsum
sapientiam docuit, traduxit ipsum in
mundum futurum. Sin autem pater
ipsius fuerit sapiens, res patris pra-
cedit. Si pater et magister ipsius
ferant onus, onus magistri prius de-
ponet, et deinde onus patris. Si
pater et magister fuerint in captivi-
tate (et non habuerit quo utrumque
redimat) prius redimet magistrum
ipsius, et deinde patrem. Si pater ip
sius fuerit sapiens, redimet prius pa
trem, et deinde magistrum suum."
"A scholar must not rise up before
his master except twice in the day,
morning and evening, in order that
the honour of his master may not
exceed that of Heaven " (Qiddushin
33 b), where allusion is made to the
practice of saying the Shema' morning
and evening. [See mt^O S|03 on Maim.
Hilkoth Talmud Torah vi. 8.]
The scholar who controverts his Bab
is as if he controverted the Shekinah
(Sanhedrin 110 a) : he who engages in
strife with his Bab is as if he engaged
in strife with the Shekinah: he who
speaks, or thinks, evil against his Rab
is as if he did it against the Shekinah.
God himself is the great Chief Rabbi,
and diligently studies and teaches
Thorah. " Then began the Synagogue
of Israel to utter praise to the Lord
of the world, and thus she spake, That
God it is my delight to serve, who is
clad by day in a robe white as snow,
the Divine glory of whose face flames
like fire from greatness of wisdom and
thought, who originates new lessons
every day, and will announce them to
his people in the great day" (Targ.
Cant. v. 10). "Said Moses the pro-
72
PIRQE ABOTH.
thine associate as the fear of thy master ; and the fear of thy
master as the fear of Heaven.
18. R. Jehudah said, Be careful in Thalmud, for error in
Thalmud amounts to sin22.
19. R. Shime'on said, There are three crowns: the crown
, of Thorah, and the crown of Priesthood, and the crown of
Royalty (Ex. xxv. 10, 11 ; xxx. 1, 3 ; xxv. 23, 24) ; but the crown
• of a good name23 mounts above them (Eccl. vii. 1).
20. R. Nehorai said, Betake thyself to a place of Thorah,
and say not that it shall come after thee ; for24 thine associates
phet, When I went up to the height,
I saw there the Lord of all the worlds,
nin', quartering the day into four
parts. Three hours He was employed
in Thorah: three in judgment: three
in provisioning the world: and three
in uniting man and wife (Targ. Jerus.
Deut. xxxii.). The fourfold division is
given, with a variation, in 'Abodah
Zarah 3b: during the fourth quarter
of the day, according to one statement,
" He sits and teaches school children
[Rashi 1P10B>] Thorah" (Is. xxviii. 9;
Jalqut 302), a work which is of such
importance that it must not be stopped
even for the building of the sanctuary
(Shabbath 119 b).
22 Forgetfulness, or mistake in study,
is here said to be equivalent to
a deliberate sin, in order to impress
upon the student the duty of constant
repetition with a view to ensure ac
curacy. Compare the expression used
above in § 7, where it is said that no
distinction is made between uninten
tional and deliberate profanation of
the Name. So in Chagigah 5 a, it is
said, with reference to the last verse
of Ecclesiastes, "He weighs out to
him errors as deliberate sins." He
who forgets his Thalmud commits a
deadly sin (in. 12). "Action depends
on Thalmud, and not Thalmud on
action" (Sifre, 3pV).
23 A "good name" in general is
here called a crown. In like manner
the Name of God is compared to a
crown, as in Pirqe R. Eli'ezer xlvii.,
where it is said that at the giving of
the Law six hundred thousand angels
descended, and crowned each one of
the sons of Israel with the crown of
Shem ha-mephorash. As long as they
wore these crowns they were holier
than the angels of God, and the angel
of death had no power over them. It
is said [ib. rv.] that the Holy One sits in
heaven with the crown of the ineffable
Name upon His head. [Cf. Shab. 88 a,
Targ. Jon. Ex. xxxii. 25.]
24 A man should frequent a place
where there are facilities for instruc
tion, and should not trust to himself
for the acquisition of the knowledge of
Thorah. He must go to the Thorah,
and not expect the Thorah to come to
him. If he associates himself with
scholars he will be well grounded in
it by their aid, for the knowledge of it
is acquired by association. See pp.
16, 33.
According to another view of the
latter part of this Mishnah, a man
must not trust to his companions for
instruction: "Say not that thine as
sociates will establish itinthinehands :
depend not upon thine associates, who
have themselves gone^to learn, to
IV. 18—23.
73
will confirm it unto thee ; and lean not unto thine own under
standing (Prov. iii. 5).
21. R. Jannai said, Neither the security of the wicked,
nor the afflictions of the righteous, are in our hand25.
22. R. Matthiah ben Charash said, Be beforehand in salut
ing26 every man ; and be a tail to lions, and not a head to
foxes27. 23. R. Jacob said, This world is like a vestibule28 before
come and teach thee ; for thou thyself
must go with them and pursue after
Thorah, if thou wouldest know it. But
lean not unto thine own understand
ing: although thou learnest, and be-
takest thyself to a place of Thorah,
and growest wise, lean not unto thine
own understanding. Depend not upon
thine opinion, but do all that thou
doest by the advice of the wise." So
B. Jonah, agreeing with At.
25 We are unable to answer the
questions: Why do the wicked flourish?
Why do the righteous suffer?
26 Literally, Anticipate the Peace of
every man; "Peace" being the usual
form of greeting. " Whosoever knows
that his friend is accustomed to salute
him, let him anticipate his salutation,
for it is said, Seek peace, and pursue
it (Ps. xxxiv. 15). And if he salutes
him, and he does not return it, he is
called a spoiler, for it is said (Is. iii.
14), For ye have eaten up the vine
yard; the spoil of the poor is in your
houses" (Berakoth 6b). "They said
of B. Jochanan ben Zakkai that no
man ever anticipated him in saluta
tion, not even a Gentile in the street"
(Berakoth 17 a).
27 "Be a tail to lions, and not a
head to foxes." " Thy glory is to make
thyself a tail, and to abase thyself, and
follow after a scholar of the wise, rather
than to be a head unto foxes, to worth
less men, who are accounted only as
foxeB, And I have found a Scripture
proof for it, for it is said (Prov. xiii.
20), He that walketh with wise men
shall be wise " (At). Compare Eccl.
vii. 5 : " It is better to hear the rebuke
of the wise, than for a man to hear
the song of fools."
28 The word rendered vestibule is
generally identified with irpb0vpov,
which however it does not resemble
quite so closely as might have been
expected. Bar S. (see Grit. Note)
adopts the view that it should be writ
ten with final Daleth, for Resh. [This
reading is to be preferred.]
Sinners who have been companions
in this world will be separated in the
world to come ; he who repents before
death will be numbered with the
righteous, and he who does not re
pent, with the wicked. The latter
will say, Were we not together in the
world? did we not steal and do all
manner of evil works together? why
then are we separated? is there then
respect of persons with God? They
will answer, that it is repentance
which has made the separation be
tween him and his companion. "Suffer
me then," he will say, "to go and re
pent"; but it will be answered that
the time for repentance has gone by,
for "this world is like a sabbath, and
the world from which thou camest is
like the sabbath eve: if a man pro
vides not on the sabbath eve, what
shall he eat on the sabbath? The
world from which thou camest is like
10
74
PIRQE ABOTH.
the world to come ; prepare thyself at the vestibule, that thou
mayest be admitted into the hall29.
24. He used to say, Better is one hour of repentance and
good works in this world than all the life of the world to
come80 ; better is one hour of refreshment of spirit in the world
to come than all the life of this world.
25. R. Shime'on ben Ele'azar said, Conciliate not thy
friend in the hour of his passion ; and console him not in
the hour when his dead is laid out before him ; and " inter
rogate '' him not in the hour of his vow ; and strive not to see
him in the hour of his disgrace.
26. Shemuel ha-Qatan said31, Rejoice not when thine
Shemuel is placed in the same cate
gory with Hillel in T. J. Sotah ix. 13 :
"The elders entered into Beth Gadia
in Jericho, and Bath Qol went forth
and said to them, There is among you
a man worthy of the Holy Spirit, only
that the generation is unfit; and they
cast their eyes upon Hillel ha-Zaqen.
And when he died they used to say
of him, Alas! meek pious one, disciple
of 'Ezra! And again, the elders
entered into an upper chamber in
Jabneh, and Bath Qol went forth and
said to them, There is among you one
worthy of the Holy Spirit, only that
the generation is unfit ; and they cast
their eyes on Shemuel ha-Qatan. And
why was his name called Qatan? Be
cause he made himself little. But
some say, because he was scarcely less
than Shemuel ha-Bamathi. And when
he died, they used to say of him, Alas,
meek pious one, disciple of Hillel ha-
Zaqen!" He is said to have drawn
up the "Heretic Benediction" (Bera
koth 28 b) still found in the Jewish
ritual. Gamaliel ha-Zaqen himself is
sometimes alluded to as perhaps the
author of the "Benediction"; but
what appears from the passage of
Berakoth above alluded to is that
Gamaliel II., desiring to have a birkafh
dry land, and this world like sea : if
a man provides not for himself on the
land, what shall he eat on the sea?
This world is like a wilderness, and
the world from which thou camest is
like inhabited land : if a man provides
not for himself from the inhabited
land, what shall he eat in the wilder
ness?" See Midrash Qoheleth, i. 15;
Midrash Buth, cap. in.
29 This word is sometimes rendered
"palace"; but it is reallya translitera
tion of TpiKAlviOV.
30 Repentance and amendment in
this life are accounted an equivalent
for the life to come ; they are the price
paid for it, and a means by which it
is secured to a man. On the other
hand the joys of the world to come
are such that "one hour" of them
outweighs all the enjoyment of the
present world, in the same way that,
as the Psalmist says of the sanctuary:
"A day in thy courts is better than a
thousand." 31 The saying ascribed to Shemuel
consists, according to the best-attested
reading, of an extract from the book
of Proverbs, without note or comment,
which "he was accustomed to repeat."
It is found also at the end of Pereq v.
in some copies.
IV. 24—29.
75
enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stum-
bleth (Prov. xxiv. 17).
27. Elisha' ben Abiyyah32 said, He who learns as a lad, to
what is he like ? to ink written on fresh paper ; and he who
learns when old, to what is he like? to ink written on used
paper33. 28. R. Jose ben Jehudah of Kaphar ha-Babli said, He
who learns from the young, to what is he like ? to one that
eats unripe grapes, and drinks wine from his vat; and he
who learns from the old, to what is he like ? to one that eats
ripened grapes, and drinks old wine.
29. R. said, Regard not the flask, but what is therein ;
there is a new flask that is full of old (wine), and an old one
in which there is not even new34.
ha-minim added to the Eighteen Bene
dictions, asked if there was anyone
able to draw up such a formula ; and,
in answer to his appeal, Shemuel sup
plied the required form of words, as a
modification (it is thought) of an older
" Saddwcee-Benediction," to the satis
faction of Gamaliel.
32 The usual form is Elisha' ben
Abuyah, but Abiyyah is a Biblical
name. [1 Kings xiv. 1 Abijah.]
The tendency of this Elisha's specu
lations was destructive : when he
entered Paradise (note 1), he began
to "destroy the plants therein." He
ultimately apostatised, and became
a derider of Judaism ; and accord
ingly, in the Talmudic account of the
entry of the four into Paradise, his
name is suppressed, and he is only
indirectly alluded to as inK, a certain
" other." Dr Ad. Neubauer, in a report on
" Talmud ical and Babbinical Litera
ture" (Philological Society, 1876),
notices a Hebrew rendering of Goe
the's Faust, in which "The dramatis
personas are taken from Jewish history ;
for instance, the learned and dissatis
fied Faust is represented by the Tal-
mudical Elishah, son of Abuyah, who,
searching too deeply for the solution
of theosophical problems, was finally
driven to apostasy... The translator,
the late Dr Letteris, has in our judg
ment in many respects surpassed the
original." The title of the rendering,
which was published in Vienna in the
year 1865, is Ben Abuyah, Goethe's
Faust, cine Tragoedie in einer hebr'd-
ischen Umdichtung.
33 R. Sh. ben Gamliel further com
pares one who learns Thorah in his
youth to a young man who marries a
maiden well suited to him (Aboth R.
N. xxiii.). Learning in youth is also
likened to graving upon stone ; and
learning in old age, to tracing charac
ters upon the sand.
34 The saying of Rabbi is a correc
tive of that of Jose ben Jehudah,
which immediately precedes. B. Jose
describes the learning of the young as
crude and immature, like new wine :
Rabbi shews by another comparison
that this is not always the case. On
the contrary, as a new flask may con
tain old wine, so the mind of the
76
PIRQE ABOTH.
30. R. Li'ezer ha-Qappar said, Jealousy, and lust, and
ambition, put a man out of the world35.
31. He used to say, The born are to die ; and the dead to
revive ; and the living to be judged ; for to know, and to notify,
and that it may be known36, that He is the framer, and He the
as it grows old in the bottle, JOT 73
Jplpa {B»DO N!PIS5>. Or is it like
water, which does not rejoice the heart
of man? Nay, like wine, which does
rejoice the heart of man. Is it then
like wine, which is sometimes bad for
the head and for the body? Nay
rather, like oil, which is good for both,
&o. "Thy love is better than wine,"
interpreted by Gematria (in. 28),
signifies that Israel is- more beloved
than the t + i + v ( = 70) nations of the
world. [In vino Veritas, for {" is by
Gematria 11D, secret ('Erub. 65 a).]
35 The same is said in ii. 15 of the
evil eye [Ecclus. xiv. 10 6 aiPia'tJ' IV until fte writes
the name of the Name (Lev. xix. 28).
In Lev. xxiv. 11 A.V. "the name" is
expanded into "the name of the Lord,"
cf. St James v. 14 (ed. Mayor p. 161,
1892). The author of the Bundle of
Myrrh notes that the law of Moses is
the law of God, nE>D being an anagram
of and equal by Gematria to Dt^n.
CHAPTER V.
1. By ten Sayings1 the world was created. And what is
learned therefrom ? for could it not have been created by one
1 The world is described as created
by sayings, because in Genesis the acts
of creation are introduced by 'N ION'1,
"and God said." '13 'Pl'1 lOK KM '3
(Ps. xxxiii. 9). In the Jalqut, which
commences with the paragraph Aboth
v. 1, nine occurrences of ION'1 are
reckoned, and the tenth is said to be
implied in n'CXia, "In the beginning
God created the heavens and the
earth," since it is said that " by the
word of the Lord ('" 1313)" the
heavens were created (Ps. xxxiii. 6).
[Rosh ha-Shanah 32 a.] In Pirqe R. El.
in., ten va-yomer's are reckoned (Gen.
i. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29 ; ii. 18),
the last being that which leads up to the
creation of woman. In Bereshith Rab
bah xvii., the first "Saying" is taken
as implied in PI'K'Nia : the second in
K mil (i. 2) : then follow eight of
those specified above, from Gen. i. 3
to i. 26, ending with the creation of
man ; but it is added that Menachem
bar Jose excludes '13 niT, and re
places it by iii. 18. In Chagigah 12 a,
it is said in the name of Rab, that by
ten "things," or D'131, the world
was created : some of the ten things
specified, as clwchmah, chesed, geburah,
being found also among the ten Sephi-
roth of the Qabbalists.
The point of view in the text is
that the grandeur of Creation is more
impressively portrayed as the outcome
of repeated acts of power, than as the
immediate result of a single fiat of
omnipotence. "God laboured so much
in creating the world by ten sayings "
in order to emphasize the guilt of the
sinners who mar His work, and the
merit of the righteous who preserve it.
But elsewhere creation is described as
requiring the least conceivable effort on
the part of God : read not DNI^^^j
" on their being created," but (as two
words) DK13 'n3 [Gen. Bab. xx. 2], He
created them by the letter H ; "by the
breath of His mouth."
Various other ways of representing
the creative process are found in the
Rabbinic writings. Thorah, which is
identified with Wisdom (Prov. viii. 1),
and with 'Apx'J (ver. 22), is introduced
as the speaker in Gen. i. 1: "By me,
who am 'Apx~n, God created, <&c." —
where the first word is read as two,
Pl'B>N1 '3 (Jalqut 2). The ideal
Israel is also said to be the creative
agent: "By the merit of Israel, who
are called reshith (Jer. ii. 3), God
created the heavens and the earth."
"B. Berekiah said, By the merit of
Moses the world was created, &a."
"From each word, 1131, that pro
ceeded from the mouth of the Holy
V. 1, 2.
79
Saying ? But it was that vengeance might be taken on the
wicked, who destroy the world that was created by ten Sayings ;
and to give a goodly reward to the righteous, who maintain the
world that was created by ten Sayings.
2. Ten generations were there from Adam to Noach2, to
shew how great was His longsuffering (1 Pet. iii. 20) ; for all
One, blessed is He, there was created
an angel, for it is said (Ps. xxxiii. 6) :
By the word of the Lord were the
heavens made; and all the host of
them by the breath of His mouth"
(Chagigah 14 a).
The subjects of PWK13, and of
n3aiO, the chariot (cf. Ezek. i.),
were made a nucleus of theosophic
speculations, which were only to be
communicated with the greatest cau
tion, for it is said: "Honey and milk
are under thy tongue (Cant. iv. 11),
things which are sweeter than honey
should be under thy tongue" (Cha
gigah 13 a), or should not be revealed.
"Non exponunt... opera creationis cum
duobus, neque currum cum uno, nisi
fuerit sapiens qui sensum intelligit.
Quicunque considerat quatuor causas,
ei melius fuisset quod nunquam in-
trasset mundum; nempe id quod su
pra est, quod infra est, et quod ante
est, et quod post est. Et quicunque
non attendit ad honorem Creatoris
sui, ei melius fuisset quod non intras-
set mundum" (Chagigah ii. 1).
In connexion with the subject of
esoteric doctrine and mysticism it
may be remarked that the name
'Eo-o-cuos (cf. n. 10; v. 16), or Essene,
not improbably denotes secret, or
mystic; for (1) the word 'KBTI, secret,
or silent, would naturally be transli
terated 'T&aoaTos, in the same way that
|B>n, as Jost remarks (Gesch. A. 207,
Note), is by Josephus transliterated
"&aar)v, and (2) " We may illustrate
this derivation by Josephus' descrip
tion of the Essenes, B. J. ii. 8. 5,
tois t^uBev ihs pvaTTjpibv n tppiKrbv i)
twv hSov aiwiri] KaTatbalverai, and per
haps this will also explain the Greek
equivalent 0eiopi)nKol, which Suidas
gives for "Eaaaioi. The use of the
Hebrew word D'NKTI in Mishna She-
kalim v. 6, though we need not assume
that the Essenes are there meant, will
serve to show how it might be adopted
as the name of the sect." See Pro
fessor Lightfoot's recent edition of St
Paul's Epistle to the Colossians [1875],
where a full account of the conflicting
theories about the Essenes is given.
2 Ten generations are reckoned (Gen.
v. 3 — 29), including both Adam and
Noah. It is said of dor ha-mabbul
the generation of the deluge, that they
have no portion in the world to come
(Sanhedrin xi. 3). The thought that
God, after bearing so long with the
wickedness of those evil generations,
did at length bring the flood upon
the earth, should assure Israel that
He will in due time put an end to their
captivity, and requite their oppressors
according to their works (B. Jonah).
"What is the meaning of the seven
days (of respite): For yet seven days,
and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth, Gen. vii. 4, 10? They were
the days of mourning for Methuselah,
to teach thee that the death of the
righteous hinders punishments from
coming" (Sanhedrin, 108 b).
80
PIRQE ABOTH.
the generations were provoking Him, till He brought the
deluge upon them.
3. Ten generations were there from Noach to Abraham3,
to shew how great was His longsuffering ; for all the genera
tions were provoking Him, till Abraham our father came, and
received the reward of them all.
4. With ten temptations4 was Abraham our father tempted,
3 The ten generations are reckoned
(Gen. xi. 10 — 26), excluding Noach.
"Our Rabbis have said, that when
Noah died Abraham our father was
58 years old; yet if thou number the
descendants, thou wilt find ten gene
rations between them, for although
Noah prolonged his days ten genera
tions, the generations are reckoned
to shew how great was His longsuffer
ing, for all the generations were pro
voking Him, till Abraham our father
came. And they have not said here,
Till He took vengeance on them, for
Abraham our father made up for all
their shortcomings, and wrought good
which counterpoised all their evil, and
delivered them from punishments "
(R. Jonah). But the like is not said
of Noah, who was only relatively
righteous: he was "perfect in his
own generations" (Gen. vi. 9), but
not in the generations of others (San
hedrin 108 a).
4 The temptations of Abraham are
reckoned in more than one way. At,
referring to "Pirqe R. Eli'ezer ben
Hyrqanus," gives the following com
putation. 1. Nimrod sought to slay
him, and he hid himself in the earth
thirteen years. 2. Nimrod cast him
into the fiery furnace, because he
would not worship his idols, and the
fire had no power over him to burn
him (Targ. Jonathan, Gen. xi. 28 ;
Bereshith Rabbah xxxvm.). This, says
R. Jonah, is not expressly stated in
the Thorah, but it is elicited from the
expression, "Ur (=fire) of the Chal-
dees." 3. "Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred" (Gen.
xii. 1). 4. "And there was a famine in
the land" (xii. 10). 5. His wife "was
taken into Pharaoh's house" (xii. 15).
6. He waged war with Chedorlaomer
(xiv. 14). 7. The bondage of his pos
terity was predicted (xv. 13). 8. At
the age of ninety he was circumcised.
9. He is commanded to cast out the
bondwoman and her son (xxi. 10).
10. He is commanded to sacrifice
Isaac (xxii. 2). For other ways of
making up the number of the trials
At refers to Midrash Thillim, and to
the "Mishnah of R. Nathan" (Aboth
R.N. xxxiii.), which reckons them as
follows : Two in Gen. xii. 1, " Get
thee out, &o. ;" Two with respect to
his two sons ; Two with respect to his
two wives; One in his war with "the
kings"; One in D'1PI3n {'3 (Gen.xv.);
One in Ur of the Chaldees; One in
his circumcision. "And why was he
tried with ten trials, neither more
nor less? It was with reference to
the ten PIIIOND by which the world
was created. Abraham, having been
tried with ten trials, and being found
perfect, was fitted to uphold the world
which was created by ten nHOND,"
and he was rewarded by corresponding
decads of miracles which were wrought
for his sons in Egypt, and by the
V. 3—8.
81
and he withstood them all ; to shew how great was the love of
Abraham our father.
5. Ten miracles were wrought for our fathers in Egypt ;
and ten by the sea6.
6. Ten plagues^ brought the Holy One, blessed is He, upon
the Egyptians in Egypt ; and ten by the Sea.
7. With ten temptations did our fathers tempt God in
the wilderness, for it is said, And they have tempted me now
these ten times7, and have not hearkened to my voice (Numb.
xiv. 22).
8. Ten miracles were wrought in the Sanctuary8. No
6 The ten miracles wrought for Is
rael in Egypt were the ten plagues
which fell upon their oppressors. The
ten by the Sea are made out in various
artificial ways from the account of the
passage of the Israelites through the
Sea, and the drowning of the Egyp
tians. Thus it is said in Mekiltha
('1 n^3 'DO), that 1. The sea was cleft ;
2. It was divided into twelve parts;
3. It was made dry land, &c. Amongst
the miracles are reckoned, that "He
gave them fresh water out of the
midst of salt," and that "The sea
became like glass vessels, for it is said,
The depths were congealed in the
heart of the sea" (Ex. xv. 8). Com
pare Midrash Thanchuma in loc. ; Jal
qut 234 ; Aboth R. N. xxxiii ; Pirqe
B. Eli'ezer xlii ; and see the notes in
Surenhusius, Vol. iv. p. 466.
6 On the doubtful genuineness of
this saying see Grit. Note. The plagues
brought upon the Egyptians may be
identified with the miracles wrought
on behalf of the Israelites.
7 This verse is cited in 'Erakin in.
5, where the heinousness of slander is
dwelt upon, and it is said that "sen
tence was passed upon our fathers in
the wilderness only on account of the
evil tongue." If the spies, it is added,
were condemned for slandering trees
and stones, how much more is he to
be condemned who slanders his neigh
bour! The ten temptations where
with the Israelites tempted God are
reckoned as follows: "with respect to
the sea, two (before and after the pas
sage) ; the waters, two; the manna,
two; the quails, two; the calf, one;
the wilderness of Paran, one." Fur
ther details are given by the way
(fol. 15). In Aboth B. N. xxxiv. God
is represented as tempting the Israel
ites with ten temptations, "In all of
which they were found not perfect."
8 "These miracles were wrought
likewise in the second temple, al
though the state of Israel was not
in every respect perfect, and their
heart was not firm with Him. But
it shews that, for all this, the Divine
grace had not desisted from working
miracles with them contrary to nature
in His Holy city whilst His sanctuary
was still in the midst of it" (B. Oba-
diah ben Jacob of Sforno).
Of miracles not specified in this
place, the miracle of the scarlet thread,
Pl'lint btt> J1Ci6, which changed colour
on the day of Atonement, may be
mentioned : " Originally they used to
bind a scarlet thread upon the door of
11
82
PIRQE ABOTH.
woman miscarried from the scent of the holy meat9 ; and the
holy meat never stank ; and an uncleanness befel not the
highpriest10 on the day of the Atonement ; and a fly11 was not
seen in the slaughterhouse ; and a defect was not found in the
sheaf12 ; nor in the two loaves12 ; nor in the shewbread13 ; and
the porch, without. If it grew white
they rejoiced: if it grew not white
they were troubled. They arranged
to bind it on the door of the porch
within: and still they watched, and
looked. If it grew white they rejoiced :
if not they were troubled. They ar
ranged to bind half of it to the rock,
and half of it between the horns of
the scapegoat... Forty years before the
temple was destroyed the scarlet thread
did not grow white, but remained red"
(Rosh ha-Shanah 31 b). Compare
Joma 67 a, &c. The whitening of the
thread is connected with Is. i. 18 in
Joma vi. 8: "Lingua coccinea alligata
erat ad portas templi, et cum hircus
ad desertum accessisset, albescebat
quia dicitur ; Si fuerint peccata vestra
sicut coccinum, sicut nix albescent."
9 "No woman ever miscarried
through a vain longing to partake of
the flesh offered in sacrifice, or re
served for the priests alone."
10 Ishmael b. Qimqith, having be
come disqualified, was replaced by
his own brother, so that their mother
saw two of her sons high-priests on
the same day. The wise asked how
she had merited such an honour. She
replied, that the walls of her house had
never seen the hair of her head (Aboth
B. N. xxxv.). Her modesty was still
further rewarded according to Joma
47 a, by her having not two only but
seven sons, all of whom ministered in
the high-priesthood.
11 The zebue was a symbol of im
purity. "Behold, now, I perceive that
this is an holy man of God " (2 Kings
iv. 8). How did she discover this?
From the fact that no fly crossed the
table of Elisha'. A Thorah-flame, an
Pll EW (Deut. xxxiii. 2), goes forth
from the righteous, and purifies the
air around. Cf. pp. 21, 65.
"Said Bab, The evil yecer is like
a fly, for it is said (Eccl. x. 1), Flies
of death cause the ointment of the
apothecary to send forth a stinking
savour" (Berakoth 61a). The Tar-
gum on the same verse compares the
evil nature to a debuba, which lies at
the doors of the heart (p. 37) and
causes death, and corrupts a good
name, which is like ointment.
12 By 'omer is meant either a
measure, the tenth part of an ephah
(Ex. xvi. 36), or a sheaf. The 'omer
was offered at the time of the Pass
over, and consisted of first fruits of
the barley harvest. At Pentecost,
fifty days later, "the two loaves," the
first fruits of the wheat harvest, were
offered : " And ye shall count unto
you from the morrow after the sab
bath, from the day that ye brought
the sheaf of the wave offering; seven
sabbaths shall be complete : Even un
to the morrow after the seventh sab
bath shall ye number fifty days: and
ye shall offer a new meat offering unto
the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your
habitations two wave loaves of two
tenth deals : they shall be of fine
flour ; they shall be baken with leaven ;
they are the first fruits unto the Lord"
(Lev. xxiii. 15 — 17).
For further details see the Mishnah,
Menach. x. [al. vi.J The 'omer was to be
V. 8, 9.
83
rains quenched not the pile ; and the wind prevailed not against
the pillar of smoke1* ; they stood serried, and bowed down at
ease15 ; and serpent and scorpion harmed not in Jerusalem ;
and a man said not to his fellow, The place is too strait for
me (Is. xlix. 20) to lodge in Jerusalem.
9. Ten things were created between the suns16. The
taken from the vicinity of Jeru
salem, unless the crops there were
not sufficiently ripened at the time
appointed for the offering. "A tale
is told of its being taken from the
gardens of Cerefim, and the two loaves
from the valley of 131D J'J?," which
probably denotes the neighbourhood
of Svxdp (Joh. iv. 5). [Surh. v. 98.]
13 The shewbread consisted of
"twelve cakes" of fine flour, which
were "set in order before the Lord"
every sabbath, and remained till they
were replaced by others on the follow
ing sabbath (Lev. xxiv. 5 — 9). "A
great miracle used to be wrought on
the shewbread: its taking away was
as its setting in order, for it is said
(1 Sam. xxi. 7), To put hot bread in
the day when it was taken away"
(Joma 21 a), that is to say, that the
bread was still hot on the day of its
being taken away, inp?n D1'3 Dn.
14 At the conclusion of the last day
of the feast all watched the smoke of
the altar-pile (Joma 21 b ; Baba Bathra
147 a). If it inclined toward the
north, the poor rejoiced, and the
householders were troubled, because
it was to be a rainy year, so that the
crops would rot if kept : if it inclined
to the south, the poor were troubled,
and the householders rejoiced, because
it was to be a dry year, &o. : toward
the east, all rejoiced : toward the
west, all were troubled.
The straightness of the column of
smoke was sometimes regarded as a
sign of the acceptance of prayer and
sacrifice : the broken column betrayed
hypocrisy (Berith Menuchah 11 b).
16 On the occasions of the great
festivals for which the people at large
came up to Jerusalem, although the
worshippers were so closely packed in
the 'azarah that they had scarcely
room to stand upright, nevertheless by
a miracle they had ample space to bow
down, so that no man incommoded
his neighbour; and no one was ever
unable at such time to find lodging
and maintenance in the city, however
great the concourse of people.
The "ten miracles," though wrought
in relation to the Temple festivals, did
not all take place in the Temple itself,
but DWlT3 D"D1 KHpD3 nPIB, "he
begins with the Temple, and ends with
Jerusalem." See Joma 21 a, where
it is discussed how the ten (cf. Crit.
Note) are to be reckoned, and addi
tional marvels are mentioned, such as
the miraculous disappearance of the
fragments of earthenware, &e.
16 Ten things were created between
the evenings, or at the time of transi
tion from the "six days of creation"
to the sabbath. It is felt to be im
possible to define their relation to the
course of nature, to which, however,
everything, not excepting the mira
culous, belongs. They are no part
of the normal work of the creation
period: at the same time they can
only be thought of as preordained dirb
KarafloXTjs Kbapov. " It saith, that
these things were created between the
suns, for indeed although God, blessed
84
PIRQE ABOTH.
mouth of the earth"; and the mouth of the well18; and the
be He, wrought great signs and won
ders contrary to the nature of things,
such as the plagues of Egypt, and
the miracles at the Red Sea, &c, at
all events He did not create anything
after the six days of Bereshith, as
it saith, And God ended on the
seventh day, and rested ; and as it
saith, There is nothing new under
the sun; and therefore, concerning
these ten things, which are not men
tioned in the account of the work of
Bereshith, he saith that they were
created then without doubt ; and the
explanation of their not being men
tioned with the rest of the work of
Bereshith, is because it was impossible
to tell us the time of their creation,
for in fact it was at a transition period,
between two days which could not fitly
be reckoned with either of them "
('Obadiah Sforno).
B. Israel finds a difficulty in the
numbering of the rainbow amongst
the ten things, " in all of which were
miracles out of the course of nature,
and all of which moreover appeared in
time of need, whereas the bow may be
seen any day."
As in the case of other groups of
"ten things," it is disputed how the
number is to be made up. According
to one reckoning, (1) the writing in
the abstract ; (2) the writing in the
concrete, or the writing-instrument
(maktheb) ; and (3) the tables them
selves, are reckoned separately as
three of the ten things ; but this dis
tinction is not made in the Targum of
Jonathan, as cited in note 18. The
ram which Abraham sacrificed instead
of Isaac is said in Bemidbar Rabbah
xvn. to have been created " between
the suns." [Rev. xiii. 18.]
17 "But if the Lord make a new
thing, and the earth open her mouth,
and swallow them up, &c." (Numb.
xvi. 30). " Said the Holy One, blessed
is He, to Moses, What seekest thou?
He said before Him, Lord of the world
'13 nX'13 DN, If Thou hast created a
mouth to the earth, well: if not, let
the Lord now create her a mouth"
(Bemidbar Eabbah xvm.). Compare
Sanhedrin 110 a ; Nedarim 39 b, where
the seven things created before the
world (p. 12) are specified.
18 Although the expression, "mouth
of the 1X3," in connexion with the
"mouth of the earth" which swallowed
up Korah (Numb. xvi. 32), suggests a
reference to Ps. lxix. 15: "Neither
let the deep swallow me up, and let
not the pit shut her mouth upon me,"
nevertheless the allusion is, doubtless,
as it is generally supposed to be, to
some other 1S3. " The mouth or the
well. According to Rashi's (?) inter
pretation, it opened its mouth and
uttered a song (Numb. xxi. 17). But
some understand the rock which
Moses smote, i.e. the ISO which went
about with Israel in the wilderness "
(Bar S.). Compare also Bemidbar
Rabbah xix. In either case there
is some difficulty in accounting for
the expression, " the mouth of the
well." The difficulty may be solved by
reading 1N31 alone, without 'S, (1)
according to the Targum of Jonathan
on Numb. xxii. 28 : "Ten things were
created after the finishing of the world,
at the coming in of the sabbath, be
tween the suns : The manna; and the
well (NT31); and the staff of Moses;
and the shamir; and the bow; and
the clouds of glory; and the mouth
of the earth ; and the writing of the
tables of the covenant; and the de
mons ; and the speaking mouth of
the ass"; and (2) according also to
V. 9.
85
mou,th of the ass; and the bow (Gen. ix. 13); and the manna;
and the rod19; and the shamir- worm 20 ; and the character;
and the writing16; and the tables. And some say, the spirits21
Pesachim 54 a, where the ten things
are: "The well; and the manna;
and the bow; and the 3PI3; and the
3PI30; and the tables; the grave of
Moses; and the cave in which Moses
and Elijah stood ; the opening of the
mouth of the ass ; and the opening of
the mouth of the earth to swallow up
the wicked. And some say likewise
the rod of Aaron, its almonds, and its
buds ; and some say likewise the spirits ;
and some say likewise the vesture of the
primal Adam." [Gen. B. xx. 12.]
19 The rod which was made " be
tween the suns " was given to Adam,
and handed down from generation to
generation, till, after the death of
Joseph, it passed into the hands of
Pharaoh. Moses alone could read the
letters upon it — it was inscribed inter
alia with Sliem ha-mephorash (p. 56)
and he was thus designated as the
future deliverer of Israel (Pirqe R.
Eli'ezer xl.).
20 The Shamir (see Buxtorf, Lex.
Chald.) was a small worm which split
or cut stones upon which it was
placed. Moses used it to engrave the
stones of the ephod. First he wrote
upon them in ink: then he "shewed
them" the shamir, or passed it over
the lines which he had traced, and the
stones were cleft, without loss of sub
stance, as a fig is split by the sun,
or as a channel is formed by water.
The shamir was created 'O' flB'B'D
PI'B'Kia. Nothing, however hard, can
stand against it. Solomon, having
got possession of it with the help of
Asmodeus, king of the devils, used it
to cut the stones for the temple, for
it is said (1 Kings vi. 7) that no tool
of iron was heard in the house while
it was in building (Gittin 68 a; Sotah
48 b).
21 The demons, or D'1£>, are com
monly called "mazziqin," or nocentes.
"The Holy One, blessed is He, had
created their souls, and was about to
create their bodies, when the sabbath
set in, and He did not create them "
(Bereshith Babbah vn.). Hence it is
that they are invisible to the human
eye, being simply n'n E^Sl (Gen. i. 24)
"If power were given to the eye to
see, no creature could exist because of
the spirits. ..Each of us has a thousand
at his left hand, and ten thousand at
his right hand (Ps. xci. 7). Said
Baba, It is from them that comes
the crowding in the assemblage, and
weakness of knees, and the wearing
out of the clothes of students, and
colliding with the feet. He who
wishes to know about them must take
sifted ashes, and sprinkle them by his
bed, and in the morning he will see
marks as of cocks' feet. He who
wishes to see them must take the
caul of a black she-cat, daughter of
a black one : a firstborn, the daughter
of a firstborn : and burn it in the fire,
and pulverise it, and fill his eyes with
it, and he will see them. Let him
put the rest into an iron tube, and
seal it with a signet of iron, that they
may not steal it away, and let him
seal its mouth that he may not be
harmed. Bab Bibi bar Abaye did this.
He saw, and was harmed. Our Rabbis
prayed for mercy on him, and he was
healed" (Berakoth 6 a). The spirits
helped Solomon to find the shamir, and
to build the temple. They frequent
desolate places, and are especially to
be feared in the night time.
86
PIRQE ABOTH.
also; and the sepulchre of Moses (Deut. xxxiv. 6); and the
ram of Abraham our father (Gen. xxii. 13). And some say,
tongs also, made with tongs22.
10. Seven things are in a clod, and seven in a wise man.
The wise man speaks not before one who is greater than he in
wisdom; and does not interrupt the words of his companion;
and is not hasty to reply; he asks according to canon, and
answers to the point23; and speaks on the first thing first, and
on the last last ; of what he has not heard he says, I have not
heard; and he acknowledges the truth24. And their opposites
are in the clod.
Jochanan ben Zakkai understood
the talk of devils (Baba Bathra 134 a).
Members of the Sanhedrin were to
be D'StJO b]12, or skilled in magic
(Sanhedrin 17 a; Menachoth 65 a),
that they might be in a position to
give judgment in cases which came
before them.
22 The chain of secondary causes is
endless. The instrument f13V pre
supposes another, with the help of
which it was made, and so on in in
finitum. Speculation, failing to reach
the ultimate, must rest upon the doc
trine that God is the Creator: He
made the first. Cf. Pesachim 54 a.
The difficulty is presented in an
other form in Chagigah 12 b : "B. Jose
said, Woe to the creatures, that see,
and know not what they see : that
stand, and know not on what they
stand. On what stands the earth?
on the pillars (Job ix. 6) : and the
pillars upon the waters (Ps. cxxxvi. 6) :
and the waters upon the mountains
(Ps. civ. 6) : and the mountains upon
the wind (Amos iv. 13) : and the wind
upon the storm (Ps. cxlviii. 8) : and
the storm depends upon the arm of
the Holy One, for it is said (Deut.
xxxiii. 27), Underneath are the ever
lasting arms."
23 The reading of the text is thus
explained by At: "If he has occasion
to ask a question, he asks according to
the halakah with which they are occu
pied ; and if any one asks of him, he
answers his interrogator according to
the matter which he asked him, and
does not digress to another matter.
And if one has asked him two or three
things, he replies in order." The
usual reading (see note a) signifies,
that his inquiries have relation to the
subject in hand, and his replies are in
accordance with the received canons
of interpretation.
24 R. 'Obadiah of Sforno illustrates
this Mishnah from the book of Job.
1. The wise man will not speak be
fore his superior in wisdom : so Elihu
refrained from speaking when in the
presence of his seniors, for "I said,
Days should speak, and multitude of
years should teach wisdom" (xxxii. 7).
2. He does not interrupt his com
panion, but is like Elihu, who "waited
till Job had spoken " (xxxii. 4) ; unlike
his friends, with whom Job had to
expostulate : " Suffer me that I may
speak; and after that I have spoken,
mock on" (xxi. 3). 3. He is not hasty
to answer before he has properly
heard his friend's opinion, like Bildad,
who said ; " Doth God pervert judg
ment?" (viii. 3), and was rebuked by
V. 10, 11.
87
11. Seven kinds of punishments come on account of seven
main transgressions25. When some men tithe, and some do
not tithe, dearth from drought comes : some of them are
hungry, and some of them are full. When they have not
tithed at all, a dearth from tumult26 and from drought comes.
And when they have not offered the dough-cake, a deadly
dearth comes.
Job for misapprehending his meaning,
for "I know it is so of a truth, &c."
(ix. 2). 4. He interrogates to the
point, unlike Eliphaz (iv. 7); and
answers according to halakah, unlike
Job's three friends, to whom God said:
"Ye have not spoken of me the thing
that is right" (xiii. 7). 5. He deals
with each point in its proper order,
like Elihu (xxxiii. 8, &c). 6. He
does not profess to know what he does
not know, like Zophar: "But oh that
God would speak, and open his lips
against thee. And that he would
shew thee the secrets of wisdom, &c."
(xi. 5, 16). 7. And he admits the
truth, unlike the three friends of
Job, against whom Elihu's wrath was
kindled, "because they had found no
answer, and yet had condemned Job "
(xxxii. 3).
25 The phrase PI113J> 'S11, or "bo
dies of transgressions," denotes (says
Bar S.) such as comprise many sub
divisions, as the body is divided into
many members. On the idiomatic
uses of f)11 see the lexicons. "And
it saith, For seven bodies of trans
gressions, to teach that though they
are more than seven, nevertheless
they are called seven, as being com
prised in seven bodies, i.e. kinds or
species (Leb Aboth)."
The seven punishments are, three
degrees of famine ; the pestilence ;
the sword ; the noisome beast ; and
exile. The seven main transgressions
are committed, according to Sforno,
in relation to tithing; judgment; pro
fanation of the Name; strange wor
ship; sensuality; bloodshed; and the
sabbatical year; but the sins are dif
ferently reckoned by other commenta
tors, who endeavour to make them
correspond to the seven punishments,
each to each. For a series of discus
sions bearing upon this subject see the
Gemara on Shabbath n. 6; and cf.
Lev. xxvi.
26 The three degrees of famine are
apportioned as follows. 1. Partial
neglect of tithing is punished by par
tial famine resulting from drought
(Jer. xvii. 8). As it is said in Amos
iv. 7: "And I caused it to rain upon
one city, and caused it not to rain upon
another city." 2. The universal neg
lect of tithing is punished by famine
"of nomo" or of that and drought
combined, according to the usual read
ing. The former reading is favoured
by Aboth B. N. xxxvm. ; which how
ever has }'011D, instead of {'IB'JJO,
in this clause. Famine "of nOmO"
is either (i) a famine of war and
tumult, through which the land is un
filled (R. Jonah), or the crops are
ruined by marauders ; or (ii) a famine
causing destruction: "...and shall de
stroy them with a mighty destruction,
until they be destroyed" (Deut. vii. 23).
3. A famine of entire consumption re
sults from neglect of the ordinance:
" Te shall offer up a cake of the first of
your dough for an heave offering"
(Numb. xv. 20). The rains fail utterly :
"thy heaven that is over thy head shall
be brass, and the earth that is under
88
PIRQE ABOTH.
12. Pestilence comes into the world for the capital crimes
mentioned in the Thorah, which are not brought before the
tribunal27; and for the seventh year fruits.
13. The sword comes upon the world for suppression of
judgment; and for perversion of judgment; and for explaining
Thorah not according to canon.
14. Noisome beasts come into the world for vain swearing ;
and for profanation of the Name.
Captivity comes upon the world for strange worship ; and
for incest ; and for shedding of blood ; and for (not) giving
release to the land28.
15. At four seasons29 the pestilence waxes: in the fourth
thee shall be iron" (Deut. xxviii. 23).
"I will even appoint over you terror"
(Lev. xxvi. 16) : read not behalah,
but bechallah, on account of the chal-
lah, or cake (Shabbath 32 b). The
Divine judgments are "measure for
measure" (Is. xxvii. 8).
27 The terrestrial court is not com
missioned with respect to precepts
whereof the reward is specified. See
Mekiltha ('n B»1rO), on the "Fifth
Commandment." Pestilence is sent as a judgment
ior capital crimes which have not
come under the jurisdiction, or cogni
sance, of the beth din, but are reserved
for judgment by the hand of God.
But deaths which the tribunal is
authorised to inflict are, even then,
superseded only by analogous deaths ;
thus he who deserves to be stoned,
falls from a housetop, or is trampled
on by a beast : he who deserves burning
is stung by a serpent: he who deserves
beheading is killed by robbers: he who
deserves hanging is drowned, or dies
of avvdyxw. See At, (&.
Pestilence, though resulting natu
rally from bad water, food, air, and
other intelligible causes, is none the
less sent by Divine Providence. But
know that, for all this, we do not sin
in fleeing because of it to some place
where there is no pestilence; for he
who flees does not deny the omnipre
sence of God, but bows his uncircum-
cised heart and bears the yoke of
migration as a punishment for his
sins. And let him not embolden him
self to stand against his King, when
he is angry with him, or designs to
tempt him (Leb Aboth).
28 "But in the seventh year shall
be a sabbath of rest unto the land,
a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt
neither sow thy field, nor prune thy
vineyard. That which groweth of its
own accord of thy harvest thou shalt
not reap, neither gather the grapes
of thy vine undressed : for it is a year
of rest unto the land. And the sab
bath of the land shall be meat for
you; for thee, and for thy servant,
&a." (Lev. xxv. 4—6). The seventh
year was called, the year of ha-she-
mittah, the release (Deut. xv. 9; xxxi.
10). 29 At four seasons of the septennial
cycle disease is prevalent owing to the
appropriation of what should have
been devoted to the poor.
The neglect of the poor's tithe in
the third and sixth years of the sept-
ennium leads to pestilence in the
V. 12—16.
89
(year) ; in the seventh ; at the ending of the seventh ; and at
the ending of the Feast in every year. In the fourth (year),
on account of the poor's tithe in the third; in the seventh,
on account of the poor's tithe in the sixth ; and at the ending
of the seventh30, on account of the seventh year fruits; and
at the ending of the Feast31 in every year, on account of the
largesses of the poor.
16. There are four characters32 in men, He that saith,
years immediately following. The
'IS? 1E*yO is enjoined in Deut. xiv.
28, 29: "At the end of three years
thou shalt bring forth all the tithe
of thine increase the same year, and
shalt lay it up within thy gates : And
the Levite (because he hath no part
nor inheritance with thee), and the
stranger, and the fatherless, and the
widow, which are within thy gates,
shall come, and shall eat and be
satisfied ; that the Lord thy God may
bless thee in all the work of thine
hand which thou doest." The third
year is called "the year of tithing"
(Deut. xxvi. 12). In this year, as
Rashi remarks, the Levite received
his tenth (Numb, xviii. 21), as in
other years, but the Second, or Fes
tival, Tithe (Deut. xiv. 23), was de
voted to the poor. On these tithes
see the Mishnah-Tracts named after
them, in Seder Zera'im.
30 In the "eighth" year, which is
called the "goings out of the seventh"
(At, C), pestilence prevails owing to
neglect of the preceding year of re
lease. "And six years thou shalt
sow thy land, and shalt gather in
the fruits thereof: But the seventh
year thou shalt let it rest and lie
still; that the poor of thy people may
eat : and what they leave the beasts of
the field shall eat" (Ex. xxiii. 10, 11).
31 After "the Feast" of Tabernacles,
or of Ingathering, in each year judg
ment comes for having deprived the
poor of the donations due to them,
which were Op1? nn3K> • nNB, that
is, spicilegium, oblivio, and angulus.
Cf. Levit. xix. 9 : " And when ye reap
the harvest of your land, thou shalt
not wholly reap the corners of thy
field, neither shalt thou gather the
gleanings of thy harvest ; " and Deut.
xxiv. 19: "When thou cuttest down
thine harvest in thy field, and hast
torgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt
not go again to fetch it : it shall be
for the stranger, for the fatherless,
and for the widow : that the Lord thy
God may bless thee in all the work of
thine hands. "
32 Middah denotes measure, and
hence, standard, characteristic, quality,
virtue, &c. The title of Aristotle's
"Ethics" is rendered PlllOn 1BD.
The first of the "middoth" here
described is that of the man who
neither gives nor takes : is neither
self-sacrificing, nor yet grasping, or
dependent upon his neighbours. This
character is said to be neither good
nor bad, but intermediate. Others,
however, regard it as a spirit of
haughty independence, and indiffer
ence to the welfare of others: "Be
hold, this was the iniquity of thy
sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread,
and abundance of idleness was in her
• and in her daughters, neither did she
strengthen the hand of the poor and
needy" (Ezek. xvi. 49). The second
standard is worldly and utilitarian :
12
90
PIRQE ABOTH.
Mine is mine, and thine is thine, is an indifferent character;
but some say, It is the character of Sodom : (he that saith,)
Mine is thine, and thine is mine, is 'am ha-arec: Mine and
thine are thine, pious : Thine and mine are mine, wicked.
17. There are four characters in dispositions. Easily pro
voked, and easily pacified, his gain is cancelled by his loss33:
hard to provoke and hard to pacify, his loss is cancelled by his
gain: hard to provoke, and easily pacified, pious: easily pro
voked, and hard to pacify, wicked.
18. There are four characters in scholars. Quick to hear
and quick to forget, his gain is cancelled by his loss: slow to
hear and slow to forget, his loss is cancelled by his gain : quick
to hear, and slow to forget, is wise : slow to hear, and quick to
forget, this is an evil lot.
19. There are four characters in almsgivers34 He who is
the man acts with a, view to recom
pense: he lends to those from whom he
hopes to receive (Luke vi. 34); obxl
Kai ol reX&vai oilnas iroiovaiv (Matt.
v. 46) ; " He is called 'am ha-arec
(here used as a singular, see n. 6),
because he aims at the establishment
of the world, desiring to take and
give, for thereby love increases be
tween them ; and although it is a
good middah for the establishment of
the world, it does not spring from
wisdom, for 'He that hateth gifts
shall live' (Prov. xv. 27), and the
good middah is to give and not to
receive" (R. Jonah). He who gives,
"hoping for nothing again," is chasid,
or pious. The selfish, grasping man,
who receives and makes no return, is
"wicked." ri'1113] It may be remarked on the
use of this word, which means inter
mediate, that the "via media," and
the " KaB' vTrepf3bAi)v bSbs " of excel
lence, are regarded as widely divergent.
Maimonides, who attempts to reduce
the ethics of the Mishnah to the Aris
totelian standard, regards the chasid
as one who inclines a little to one
extreme, and performs works of su
pererogation which it would be hazard
ous for ordinary people to attempt.
See his Shemonah Peraqim, § 4.
TDn] The word chasid here denotes
the opposite of "wicked," and cannot
be shewn to carry any allusion to
a particular sect, the Essenes (p. 34),
as some have endeavoured to make
out. For a less improbable derivation
of "EaaaXos see note 1. "Von TDn es
fortzuleiten ware sprachlich nicht zu
rechtfertigen " (Jost, Gesch. a. 207,
Note). "For although, in spite of
all the attempts which have been
made to explain it, the meaning of
this name is quite uncertain, it cer
tainly cannot be connected with that
oftheD'TDn" (Kuenen).
33 A various reading interchanges
the words loss and gain, and thus
reverses the estimates of the first and
second tempers.
34 The first character has an evil
or grudging eye with respect to the
things of others. He is unwilling
that they should share with him the
V. 17—21.
91
willing to give, but not that others should give, his eye is
evil towards the things of others : that others should give, and
he should not give, his eye is evil towards his own: he who
would give and let others give, is pious : he who will not give
nor let others give, is wicked.
20. There are four characters in college-goers35. He that
goes and does not practise, the reward of going is in his hand :
he that practises and does not go, the reward of practice is in his hand : he
that goes and practises is pious: he that goes not and does
not practise is wicked.
21. There are four characters in those who sit under the
wise; a sponge; a funnel; a strainer; and a bolt-sieve36. A
credit of liberality : or he is a mis
anthrope, who is jealous lest his
neighbours' possessions should be
blessed by their almsgiving, and lest
they should enjoy favour with God
and man. The truly liberal, on the
contrary, is he who "counsels" libe
ral things (Is. xxxii. 8) : who is not
only liberal himself, but moves others
to be so (Abarbanel).
35 The relative values of Thalmud
and Practice come once more under
consideration in this Mishnah. The
first character is dKpoarr-s Xbyov, the
second ttoit-ttis (James i. 23), the third
is both, the last neither. A different
turn is given to the "reward of going,"
in Berakoth 6 b, where it is said
NOni NplSI NUN, "the profit of
the lecture is the running : " the un
intelligent majority profit more by
their zeal in going to hear it, than by
the teaching as such.
36 By nBl is meant a fine sieve " of
leather or hair," which was made use
of in some way for "dressing" meal,
and separating the seconds from the
fine flour. Cf. Shebi'ith v. 9 ; Shab
bath vm. 2 ; Menachoth vi. 7, x. 4 ;
Kelim xxvn. 5. Such sieves were
used in preparing soleth for the
minchah. Thirteen, of different de
grees of fineness, were to be used in
preparing the 'omer, according to a
"halakah to Moses from Sinai:"
twelve, for the two loaves: eleven,
for the shewbread ; or, according to
B. Shime'on, the number of siftings
was not prescribed, but the soleth was
re-sifted as many times as was found
necessary. See Menachoth 76 b. It
is said by the commentators upon
this Mishnah, that the corn was first
partially crushed in a bean mill : the
husk and powder were then sifted
out : and what remained was ground
over again, and became soleth. The
word nop may denote meal in general
(ni. 26); but it is here (?) identified
with the "dust" of the Menachoth
(viii. 2), which was not altogether
refuse, but was unfit for soleth.
Compare the following from the Jal
qut on Canticles: "Song most be-
praised and exalted of Songs: Babbi
Ele'azar ben 'Azariah made a com
parison of it to a man who brings a
measure of wheat to a baker, and
says, Produce from it qemach; and
after that produce me from it soleth ;
and after that produce me from it a
cake. Thus out of all the wisdom
of Solomon there is no soleth to
Israel except Song of Songs. All the
92
PIRQE ABOTH.
sponge, which sucks up all; a funnel, which lets in here and
lets out there; a strainer, which lets out the wine and keeps
back the dregs; a bolt-sieve, which lets out the pollard and
keeps back the flour.
22. All love which depends on some thing87, when the thing
ceases, the love ceases; and such as does not depend on any
thing, ceases not for ever.
23. What love is that which depends on some thing? the
love of Amnon and Thamar38; And that which does not depend
on anything ? this is the love of David and Jonathan.
are holy: Song of Songs is
Holy of Holies." The scholar who
treasures up only what is most pre
cious is certainly, qua learner, of the
highest class ; and in this Mishnah
he is generally thought to be so
regarded. There are, however, some
commentators who give precedence
to the " strainer " ; regarding him as
a teacher, who gives out a still more
refined doctrine than he has received ;
whilst the sieve typifies the perverted
mind which " turns light to darkness,
and darkness to light, and feeds others
with refuse." See the commentaries
^NIB" rilNSri and Jlia^ |". The
latter urges, in favour of this view, the
analogy of the five preceding groups of
fours, in all of which the pious, and
the wise, are mentioned third in order.
But in Aboth R. N. xl. the order here
is different.
Another view is adopted in PI13N 37,
where the third scholar is taken to
be the man who speculates on theo-
sophic mysteries ; and the last is the
discriminating traditionalist. The
comparison is taken, in the one case
from wine which drives a man out of
his mind, injJIO D1N1 N'VIO : in
the other from bread which strength
ens man's heart; but "the parable
of the sieve seems to me very difficult ;
for' if it were like that which we use
now, and which lets through the
PI71D, it would not be right, die." It
is not easy to render the clause satis
factorily. The word " sieve " alone
is inadequate, since it might be used
with as much propriety to symbolize
the mind which retains the refuse ;
and indeed it is prima facie most
natural to think of the fine flour as
falling through the sieve, whilst the
coarser sort is retained. The com
mentators quoted at the beginning of
this note make soleth mean, not
precisely "fine flour," but that which
after re-grinding becomes fine flour.
The technical words bolter, bolting-
cloth, bolt-sieve, do not embody this
idea, but they satisfy the requirements
of the case indirectly to a certain
extent. A bolter which I have seen
sifts the ground corn at once into
three sorts. The corn in the bolter
descends an incline, passing first over
a fine cloth, and then over a coarser
cloth : the former lets through the fine
flour, which is caught in u, receptacle
attached to the machine : the process is
repeated at the second cloth : the third
quality, coarse bran, passes out at the
end of the bolter.
37 The love which is to be lasting
must be disinterested, and indepen
dent of all extrinsic considerations.
It may be remarked that ha-dabar is
V. 22—25.
93
24. Whatsoever gainsaying is for the name of Heaven will
in the end be established ; and that which is not for the name
of Heaven39 will not in the end be established.
25. What gainsaying is that which is for the name of
Heaven ? the gainsaying of Shammai and Hillel40. And that
somcHrnes rb irpaypa in the idiomatic
sense of 1 Thess. iv. 6.
38 "Then Amnon hated her exceed
ingly; so that the hatred wherewith
he hated her was greater than the love
wherewith he had loved her " (2 Sam.
xiii. 15).
39 Compare the distinction in Bere
shith Eabbah iv. between controversy
which is for the ordering of the world,
and that which is for its disordering.
" To the Name of Heaven, means, for
the establishment of the truth of a
matter, or to convince of transgres
sion ; and not to shew superiority, or
to gain a reputation " (At). For the
expression cf. els ovopa wpo, as in iv. 7
and elsewhere.
40 The controversies of Shammai
and Hillel, and of their followers, fill
a large space in the Talmud. Sham
mai is self-asserting, and Hillel yield
ing (p. 23), but the canon is accord
ing to Hillel. "Said R. Abba, Said
Shemuel, Three years disputed Beth
Shammai and Beth Hillel : these said,
The halakah is according to us, and
these said, The halakah is according
to us. Bath Qol went forth and said,
These and those are words of the
Living God, and the halakah is ac
cording to Beth Hillel. But if these
and those were words of the Living
God, how did Beth Hillel merit that
the halakah should be fixed according
to them ? Because they were yielding
and lowly, and taught their own
words and those of their opponents
together. Nay, more, they placed the
words of Beth Shammai before their
own words (see Crit. Note) .. .T-wo years
and a half disputed Beth Shammai
and Beth Hillel: these said, Better
for a man not to have been created
than to have been created ; and these
said, Better for a man to have been
created than not to have been created.
They concluded, Better for a man not
to have been created than to have been
created : now that he has been cre
ated, let him look well to his doings "
('Erubin 13 b). "From the time when
Bath Qol went forth, the halakah is
always according to Beth Hillel, and
whosoever transgresses the words of
Beth Hillel deserves death. ..And where
did Bath Qol go forth? R. Bibi in
the name of B. Jochanan said, At
Jabneh went forth Bath Qol" (T. J.
Sotah m. 4).
"Beth Shammai said, The heavens
were created first, and afterwards the
earth was created, for it is said, In
the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth (Gen. i. 1). And Beth
Hillel said, The earth was created
first, and afterwards the heavens, for
it is said, In the day that the Lord
God made the earth and the heavens
(Gen. ii. 4). ..And 'the wise' have said,
This and that were created together,
for it is said (Is. xlviii. 13), Mine hand
also hath laid the foundation of the
earth, and my right hand hath spanned
the heavens : when I call unto them,
they stand up together " (Chagigah
12 a. See above, pp. 31, 32 ; and cf.
94
PIRQE ABOTH.
which is not for the name of Heaven ? this is the gainsaying of
Qorach (Jude 11).
26. Whosoever makes the many41 righteous, sin prevails
not over him ; and whosoever makes the many to sin42, they
grant him not the faculty to repent.
27. Moses was righteous, and made the many righteous,
and the righteousness of the many was laid upon him43, for it
is said, He executed the justice of the Lord and His judgments,
with Israel (Deut. xxxiii. 21).
Jerobe'am42 sinned, and caused the many to sin, (and) the sin of the many
was laid upon him, for it is said, Because of the sins of Jerobe'am who sinned,
and made Israel to sin (1 Kings xiv. 16, &c).
28. In whomsoever are three things, he is a disciple of
Abraham ; and three (other) things, a disciple of Bile'am.
29. A good eye, and a lowly soul, and a humble spirit
(belong to) the disciple of Abraham : an evil eye44, and a
Bereshith Rabbah, xn.) ; that is to say
the (left) hand created the earth, and
the right hand at the same time created
the heavens.
The Hillelite theory corresponds
to 1 Cor. xv. 46 : dXX' ob irpCiTov to
irvevpariKbv, dXXd rb ipvxiKbv, tireira
rb TTvevpariKbv. The three views pro
pounded above may be taken as texts
for three philosophies, of idealism, evo
lutionism, and dualism. Matter was in
some systems regarded as essentially
evil ; and its creation, according to a
prevalent symbolism, is fitly attributed
to the left hand, as tad is taken to
mean. 41 Sin prevails not over him who
leads the many to righteousness, since
it would be unseemly that the master
should be in Gehinnom whilst his
disciples are in Paradise (Joma 87 a).
Ha-rabbim, ol ttoXAoI (Rom. v. 19),
denotes the public, or "the general,"
and, like cibbur, the congregation, is
contrasted with ha-yachid, b els.
" Reshuth ha-rabbim" is equivalent
to "locus publicus." See Mishnah
Surenhusius, Vol. n. p. 1.
42 This saying, in the form ?3
'13 N'Onil NOnC 'O, is cited in
Sotah 47 a (cf. Sanhedrin 107 b) ; and
it is added that a magnet suspended
the Sin [Rashi calves] of Jerobe'am
between heaven and earth. " Three
kings have no portion in the world
to come. ..Jerobe'am, Achab, and Ma-
nasseh" (Sanhedrin xi. 2). "After this
thing Jeroboam returned not from his
evil way. What is, After? Said R.
Abba, After the Holy One, blessed is
He, had taken him by his raiment, and
said, Turn thee ! and I, and thou, and
the son of Jesse will walk in the Garden
of 'Eden. He said to Him, Who at the
head ? The son of Jesse at the head !
If so, I had rather not." (Sanhedrin
102 a ; 1 Kings xiii. 33.)
43 Moses is reckoned as cooperating
with Israel in all their acts of right
eousness : " consequently the PI13T of
the many depends upon him."
44 The evil eye corresponds to
nNlpil (iv. 30) : the soul, \pvxi, is
the seat of niNn, or "appetite": the
V. 26—30.
95
swelling soul, and a haughty spirit, to the disciple of Bile'am.
And what difference is between the disciples of Abraham and
the disciples of Bile'am ? The disciples of Bile'am go down to
Gehinnom45, for it is said, But thou, 0 God, shalt bring them
down into the pit of destruction (Ps. Iv. 24) ; but the disciples
of Abraham inherit the Garden of 'Eden, for it is said, That
I may cause those that love me to inherit substance45 ; and I
will fill their treasures (Prov. viii. 21).
30. R. Jehudah ben Thema said, Be bold as a leopard, and
swift as an eagle, and fleet as a hart, and strong as a lion46, to
do the will of thy Father which is in Heaven.
spirit, the seat of ambition, and of
the desire for 1133. Compare the
threefold classifications in 1 Joh. ii.
16; Aboth ii. 15. The three evil
qualities in question are ascribed to
Bile'am in "Midrash B. Thanchuma"
(cited by At), and in Bemidbar
Rabbah xx. He had an evil eye, for
it is said: "And Balaam lifted up
his eyes, and he saw Israel, &a."
(Numb. xxiv. 2). He had a grasping
soul, for it is said: "If Balak would
give me his house full of silver and
gold, &c." (xxii. 18). He had a
haughty spirit, for, instead of con
fessing to the messengers of Balaq
that God had altogether forbidden him
to go, and to curse the people, he said
to them: "Get you into your land:
for the Lord refuseth to give me leave
to go with you" (xxii. 13). "He said
to me, It is not consistent with thy
honour to go with these, but with
their superiors ; for he desired my
honour. And Balak sent yet again
princes, more, and more honourable
than they" (ver. 15).
45 "four ISiural have no portion
in the world to come... Bile'am, and
Doeg, and Achithophel, and Gechazi "
(Sanhedrin xi. 2).
"How many years old was Bile'am?
It is not expressly written, but from
what is written, Bloody and deceitful
men shall not live out half their
days (Ps. Iv. 24), he must have been
33 or 34 (that is less than the half
of 70) years old. Well hast thou
replied to my question! Bile'am's
escutcheon appeared to me, and there
was written on it, Son of thirty and
three years was Bile'am the lame,
when captain Phinechas slew him"
(Sanhedrin 106 b). This estimate of
the age of Bile'am controverts a previ
ous statement that he was living at
the time of Pharaoh's edict: "Every
son that is born, &c." (Ex. i. 22). He
is regarded as a "bloody man," be
cause he occasioned the death of
twenty-four thousand Israelites by his
advice to Balaq (Numb. xxv. 9; Bev.
ii. 14). Substance is by Gematria
310 (B») asons (Sanhedrin 100 a).
46 This saying is quoted, in con
nexion with 'Aqiba's 'pin IPOS? PIPJJ
'13, .in Pesachim 112 a; but "Rashi"
refers to the Pereq, UniK> D1pD (rv.
instead of x.), and 38, citing "Rashi,"
refers to Zebachim. For another ap
plication of the saying, see Bemidbar
Rabbah on the sepulchre of Moses,
toward the end of Seder Balaq. The
Machazor Vitry makes Masseketh
ni3N end, very appropriately, at the
words, Q'OKW Y3N.
96
PIRQE ABOTH.
31. He used to say, The bold of face to Gehinnom*7; and
the shamefaced^ to tlte garden of 'Eden. May it be well-pleasing
in thy sight, Lord, our God, and the God of our fathers, that thy
city may be built in our days ; and give us our portion in thy
Thorah. 32. Ben Bag-bag said, Turn it, and again turn it; for
the all is therein43, and thy all is therein : and swerve not there
from, for thou canst have no greater excellency than this.
47 The saying '1a D'lS (PlDty was
probably borrowed in the first instance
from Masseketh Kallah, together with
other matter from which it was after
wards detached. Although now re
garded as part of Aboth, it is not
found after '13 1013 fj) '1.1 in
Aboth R. N. xli. : CC has a double
reading which confirms the suspicion
of its spuriousness ; and in Masseketh
Kallah there is no evidence that it is
quoted from Aboth.
48 " Bashfulness is a good sign." It
it said that a man who has a sense of
shame will not readily sin, nii103 N?
NOm Nil: "and he who has not
D'lQ DE'ia, of a surety his ancestors
stood not on mount Sinai." (Nedarim
20 a; Jalqut i. 301; Mekiltha, £>m3
'0). [Ta'anith7b.]
For prayers against D'lS PlltJI see
Excursus v.
49 Everything is contained in the
Thorah : it was the plan according to
which the world itself was created
(p. 12). "In it, without doubt, are
history and tale : proverb and enigma :
correction and wisdom: knowledge
and discretion : poetry and word-play :
conviction and council: dirge, en
treaty, prayer, praise, and every kind
of supplication ; and all this in a
Divine way superior to all the prolix
benedictions in human books; to say
nothing of its containing in its depths
the Names of the Holy One, blessed is
He, and secrets of being without end"
(Leb Aboth). Some commentators re
mark that works on science and phi
losophy are not needed by the dili
gent student of Thorah, which con
tains, not only "all things necessary
to salvation," but "all the wisdom of
the world." Study Thorah, "and
thou wilt not need the books of
the philosophers of the nations, and
their investigations" (Sforno). Thorah
is cheaply purchased by the sacrifice
of worldly advantage, "for the whole
world and its fulness was created in
six days, but the Thorah was only
given after forty days" (Shemoth
Rabbah xlvii. ; Va-jiqraR. xxx.; Cha-
zitha, Cant. viii. 7).
"There is none poor but in know
ledge. They say in the West (in
Palestine) :
n'3 no n'a ni nti n'3 n"?i3 n'3 nh
: 'ip no »ip vb ni iDn no 'ip ni
In whom this is, there is all: in
whom this is not, what is there? Hath
one gotten this, what lacks ? hath he
not gotten this, what hath he gotten?"
(Nedarim 41 a.)
The ending n3 1^131 of this
clause in <3 may be illustrated by
such expressions as D1NH ?3 HT,
This is the whole of man (Eccl. xii.
13); "She is thy life (Prov. iv. 13),
and (Deut. xxx. 20) the length of
thy days." Compare also the obscure
verse Is. xxxviii. 16. The striking
reading of the text (cf. "totus in illis")
V. 31—33.
97
33. Ben He-he™ said, According to the toil is the reward.
would account for the occurrence in
MSS. of 'inn nm, "and be in it."
In many good MSS. "[311 is pointed
as pi'el. It may accordingly be taken
as a frequentative.
50 The names of 13 13 )3 and
'PI M p are identified by Gematria.
Their sayings are apparently ascribed
to Hillel in Aboth B. N. [A xn. p. 55],
from whom, however, "Bar H. H." is
distinguished in Chagigah 9 b. Ac
cording to one explanation, 1"3 1"3
denotes, Son of proselyte parents 11
PlT'11. According to a note in the so-
called Machazor Vitry, 'n 'n )3 denotes
a proselyte, one who has become a Son
of Abraham and Sarah, whose names
were changed by the introduction of the
letter 'n. It is added, that "They
allude to Ben Bag-bag in Qiddushin
and Baba Qamma, and to Ben He-he
in |'3"n bin." [Qiddush. 10 b, Baba
Q. 27 b, Chagigah 9 b.]
The saying of Ben He-he, like 1. 14 ;
n. 7, is in Aramaic. Final n is often
found for N. Cf. n^>13 in § 32. In
Aboth E. N. xn. [but see B xxvn.]
the saying, besides being attributed to
Hillel (with the addition of Jin^l3^),
is immediately afterwards retorted
upon Hillel, when he is surprised to
find that wheat costs two dinars a
measure in one place, and three dinars
at a place more remote. It forms an
admirable conclusion to the Masseketh,
but was doubtless a proverbial saying
not peculiar to Aboth. [1 Cor. iii. 8
tKaaros — Kara tov iSiov Kbwov.
ADDENDA.
The Ages of Man.
He used to say, At five years old, Scripture : at ten years,
Mishnah: at thirteen1, the Commandments: at fifteen2, Thal
mud: at eighteen, the bridal: at twenty3, pursuits: at thirty,
strength : at forty, discernment : at fifty, counsel : at sixty,
age: at seventy, hoariness: at eighty4, power: at ninety, decre
pitude: at a hundred, it is as though he were dead, and gone,
and had ceased from the world.
A metrical paraphrase of the above is given in the commentary Leb Aboth.
The Midrash on Qoheleth i. 2 reckons seven "vanities," corresponding to the
seven sons of man. The child of a year is like a king, adored by all : at two
or three he is like a swine, dabbling in filth : at ten he bounds like a kid : at
twenty he is like a house, neighing and spirited, and desires a wife : when he
has married a wife, behold he is like an ass : when children are born to him,
he is shameless as a dog in procuring the means of sustenance : when he has
grown old he is like an ape — if, at least, he is 'am ha-arec; but a son of
Thorah, like David, is a king though old (1 Kings i. 1). [Joma 22 b Saul when
made king was like a ben shanah (1 Sam. xiii. 1).] 13
98 PIRQE ABOTH.
Solon, and Hippocrates "the physician,'' in Philo De Mundi Op. (Vol. I.
25, 26 ed. Mangey), divided the life of man into Ten and Seven hebdomads
respectively. [See also Die Lebensalter in der Jiidischen Literatur by Leopold
Low, Szegedin 1875.]
1 After thirteen years the boy becomes a bar micvah vlbs ivroAi)s, and enters
upon the responsibilities of the higher life. Why (asks the Midrash, on
Eccl. ix. 14) is the evil yecer personified as a "great" king? Because it is
thirteen years older than the good yecer. [See p. 37, Aboth R. N. xvi. p. 62, ib.
p. 166, Midr. Ps. ix. (Buber p. 82), Maim. Moreh Nebukhim in. 22.]
2 It is commonly said that Gemara, in the sense "completion," properly
denotes the series of discussions upon the " Mishnah," which, with the Mishnah
itself, made up the " Thalmud." But it is probable that the root 101 should be
taken in the sense " learn " by rote, in contrast with 13D to speculate : a man
should first learn, and afterwards speculate, 1111 BO'N 101'?1 ?"Op 'NO
13Dv (Shabbath 63 a). At remarks that when he has, in the course of five
years, learned the settled Mishnah, which is the N101 of the Thannaim, he
should then proceed to learn N13D, that is "our Thalmud," which we call
N101. Gemara (cf. Gamra), in the dialect of the Amoraim who arose in Babel,
means the unexplained text of the Mishnah.
3 At the age of twenty, according to one view, he is pursued by "precepts and
punishments." So (&, rejecting the interpretation that he pursues or labours to
obtain the means of sustenance for his family. But since in what follows the
man's intrinsic qualities are described, it seems best to interpret the phrase as
meaning that this is the time of life at which man is most eager in the pursuit
of his ideal : it is the age of activity and enthusiasm, in contradistinction to the
later ages of settled strength, wisdom, and influence.
4 The octogenarian must have possessed great natural power and vigour,
which is now, however, well-nigh exhausted, '13 11E> D'HOS? PI11313 DN1
(Ps. xc. 10). [Or if he lives longer it is Dip P iD 1PT313 ]
thirteen] He is "minorennis" until fourteen, or "In Ecclesiasticis " until
thirteen (Buxt. 1364 on 1JJ1). Cf. Shulchan 'Arukh Orach Chayim 199. 10. The
1"' J3 is called B"N man, for so was Levi at that age (Gen. xxxiv. 25), and in
Is. xliii. 21 "This people have I formed" If this is by Gematria thirteen
(Magen Aboth). Cf. Low Lebensalter, Machsor Vitry, Niddah 46 a.
twenty] There is a saying that the celestial beth din do not punish a man
until twenty, see Magen Aboth, Low Lebensalter, Bashi on Num. xvi. 27,
Shabbath 89 b, T. J. Bikkur. n. 1 (64 c), T. J. Sanh. xi. 7 (30 630) ed.
princeps or xi. 5 ed. Zitomir 1865, Gen. Bab. 58. 1, Zohar n. 98 a^ He
then "comes of age" for pursuit or prosecution D'OSSM JO. Abarbanel in
Nachalath Aboth gives the interpretation that the '3 p is quick and impulsive
PP11 07P1 pIPP 'Ip OPD. Another view is that twenty is the age for
military service (Machsor Vitry p. 551, Num. i. 3, Deut. xxiv. 5), cf. in Shake
speare's Seven Ages of Man Then a soldier. Heb. Auth. P. B. ed. Singer p. 204
(cf. Low p. 24, Strack on Aboth) "at twenty for seeking a livelihood. '
CHAPTER VI.
PEREQ R. MEIK
ON THE ACQUISITION OF THORAH.
All Israel have a portion in the world to come1, for it is said, Thy people
also shall be all righteous : they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of
my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified ' (Sanhedrin xi. 1 ;
Isaiah lx. 21 ; Rom. xi. 26).
Wise men have taught in the Mishnah tongue; blessed
is He that made choice of them and their Mishnah:
. 1. Rabbi Meir said, Whosoever is busied in Thorah
. for its own sake merits many things; and not only so, but he is
• worth the whole world : he is called friend, beloved : loves God,
" loves mankind : pleases God, pleases mankind. And it clothes
him with meekness and fear, and fits him to become righteous,
pious, upright and faithful: and removes him from sin, and
brings him toward the side of merit. And they enjoy from
him counsel, and sound wisdom, understanding, and strength,
for it is said, Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom : I am under
standing; I have strength (Prov. viii. 14). And it gives him
kingdom, and dominion, and faculty of judgment. And they
reveal to him the secrets of Thorah; and he is made, as it
were, a spring that ceases not, and as a river that flows on
increasing. And he becomes modest, and long-suffering, and
- forgiving of insult. And it magnifies him and exalts him over
all things. 2. Said Rabbi Jehoshua' ben Levi, Every day Bath Qol
goes forth from Mount Choreb, and makes proclamation and
says, Woe to the creatures for contempt of Thorah, for who-
1 This saying is repeated before each of the six Peraqim.
100
PIRQE ABOTH.
soever does not occupy himself in Thorah is called "blame
worthy1," for it is said, As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout,
so is a fair woman which is without discretion (Prov. xi. 22).
And it saith, And the tables were the work of God, and the
writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables (Ex.
xxxii. 16) ; read not2 charuth, graven, but cheruth, freedom^
for thou wilt find no freeman but him who is occupied in
learning of Thorah; and whosoever is occupied in learning
of Thorah, behold he exalts himself, for it is said, And from
Matthanah to Nachaliel: and from Nachaliel to Bamoth (Numb.
xxi. 19).
3. He who learns from his companion one section, or
one canon, or one verse3, or one word, (or) even one letter, is
bound to do him honour ; for thus we find with David king of
Israel, who learned not from Achithophel but two things only,
that he called him his master, his guide, and his acquaintance,
1 Nazuf serves as a " not(a)riqon "
of &N3 3nj DfJ. An example of
another species of )1p'1011 occurs in
Jalqut i. 298 (Mekiltha TI EHm),
where : " Honour thy father and thy
mother, that thy days may be long,"
is said to carry with it the alternative,
|mp' \yab In!? DXl. This latter
species is overlooked by Buxtorf s. v.,
and by his modern editor.
2 Compare Joh. viii. 32; James i. 25,
ii. 12 : and see Aboth m. 8 ; 'Erubin
54 a ; 'Abodah Zarah 5 a ; Bemidbar
Rabbah xvi. ; &o.
The exegetical device 'IpPl ?N,
" Read not " so but so, is often used
in the Talmud, when it is desired to
attach a preconceived idea to a Scrip
tural expression by way of pvvpbavvov.
The 'IpPl ?N is not to be taken as
evidence that an actual various read
ing was current. The words to which
it is prefixed are confessedly the true
reading, with which the darshan makes
free for a special purpose.
3 Some system of reckoning by
verses was employed by the Jews at
a very early period (Qiddushin 30 a) ;
but the present division of the Old
Testament into chapters and verses
was introduced later by the Christians,
and adopted from them by the Jews.
See the Cambridge University MS.
Additional 465, of which the "Leaves
245 a — 246 a are occupied by a Table
of the Christian division of the several
books of the Hebrew Bible, drawn up
by B. Solomon b. Ishmael...it cannot
well be later than the early part of the
xivth century, or at least a hundred
years before the date of B. Isaac
Nathan, whose concordance, begun in
1437, is usually considered the first
instance of the Jewish adoption of the
Christian chapters for any purpose.
The introduction shews that it was
here used for the purpose of ready
reference in the continually recurring
controversies with the Christians "
(Schiller-Szinessy's Catalogue, Vol. i.
p. 17, on MS. No. 13).
VI. 3—6. 101
for it is said, But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide,
and mine acquaintance (Ps. Iv. 14). And is there not an argu
ment from the greater to the less, that as David king of Israel,
who learned not from Achithophel but two words only, called
him his master, his guide, and his acquaintance, he who learns
from his companion one section, or one canon, or one verse,
or one word, or even one letter, is so many times the more
bound to do him honour ? And honour is nothing but Thorah,
for it is said, The wise shall inherit honour (Prov. iii. 35).
And the perfect shall inherit good (Prov. xxviii. 10). And
good is nothing but Thorah, for it is said, For I give you
good doctrine, forsake ye not my Thorah (Prov. iv. 2).
4. This is the path of Thorah: A morsel with salt1 shalt
thou eat ; Thou shalt drink also water by measure (Ezek. iv. 11) ;
and shalt sleep upon the ground, and live a life of painfulness,
and in Thorah shalt thou labour. If thou doest thus, Happy
shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee (Ps. cxxviii. 2):
"happy shalt thou be" in this world; "and it shall be well
with thee " in the world to come (iv. 3).
5. Seek not greatness for thyself, and desire not honour.
Practise more than thou learnest. And lust not for the table
of kings, for thy table is greater than their table, and thy
crown greater than their crown, and faithful is thy task -master
who will pay thee the wage of thy work.
6. Greater is Thorah than the priesthood, and than the
kingdom; for the kingdom is acquired by thirty degrees, and
the priesthood by four and twenty, and the Thorah is acquired
by forty and eight things. And these are they, by learning,
by a listening ear, by ordered speech, by discernment of heart,
by dread, by fear, by meekness, by cheerfulness, by pureness,
by attendance upon the wise, by discussion with associates,
by the argumentation of disciples, by sedateness ; by Scripture,
by Mishnah; by little traffic, by little intercourse, by. little
luxury, by little sleep, by little converse, by little merriment;
by long-suffering, by a good heart, by faith in the wise, by
acceptance of chastisements; he that knows his place, and
that rejoices in his portion, and that makes a fence to his
1 This is a Talmudic phrase for a poor man's fare (Berakoth 2 b).
102 PIRQE ABOTH.
words, and does not claim merit to himself; he is loved, loves
God, loves mankind, loves righteousnesses, loves uprightness,
loves reproofs; and retires from honour, and puffs not up
his heart with his learning, and is not forward in decision;
bears the yoke with his associate, and inclines him to the
scale of merit, and grounds him upon the truth, and grounds
him upon peace (i. 19); and settles his heart to his study;
asks and answers, hears and adds thereto; he that learns in
order to teach, and that learns in order to practise ; that makes
his master wiser, and that considers what he has heard, and
that tells a thing in the name of him that said it. Lo, thou
hast learned that whosoever tells a thing in the name of him
that said it, brings redemption to the world, for it is said,
And Esther told it to the king in the name of Mordekai
(Esth. ii. 22).
7. Great is Thorah, which gives life to those who practise
it in this world and in the world to come, for it is said, For
they are life unto those that find them, and health to all
• their flesh (Prov. iv. 22); and it saith, It shall be health to
' thy navel, and marrow to tby bones (Prov. iii. 8) ; and it saith,
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her : and
happy is every one that retaineth her (Prov. iii. 18); and it
saith, For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head,
and chains about thy neck (Prov. i. 9) ; and it saith, She
shall give to thine head an ornament of grace : a crown of
glory shall she deliver to thee (Prov. iv. 9); and it saith,
For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy
life shall be increased (Prov. ix. 11); and it saith, Length of
days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and
honour (Prov. iii. 16): and it saith, For length of days, and
years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee (Prov. iii. 2).
8. Rabbi Shime'on ben Jehudah, in the name of Rabbi
Shime'on ben Jochai, said, Comeliness, and strength, and
wealth, and honour, and wisdom, and age, and hoariness,
and sons, are comely to the righteous, and comely to the
world, for it is said, The hoary head is a crown of glory;
it is found in the way of righteousness (Prov. xvi. 31); and
it saith, The glory of young men is their strength : and the
VI. 7—10. 103
beauty of old men is the grey head (Prov. xx. 29); and it
saith, Sons' sons are the crown of old men ; and the glory
of sons are their fathers (Prov. xvii. 6) ; and it saith, Then
the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when
the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in
Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously (Is. xxiv. 23).
Rabbi Shime'on ben Manasia said, These (?) seven qualities
which the wise have reckoned to the righteous were all of them
confirmed in Rabbi and his sons.
9. Said Rabbi Jose ben Qisma, Once I was walking
by the way, and there met me a man, and he gave me
" Peace " ; and I returned him " Peace." He said to me,
Rabbi, from what place art thou ? I said to him, From a
great city of wise men, and doctors, am I. He said to me4,
Rabbi, should it be thy pleasure to dwell with us in our
place, I will give thee a thousand thousand dinars of gold,
and goodly stones, and pearls. I said to him, If thou shouldest
give me all the silver, and gold, and goodly stones, and pearls
that are in the world, I would not dwell but in a place of
Thorah; and thus it is written in the book of Psalms, by
the hands of David, king of Israel, The law of thy mouth
is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver (Ps.
cxix. 72). Moreover in the hour of a man's decease not silver,
nor gold, nor goodly stones, and pearls accompany the man,
but Thorah and good works alone, for it is said, When
thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall
keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee
(Prov. vi. 22). "When thou goest, it shall lead thee," in
this world: "when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee," in
the grave: "and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee,"
in the world to come. And it saith, The silver is mine, and
the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts (Hagg. ii. 8).
10. Five5 possessions possessed the Holy One, blessed is He,
4 Observe the absence of conjunc- the Talmudic style in this respect.
tions : "I said to him... said he to B The text of C reads Four pos-
me," &c. The same peculiarity is sessions, instead of five. Cf. note «.
found in parts of the New Testament. Gen. xiv. 19 is not a good proof that
Cf. Joh. iv. xxi., which are quite in Abram was a )'lp.
104 PIRQE ABOTH.
in his world, and these are they: Thorah, one possession;
Heaven and Earth, one possession; Abraham, one possession ;
Israel, one possession; The Sanctuary, one possession. Thorah,
whence? because it is written, The Lord possessed me in
the beginning of his way, before his works of old (Prov.
viii. 22); Heaven and Earth, whence? because it is written,
Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the
earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build
unto me ? and where is the place of my rest (Is. Ixvi. 1) ?
and it saith, 0 Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom
hast thou made them all : the earth is full of thy possessions
(Ps. civ. 24); Abraham, whence? because it is written, And
he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most
high God, possessor of heaven and earth (Gen. xiv. 19) ;
Israel, whence? because it is written, Till thy people pass
over, 0 Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast
possessed (Ex. xv. 16); and it saith, To the saints that are
in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight
(Ps. xvi. 3) ; The Sanctuary, whence ? because it is written,
The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell
in, the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established
(Ex. xv. 17); and it saith, And he brought them to the border
of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right-hand
had possessed (Ps. lxxviii. 54).
11. Whatsoever the Holy One, blessed is He, created
in his world, he created not but for his glory, for it is said,
Every one that is called by my name : for I have created him
for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him (Is.
xliii. 7); and it saith, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever
(Ex. xv. 18).
Rabbi Chanania ben 'Aqashia said1, The Holy One,
blessed is He, was pleased to give merit to Israel : therefore he
multiplied unto them Thorah and precepts, for it is said,
The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake ; he will
magnify the law, and make it honourable (Is. xiii. 21).
1 This saying is repeated at the end of each of the six Peraqim.
EXCURSUS I.
Thorah. Qabbalah. The Decalogue. (See 1. 1, p. 11.)
1. It is very important to notice some of the uses of the words Thorah
and Qabbalah. Those of the latter are especially striking.
" We have two Thoroth (said Shammai in reply to a would-be proselyte),
the written Thorah, 3naaE> IIIPI, and the oral Thorah, IB bj?3B> nilPI"
(Shabbath 31 a). Some things were communicated by mouth, and some
things were communicated by writing, and we should not know which of
them are the more precious but for what is said: "...for after the tenor of
('B b^) these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel"
(Ex. xxxiv. 27). This shews that those which were by mouth (1D3) are the
more precious (T. J. Peah ii. 6. Cf. T. J. Megillah iv. 1 ; T. B. Gittin 60 b).
In T. J. Berakoth I. 7 it is said in the course of a discussion, in the name
of R. Jochanan : " Words of Soferim are akin to words of Thorah and more
beloved than words of Thorah, for (Cant. i. 2), Thy love is better than wine
(sc. of the Thorah)":
¦)"o Tin D'3io '3 -mo mi' n'3'3m min '1311? d'ibid nai dhii
It is added that whereas the Thorah contains both light and weighty
precepts, the words of the Soferim are all of the latter class, D'lion. He
who transgresses their words deserves death, for "whoso breaketh an
hedge, a serpent shall bite him" (Eccl. x. 8). In 'Abodah Zarah ii. 5 it is
discussed whether the reading in Cant. i. 2 is Till or TT.il, and the
decision is given in favour of the former1. That is to say, the congregation
of Israel addresses God (not vice versa), and says, as it is further explained
in this Gemara (35 a) : " Lord of the world, the words of Thy love are
sweeter unto me than the wine of Thorah." The authority of the Thorah
was final, and its decisions without appeal, as is expressed for example by
the saying, That which is of the Thorah needs not confirmation, NPI"11N11
plt'n 'J?3 N7 (Rosh ha-Shanah 19 a, cf. Jebamoth 85 b), whereas words of
Soferim do need plt'n, confirmation. Upon the latter compare Kethu-
both 83 b, 84 a, where it is said that, " The wise have confirmed, or given
force (plt'n IK'S?) to, their words more than — or as much as — to those of
, Thorah." In R. ha-Shanah 19a it is said by 'B»N '1, that "words of
Qabbalah are like to words of Thorah." Other sayings tending to the
exaltation of irapaSoo-ts and scribe-law might be given ; but in drawing
inferences from them allowance must be made for their rhetorical and
[] So Agadath Shir Hashirim line 251 (ed. Schechter from Cod. De Rossi
541, Camb. 1896), giving the pointing Jill.] 14
106 PIRQE ABOTH.
dialectic character. They are commonly put forward as private opinions
in debate, rather than as authoritative decisions.
The word Thorah has a special application to the Pentateuch, or Law
of Moses (Deut. i. 5 ; Josh. viii. 31 ; 1 Kings ii. 3 ; Luke xxiv. 44 ; Joh. i. 17) ;
but it is also applied to the remaining Scriptures. Thus in Sanhedrin 91 b
the verses Josh. viii. 30 ; Ps. Ixxxiv. 5 ; Is. Iii. 8 are cited as Thorah. But
the preeminence of Thorah as compared with the remaining Scriptures is
brought out by the saying of R. Jochanan in T. J. Megillah i. 7 : " The
Prophets and the Hagiographa will cease but the five books of Thorah will
not cease." Resh Laqish adds that the book Esther likewise and the
Pll3^n of the oral Thorah will never cease, for b tbiy Plia'bn (Hab. iii. 6).
2. The word Qabbalah means biaboxni and denotes tradition (irapa-
hoo-is), regarded from the point of view of reception. It is applied not only
to what is generally understood by tradition, but even to the Prophetic
Scriptures and the Hagiographa1, as below :
(i) Mishnah Tha'anith n. 1 (Joel ii. 13):
¦ D3'1J3 b«\ D333!? IVIpl 101N Nil n^>3p3!
and in Qabbalah he saith, And rend your heart, &c.
(ii) T. J. Kilaim ix. 1 (Ezek. xliv. 17) :
•'13 Drwa io* nrvby rby n*?i n'papa btb
(iii) T. J. Niddah m. 3 (Ps. cxxxix. 16) :
•'ia -p»i; ini 'obu n"?ap3 b>hbo Nin vby\
(iv) Rosh ha-Shanah 7 a (Zech. i. 7) :
di'a uno1? rbip 'iaio »io^> xb u'ai ne>o mine nt iai wai ion
.oat? tnn Nin £>in -wy vwyb nyaiNi D'ib>j?
Said Rabina, This matter we have learned not from the Thorah of
Mosheh our lord : from words of Qabbalah we have learned it, " Upon the
four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat..."
(v) Niddah 25 a (Job x. 10) :
•'ia 'jN'Bpn 'j'3J3i 'ja'piri 3"?n3 N^n n"?apa k>hbo vbv\
(vi) Mekiltha, 'PI NnDBI 'DO (Cant. iv. 12) :
¦Dinn pyo b)Vi ^>a n"?a 'runs !?ij» p nbapa pubd tinby\
(vii) Mekiltha, 1"' NnDBI 'DO (Jer. ii. 2) :
•d!?5ht ':tNa nxipi ti^h n"?ap3 ehibd Dn^j/i
(viii) Sifra, D'NI^OI 'DO (Mal. ii. 5):
i3a»i pnN via '3 miM b inti ionjk' Wa ubu> spii pnNB> jooi
n"?apa pnN 'T by tniao ainan pi. .. tow n'a ba dt D'B'toy pnN pin
•'ia town nbv fiin n'm? Ditovni D"nn ihn nirn 'pi'i3
1 See Excursus in. § 4 ; Zunz Gottesdienstl. Vortrtlge pp. 44, 353 (1832).
EXCURSUS I. 107
And whence (appears it) that Aaron pursued peace in Israel ? Because
it is said, " And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they
mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel" (Numb. xx. 29,
see p. 21) ... And thus is the Scripture1 interpreted of Aaron in
Qabbalah : " My covenant was with him of life and peace," because he
pursued peace in Israel.
(ix) Sifre on Numb., 3"'p NpDB (Ps. 1. 20 ; Is. v. 18) :
'ntnnni rwy rba 'an \nn ion pa lain -prixa n^n ntoipa b>hbo l'tor
Dipon 'an dii ie>3 'sua nob> nriN H3D3 -jioa n'nx dim pi'oi
Nicn bim pyn 'aano 'in ntoip3 e>tbi nw N3 ymb nsijKO m'aiN
N'3i3 tor oin1? non Nin xon tor intonn nxon ntoyn ninnini
nos*1? rinN ni*o nanyn ioin n -nxon ntoyn niniasn (nvnto ibid toiN
to< rinN ni'ay laiym nam mvo rmiJ f\\o^& nivo nniN by nos" ba
nnia ni'avi nivo miu nivoB» nam nii'ay riniJB' spD^ nby jnt
: rui'aj)
It is expressly said thereupon in Qabbalah, " Thou sittest and speakest
against thy brother, &c." ... Isaiah came and interpreted in Qabbalah,
" Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it
were with a cartrope." (The remainder of the passage illustrates Aboth
iv. 5, q. v.)
(x) Sifre on Deut., n"0 NpDB (Eccl. x. 8) :
piBn toiB* mob ni .etu U3b» tu piBi n^pa vby b>tbi notor Na
E»B3 Nin nn ioin 'ni' p an -vby D'Na ni'WiiB pjidS D'oan tor d'tu
.'13 pibi: Dian nj>3B>
Solomon came and interpreted it in Qabbalah, "and whoso breaketh an
hedge, a serpent shall bite him." Lo ! thou hast learned that whoso
breaketh hedges (cf. i. 1) of the wise, eventually punishments come upon
him. R. Sh. ben Jochai said, Behold he is " A full soul that loatheth an
honeycomb " (Prov. xxvii. 7).
In the above examples, to which more might be added, we find quoted
as Qabbalah, or tradition, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zechariah,
Malachi, Psalms, Job, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes. The Pentateuch being
called Thorah (iv), or Scripture (viii), the other Books are expressly
i described as being, on the contrary, Qabbalah. This mode of speaking
may be assumed to be a survival from a remote period at which the
Pentateuch alone had been accepted as canonical ; for it could scarcely have
arisen in comparatively recent times. It must be taken into account in
the discussion whether the Sadducees rejected " tradition " only, for a
difficulty may arise in defining accurately what was understood by " tra-
1 Miqra also is used specially of the Pentateuch. See below § 3. iii. b.
108 PIRQE ABOTH.
dition." Granted that they accepted all the canonical books, what weight
would they have allowed, when their distinctive tenets were at stake, to an
argument from a Prophet which appeared to contradict tho Thorah or
Pentateuch, to which a marked preeminence was and is assigned by Jews
in general? Cf. Excursus III.
3. On the Jewish division of the Decalogue, which differs from our
division of the so-called " Ten Commandments," see Excursus IV.
i The Decalogue is sometimes singled out as the revelation to Moses
, from Sinai. At other times the conception of revelation is idealised, and
, it is said that all Scripture, Mishnah, and Gemara were made known to
, Moses. A connecting link between these extremes is the view that the
> entire Law is latent in the Decalogue ; in accordance with which view
special treatises have been written— as by Sa'adiah Gaon (cf. Rashi on
Ex. xxiv. 12), and the author of the anonymous treatise in the Cambridge
University MS. Additional 493 — in which each of the 613 commandments
is referred to some one of the "Ten Words" of the Decalogue. The
number of the commandments is given in Makkoth 23 b : "613 command
ments were spoken to Moses — 365 negative, according to the number of
days in the solar-year ; and 248 positive, corresponding to the members of
the human body... mm by Gematria is equal to the number 611. The
other two, '33N and ~b fl'n' N? (i.e. the first and second of the Ten
Words), we heard 111331 'BO." The next page gathers up the whole 613
successively into 11, 6, 3, 1, as follows. First comes David who rests them
all upon eleven, according to clauses of Ps. xv. 2 — 5, from D'OPI "|t>in to
'13 inBI. Then Isaiah (xxxiii. 15) rests them on six. Micah (vi. 8) on
three. Amos (v. 4) on the one, "seek ye me." But this, says Rab Nach-
man bar Isaac, may mean, 1713 mini 733 ,31B,11 ; and he prefers to
rest them upon a saying in Hab. ii. 4, which assumes great prominence
in the New Testament likewise (Rom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 11; Ueb. x. 38),
nw 1PI310N3 p'lVl, And the just shall live by his " faith."
The following are some of the statements which have to be taken
into account in estimating the Rabbis' views of revelation. It is evident
that some of their dicta were not intended to be taken literally, but are
the paradoxes of idealists, which leave us in some doubt as to how much
they supposed to have been revealed explicitly to Moses.
(i) T. J. Megillah iv. 1 :
'3B^> nmn1? Tny p'nn TotoiB-' no ltosNi ni3Ni notoii n3B>o Nipo . .
¦'3'DO TWob 'ON3 133 131
, Scripture, Mishnah, and Thalmud, and Agadah, and even that which
i the diligent scholar was destined to point out before his master, were
¦ already spoken to Moses from Sinai.
EXCURSUS I. 109
(ii) T. B. Megillah 19 b:
mNIIB' lo1?© -113 D30JJ '1 131 IB'N D'1311 "?33 Dn'ton 3'PI31 'NO-- .
¦wirb t'TPiy D'isiDnB» noi D'iBid ''ptipTi nun 'pnpi ntro1? n"3pn
(iii) Berakoth 5 a :
Ti3ri3 iB-N nivoni niinm pNn mm1? pin ~b n3riNi 3'ri3i 'no...
ib-n -isb-o n mvom -Nipo nt nnn -rimm m^y ba mm1? ¦Dnnin1?
nB»o!? 13PI3 DtoaB* iobo \x103n nt anmn1? -D'3iri3i D'N'33 i"?n 'nana • 'J'DO
\ What means the Scripture : " And I will give thee (a) the tables of
, stone ; (b) the Thorah ; (c) the commandment ; (d) which I have written ;
(«) that thou mayest teach them " (Ex. xxiv. 12) 2 The expressions signify,
1 (a) the Decalogue ; (b) Miqra ( = Scripture, or Pentateuch) ; (c) Mishnah ;
(d) Prophets and Hagiographa ; (e) Gemara — all of which are shewn to
have been given to Moses from Sinai.
(iv) Shemoth Rabbah xxviii. :
, " And God spake all these words, saying — " Said R. Isaac, What the
prophets were about to prophesy in every generation they received from
t Mount Sinai, for thus Moses said to Israel (Deut. xxix. 14), 133'N IB'N PIN!
DIM 1301? .IB, not Dl'PI 101V WDV, but simply DIM 130J?. These are
the souls (of those) about to be created, who had no substance, and of
whom " standing " could not be predicated. Although they existed not in
"that hour, each one of them received his own. Cf. Mal. i. 1, "...in the
hais1) of Malachi " (not in the days of Malachi), because the prophecy was
already in his hand from Mount Sinai, but till that hour authority had
not been given him to prophesy. And so Isaiah (xlviii. 16) says, PIPIl'PI PIVO
'3N, from the day that the Thorah was given on Sinai there I was, and
received this prophecy, " and now the Lord God and His Spirit hath sent
me." Till then authority had not been given him to prophesy. And not
all the prophets only, but also the sages that were to arise in successive
generations, each one of them received his own from Sinai, according to
the scripture : " These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly... with
a great voice, and he added no more " (Deut. v. 22). R. Jochanan said,
Each voice was divided into seven voices, and they were divided into
seventy tongues.
(v) Jalqut I. 285 (cf. Mekiltha and Thanchuma) :
" All the Ten Words were spoken superhumanly with a single utterance
(1131)... It is said that all the PI1131 in the Thorah were spoken with
a single 1131."
The oral Halakhoth given to Moses on Sinai are said in T. J. Peah n. 6
to have been all embodied in the Mishnah : but elsewhere we read that
very much of the original tradition is lost.
EXCURSUS II.
The Great Synagogue. (See. i. 1, p. 11.)
1. T/te period of the Men of the Great Synagogue.
From statements in Aboth about the Great Synagogue it would
seem that it was regarded as comprising a succession of teachers, for
(1) the "Prophets" previously spoken of belonged to successive genera
tions, and (2) Simon Justus himself is said to have been one of the last
of the Great Synagogue, which must therefore have covered the interval
between the cessation of " prophecy " and the date, or supposed date, of
Simon. That the chain was intended to be continuous appears likewise
from Peah n. 6 (% fol. 4 a) where it is said (see p. 14) that the pairs re
ceived from the prophets :
nunn )o toi'pB' N3No tovpB* nb»n'o '10 (?) to:ipo itoitoi mm 'on
.'13 iniB» pin mitn '3'do nB'o'? nam D'N'33n jo ii?a'pB»
In Aboth R. N. I. the line of succession from Moses is given in the form :
Joshua: Elders: Judges: Prophets: Hag., Zech., Malachi : G.S.
The Great Synagogue (as we may conclude in accordance with a
prevalent tradition, which attributes its establishment to Ezra) arose some
time after the return from the Captivity, and included " alle die bis zum
Simon an der Spitze der Gesetzlehre in Judda standen" (Jost, Gesch. a. 42).
It was natural however that later generations —led partly by the popular
tendency to simplify the more obscure parts of history by the summation
of scattered events, and partly by the desire to make the Great Synagogue
seem still greater, and its decisions more venerable — should have come to
regard the various Traditions relating to it as marking a single epoch. It
is accordingly said to have been a college consisting of 120 contemporaries,
all of whose names are recorded in the Holy Scriptures. Their number is
determined from a comparison of Berakoth 33 a with Megillah 17 b ; the
expression 3"13N in the one passage corresponding to D'3pt D'lBW 1NO,
D'N'33 103 Dn31, " ] 20 elders, including several prophets," in the other.
The number of 120 is made up from the 84 (or 83, LXX. and T. J.
Chagigah in. 8) signataries mentioned in Neh. x. 2 — 28 : the 33 (or 34)
"prophets" supposed to be named in Neh. viii. 4, 7 and ix. 4, 5 ; and the 3,
Chaggai, Zekariah, and Malachi (whom Targum Jonathan on Mal. i. 1
identities with Ezra). To account for the number of 85 (for 84) "elders"
in T. J. Megillah I. 7 it has been proposed to insert a name before "1B"1 in
Neh. x. 10, or to include Ezra. In T. J. Berakoth n. 4 the number 120 is
said to include upwards of 80 prophets. Herzfeld, to whose Geschichte
&c. (i. 381, Excurs. 12) the reader may be referred for additional details,
rightly regards the number 120 as fictitious, whether it be assumed to be
EXCURSUS II. Ill
the number of the Great Synagogue at any one epoch, or the sum total of
its numbers in successive periods. In the pages following he attempts to
identify it with the Synhedrin. Its name is not mentioned by Josephus or
Philo ; but some have imagined a reference to it in 1 Mace. vii. 12 ; xiv. 28.
Little, however, is known about the Men of the Great Synagogue, except
that the Mishnah regards them as having received the Tradition from the
Prophets, and preserved it down to the age of Simon Justus. The passage
of Aboth which gives the lower limit is cited, together with i. 19, in T. J.
Megillah in. 7 :
'3 by ioin n'n Nin ntoi3i riD33 'Tk>o im p'i*n pVOB» p'3ri ton
piDB3 jriE'tori D'iDn nitoos ton nmyn by) minn by low Dtoyn onai
•'13 -|'B3 '131 D'B-Nl inN
1'in to? iou> otoyn D'i3i '3 by ioin "?N'to:3 p pyoE' pi p'an jon
P1DB3 JPIB'tori N30 '31 ion • • • UN 131 jntptoyi Ditorn ton noNn ton
! '13 Dltor OSB>01 PION UN
2. The work of the Great Synagogue.
r\:vvb ntoisn nnnn 3"n3N iidjib' ji'3i-
And when the men of the Great Synagogue arose, they restored the
greatness to its pristine state. T. J. Berakoth vn. 4 ; Megillah in. 8.
In a parallel passage of the Babli (Joma 69 b) we find : "Why was their
name called the men of the Great Synagogue ? Because they restored the
crown to its pristine state, i13B>1'7 niOJ? 11'tnnB'," where the crown might
refer to The Name, or to the Thorah (Aboth iv. 19) ; but, as in the "Jeru
shalmi," the Scripture-proofs adduced favour the reading 17113 rather than
nioy. Their work, as suggested by their "Three Words" in Aboth i. 1,
was to define, to teach, and to develope, the Law. Their first saying, " Be
deliberate in judgment," is applied in Aboth R. N. i. to the gradual forma
tion of the Canon. " At first it was said that Proverbs, Song of Songs,
Qoheleth1 were apocryphal, because they spoke irapaPoAas, and that they
were not of the Kethubim, until the men of the Great Synagogue arose and
interpreted them." It is said that they " wrote down (13P13) Ezekiel, and
the Twelve (minor prophetical books), Daniel, and Megillath Esther "
(Baba Bathra 15 a) ; and that they composed inter alia the " 18 Benedic
tions " of the Jews' Prayer-Book. The Masorah also is attributed to them
(Buxt. Tiber. Pt. I., cap. x.). Lastly, besides fixing the Canon it was necessary
to "make a fence to the Thorah" : to surround it with a margin of casuistry :
to evolve the principles which underlay its words : to develope and apply
its decrees, accommodating them to the varied requirements of the time.
1 This book was long disputed, " Qoheleth does not defile the hands,
according to Beth Shammai : but Beth Hillel say it defiles the hands "
('Edioth v. 3).
EXCURSUS III.
Antigonus. Zadok. Sadducee. (See i. 3, p. 13.)
1. According to a Jewish tradition, it was the saying of Antigonus, in
Aboth i. 3, which gave rise to Sadduceeism. The great authority for this
view of the case is Aboth de-Rabbi Nathan, Chapter V. :
1'bwoi DH3ya l'nn ba am pnvn pyoB-o "?ap iaiD b"n D133'03N
bap1? oy Ntor am pin pewon D'iaya vi n'^n did bap1? oy 3ii nx
D133'03N .N37 TPiyb tosa D313B" nM'B» '13 D3'to> D'OB' N110 M'l DIB
D'Totol1? 1M |'31B* 1'1313 |'31B> 1MB" D'Totol '3B> b 1M 131D B"N
1011? 13TH3N ini no iioni )nnnN ipipn noy Di'Toto-i1? D'Totoii
1'yiv i"?n Nto< ri'3iy naB" too' n!?i dim to naxtos tons nB»y'B» ib>bn
ib»ibi noy ia 'noiN im n1? D'non n"nn B"1 N3n otoyn b>'b> ls'nnx
pnu db> by fpnv .|'dipi"31 j'pnv nivia tib* dio isidsi nuni jo
nn'n sb VD' to ant 'toi ?)D3 'baa B'onB'o imb> dipi"3 db» by j'Diri"3
Dtoy3 jovy j'tvxd jib1 j'b>iib rra iiido 'din ppiiv n"?n i'to> 1D3 myi
: 'Dito jn!? j'N Nan otoyai ntn
"Antigonus of Soko received from Shime'on ha-Qaddiq. He used to
say, Be not as slaves that serve the Rab on the terms of receiving recom
pense ; but be as slaves that serve the Rab not on the terms of receiving
recompense ; and let the fear of Heaven be upon you ; that your reward
may be doubled for the time to come.
Antigonus of Soko had two disciples, who repeated his words : and they
repeated them to (their) disciples, and their disciples to their disciples.
They arose, and refined after them, and said, What did our fathers ima
gine, in saying that a labourer might do work all the day and not receive his
reward at evening ? Nay, but if our fathers knew that there was the world
to come, and that there was a revival of the dead, they would not have
spoken thus. They arose and separated from the Thorah ; and two sects
were formed from them, Caduqin and Baithusin; Qaduqin, after the name
of (Jadoq : Baithusin, after the name of Baithos, who was served in vessels
of silver and vessels of gold all his days : his mind was not puffed up (or
1 For a transcript of the above from a Bodleian MS. (No. 408, fol. 72) I am
indebted to Dr Neubauer. [From iTi-ir to the end (al. "Q vm) is a tosefeth, cf.
Ab. R. N. p. 26 ed. Schechter. On Das Trilulresion see Graetz Gesch. d, Juden
in. n. 10 (1878).]
EXCURSUS III. 113
were served all their days : their mind &c.) : but the Qaduqin said, The
Pharisees have a tradition that they must worry themselves in this world ;
and in the world to come there is naught for them.''
The above, which is also cited in the 'Aruk, seems to represent Sad-
duceeism &c. as having arisen from the perversion and misunderstanding
of the saying of Antigonus, not immediately, but after the lapse of a con
siderable period. If, however, (Jadoq and Baithus, or Boethus, were not
the actual originators of the heresies in question, why were those heresies
named after them? But Maimonides on Aboth i. 3, and 'Obadiah of
Bertinoro on Jadaim iv. 6, describe Cadoq and Baithus as the actual
heresiarchs. It is an open question whether Aboth R. N. v. embodies an
authentic tradition, or a mere theory based upon an assumption that
Judaism had been in the same phase of development from time immemorial,
and that Sadduceeism could never have been otherwise than reactionary.
2. The Sadducees " Sons of Zadoq.'7
Geiger's theory1 was that the Qadoqites were a sacerdotal conservative
party, named after the Qadoq who anointed Solomon (1 Kings i. 39).
Ezekiel several times speaks of the Sons of Cadoq, plIX '33, and he ex
pressly describes them as the priestly family kot egoxyv, to the exclusion
of other Levites : " And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when
Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols ; they
shall even bear their iniquity... they shall not come near unto me, to do the
office of a priest unto me... But I will make them keepers of the charge of
the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
But the priests the Levites, the Sons of Zadok2, that kept the charge of
my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall
come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to
offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. xliv.
10 — 15). Passing on to the New Testament, we find the Sadducees men
tioned in the Synoptic Gospels as opponents of the Pharisees : in St John's
Gospel they are not mentioned at all, but the combination chief priests
and Pharisees (vii. 32, 45 ; xi. 47, 57 ; xviii. 3) occurs instead of Pharisees
and Sadducees (Matt. iii. 7 ; xvi. 1 — 12 ; Acts xxiii. 7) ; and the identifica
tion of the Sadducees with the sacerdotal party seems to be completed by
Acts V. 17, avaaras he 6 dpxiepeis icai iravres ot aiiv avra, ij ovaa aipeats t5>v
2a88ovKat ntolp '131 D'31PI31 D'N'33 lN1p3B» 2'D1N '3N -pto
:'i3 D'pmi mvo jto3B> D'ibd n^on1? ;'ib> J3'n Dipo tool nB»o piio'd fN3i
" And therefore I say that the Prophets and Hagiographa are called
words of Qabbalah, because they were received by biaboxn, and they came
from the days of Moses ; and by no means are they equal to the five books,
which are all precepts and ordinances, &c."
If the Sadducees were of the number of those who insisted most
strongly upon the superior authority of the Pentateuch, it might in certain
cases be nearer to the truth to say that they rejected the Prophets and
Hagiographa than to say that they accepted them. If a Prophet were
quoted in opposition to Moses, they would have questioned the authority
of the Prophet. Por an example of such contrariety see Makkoth 24 a :
ny3iN iN3 "?nib" by 13'31 ne>o it3 pints nysiN N3'3n ia 'Di' tn
: '13 Dltoi'31 D'N'33
" Said R. Jose bar Chanina, Four ni1T3 pronounced Moses our Lord upon
Israel : four prophets came and made them void3. Moses said (Deut.
xxxiii. 28), Israel then shall dwell in safety... Amos (vii. 5), Cease, I be
seech Thee, &c. Moses said (Deut. xxviii. 65), And among these nations
1 For illustrations, see Lightfoot's Hor. Hebr. on Matt. xxii. 32 ; Joh. iv. 25.
2 See col. 2 of the commentary on Aboth in the MS. At. A omits jna.
[In Machsor Vitry 46215 ed. Hurwitz read rwn for jwinv]
3 'Sbpov obv Karapyovpev (=bB3) Sici ttjs irloreas ; (Rom. iii. 31).
EXCURSUS III. 115
thou shalt find no rest : Jeremiah (xxxi. 2), Israel, when I went to cause
him to rest. Moses said (Bxod xx. 5), Visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children : Ezekiel (xviii. 20), The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Moses said (Lev. xxvi. 38),. And ye shall perish among the heathen : Isaiah
(xxvii. 13), And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet
shall be blown..."
It would follow that a party answering more or less closely to the de
scription of the Sadducees must have existed, under some name or other,
before the times of Antigonus, if we might assume that there was a time at
which the Pentateuch was the whole Bible, and the other books had not
as yet been fully recognised as canonical ; but their comparative depre
ciation of the other books would have a tendency to diminish in course of
time, when these had once been generally received into the Canon. " The
Sadducees," writes Josephus (Ant. xiii. 10. 6), "are able to persuade
none but the rich, and have not the populace obsequious to them." Their
influence was on the wane, and it received a fatal blow in the destruction
of Jerusalem. Their power as a sacerdotal oligarchy then vanished, and
in after times the name Sadducee was freely used (p. 40) as a synonym for
a heretic, regarded as one who receded from an acknowledged standard of
orthodoxy. 5. The Books of the Sadducees.
a. We have no authentic remains of Sadducee literature ; but it has
been suggested, with a certain plausibility, that the book Ecclesiasticus
approximates to the standpoint of the primitive Qaduqin, as regards its
theology, its sacerdotalism, and its want of sympathy with the modern
Soferim. The name of Ezra is significantly omitted from its catalogue of
worthies : " It remains singular," remarks Kuenen, " that the man whom a
later generation compared, nay made almost equal, to Moses, is passed over
in silence... Is it not really most natural that a Jesus ben Sirach did not
feel sympathy enough for the first of the Scribes, to give him a place of
honour in the series of Israel's great men?" The modern Scribe was to
Ben Sirach an unworthy descendant of the primitive Wise, in accordance
with Eli'ezer ha-Gadol's lament over the degeneracy of a later age :
: '13 N'1DD3 '1101? N'0'3n 11E> EHpOl Pl'3 3HB' Dl'O
" Ex quo Templum devastatum est1, cospere Sapientes similes esse
Scribis ; Scribae aedituis ; jEditui, vulgo hominum ; Vulgus vero hominum
in pejus indies ruit, nee quis rogans, aut quserens, superest. Cui ergo
innitendum ? Patri nostro coslesti."
6. In Sanhedrin 100 b, the books of Sadducees, and the book of Ben
Sira, are placed side by side on the Index expurgatorius :
! 'ip'o!? TDX 'D3 NI'D p 13D3 ION ?pl' 31 D'pm '1BD3 N3P1
1 Mishnah, Sotah ix. 15 (Surenhusius, "Vol. III. p. 308). % reads N'TDVn,
for mm : nay, for w>ni 'y : &c. See fol. 100 b.
EXCURSUS IV.
Qeriyath Shema'. The Decalogue. (See n. 17, p. 38.)
1. The Shema', or Audi, is a portion of Scripture which commences:
" Hear, O Israel, oic." ; and is commonly understood to comprise the
following passages :
Deuteronomy vi. 4 — 9 :
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God «'s one Lord1: And thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be
in thine heart : And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts
of thy house, and on thy gates.
Deuteronomy xi. 13 — 21 :
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my com
mandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God,
and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will
give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the
latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine
oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat
and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived,
and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them ; And then the
Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there
be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit ; and lest ye perish quickly
from off the good land which the Lord giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay
up these my words in your heart and ia your soul, and bind them for a sign
upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye
shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thine
house, and upon thy gates : That your days may be multiplied, and the
days of your children, in the land which the Loud sware unto your fathers
to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
1 The Authorized Version gives an impossible construction, as is at once
seen when "Loed" is replaced by the mn« of the original. Read, Yhvh is one,
or sole, comparing Zech. xiv. 9.
EXCUKSUS IV. 117
Numbers xv. 37 — 41 :
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their
garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe
of the borders a ribband of blue : And it shall be unto you for a fringe,
that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the
Lord, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your
own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring : That ye may remember, and
do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord
your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : I
am the Lord your God.
But the first of the above passages is the yOB> proper : the second is
called, from its commencement, J?OB; DN IMI. : and the third, PIV'V PIBnB,
or ION'1. The order of the three is accounted for in Berakoth n. 2, " Said
R. Jehoshua' ben Qorchah, Why does yoB* come before yoB» DN IM1 1—
why but that one may receive upon him the yoke of the kingdom of
heaven1 first, and after that receive upon him the yoke of the command
ments 1 And '13 IMI before ION'1 '? because the former is employed day
and night, and the latter only in the daytime."
The opening words of the Audi are written with two literas majus
cules, : "]Pin nin^ -13M$n: n'M': barw\ yoB>
which have been accounted for in various ways2. But it was obviously
intended that the syllables which they conclude should be pronounced
with the utmost clearness and emphasis ; and that the copyist should be
guarded against all possibility of error, especially as regards the Daleth,
since, as it is said at the beginning of Midrash Thanchuma, " If thou make
Daleth into Resh thou destroyest the whole world, for it is said (Ex. xxxiv.
14), "inN Sn1? ninnBTI N^> '3, For thou shalt worship no other God."
They cool the flames of hell (p. 38) for him who reads the Audi
n'Pll'niN3 pIplOI. And what is this diqduq othiyoth? it is the distiu-
1 The above is a common expression (cf. p. 54) for reciting the Audi, which
contains an acknowledgement of the sole kingship of Yhvh. Let a man, when
he has cleansed himself, lay his Tefillin, and recite the Audi, and pray. This
is the " complete kingdom of Heaven, nn-iv D'nw rvD'jn " (Berakoth 15 a).
2 For other meanings which have been assigned to the two large letters in
the Shema', see Ba'al ha-Tubim in loc, and Buxt. Tiberias, Pt. 1, Chap. xiv.
The two together make the word 'ed, witness, and indicate that, if Israel are
not God's witnesses (Is. xliii. 10 ; xliv. 8), He will be a quick witness against
them (Mic. i. 2 ; Mal. iii. 5, &c). Taken separately they indicate that mrv is
the One God in the T quarters of the earth, and over its y ( = 70) nations, all
of whom are summoned to hear (Is. xxxiv. 1): that Israel has V names: the
Thorah V " faces," aspects, or interpretations, &c.
118
PIRQE ABOTH.
guishing clearly between the lameds in D333^ to3, or between mem and
mem in 1110 DH13N1, &c. (Debarim Rabbah n.).
2. The Decalogue embodied in the Shema'.
: yoB> to^ 1313 jn in nnain niB'yB'.
T. J. Berakoth I. 8 [al. 5].
In St Mark's Gospel (xii. 29) the opening words of the Audi are said to
constitute the irpaTq cVtoXtJ, which, according to note 36, p. 56, comprises all
the precepts of the Thorah. In the Jerusalem Talmud, loc. cit., the several
Abyoi or 'Prjpara of the Decalogue are discovered in the Shema' :
" Why do they read these two (/) sections every day ? R. Simon said,
Because there is written in them, ' lying down,' and ' rising up.' R. Levi
said, Because the Ten Words are contained in them :
(i) /, Yhvh, am thy God.
other
' (ii) Thou shalt liave
gods but Me.
(iii) Thou shalt not take the
Name o/Yhvh thy God in rain.
(iv) Remember the Sabbath day
to keep it holy.
(v) Honour thy father and thy
mother. (vi) Thou shalt do no murder.
(vii) Thou
adultery.
shalt not commit
Hear, O Israel, Yhvh is our God
(Deut. vi. 4).
Yhvh is One (Deut. vi. 4).
And thou shalt luce Yhvh thy
God (Deut. vi. 5): he who loves the
King will not swear by his Name,
and lie.
That ye may remember, &c. (Num.
xv. 40) : R. says, This is the Sabbath
precept, which counterpoises all the
precepts of the Thorah, for it is
written (Neh. ix. 14), And madest
known unto them thy holy Sabbath,
and commandedst them precepts,
and statutes, and Thorah — shewing
that it counterpoises all the precepts
of the Thorah.
That your days may be multi
plied, and the days of your children
(Deut. xi. 21).
And lest ye perish quickly (Deut.
xi. 17) : he that slays is slain.
And that ye seek not after your
ovm heart and your own eyes (Num.
xv. 39) : Said R. Levi, The heart
and the eye are two negotiators of
sin. It is written (Prov. xxiii. 26),
My son, give me thine heart, and
let thine eyes observe my ways : the
Holy One, blessed is He, saith, If
thou hast given me thy heart and
thine eye, 1 know that thou art Mine,
EXCURSUS IV. 119
(viii) Thou shalt not steal. That thou mayest gather in thy
corn (Deut. xi. 14) : thy corn, and
not thy neighbour's corn.
(ix) Thou shalt not bear false I, Yhvh, am your God (Num.
witness against thy neighbour. xv. 41). And it is written, 111'1
PION D'ntot (Jer. x. 10). What
means PION (Truth) 1 R. Abuhu
said, That He is a living God, and
King of the world. R. Levi said,
The Holy One, Blessed is He, saith,
If thou hast witnessed false witness
against thy neighbour, I impute it
unto thee as if thou hadst witnessed
against Me, that I created not hea
ven and earth.
(x) Thou shalt not covet thy And thou shalt write them upon
neighbour's house. the door posts of thine house (Deut.
xi. 20) : thine house, and not thy
neighbour's house."
3. The public daily reading of the Decalogue discontinued.
It may interest the Liturgiologist to notice that the daily recital of the
Decalogue is said, in both Talmuds, to have been at one time customary,
and to have been discontinued later for anti-christian reasons.
T. J. Berakoth i. 8 [al. 5] :
|piin pip i'N no '3D01 Di' toa nnan mE>y pip in'B» nm pa
: '3'Da nwob b 13PV3 nib ito< 'oin in' ab& j'3'on myo '3bo
" Of right they should read the Ten Words every day. And on ac
count of what do they not read them 1 on account of the cavilling of the
heretics, so that they might not say, These only were given to Moses on
Sinai." T. B. Berakoth 12 a:
mnyi 3'X'i pion ion'1 yioB» dn imi yoB> nram niB>y pipi
Nto< p ninth ltppa t'tos33 sjk to ton nnn' 3i ion -D'3i3 P13131
!B>p3 J'to333 IOIN jn3 '31 '3.1 'D3 N'3n "p'OI PlOiyiPI '3BO Dltoia 133B>
lm'yapo} 13D n"33 n3i i'3'Di noiyin '3ao Ditoaa i33B» n"?n p nnpr?
13D ID'ON J'3'On PlOiyiPI '3BD Dlto33 133 NIDn 31 nb ION N11D3
: i'3'on noiyin '3bo Ditosa iaa 'b»n 3i V'n Nyni33 ii3'y3po^
" And they read the Ten Words, and Shema', &c. Said Rab Jehudah,
Said Shemuel, In the provinces also they sought to read them, only that
120 PIRQE ABOTH.
they had already stopped them on account of the murmuring of the
heretics..." 4. The division of the so-called Ten Commandments.
The choice is generally supposed to lie between the present Anglican,
and the Roman, mode of dividing the Decalogue ; but " An arrangement,
probably of very early date, unlike either of these, is found in the common
text of the Targum of Palestine, and has been adopted by Maimonides,
Aben-Ezra, and other Jewish authorities down to the present day. The
First Word is identified with, / am the Lord thy God which brought
thee out of the land of Egypt (which cannot of course be properly called a
Commandment), and the second Word is made... to include what is divided
in our Prayer Book into the First and Second Commandments. The sub
ject-matter itself seems to suggest grave and obvious objections to (this
arrangement). There is a clear distinction between polytheism and
idolatry which entitles each to a distinct commandment." (Speaker's Com
mentary, Ex. xx. 21.)
But (a) the latter objection to the Hebrew division — however true the
remark may be in itself— is not confirmed by the language of the Penta
teuch x ; and (b) the former likewise, which is based upon the use of the
word ' Commandment,' is seen to be of little force when it is noticed that
the original 131 is not adequately represented by Commandment or
evToA-q. The latter is the rendering of 11VO, a term which is not specially2
1 The second Word, taken as above, runs thus : " There shall not be to thee
D""iriK rr-rhK beside Me (thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image,
&c.) thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them ; for I, nin1, thy God,
am a jealous God, &a." It is unnatural to cut off the statement, "For I. ..am
a jealous God," from its relation to the " other Elohim," to whom it is forbidden
in express terms to " bow down." Compare Ex. xxxiv. 14, which illustrates this
view in the most striking way : Nin Nop bx tow top mrv >3 -inN bt an(^ *ney reSard * D J X n°t merely as a separate one of the
Ten Words, or Divine utterances, but as the greatest of them all.
In favour of the Hebrew division may be cited :
(1) T. J. Berakoth I. 8. See above, § 2.
(2) Targum 'Jonathan,' Ex. xx. 2, 3. [Notice the readings in "Machsor
Vitry" ed. Hurwitz p. 337.]
fp'T3 M p3D 1'DB» M' NBHlp DIB JO p'B3 111 13 INOIp N1'31
1'to«DB> JO NB"N1 IBDto ,T3'0' JO 113'1 1301? 113'1 J»ainto?3 M1 |'p133 Ml
to? ppnnoi um tonB»i pnn'i'B>D to 'onnoi itm n'ob» tin3 d"di ma
p31 10D1? 10D to (113 1'BnriOI nB>01 'IT Sp3 I'l'iT pill NO"p Ml1?
j'p'ia pan' n'p'BNi n'pia n pnto< Nin N3N *?nib" '33 'oy ioni mix
: N'i3y inyB* n'a 10 'nivoi xyiN p
'in' n^> "?nib" n'3 'oy ioni mix nin '13 p'BJ nin 13 N3"3n NT31
: '30 ia pniN arba -\b
" The First Word, when it had gone forth from the mouth of the
Holy One, blessed be his Name, was like sparks, and lightnings, and flames
of fire ; a torch of fire was on its right hand, and a torch of flame on its left
hand : it flew and hovered in the air of the heavens, and returned and was
seen over the encampments of Israel ; and returned and graved itself upon
the tables of the covenant which were given into the hands of Moses ; and
turned itself upon them from side to side, and cried out thus, and said,
My people, sons of Israel, I am your God, who freed you, and brought you
out freed from the land of the Egyptians, from the bondage-house of slaves.''
"The Second Word> when it had gone forth... cried and said, My
people, house of Israel, there shall not be to thee another God, beside Me."
(3) Jalqut 1. 2. [Othioth de R. 'Aqiba, p. 55 b, Warsaw 1885.]
" And whence is it that Aleph is called One 1 because it is said (Deut.
xxxii. 30), tba UN fpT 13'N. And whence is it that ha-Qadosh, blessed
is He, is called One? because it is said (Deut. vi. 4), Hear, &c. inN nin'.
And whence is it that the Thorah is called One 1 because it is said (Num.
xv. 29), D31? nM' nnN mm. 'JJX (is at the) head of all the ni131, and
Aleph (is at the) head of all the letters, B>N1 s^Nl miail to B>N1 i^tf
": nrmNi to
(4) Midrash Chazitha (Cant. v. 11).
"For twenty-six generations was the letter Aleph making complaint
before the Holy One, blessed is He : Lord of the world, Thou hast set me
16
122 PIRQE ABOTH.
at the head of the letters, and didst not create the world by me, but by
Beth, for it is said, n'B>N1^ God created the heaven and the earth. The
Holy One, blessed is He, said to it, My world and its fulness were not
created but by the merit of Thorah (Prov. iii. 19). Tn-morrow I shall
be revealed, and shall give the Thorah to Israel, and I will set thee at the
beginning of all the niiai, and will open with thee first."
(5) Mekiltha, TI BHnai 'DO ; Jalqut I. 299.
" How were the Ten Words given 1 five on this Table, and five on that.
(i) There was written, /, Yhvh, am thy God; and opposite to it, Thou shalt
do no murder. The Scripture shews that, whosoever sheds blood, the
Scripture imputes to him as if he diminished the likeness of the King.
A parable of a king of flesh and blood, who entered into a province, and
they set up effigies, and made images, and sunk dies to him. After a time,
they overturned his effigies, shattered his images, and effaced his dies,
and they 'diminished the likeness' of the king. So, whosoever sheds
blood, the Scripture imputes to him as if he diminished the likeness of
the King, for it is said (Gen. ix. 6), Whoso sheddeth man's blood, &c.
(ii) It was written, Thou shalt have no other, &c. ; and it was written
opposite to it, Thou shalt not commit adultery. The Scripture shews that,
whosoever practises strange worship, the Scripture imputes to him as if he
committed adultery from God, for it is said (Ezek. xvi. 32), As a wife that
committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband. And
it is written (Hos. iii. 1), Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a
woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress, &c. (iii) It was written,
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain ; and opposite
to it was written, Thou shalt not steal. It shews that whosoever steals
will at last come to false swearing, for it is said (Jer. vii. 9), Will ye steal,
murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely 1 And it is written
(Hos. iv. 2), By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and commit
ting adultery, (iv) It was written, Remember that thou keep holy the sab
bath day ; and opposite to it was written, Thou slialt not bear false witness*
The Scripture shews that whosoever profanes the sabbath witnesses before
Him who spake, and the world was, that He did not create his world in six
days, and did not rest on the seventh ; and whosoever keeps the sabbath
witnesses before Him who spake, and the world was, that He created his
world in six days, and rested on the seventh, for it is said (Is. xliii. 10), Ye
are my witnesses, saith the Lord, (v) It is written, Honour thy father
and thy mother ; and opposite to it is written, Thou shalt not 'covet.' The
Scripture shews that whosoever 'covets,' at last begets a son that curses his
father and his mother, and honours one who is not his father. Therefore
were the Ten Words given, five on this Table, and five on that. So says
R. Chanina ben Gamliel. And the wise say, Ten on this Table, and ten on
that Table, for it is said (Deut. v. 22), These words the Lord spake, &c.
and He wrote them in two Tables of stone."
EXCURSUS IV. 123
The above examples will suffice to shew that the present Hebrew
division of the Decalogue is not without " adequate authority." According
to Josephus (Suicer i. 831) the First Word teaches on 6e6s io-nv eh, ko.\
tovtov aefieaBai povov, and the Second Word commands pr]8evoi elKova faiou
iroirjaavras irpoaKwe'iv. This arrangement, as regards the Second Word, is
preferred by many Christians on the ground that it more distinctly forbids
image-worship. But it is open to the objection that it seems to admit the
existence of real " other gods," who are not to be classed with elilim, or
idols proper, like "all the gods of the nations" in Psalm xcvi. 5 (p. 120).
[According to the Mekhilta, the Words on the two Tables respectively
(Ex. xx. 2 — 12, 13—17) were or commenced :
¦133 .1131 -NBM N1? MM' N1? -'33N
•nonn n!? .myn n1? -333n n1? -p|N3n n^> .mnn n1?
Thus each of the five Words on the first Table and none on the second
mentions Tito* mn' "the Lord thy God." In the Midrash 310 np^> or
"Pesikta Sutarta" of R. Tobiah ben Eliezer (n. p. 139 ed. Buber, Wilna
1880) there is a plan of the two Tables with the Ten Words written briefly
as above, five on each.
Philo (De Decalogo & Quis r. d. Haeres?), Josephus (Ant. in. 6),
and Irenaeus (n. 36 ed. Harvey) likewise divide the Ten Words into two
Fives, the former of which, according to Philo, is the dpeivav irevras. This,
he says, begins a Deo patre and desinit inparentes qui ad illius imita-
tionem gignunt particularity (Suicer 832). In Qiddushin 30 b the honour
of parents is likened to that of God, and it is said, as also in Niddah 31 a,
that three are D1N3 I'SniB* partners in the making of a man, the Holy
One (who contributes the breath of life) and the father and the mother.
On the Ten Words see also Friedmann's edition of the "Pesikta Rabbati,"
98 b — 125 b (Wien 1880), noticing the comparison of them to the Ten Say
ings by which the world was created (108 a).]
EXCUKSUS V.
The Lord's Prayer. (See v. 30, p. 95.)
The expressions and ideas of the Lord's Prayer (Matt. vi. 9 — 13, cf.
Luke xi. 2 — 4) may be illustrated from the Rabbinic writings, and for the
most part they rest ultimately on the Old Testament itself.
Tlarep rjpav 6 ev rots ovpavols1] " Is not he thy Father 1" (Deut. xxxii. 6).
"Doubtless thou art our Father... thy Name is from everlasting" (Is. lxiii.
16 ; lxiv. 8). Both 13'3N alone and D'DBOB* 13'3N are found in Jewish
forms of Prayer. [See The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United
Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire edited by Mr Singer.]
" R. Ele'azar ben 'Azariah expounded, That ye may be clean from all
your sins before the Lord (Lev. xvi. 30) ; transgressions between a man
and ha-maqom the day of expiation expiates: transgressions between a man
and his fellow the day of expiation expiates not, until he reconcile his
fellow. Said R. 'Aqiba, Happy are ye, Israel ; before whom do ye purify
yourselves ? Who purifies you ? your Father which is in Heaven "
(Joma viii. 9).
" On whom have we to lean 1 on our Father which is in Heaven "
(Sotah ix. 15).
... to do the will of thy Father which is in Heaven
(Aboth v. 30).
ayiao-6rjTa> to ovopa aov] The Name of God is an especially Hebraic
expression (p. 67), and it is often used to avoid express mention of God.
Cf. -|DB> pB>D (Ps. lxxiv. 7). ' Holiness ' is an attribute of God's Name in
the Bible passim. " Neither shall ye profane my holy Name ; but I will
be hallowed among the children of Israel : I am the Lord which hallow
you" (Lev. xxii. 32). "They shall sanctify my Name, and sanctify the
Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel " (Is. xxix. 23). " And
I will sanctify my great Name, which was profaned among the heathen "
(Ezek. xxxvi. 23).
"Any benediction which is without mention of ha-Shem (i.e. 11 n') is no
benediction at all" (Berakoth 40b).
iABeTo) r) {Jao-iAela aov] The coming of the kingdom, and the sanctifying
of the Name, are brought together in some passages of the Old Testament,
thus : " And the Lord shall be king over all the earth : in that day shall
there be one2 Lord, and His Name3 one" (Zech. xiv. 9).
1 In St Luke I.e. Westcott and Hort omit t)pG>v b iv tois obpavois, and the
petitions yevt)0T]Tu k.t.A., ctXXd pvaai k.t.X.
2 Or " Yhvh shall be one."
° The Qabbalists equate tov/ to JitfT by Gematria.
EXCURSUS V. 125
"Any benediction which is without malkutii (kingdom — mention of
God as Kino) is no benediction at all" (Berakoth 40b).
yevtjdiJTo) to deAqpa aov, as ev ovpava Kai em yfjs] " Whatsoever the
Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth " (Ps. cxxxv. 6).
" And what is this ' oratio brevis ' ? R. El. said, Do thy will in heaven
above, and give rest of spirit to them that fear Thee beneath [Tosefta
Zuck. p. 72 V""*3 on earth] • and do what is good in thine eyes. Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, that hearest prayer " (Berakoth 29 b).
On the correspondence between the heavenly and the earthly, see p. 50.
Cf. Matt. xvi. 19 ; xviii. 10, 18 ; Luke xv. 10. " May it be thy will, 0 Lord,
our God1, to make peace in the family above, and in the family below"
(Berakoth 16 b— 17 a).
tov aprov ijpav tov eiriovaiov 80s r/ptv arjpepov2] This petition, addressed
to Xlirrep i)pav 6 iv rois ovpavoU, corresponds to Ex. xvi. 4 : " Behold, I will
rain bread prom heaven for you ; and the people shall go out and gather
1D1'3 Dl' 131, to ttjs r]pepas els rjpepav, A CERTAIN RATE EVERY DAY." The
occurrence of several allusions (Ps. lxxviii. 24 ; cv. 40 ; Nehem. ix. 15 ; Sap.
Sol. xvi. 20; &c.) to the corn, or bread, of heaven makes it sufficiently
probable a priori that the Lord's Prayer also should have some reference
to the giving of the manna. Compare Joh. vi. 32 : " Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven ; but my Father
giveth you the true bread prom heaven " ; and notice that in Sap. Sol.
xvi. 27 — 28 the gathering of the manna is associated with prayer and
thanksgiving, "For that which was not destroyed of the fire, being warmed
with a little sunbeam, soon melted away (Ex. xvi. 21): That it might be
known, that we must prevent the sun to give thee thanks, and at the day-
spring pray unto Thee."
The expression 1D1 '3 Dl' 131 — which is found again in 2 Kings xxv. 30,
Jer. Iii. 34, Dan. i. 5— is discussed in Mekiltha 3"B yD'l 'DO (Jalqut 1. 258)
on Ex. xvi. 4 :
"From heaven: from the good treasure of heaven, for it is said (Deut.
xxviii. 12), The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven.
Rabban Shime'on ben Gamliel said, Come and see how beloved were Israel
before ha-maqom ! and because they were beloved before him he changed
on their account the order of nature : he made for them the lower upper,
and the upper lower. Hitherto the bread had come up from the earth,
and the dew down from heaven, for it is said (Deut. xxxiii. 28), A land of
corn and wine ; also his heavens shall drop down dew. But now the things
are changed : the bread comes down from heaven, and the dew ascends
from the earth, for it is written, / will rain bread from heaven for you,
and it is written (ver. 14) toon n33B> to>ni.
And the people shall go out and gather : — not that they were to go
1 nuD bv/ K-Sosai n'?vo bv> N^BSn Di^iy o'^rM wn^N 'n tm^b pm -n\
2 Or..,SlSov i)piv rb Ka0' i)pipav (Luke xi. 3).
126 PIRQE ABOTH.
out to the enclosures and gather, but they were to go out to the epr/poi and
gather. A certain rate every day: Rabbi Jehoshua' said, So that a
man should gather on the day for the morrow, as on sabbath eve for
sabbath. R. El. ha-Moda'i said, So tlutt a man should not gather on
the day for the morrow, as on sabbath eve for sabbath, for it is said,
1D1'3 Dl' 131, matter of a day in its day1. He who created the day
created its provision (inD31B). Hence R. El. ha-Moda'i said, Whosoever
has what to eat to-day, and says, What shall I eat to-morrow 1 lo ! such an
one is wanting in faith, for it is said, That I may prove him, whether he
will walk in my law, or not. Rabbi Jehoshua' said, If a man studies two
canons at morning, and two at evening, and attends to his business all
the day, they reckon to him as if he fulfilled the whole Thorah altogether.
Hence Rabbi Shime'on ben Jochai used to say,
pn by\tib kSn wrrh mm mm ah
Thorah was not given to search into, except to the eaters of the manna.
How ? Can a man sit and search, and not know whence he is to eat and
to drink, and whence to be clad and covered (Matt. vi. 31) 1 The Thorah
was not given to search into, except to the eaters of the manna; and
second to them are (the priests,) the eaters of the Therumah."
On the meaning of emovaios.
The stricter etymological view requires that emovaios should be derived
from e'mevai, rather than from eVeirai. The much controverted derivation
from emevai through the medium of rj imovaa rjpepa may be said to be
prima facie less simple than one which refers the word more directly to
its assumed root. But it is proposed here merely to illustrate the more
direct interpretation of emovaios from a Hebrew standpoint.
L. de Dieu, according to Poli Synopsis, gives the explanation :
" Panis emovaios est panis succedaneus, hoc est, qui pani jam absumpto
succedit, et ut succedat, natura corporis postulat."
According to this view, apros emovaios is p.- >-lo] JIQjj-X, NDn?
Nl'in, or Ton Dm>, bread which is successive or continual. It is
natural to pray iravTore [TDn] 86s r)piv tov aprov tovtov (Joh. vi. 34) :
"Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth '311X' TDn, continually2 preserve
me" (Ps. xl. 12) ; and, at the same time, to pray that in each day so much
1 The manna was gathered in the morning to supply the needs of the on
coming day. It was given " with a bright countenance," in the light, because
it was prayed for rightly ; whereas the quails were given " with a dark counte
nance," and in the darkness, because they were not prayed for rightly. See
Mekiltha, and Rashi, on Ex. xvi. 8, 21.
2 Cf. Dr ^sai Dvn in the prayer cited below from Berakoth 60 b (p. 129).
EXCURSUS V. 127
only may be given as is needed for that day. Compare : " And he did eat
bread continually [TDn] before him all the days of his life. And his allow
ance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every
day, all the days of his life" (2 Kings xxv. 29—30, Jer. Iii. 34), Ex. xxix.
38, Numb, xxviii. 3, Is. Iii. 5. [Aboth in. 25 " continually every day."]
[Notice in the Birkath ha-Mazon "And by His great goodness
continually hath food not failed us, and may it not fail us for ever and
ever for His great name's sake... We thank Thee... for the food wherewith
Thou dost feed and sustain us continually every day nyB" 7331 ny 7331,"
and compare Auth. P. B. p. 37 "Who. ..in Thy goodness renewest the
creation every day continually',1 ib. 232 "and to such as are hungry and
thirsty give bread and water unfailingly," Heb. D'3DN3 D'Ol DDn? |n give
their bread and water sure (Is. xxxiii. 16). Cureton (Remains of a very
antient recension of the Four Gospels in Syriac, 1858) renders the Old
Syriac • N3'DN pn?l of Matt. vi. 11 "And our bread constant of the day
give us," comparing Num. iv. 7 TOnn Syr. aminoith. See also Diet, of
Bible art. Syr. Versions by S. P. T. (1863).]
Ka\ a(pes f\piv tq. 6(peiArjpara rjpav, as Kai impels difirjKapev rois oipeiXerais
rjpmv] The principle, "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee"
(Obadiah 15), is fully accepted by the Rabbis, and pervades their litera
ture. See p. 31. "Adyes ddtKTjpa tgj ttAtjoiov aov, Kai Tore SevBevros aov at
apapriai aov Avdqaovrai (Ecclus. xxviii. 1 — 5).
"May it be Thy will, 0 Lord, my God, and God of my fathers, that I
may not be harsh with my companions, nor my companions be harsh with
me. That we may not make defiled the pure, nor make pure the defiled.
That we may not bind the loosed, nor loose the bound, that 1 should
be shamed for this aldv, and for the aldv to come1 (T. J. Berakoth iv. 2).
" May it be Thy will. . . that hatred of us may not come into the heart
of man, nor hatred of man come into our heart ; and that envy of us may
not come into the heart of man, nor envy of man come into our heart :
and may Thy Thorah be our work all the days of our life, and may our
words be D'313nn before Thee" (T. J. loc. cit.).
Km pri elaeveyKr/s rjpas els ireipaapav] The word ireipaapos is used in the
New Testament to denote outward and physical, no less than inward and
spiritual, trials. The words 13D3N ]yD7 in Ex. xvi. 4 are an additional
connecting link between that verse and the Lord's Prayer. The Jews'
Morning Prayer (cf. Berakoth 60 b) has the petition P'D3 'T1? ...13N'3n 7N1.
" Said Rab, Never should a man bring himself into the hands of temp
tation ; for behold David, King of Israel, brought himself into the hands
1 Kai 8 av Sija-gs iirl ttjs yr)s, farai SeSepivov iv toTs obpavois (Matt. xvi. 19).
Lightfoot illustrates the common Hebrew expressions bind, loose by "a double
decad " of examples. The example in the text is noteworthy on account of its
allusion to the two worlds.
128 PIRQE ABOTH.
of temptation, and stumbled : he said...(Ps. xxvi. 2) Examine me, 0 Lord,
and prove me " (Sanhedrin 107 a).
dXAa pvaai r)pas dirb tov irovrjpov] But deliver us from the evil. It
is disputed whether the evil is 6 irovrjpos (1 Joh. v. 18, &c), or rb irovrjpov.
Compare 2 Thess. iii. 3 ; 2 Tim. iv. 18 pvaeral pe 6 Kipios diro wavrbs epyov
irovrjpov, Kai adaet els tt)v fiaaiAeiav avrov rrjv eirovpaviov o> jj 86£a els roiis
altiavas rav alavcov. dprjv.
The word yi, in the Old Testament, is applied to things and to persons.
Compare : "The angel who redeemed me yi 730" (Gen. xlviii. 16). "And
hath kept his servant nyiD" (1 Sam. xxv. 39). "Depart yiO1, and do
good" (Ps. xxxiv. 15). "I make peace, and create yi" (Is. xiv. 7).
"Deliver me, 0 Lord, yi D1ND" (Ps. cxl. 2). "The adversary and enemy
is this yil |Dn"'(Esth. vii. 6). If the evil be masculine, it does not at
once follow that the allusion is to the ' wicked One1 ' alone.
Compare the following Talmudic prayers, especially No. 3.
1.
" May it be thy will, 0 Lord, our God, and the God of our fathers, to
deliver us from the shameless, and from shamelessness : from evil man,
and from evil hap, from evil yecer, from evil companion, from evil
neighbour, and from Satan the destroyer : from hard judgment, and from
a hard ' adversary,' whether he be a son of the covenant, or not a son of the
covenant" (Berakoth 16b). 2.
" It is revealed and known before Thee, that our will (Aboth n. 4) is to
do Thy will. And who hinders? The leaven that is in the dough, and
servitude to the kingdoms. May it be Thy will to deliver us from their
hand" (Berakoth 17 a). 3.
"And cause me to cleave to Thy commandments. And bring me not
into the hands of sin, nor into the hands of iniquity, nor into the hands of
temptation*, nor into the hands of disgrace. And bow my yecer to be
subservient to Thee. And remove me from evil man, and from evil
companion. And cause me to cleave to the good yecer, and to a good
companion (Aboth ii. 12, 13), in Thy world. And give me, this day and
every day, to grace, ,and to favour, and to lovingkindness, in Thine eyes
and in the eyes of all that behold me " (Berakoth 60 b).
1 Note that to irovqpbv, instead of TTovqpbv, may stand for yi without the
article, as in Eccl. viii. 11, 12 jn mvryb tov Troiijaai rb Trovrjpbv.
2 Mt; dvnaTTJvai rip rrovripip (Matt. v. 39).
3 This, which illustrates the Lord's Prayer in several particulars, is found
also, in a slightly varied form, in the Jews' Morning Prayer: " ...and bring us
not into the hands of sin, nor into the hands of transgression, and iniquity, nor
into the hands of temptation, nor into the hands of contempt. And let not the
evil yeper have dominion over us, and remove us from evil man, &c."
EXCURSUS V. 129
4.
" And remove us from all that Thou hatest ; and bring us nigh unto all
that Thou lovest " (T. J. Berakoth iv. 2).
1.
Berakoth 16 b:
i3'ni3N 'n"?Ni i3'nto< 'n yitbn pvi 'n' 'ai ion mmto* ma 'ai
iano sn *ra*a yi v^soi yi dikd *» wdi d'3b »n» utow
mia ja nub" pa nerp pi tonoi ntrp pio n'nB»on ;ob>di y*y p&y£ y*i
¦n'13 J3 13'NB» pai
2.
Berakoth 17 a :
miN ppa lSTDynB1 i3'nto< 'n o"t 'ai ion mmbx in3 'Tuoato* 'i
NI '1DN1 N3'N 13'3'y iaB»n' ton npa 131'oyn to«i
'ito D'otoyi p3i '3n idn '"?xoi in3 'H3D3i?n '3ii ib baa N3i3on 31
TOytS>1 nO'Vat? 11KEJ> aayO *&1 W niB^ "31S1B- T3B1? yn»i
: oto? 33toi -pixi 'pn niB-y1? aitwi QTJ3 liS^HB' fi"1* HVaSft
Berakoth 60 b :
Sm Tnisoa opm irnma ^in&r *nSx '» &"*n
h*S nSi jvm h*1? x1?! py n*S nSi «&n h^ k1? wan
ianoi yi dixo *jprrn iS laynsynS *w* nx pjidi ;vn
m* Saai dvh *Mni i&biya ni& lanai ffvn ^pan yi
: wn ba ^yai -pyya wanrb\ itirh\ \rb
4.
T. J. Berakoth iv. 2 :
730 IJpriini 'P55' nx "N"1^ wab "in"m S)'D1D N3N 13 N»n '31
]yob npix isoy iB>ym nanKB> hd SaS waipni naww no
: noB>
The two factors of man's nature are inn IX' or NB"3 NIX' (pp. 37, 64)
and 3101 IX' or N30 NIX'. The evil yecer is sometimes called yecer
simply. Although this is primarily the man's own evil nature, ' the imagi
nation of his heart,' it is personified as an external energy that attacks his
17
130 PIRQE ABOTH.
heart (p. 64), and all manner of evil is spoken of as brought about by its
machination. "Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him"
(Ps. xiii. 5), becomes in the Targum, " Lest NB"3 NIX' say, &c." " They
shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou stumble against (NB"3 NIX',
which is like) a stone" (Ps. xci. 12). "There shall no strange god be in
thee, neither shalt thou worship any strange god (Ps. lxxxi. 10). What is
the IT ^>N that is in a man's body (or self) ? He used to say, It is
yil IX' " (Shabbath 105 b). In Sukkah 52 a, the evil yecer is first taken in
the sense of fliaXoyiapbs iroirnpos (cf. Matt. xv. 19), and it is added, that "in
the time to come, the Holy One, blessed is He, will bring the evil yecer,
and slay him in the presence of the righteous and the wicked... Seven names
has yil IX'. The Holy One, blessed is He, called it evil, for it is said
(Gen. viii. 21), Por the yecer of man's heart is evil from his youth. Moses
called it uncircumcised (Deut. x. 16). David called it, by implication,
unclean (Ps. Ii. 12). Solomon called it enemy (Prov. xxv. 21). Isaiah
called it stumblingblock (Is. lvii. 14). Ezekiel called it stone (Ezek. xxxvi.
26). Joel called it '31BX (Joel ii. 20), that is yi IX', which is hidden, and
stands, in the heart of man... The greater the man, the greater his IX'...
Said R. Jonathan, The evil yecer seduces a man in this world, and will
testify against him in the world to come. ..With four things the Holy One,
blessed is He, was vexed that He had created them ; and these are they,
Captivity, Kasdim, Ishmaelites, and yil IX' " (Sukkah 52 a — b). The evil
IX' is identified inter alia with Satan, and with the Angel of death.
(Baba Bathra 16 a, Job ii. 7.) [Maim. Moreh Nebukhim in. 22.]
["The evil" deprecated in the petition pCo-ai r)pas dirb tov irovrjpov
should include the evil yecer, in accordance with St James i. 13 — 15. The
Syriac version )i 1*1 _io men bisha may also have been the original of
dirb tov irovrjpov, if " The Prayer " was given in Aramaic. If it was origin
ally in Hebrew, we must make choice apparently between yi irovnpos or
irovrjpov, and yCl irovTjpbs.~\
The following words of St Clement of Rome (Ad Corinth. I. 60,
pp. 106, 107 ed. Bryennius, Constant. 1875) serve as a very ancient para
phrase of the words of the Prayer from aqbes r)piv to dirb tov irovrjpov.
...aes Tjpiv ras avopias rjpav Kai Tas dftiKias Kai Ta irapairrapaTa kcu
irArjppeAeias. Mr) \oylarj iraaav dpapriav bovAav aov Kai iraibiaKav, aKKa
KaBapeis r/pas tov KaBapiapbv ttjs ar)s dAr/Oeias, Kai Kare vBvvov rd BiafirjpaTa.
rjpwv ev oaioTJjn KapSlas iropeveaBai Kai iroieiv to. koKo. koi evdpeara evambv
aov koi evamov t&v dpxbvrav r)pmv. Nai, beairora, eiridtavov to irpaaairbv aov
ed) rjpas els ayaOa ev elpr)vrj, els rb aKeiraadrjvai r/pas ttj XclP* °~ov TV Kparaid
Kai pvadf/vai dirb irdarjs apaprlas T fipaxiovi aov Ta v^t)Xa>, Kai pvaai r/pas
am rav piaovvrav rjpds dbiKios.
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
1.
p. 11, i. 1 mm ?3p] niin in Rabbinic may stand for mini (Grit.
Note). On vopos and 6 vopos see Romans ed. Gifford App. to
Introduction, Thayer iV. T. Lex. s.v. vopos. Notice the saying
niina miNOl DIplO J»N (Pesach. 6 b). Josephus contra Ap. 8
(Ryle Can. of O.T.) writes of the books of Scripture, "We have but two
and twenty... And of these, five are the books of Moses... From the death
of Moses to the (death) of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, the successor of
Xerxes, the prophets who succeeded Moses wrote the history of the events
that occurred in their own time, in thirteen books. The remaining four
documents comprise hymns to God and practical precepts to men. From
the days of Artaxerxes to our own time every event has indeed been
recorded. But these recent records have not been deemed worthy of
equal credit on account of the failure of the exact succession of the
prophets." It is sometimes said briefly that the ni3U (cf. Luke
x. 1 dvd bvo, Phil. iv. 3 aiv£vye) "received" from the prophets, and they
from Moses (p. 110 & Crit. Note) ; or that a man received from his teacher,
UIO 1311, up to Moses ('Ed. viii. 7, Yad. iv. 3, Chag. 3 b).
If Moses actually received all that he is said by Rabbis of old time to
have received, his Torah included the fence which the men of the Great
Synagogue instructed their disciples to make to it.
" Moses received Torah " rather means that he received mto>3 generalia
(Sotah 37 b), which in a sense comprised particulars deducible therefrom, as
the progenitor, Keipevos
evplaKerai, xai peB' erepa irov irevraKoaia errj (peperai Kai eirl tov Naj3ovxobovoaop
ovTas eviTprjaBels aTToXXuTat. Kai Spas peTa Mavarjv ypa(j>eis Kai TroXXaKts
airo\a\as ttjv tov Mavaems irpoyvaaiv Kai ovtos apoAoynaev, OTt rbv daviapbv
avrov npoeibas ovk eypaifrev oi be ypdyjravres, ra rbv dqpaviapbv pr) irpoeyva-
Kevat err dyvaalas eAeyxBevres, irpodirJTai ovk r/aav.
Much of what was received as the Law was impugned on the authority
of Christ, who (ib. III. 51) to irpb ovpavov Kai yr)s irapepxopeva e'arjpuvev
pr) SvTa rov bvras vbpov. See Paul de Lagarde Clementina 1865.
2.
-.Of
p. 11, n. 1 J'D] Syr. Li i m, qbpaypos (Whish Clavis Syr. Matt. xxi.
33), cf. Ecclus. xxviii. 24 ireplqbpagov, xxxvi. 25 (ppaypos, Eph. ii. 14, 15 to
peabroixov tov (ppaypov...Tov vopov rav evroXav ev Soypaaiv, Midr. Ps. ii.
(Buber p. 32) wall... fence &c. Another word for s'yag is gader (Excurs.
i. 2. x.). An excessive fence of tradition (in. 20) may make the
commandment "of none effect": a man must therefore not make the
gader lp'y.1 |0 mi', lest it fall and destroy the plants (Aboth R. N. B I,
p. 3). Solomon's wisdom was "as the sand" (1 Kings iv. 29),
which is a fence against the sea : so a man's wisdom is a fence or wall to
his yecer (Prov. xxv. 28, Pesiqta Rabbathi 11B f. 59 ed. Friedmann).
Clem. Strom, i. 20 (Potter p. 377) makes Greek philosophy a cppaypos
to the truth, and quotes as Scripture the saying vie, pr) yivov ^evarns,
obr/yel yap to \jfevapa irpbs rr)v Kkoirr)v, which belongs, as Bryennius pointed
out, to the section of the Didache beginning " My child, flee from all evil
and from all that is like to it." Cf. Strom, n. 23 dbbs bi «V dvaiaxvvriav
r) alaxpo\oyia Kai re\os dp(poiv r) alaxpovpyia (p. 506, n. 4), ib. IV. 21 dnoxn
KaKav is the way to the Gospel and to welldoing (p. 623), Chullin 44 b
b noun |01 nyan |D pmi, ib. Tosefta (Zuck. p. 503) '13 1311 1'toopmi
(Prov. v. 8), Aboth R. N. n. A & B. Note that liy'31 is rb alaXpov,
the ungraceful and disgraceful, comparing Gen. xii. 3, 4, 19, 20. In theory
and practice the law required a fence, as a written Torah needs a margin
to safeguard the edges of the text.
A fence to an ordinance may take the form of a margin of time added
to keep men at a safe distance from transgression, as we have seen in the
case of the Sabbath. For another example see Mekhilta on Ex. xii. 12
1T1 nto?3 (foL 6 ed. Friedmann), where it is said with reference to ver. 10
until the morning, "And why have they said until midnight 1 To keep a
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 135
man far from transgression and to make a fence to the law" ; and see the
first mishnah or baba or verse of the Mishnah and the Gemara upon it
(T. B. Berakh. 4 b).
The Gemara I.e. gives as baraitha "The wise have made a fence to their
words." Aboth R. N. (p. 3 ed. Schechter) says " Make a fence to thy words,"
as did the Holy One, and likewise Adam, Torah, Moses, Job, Prophets,
Kethubim, and (the) wise. Ben Sira may have known the saying arid worked
it up with others in Ecclus. xxviii., where he writes "Look that thou hedge
thy possession about with thorns; bind up thy silver and thy gold; And
make a balance and a weight for thy words ; and make a door and a bar
for thy mouth" (ver. 24 — 25). Notice in verses 14 & 15 "A third person's
tongue &c," cf. Buxt. 1160 'B>'to? \)&b, Midr. Ps. xii. '13 'nBE> tol 'n ni3',
Edersheim on Ecclus. in the Speaker's Commentary. On the tongue see
also St James iii. r) ykaaaa irvp k.t.A. (p. 105 ed. Mayor 1892) comparing
Is. v. 24 B>N \ivh lit. tongue of fire.
Dr C. H. H. Wright on Koheleth quotes the opinion of Bloch "that the
sense of making a fence to the Law was to separate the books which were
of Divine origin from those which had merely a human source," the Torah
or Law being taken to mean the Hebrew Scriptures generally, see under
"Fence round the law " Index p. 509 (1883), and cf. Aboth in. 20.
p. 12, n. 3 (cf. p. 26) pillars of the world] See Midr. Rab. Ex. 47. 4,
Lev. 25. 8, Num. 10. 1, Cant. v. 15. Deut. Rab. 5. 1, reading IDiy for D''p
in 1. 19, speaks of the three feet of the world. Sayings on Wisdom
(Prov. viii., ix.) and the Torah combined with speculations on the tetrad may
have led up to the sayings on the Gospel and the Four Gospels in Iren. in.
11. 11 — 12 (ed. Harvey), cf. The Witness of Hermas to the Four Gospels
(1892), The Four Gospels and the Four Elements (Journ. of Philol.
xxl 69). Irenaeus, who describes his four pillars as irviovras k.t.\.
undique flantes incorruptibilitatem, may have had in mind The Book of
Enoch xvin. 1 — 3 (p. 88 ed. Charles 1893), "And I saw the chambers of all
the winds, and I saw how He had furnished with them the whole creation
and the firm foundations of the earth. And I saw the cornerstone of the
earth, I saw the four winds which bear the earth and the firmament of the
heaven. And I saw how the winds stretch out the vaults of heaven and
have their station between heaven and earth : these are the pillars of the
heaven." Predecessors of Irenaeus acquainted with the cosmogony
of "Enoch" may have compared the Four Gospels to "the four winds which
bear the earth and the firmament of heaven " ; and this may have been done
at any time after or even in anticipation of the express recognition by the
Church of four and four only.
Prof. Mayor compares Baehrens XII Panegyrici Latini (1874), Pan.
V. 4 (Constantio Caesari), where it is proved after the manner of Irenaeus
136 PIRQE ABOTH.
that there must needs be four rulers : " Et sane praeter usum curamque rei
publicae etiam ilia louis et Herculis cognata maiestas in louio Herculioque
principibus totius mundi caelestiumque rerum similitudinem requirebat,
quippe isto numinis uestri numero summa omnia nituntur et gaudent :
elementa quattuor et totidem anni uices et orbis quadrifariam duplici
discretus oceano et emenso quater caelo lustra redeuntia et quadrigae solis
et dudbus caeli luminibus adiuncti Vesper et Lucifer!'
The following reasons assigned for the observance of the four Ember
weeks are quoted in Hook's Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury, vol. I.
ch. 5 (p. 186 ed. 1), "Because the world consists of four quarters, east, west,
south, and north ; and man is compounded of four elements, fire, air, water,
and earth ; and the mind is governed by four virtues, prudence, temperance,
fortitude, and justice ; and the four rivers of Paradise, as types of the four
Gospels, water the whole earth; and the year turns on the four seasons,
spring, summer, autumn, and winter ; and this number, four, is on all hands
acknowledged to be the number of perfection ; therefore the old fathers
instituted the four Ember weeks, according to God's law; as also holy men
and apostolical doctors have done under the New Testament."
The commentator Bachja writes on Aboth i. 19 that prayer is the
ITOy and 11Dy of the world, cf. Buxt. 1622. The term amidah (pi. -oth)
is used for certain forms of prayer to be said standing (Heb. Auth. P. B.
pp. 44, 115, &c), especially the Shemonah Esreh or eighteen benedic
tions. See in The Apocalypse of Baruch n. 2 (ed. Charles 1896)
"Because your works are to this city as a firm pillar and your prayers as a
strong wall," with the note that the verse is reproduced in The Rest of the
Words of Baruch i. 2 in the form al yap rrpoaevxai vpav N woman but are separated by the
yod of the Shekhinah in B"N man. See Buxt. 76, Kohut i. 307, Pirqe'
R. El. xn. with Loria's commentary, Ecclus. ix. 9 Syr. in Grit. Note.
The Rabbinic view of Marriage. It is deduced from Gen. i. 28 that
n'311 1'IB is a duty, cf. Pesach. 113b, Qiddush. 29 b, Jebam. 63a "a. man
without a wife is not a man" — the reading Jew is due to the censors of the
press, see Lectures on Teaching of 12 Apost. pp. 84 sq. It does
not follow that marriage was regarded as of "superior sanctity" (Lightfoot
Coloss. p. 139, 1875) to celibacy, notwithstanding the use of a word meaning
sanctificationes for sponsalia (Buxt. 1980 on B'-llp). In respect of TIB
n'311, which is for this world only (p. 60, n. 40) and is a work of the evil
yecer (p. 64, n. 2), man is akin to the lower creatures and not to the angels
(Ab. R. N. xxxvn. p. 109). The Holy One (Midr. Ps. viii.) explains to the
angels that the Torah was not given to them because they could not keep
it, "for with you there is no increasing and multiplying, and no uncleanness,
and no death and sickness" (p. 74 ed. Buber). The mystic, like
ben Azzai (Jebam. 63 b), could allegorize the duty of marriage by making
IB'N mean inn, cf. Sifre n. § 345 on 3py nbnp 1BH1D. Eccl. ix. 9
IB'N Dy D"n nNI is made to mean that a man should combine a business
or ni3D1N with Torah study (Rashi), in accordance with Aboth n. 2.
Qiddush. 30 b proves by Eccl. I.e. that a man is bound to teach his son a
craft, whether isshah means wife or Torah, cf. p. 75, n. 33. With
Aboth i. 6 '13 inn '1310 compare 1 Cor. vii. 32 sq. rd tov Kvplov k.t.X.
It may be said in one sense that the evil IX' does and in another that it
does not exist 1D133 in the beast, see Aboth R. N. xvi. (Schechter p. 64),
Berakh. 61 a '13 pnX' 13 3"1 n"? sypno. The Torah was not given
to the angels for (they are asked) yil IX' D3'3'3 B" (Shabb. 89 a), a question
to be answered in the negative.
Gentile... slave... woman. See p. 26 and Class. Review x. 191, Heb.
Auth. P. B. pp. 5 — 6, Maim. Hilk. Tefillah vn. 6, Tur Orach Chayim 46,
Tosefta Berak. 7 (Zuck. p. 16), Chagigah i. 1 (Streane pp. 1 — 15), Menachoth
43 b where it is taught that a man should bless God daily that He
made him an Israelite, not a woman, not 113 (Ab. n. 6). After discussion
slave replaces boor. Gentiles, slaves and women are classed together as of
lower religious status than the mm J3, women and slaves being exempt
from positive precepts for which there are set times (Streane p. 12).
18
138 PIRQE ABOTH.
St Paul declares them all equal "in Christ Jesus," apparently presupposing
the Rabbinic grouping of them as not " one" in respect of Torah.
The like grouping is implied in St Peter's quotation from Joel in Acts
ii. 17—18, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh. . .your daughters
shall prophesy... Tea and on my servants...! will pour out in those days of
my Spirit," Heb. D'13yi by D31 the not my slaves (Joel iii. 2).
Cf. Ab. R. N. B xliii. (p. 120) *|1$n H'H DIN '33 mai1? D31, all flesh (not
man only) is to see the salvation of God (Is. xl., Rom. viii.). On the judg
ment of "the soul of man on account of the souls of beasts in the world to
come" see The Book of the Secrets of Enoch ch. 58 (p. 73 ed. Charles, 1896),
and on the covenant (Hos. ii. 18) to be made with the animals in the
Messianic times see Ex. Rab. 15. 21 (Wunsche p. 119).
Since writing the above I have noticed the passage in Joel Blicke I. 119,
"Die Stelle die dem Plato nachsagt er habe taglich Gott gedankt dass er
ihn zum Hellenen, nicht zum Barbaren, zum Freien, nicht zum Sklaven,
zum Manne und nicht zum Weibe geschaffen, kann ich augenblicklich nicht
finden. Thatsachlich entspricht das aber drei talmudisch fur die Liturgie
vorgeschriebenen Segensspriichen. Die Meinung fiber die Frau die in
diesen Segensspriichen sich ausspricht, ist daher nicht judisch (orientalisch),
sondern griechisch, und geht auf Platon's Aeusserungen im Timaus zuriick,
der das Eingehen in eines Weibes Natur fur eine Art von Strafe be-
zeichnet." Weiss in like manner, in his Hebrew work 1'B*1111 111 111 on the
History of Jewish Tradition (Part II. chap. xv. p. 147), makes R. Meir
say in Menachoth 43 b that a man should give thanks daily that he was not
made '13 or IB'N or 113, having no tradition or Torah for it, but knowing
'13 1313D n'1 |3 '3 that so it was the practice of Socrates the Greek to
bless daily. These benedictions in Menachoth are properly ascribed to
R. Jehudah and not to R. Meir. See Bacher's Die Agada der Tannaiten
11.202(1890). '
R. Judah's benedictions are given also in T. J. Berakhoth ix. 2 (13 6)
Beni soit Dieu de ne pas m' avoir cree paien, ni stupide, nifemme...de
n'etre pas une femme parce qu'elles ne remplissent pas tous les preceptes
religieux (Schwab p. 158, 1871). The word 113 stupide has the sense
of iy3 (p. 30, n. 12), which stands in parallelism with ni013 in Ps. lxxiii. 22
So brutish was I, and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee. Was
113, which has given place to "slave," a substitute for SKoyov tj d>io~ei
Brjplov (Class. Review I.e.) 1 Women ranked with slaves in respect
of certain " preceptes religieux." How numberless are the times that that
occurs in the Talmudic pandect... D'13yi D'BO Women, servants and
children are not bound to these things (Lightfoot Hor. Hebr. Matt. iii. 7).
Professor Mayor (cf. p. 26) cites the following five passages in the
Classical Review x. 191 (May 1896) :
Plutarch life of Marius 46 § 1 : HAdrav pev ovv r)brj irpbs ra reAevrdv
yevopevos vpvei rbv avrov balpova Kai rr)v rvxrjv, on npdrov pev avBpairos
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 139
eira TZXXtjv, ov fiapftapos ovbe aXoyov ttj qpvaei Br/piov yevoiro, irpbs be rovrots
on rois SaKpdrovs xpbvois dirrjvTrjaev r) yeveais avrov.
Lact. iii 19 § 17 : non dissimile Platonis illud est, quod aiebat se gratias
agere naturae : primum quod homo natus esset potius quam mutum
animal, deinde quod mas potius quam femina, quod Graecus quam barbarus,
postremo quod Atheniensis et quod temporibus Socratis.
Diogenes Laertius i § 33 (under Thales) : "Eppiiriros 8' iv to'is /3/ois els
tovtov dvadtepei to Xeyopevov viro tiwov irepi SaKparovs. e(f>aaKe yap, (pr/ai,
rpiav Tovrav eveKa xop'" *Xelv Tfl TVXV irparov pev on avBpairos iyevopr/v Kai
ov Brjpiov eira on dvrjp Kai ov yvvij- rpirov on "EXXjjv ko! ou (3dpj3apos.
Ep. Gal. 3 28 : ovk evi 'IouSaios oi38e "EXXijv ovk evi bovXos ovbe iXevBepos-
ovk evi apaev Kai Brj\v irdvres yap iipeis els iare iv Xpiara 'Ir/aov.
Ep. Col. 3 1 1 : oirov ovk evi "EXXtjv Kai 'iouSaios, irepiropr) Kai aKpofivarla,
fiapfiapos, ^KvBr/s, bovXos, iXevBepos- aAXd ra irdvra Kai iv iraai Xpicrros.
Plato according to Plutarch, who was a younger contemporary of
St Paul, lauds his own daemon and Fortune for that he was a civilised
human being and had been a contemporary of Socrates, and says nothing
about women or slaves.
The tradition from Hermippus in Diogenes Laertius makes Thales or
Socrates give thanks that he was a man and not a woman &c.
Lactantius, who brings together sayings as on the Two Ways (Journ. of
Philol. xxi. 247) from various sources, had in mind perhaps inter alia Gal.
iiL 28 non est masculus neque femina. Bunemann on Lactantius I.e. re
fers to Plutarch, Diogenes Laertius, and the Jews' Morning Prayer.
From "undesigned coincidences" between the New Testament and
Rabbinic writings we may sometimes infer the antiquity of sayings in the
latter. In quoting Gal. iii. 28 (1877) I meant to suggest that it testified to
an existent Jewish grouping of women * with slaves and Gentiles in respect
of Torah. At a still earlier date Greek thought may have influenced
Rabbinism in this as in other matters.
For the remainder of this note I am indebted to Professor Bywater :
Dio Chrysostom (i.e. the pseudo Dio Chrysostom if the editors are right
in their view of this oration, which is certainly ancient and cannot be sepa
rated from the genuine writings of Dio by any great number of years)
writes in Or. LXIV. p. 597 M., SaKparns yoCv or! iroXXois avrov ipaKapi£e, Kai
on (aov XoyiKov Kai on 'ABr/vatos.
The interest in the statement in Dio is not in what he actually says (for
he is obviously abridging a fuller statement) but in the fact that he tells the
story of Socrates, of whom according to Hermippus it was sometimes told.
The saying in some form was certainly current in connexion with Thales,
Socrates, and probably Plato in the 3rd century b.c Hermippus (sur-
named Callimacheus) mentions the death of Chrysippus which occurred in
B.C. 207, and may be presumed to have written not later than B.C. 200.
The fragments of his book are edited by Miiller (1849) in the Didot series.
* Philo Hypothetika (Mangey n. 629) yvvaiKas dvSpdai SoiAeycii' k.t.X.
140 PIRQE ABOTH.
Greek literature is full of attacks on women, cf. Stobaeus Flor. 73.
Aristotle describes woman and the slave in Poetics 15 as rb pev x^pov
to be oXas (pavXov.
p. 16, 1. 8 the wicked] Aboth R. N. B xvi. H3 flee from an evil neigh
bour and be not companion to the wicked (sing.), that is (p. 36) T1X' the Evil
Impulse, which sits at the door (Gen. iv. 7) of the heart. When a man is
bent upon transgression it sways all his members, for it is king over them
(Eccl. v. 9). It is by Gematria yB>in 6 irovnpbs (Magen Elohim).
Psalm xxxvii. 32 " Wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay
him.'- Here Sukkah 52 b init. makes " wicked " (lit. irovr/pos without the
article) the Evil Impulse, Deut. Rab. 11. 11 (Wiinsche p. 114) makes "the
righteous " mean Moses, and " wicked " the most wicked of all the Satans
yB'll ?NDD Samael 6 irovrjpos. Compare Wisdom ii. 12, 20.
In Job ix. 24, " Earth is given into hand of wicked : he covereth
the faces of the judges thereof," Baba Bathra 16 a interprets wicked (sing.)
by Satan ; and Ex. Rab. 21. 7 (Wiinsche p. 170) interprets toiy "ungodly"
in the same way in Job xvi. 11 "God delivereth me to ungodly (sing.),
and casteth me into hands of wicked (pi.)."
These are of course mere homiletical applications. When in Targum,
Talmud or Midrash a word meaning wicked and with or without the article
is said to denote NB"3 NIX' or Satan or Samael the Wicked One, it no
more follows that this is its primary sense than that P'lX "just" means (as
it is made to mean) God in Prov. x. 7, where it is said that the memory of
the deceased just person is blessed.
Typical human enemies of Israel, as well as the Evil Impulse and Satan,
were called the wicked and that wicked one in the Rabbinic writings.
Buxtorf writes Ny'BH....Hbc titulo hostes quidam Israelitarum in Targum
insigniuntur, and gives examples. Compare Midr. Ps. xxii. (Buber p. 192)
we learn them from tlie parashah o/yBH miN i.e. the Pentateuch Lesson
about Shechem, Aboth R. N. A xvi. that wicked one (fern.).
On the book of Job and on the good and the evil inclinations see
Maimonides Moreh Nebukhim in. 22 — 23 (pp. 93—111 ed. Friedlander,
1885). In 1 Cor. vii. 5 Iva pr) ireipdfa -ipds 6 2aravas a Rabbinic name
of the Tempter would be yin IX'. See Schoettgen Hor. Hebr., Nork
Rabbinische Quellenund Parallelen zu N. T. Schriftstellen (Leipzig 1839).
p. 19, i. 12 drink and die] Cf. Gen. ii. 17, St John xi. 26 (ed. Westcott),
1 Cor. xv. 31 Ka6' fjpepav diroBvrjaKa, 1 Tim. V. 6 £aaa reBvrjKev.
Sifre n. § 32 "|B>B3 ?331 (Deut. vi.), even though he take away thy soul.
Dl'n 73 133111 ~\by '3, God accounts the righteous as slain every day.
Tamid 32 a on Aboth iv. 3 1ptol3 nOB»n, What should a man do that he
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 141
may live 1 He should slay himself (N.T. Bavarovre, veKpdaare). What
should a man do that he may die 1 He should quicken himself, nN mm
10Xy (N.T. faoiroie'iv). What should a man do that he may be acceptable to
the creatures ? joto^l tttoa '3D' (Ab. i. 11). See Mr Montefiore's Hibbert
Lectures p. 568. T. J. Berak. n. 3 (4 d ) " For the living know
that they shall die, these are the righteous who even in their death are
called living : but the dead know not anything, these are the wicked who
though living are called dead, for it is said For I have no pleasure in the
death of non " (see on Eccl. ix. 5 in Schiffer Kohel. nach Talrn. u. Midr.),
cf. Buber's Tanchuma, end.
But whosoever drinkelh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst (Joh. iv. 14). Compare Aboth i. 4 And drink their words with
thirstiness, Chagigah 3 a (Streane p. 8) We are thy disciples and of thy
waters we drink, Schoettgen, Nork, Wiinsche Erlduterung der Evv. aus
Talm. u. Midr. on St John I.e., King Yalkut on Zech. p. 121 With joy
shall ye receive a New Law &c. (Targ. Is. xii.). ib. but the water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life. Compare Midr. Ps. civ. 1 (Buber p. 440) y3131 P'y03,
where the Jalqut adds N13^> Tny}.
p. 19, n. 22 manual labour] On this subject see S. Meyer Arbeit und
Handwerk im Talmud (Berlin 1878), Delitzsch Handwerkleben zur Zeit
Jesu (Erlangen 1868), Jewish Artisan Life die. translated from the German
of Delitzsch by Mrs Philip Monkhouse, The Dignity of Labour as taught
in the Talmud by Rabbi H. Gollancz in the Imperial and Asiatic
Quarterly Review (July 1891).
Creatures which do not work for their living are classed with thieves
and robbers, cf. chap. iv. n. 16, Epist. Barn. 10. 4 otrives ovk o'ibaaiv bid
koitov Kai ibparos eavrois iropi£eiv ttjv rpoqprjv, dXXd dpird£ovaiv k.t.X.
8.
p. 21, n. 28 Tas KTiVets] Didache 16 r) Krlais rav dvBpairav, 1 Pet. ii. 13
—18 " Submit yourselves irdarj dvBpairivrj Knaei for the Lord's sake : whether
it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors... Honour all men... Ser
vants, be subject to your masters... iii. Likewise, ye wives &c", cf. Eph. v.
21 vtraraaabpevoi oXXtjXois iv <£6/3n n'3 (a 58 a n3NB» without vau)] Kohut n. 85
Fackelhaus. It is also explained as domus hauriendi, "because therefrom
they draw the Holy Spirit" (Is. xii. 3, T. J. Sukkah v. 55a, Buxt. 2299).
See Lightfoot Hor. Heb. on St John vii. 38—39 " as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the
Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive," comparing Ps. xl.
9 'yo "|in3 "iniini iv piaa Ttjs Kapbias (al. KoiXms) pov. It is a question
what " scripture " is referred to.
Aboth vi. 1 likens the recipient of Torah to a spring pDlB 13'NB» and a
river ito 11 133nDB>, that goes "from strength to strength," cf. Prov. v.
15—16 '13 mi3D D'O inB-, 'Abodah Z. 19a, "Machsor Vitry" ed. Hurwitz
p. 555. At first he drinks from a " cistern," then from an unfailing " well."
Finally his Torah becomes "rivers of waters in the streets," a great 113
which flows out from him. " The reception of the blessing leads at once to
the distribution of it in fuller measure " (Westcott on St John I.e.). So in
Aboth R. N. xiv. R. Jochanan calls El'azar ben 'Arakh '13 flDlB' tol3, with
reference to the Scripture '13 1X1B' (Prov. Le.), lit. to establish what is said.
See also Midr. Ps. i. '13 IXBn '" mina DN 'a UN 131, as waters fall
drop by drop and become D'toli, so words of Torah : a man learns one
halakhah to-day and another to-morrow, till he abounds like a spring.
Ecclus. xxi. 13 "The knowledge of a wise man shall be made to abound as
a flood; and his counsel as a fountain of life," xxiv. 30 — 31 "And, lo, my
stream became a river." The Book of Enoch xlix. 1 For wisdom is poured
out like water, li. 3 and all the secrets of wisdom will stream forth from
the counsels of his mouth (pp. 136, 140 ed. Charles).
Jacob's Well. Gen. xxix. 1 — 3 Then Jacob lifted up his feet, and
came to the land of the children of the east. And he looked, and behold a
well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it; for out of
that well they watered the flocks : and the stone upon the well's mouth was
great. And thither were all the flocks gathered : and they rolled the stone
from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again
upon the well's mouth in its place. See Gen. Rab. 70. 8, Jalqut i. 123 on
Gen. I.e., n. 741 on Ps. xiii., Pesiqta Rabbathi psq. 1, St John iv. 6, Wiinsche
Erlduterung der Evv. p. 512 (1878).
Lifted up his feet. A sound heart is the life of the D'IB'3 adpKes (Prov.
xiv. 30). When a man hears glad tidings (ni1B>3), then '11731 m 1'3'7 pyo
his heart carries his feet, or N'731 N3yD ND'131 the belly carries the feet,
as "the creatures say in their parables" (Matt. Kehunnah). In Menenius
Agrippa's fable of the Belly and the Members the former holds the position
of dignity, and (as in St John vii.) it is the source of supply.
A well in the field. That is "The Well," namely that which went with
Israel in the wilderness (Matt. Kehunnah). The mention of this well's
mouth helps to account for 1N31 'B in Aboth v. 9.
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 145
The Midrash gives several interpretations of the passage cited, and (like
T. J. Sukkah I.e.) explains 13N1BM n'3 by BH1p1 mi D'3N1B» 1'1 DB'DB'
because therefrom they drew the Holy Spirit. In one of these the well is
the synagogue and the great stone the Evil Impulse, which is rolled away as
the congregation enter to hear Torah and returns to its place when they go
out In another the well is Sinai from which they heard miail niB*y the
decalogue, and the great stone is the Shekhinah. Psq. Rabbathi
l.c. and Jalq. Ps.xlii. refer to Is. Ixvi. 23 '13 1BH13 BHn 'ID mm, speak
of the pilgrims' appearing and seeing the face of the Shekhinah at the great
feasts, and derive 13N1B* as above from 3NB\
Menenius Agrippa's famous comparison of the human body and the
body politic is given by Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus as below, and
briefly in Plutarch's Vita Coriolani §. 6.
Livy n. 32...nullam profecto nisi in concordia civium spem reliquam
ducere : earn per aequa per iuiqua reconciliandam civitati esse, sic placuit
igitur oratorem ad plebem mitti Menenium Agrippam, facundum virum et,
quodinde oriundus erat, plebi carum. is intromissus in castra prisco illo
dicendi et horrido modo nihil aliud quam hoc narrasse fertur : Tempore
quo in homine, non ut nunc omnia in unum consentiebant, sed singulis
membris suum cuique consilium, suus sermo fuerat, indignatas reliquas
partes sua cura suo labore ac ministerio ventri omnia quaeri, ventretn in
medio quietum nihil aliud quam datis voluptatibus frui. conspirasse inde,
ne manus ad os cibum ferrent, nee os acciperet datum, nee denies quae
conficerent. hac ira dum ventrem fame domare vellent, ipsa una
membra totumque corpus ad extremam tabem venisse. hide apparuisse
ventris quoque haud segne ministerium esse, nee magis ali quam alere
reddentem in omnis corporis partes hunc, quo vivimus vigemusque, divi-
sumpariter in venas maturum confecto cibo sanguinem. comparando hinc,
quam intestina corporis seditio similis esset irae plebis in patres, flexisse
mentes hominum.
Dionys. Hal. Antiq. Roman, vi. 86 eoiKe iras dv8paireia adpan iroXis.
avvBerov yap £K 7roXX<»v pepav ianv eKarepov, Kai ovre bvvapiv exel eKaarov ttjv
avrrjv rdv iv avrols pepav, ovre XP*ias irapexerai ras laas. el brj Xaftoi Ta
peprj tov dvBpaireiov aaparos Ibiav alaBr/aiv Kaff avra Kai (pavr)v, eireira ardais
ev avrols ipireaoi KaB' ev yevopevois Tols aXAots a7rao"i 7rpos ttjv yaarepa pbvrjv,
Kai Xeyoiev oi pev irobes, on irdv iir avrols iiriKeirai to adpa' al be x€^P€st oti
ras rixvas ipydfovrai Kai TamTrjbeia eKiropi^ovai Kai pdxovrai iroXepiois, Kai
aXXa 7roXXa dcjyeXrjpaTa irapexovaiv els to koivov' oi be apoi, on ra axBrj irdvra
err avrols Kopi^erai' [to be arbpa, oti opBeyyerai'] r) be Ke(paXr), on Spa Kai
aKovei Kai ras aXXas alaBrjaeis irepCKafiovaa iraaas exei, bi av ad£erai to 7raw'
eira (paiev irpbs rr)v yaarepa' 'S.ii be, a xpnan), n rovrav rroie'is ; fj t'is ianv
r) ar) X"Pls vpiv xal deXeia ; dXXa av ye Toaovrov direxeis tov irpdrreiv n koi
avyKaropBovv r)piv rav koivjj xPrl°'^lta>vi dare Kai avnirpdrTeis Kai ivoxXels Kai
irpaypa ddiopr/Tov virrjpere'iv dvayK&^eis Kai dtepeiv diravraxoBev, els rr)v eWXij-
paaiv rav aeavrrjs emBvpidv. ND, Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 49 n.,
1 Pet. iii. 21 ad£ei pdirnapa & 2 Pet. iii. 6 vban dirdXero. Note
that B>n3 serpent is by Gematria n'B'O Messiah.
18.
p. 31, n. 8 more women] Or Qui multiplicat uxores multiplicat vene-
ficas. So Orelli in Opuscula Graecorum veterum sententiosa et moralia
ii. 455 (1821), cf. Sanh. 100 b, Schechter in J. Q. R. in. 691 & Studies in
Judaism no. 13, Maim. Moreh Nebukhim in. 37. The Christian view of
woman is implicitly contained in the Old Testament.
D17B' 1310. Ecclus. i. 18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,
making peace and perfect health to flourish, Syr. et multiplicans pacem ac
vitam atque sanitatem, Hebrew perhaps NB101 D17B1 131D.
19.
p. 33, n. 9 mm n'B»y] Josh. xxii. 5 minn nNi mxon nN niB»y7,
Neh. ix. 34 miin lB>y N7. Sifra D'BIlp Lev. xx. 16 (92a*ed. Weiss 1862)
compares trees mi'BI nN pB'iyB' and man mini nN nB»iyB\ cf. Lev.
Rab. 27. 1 nil'B D'B»iy D'p'IXI. Ecclus. xix. 20 irolrjais vbpov,
1 Mace. ii. 67 iroirjTas tov vopov. The verb " do " in Hebrew is
ordinarily followed by 11X0, min '131 (Rom. ii. 14 rd tov vopov) &c. rather
than by Iim. Midr. Ps. xv. (p. 119 ed. Buber) niXDn 73 1B»y 17N3,
but Ps. cxix. (p. 492) T'n 'D' to mini nN n'B'y dn. Ps. xvii. (p. 132)
11X0 is to llin as a candle to the sun (Prov. vi. 23).
Although mini 'B>yb (Heb. N.T.) is an obvious rendering of "works of
the law," it does not appear that it was a current phrase in Rabbinic.
Torah is not exactly vopos, and "faith" as well as good "works" (in. 17)
was required for the fulfilment of the Torah. Compare Ecclus. xxxii. 24
R.V. He that believeth the law giveth heed to the commandment, St Mark
i. 15 believe in the gospel, Sanday and Headlam on Rom. iii. 3 rjiriarrjaav.
For the collective singular 1B*yo (Rom. ii. 15 to epyov tov vopov) see in,
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 147
24 nB»yon 'B7 toll, Sukkah v. 4 (Surh. II. 277) IB'yD 'B0N1 D'TDn, Berak.
7 a Dn'ni3N nB»yD, Sanh. 44 b '10t IB'yD. A Midrash llin 1B>yO is
printed in Koi Bo% 118 (Venice 1547), and in Jellinek's Bet ha-Midrasch.
For IB'yD in the sense historia rei gestae see Buxt. 1678, Menach. x. 2
(p. 83, n. 12), cf. llin 'B»yo in Beir Jacob's Ocar ha-Sefarim p. 358, no.
1929 (Wilna 1880). 20.
p. 35, n. 12 — 13 good way... evil way] See The Two Ways in Hermas
and Xenophon (Journ. of Philol. xxi. 243 — 258). The Torah is likened
(p. 257) in T. J. Chagigah u. 1 to two paths, the one of 11N fire the other
of 37B> snow, cf. Aboth R. N. xxvin. (Schechter p. 86) To what is the
matter like? to an army marching between ways of fire and snow &c.,
Ecclus. xv. 16 He hath set fire and water before thee : thou shalt stretch
forth thy hand unto whichsoever thou wilt. See also The Book of the
Secrets of Enoch p. xxi. and chap. xxx. 15 ed. Charles (1896).
Hermas harps upon the same theme with variations when he speaks of
the two Angels that accompany a man, and of his personified good 'EmBvpia
and evil 'EmBvpia. Compare in Maim. Moreh Nebukhim in. 22 (Fried-
lander p. 100) "According to our Sages the evil inclination, the adversary
(satan), and the angel [of death] are undoubtedly identical, and the adver
sary being called " angel " because he is among the sons of God, and the
good inclination being in reality an angel, it is to the good and the evil
inclinations that they refer in their well-known words, Every person is
accompanied by two angels, one being on his right side, one on his left"
and see the passage of Baba Bathra cited near the end of Excursus V.
On the next folio (Baba B. 17 a) it is said that the angel of death had
no power over certain persons. " But," remarks Dr Friedlander in a note
on Moreh Nebukhim in. 51 (p. 293), "Maimonides holds that angel of
death and evil inclination are identical, and accordingly in the passage
referred to the Patriarchs and Moses, Aaron and Miriam are said to have
been free from evil inclination." Such a result shews that the
expressions said to be synonymous are not merely different names for the
same thing.
On the other hand compare St James i. 13 — 14 pvbeis iretpatfpevos k.t.X.
with Ecclus. xxi. 27 When the ungodly curseth Satan he curseth his own
soul, on which Dr Edersheini writes in the Speaker's Commentary, "This
certainly accords with an exceptional Rabbinic view, which identifies Satan
with the Yetser ha-Ra, the evil inclination." Cf. Ecclus. xv. 11 — 12.
As the evil IX' is in the end to be slain by the Holy One (p. 130), so
eaxaros ixBpbs Karapyeirai 6 Bdvaros (1 Cor. XV. 26). As Satan is
called aKdvbaXov (Matt. xvi. 23), so the evil IX' (p. 130), which is also con
nected with 7DN J3N (Job xxviii. 3) in Gen. Rab. 89. 1 and Jalq. n. 915.
Hermas, so to say, makes the evil 'EmBvpia an Angel of Death which
148 PIRQE ABOTH.
delivers els Bdvarov, calls it toO 8iaj3<5Xot; Bvydrrjp, says that if resisted
favgerai dirb aov paKpdv, and says the like of the Devil. See Mand. xn. 1,
2, 5, St James iv. 7. 21.
p. 36, n. 31 (cf. p. 41) heart] St Mark xii. 30 quotes Deut. vi. 5 " with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might " with the ex
planatory addition of biavolas k.t.X., and St Matt. xxii. 37 keeps "mind" and
omits "might." Sifre n. § 32 (Fr. 73 a) explains 1337 733 by T1X' '3B>3
with thy two natures or impulses, the evil and the good, cf. Midr. Ps. ix. 2.
On the heart see also Midr. Eccl. i. 7 " all the rivers run into the sea."
On Cor malignum in iv. Ezra iii. 21 see Sanday and Headlam on
Romans v. 12—14 (p. 137, 1895). The yecer being "the imagination
of the thoughts of the heart" as the heart is called uncircuracised so
the evil yecer is called uncircumcised (p. 130).
Heart and heart. See Ps. xii. 3 113T 371 373, 1 Chron. xii. 33, 38
not of heart and heart... but with a perfect heart. This idiom suggests
an explanation of Prov. xxi. 8 17J>B IB" TI IT! B"N mi 1B3B1, A.V. "The
way of man is froward and strange : but as for the pure, his work is right,"
R.V. " The way of him that is laden with guilt [Arab, wzf] is exceeding
crooked : but as for the pure, his work is right (marg. straight)." On this
difficult verse the commentary 'p31 3p has the following note 173 |P3
u yn o'Pnpii D'f> -\ni cnnpi ii D'D flim -|P3pp d'W, the ibsbi
is a person whose way is sometimes one man's and sometimes another's, at
times his own at times a stranger's. Compare the Homeric yvaBpoiat
yeXoiav aXXorpioiaiv, they laughed " with alien lips." He is, as we may say,
371 37 B"N, a man of two hearts or bi\j/vxos, in contrast with "|T the pure.
St James, possibly referring to the verse, writes " a doubleminded man,
unstable in all his ways ..and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded" (i. 8,
iv. 8). There is apparently no adjective biirXoKapbios corresponding to
birrXoKapbla, which is found in chap. 6 of the Didach6.
22.
p. 37, n. 15 (cf. pp. 63, 70, 77, 82,98, 130) IHnjTXJ in Ecclesiasticus and the
New Testament] Test. 12 Patr. Aser 1, 5 (pp. 183, 185 ed. Sinker 1869)
suggests that Ecclus. xxxiii. 15 n-33 has the sense condire (Buxt. 1010). We
may assume that '13 yil IX' was the original of Ecclus. xxxvii. 3 a irovrj
pov ivBvprjpa [imagination... evil Gen. vi., viii.] iroBev iveKvXiaBrjs ; Syr.
Inimicus et sceleratus quorsum creati sunt ?, and that Syr. read IX by
error for IX'. Syr. and Vulg. suggest iKriaB-ns [om. ev after irbBev] for
iKvXiaBrjs. Note that " enemy " is a name of yil IX', comparing St Paul's
exBpa and 'iaxaros e'x^pos, and that God repented that He had created it
(p. 130, Gen. vi. 5 — 6). While the New Testament psychology rests
more or less upon the Torah (Eph. iv. 24 ed. Ellicott), it may contain Rab
binic elements. If yil IX' was known to Ben Sira, we shall perhaps find
some of its many names (p. 130) in the earliest Christian writings.
The two Men in Man. We have seen that the irovrfpos is sometimes
interpreted yil IX'. Sukkah 52 b deduces from 2 Sam. xii. 4, " And
there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his
own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was
come unto him ; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man
that was come to him," that the evil yecer comes to a man at the first as
a traveller, then becomes a guest (UN £eVos), and at last the man, comm.
n'31 7ya oiKobeairbrrjs, or we may say that it becomes the man himself,
for the "nature'' which the strong man overcomes is "self," cf. Gen. Rab.
22. 6 (Wiinsche p. 101). The evil and the good IX' together make
two dvBparroi in man. Compare St Jerome's application of Levit. xvii.
avBpairos m/Bpanos quoted below, and St Paul's 'iaa and e£a, and his "old"
and "new" avBpairos. The eaa [Plato eVtos] avBpairos and the KpvTrrbs
ttjs Kapbias avBpairos (1 Pet. iii. 4) correspond to the good yecer, whereas
in the Talmud the evil yecer is called Kpinrros (p. 130), in accordance with
St Mark vii. 21 eaaBev yap ex ttjs Kapbias k.t.X. (Gen. vi. 5).
Aboth R. N. xvi. (Schechter p. 64) has a parable, " Whereunto is the
matter like ? The evil yecer is like two men who went into an inn." One
was arrested for brigandage and asked who was with him. Unwilling to
die alone, he informed against his companion. So too says yecer ha-ra',
" Seeing that I am to perish in the world to come [p. 130], I will destroy
the whole body."
Joma 69 b quotes Zech. v., where a woman represents wickedness. They
say, Since it is Kaipos euVpoo-SfKTos let us pray for pardon for the spirit
(NIX') of transgression. If thou kill him (or that N133 man), the world
perisheth (comm. because there would be no increasing and multiplying).
For Variae Lectiones and parallels see Rabbinovicz D"1 iv. 201 (1871).
Whether expressly called N133 or not, the Evil Impulse is here depicted
anthropomorphically. The two Minds in Man. St Paul's word (ppovnpa, synonyms of which
are used to render IX', may itself have been suggested by it. On 1D1) over their yecer," Midr. Ps. ix. (Buber p. 80) & Aboth iv.
2n. 1ND 310 includes 1"1X', Ps. xxxiv. (p. 246) & Geu. Rab. 54. 1 If
thine enemy the Evil Impulse hunger feed him with bread of Torah &c.,
Ps. cxix. (p. 492) It has no power over one who has the Torah in his heart
13 y3!3 N71, cf. Kai 6 irovrjpbs ovx dirTerai avrov (1 Joh. v. 18), and see Aboth
R. N. ed. Schechter pp. 30, 70, 158 &c.
The Speaker's Commentary on Ecclesiastieus. Ecclus. xv. 14 — 15 "He
himself made man from the beginning, and left him in the hands of his
counsel," biafiovXiov for Heb. IX' (Edersheim). Mr Schechter
compares Midrash ha-Gadol on Gen. iv. 6—7 (col. 107) :
152 PIRQE ABOTH.
ix' ?b- n'3 iidd nN 'n .p^ nxtsn nnsS n^b^n ah dki
¦ nnan by p3ii Nils' yii
Hence and from the Syriac of Ecclus. I.e. pniX' 1'3 p3N oto^NI it appears
that Ben Sira probably wrote that the Creator IDO delivered man into the
hand of his IX' with its tendency to evil, cf. Qiddush. 30 b and if ye be not
occupied in Torah ye are 1T3 D'1DD3. With this agrees Rom. i. 24, 26, 28
irapibaKev [IDO] avroiis b Beos, cf 1 Cor. v. 5. Notice the saying
Apoc. Baruch liv. 19 each one of us has been the Adam of his own soul.
Midrash ha-Gadol continues If thou doest not well, the consequence will
be nNB' a rising (Lev. xiv. 56), that is leprosy; and adds that the verse
Gen. iv. 7 is one of five of doubtful punctuation, for nNB> may also be taken
with 3'0'n. Supposing it to mean D'3D nNB' in contrast with
T3B 17B3, a possible construction gives the sense, Sin coucheth [Gen.
xlix. 9 he couched as a lion] at the door, watching N? DN1 nNB' 3'0'n DN
'13 whether thou wilt or wilt not (cf. Eccl. xii. end) recover from thy
passion. Ecclus. xxvii. 10 As the lion lieth in wait... so sin &c. serves as
a link between Gen. iv. 7 sin coucheth and 1 Pet. v. 8 — 9 as Xeav dpvbpevos
...a avriarr/Te k.t.X. Compare St James iv. 7.
Ecclus. xvii. 6 Counsel &c. " In omitting the word the Syriac is prob
ably faithful to the original " (Edersheim). Say rather with Prof. Margo-
liouth that it rightly renders IX' as a verb, cf. Ps. xciv. 9 j'y 1X1' He that
formed the eye.
Ecclus. xxi. 11 He that keepeth the law getteth the mastery [rule]
over his inclination (Edersheim), Syr. niX' p?N. Cf. Aboth rv. 2 B>3131
11X' nN. Mastery of inclination by means of Torah is a favourite theme of
the Rabbis. All things were created in syzygies and Torah is an opposite
of T'lX'. See Eccl. vii. 14, Ecclus. xxxiii. 14 — 15, Chagigah 15 a, Midrash
Temurah in Jellinek Bet ha-Midrasch 1. 108 spnBOl D'nB>3 N13B> 131 }3B»,
Baba B. 16 a He created the Evil Impulse and Torah as |'73n thereto.
On Ecclus. xxi. 27 When the ungodly curseth Satan see Note 20.
Ecclus. xxxvii. 3 0 Wicked Imagination. Syr. read yil IX by mis
take for yil IX' (Margoliouth). The context is about friends who are
false or have turned to foes. Such mischief (Midr. Ps. xxxiv.) is wrought
by the Evil Impulse, himself the most inveterate of enemies, who after
associating with a man all his life will trip him up at forty, fifty, sixty if he
can. 1TD 7113 N31B* "|7 B"1 canst thou have a greater enemy than this?
23.
p. 40, n. 45 PD] See Levy, Kohut. Benjamin Musafia makes D'3'Dn an
abbreviation of D'3'DNOn the believers (N.T. marevovres, iriaroi). This
suggests that |'D might be rendered misbeliever, cf. miscreant.
In Rosh ha-Shan, 17a the "Minim und Denuncianten " [Buxt. 1234]
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 153
are condemned for ever 713T3 DH'T lOB'BB' '3BD because they stretched
forth their hands against the Temple : their judgment is to outlast
Gehinnom (Midr. Ps. xlix. 17 713tO, Buber p. 278). In explanation
of this Dr M. Joel (cf. Graetz Gesch. d. Juden) quotes Gen. Rab. 64. 10
(Wiinsche p. 308), where it is said that, when the wicked kingdom in the
days of Jehoshua ben Chananiah (n. 10) — that is Rome under Hadrian —
had decreed the rebuilding of the Temple, the Kuthim, in the words of
their predecessors (Ezra iv. 13), opposed it.
The Ebionites (Joel Blicke I. 26) according to Irenaeus I. 22 (Mass. 26)
adored Jerusalem quasi dornus sit Dei. In Epist. Barn. 16 (Lightft.-
Harmer p. 284, 1891) we read " Moreover I will tell you likewise concerning
the temple, how these wretched men being led astray set their hope on the
building... as being a house of God... Behold they that pulled down this
temple themselves shall build it [Is. xlix. 17]... Now also the very servants
of their enemies shall build it up." Cf. Psq. Rabbathi (Friedmann 149 b)
'13 ini337 T1X inNl. Those who felt with Barnabas would have looked
with disfavour upon the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem.
It is said in T. J. Megillah I. 11, 71 c9 that the Torah cannot be
adequately translated n'31V N7N except into Greek. The Gemara continues
n'311' Tno n'OIN Qnb NT3 inN '33113 he made an Aramaic Targum
from the Greek. It has been thought that Targ. " Onkelos " was so named
as being based upon Aquila's Greek rendering of the Torah. See Graetz
History of the Jews n. 589 (trans, by B. Lowy 1891).
The injunction not to teach one's son Greek (Sotah rx. 14, Surh. in.
304) dates from the war of Quietus (a 105 b7 ed. Lowe DO'p, Surh. DIO'O).
For examples of Hebrew words in the Bible read Rabbinically as Greek
see Dr M. Sachs Beitrage i. 19 (Joel Blicke i. 51). The Munich
MS. reading N3p NBD37B N111 for NBD17'D N111 in Shabbath 116 a is
conjecturally explained by "a certain N3pDBN iiriaKonos" in Mr Lowe's
Fragment of T. B. p. 68 6. 24.
p. 43, in. 1 whence... whither] Clem. Cor. 38 i< iroias vAns iyevr]6rjpev
k.t.X., Mekhilta Shir. n!7in N113 (Fr. 42 a), '13 D'D3 111X IX 1"3pn,
Heracliti Ephes. Reliq. 68 (ed. Bywater 1877) <=£ vbaros be yfrvxv.
Sotah 5 a makes 1D3 (or 1B>3) a pp'1013 of 1E>13, imiD (or 71NB-), ID'1,
see Buxt. 329 & pnX' ins. Midr. Ps. xvi. 10 '13 11B»3 DO' N7B-,
cf. Acts ii. 29—31. 25.
p. 44, n. 8 pBXO] Midr. Elleh ha-Debarim Zuta (p. 22 ed. Buber)
Messiah is to come from the north, Lev. Rab. 9. 6 ]1BX3 pn3B> n'B»D -]?D.
20
154 PIRQE ABOTH.
26.
p. 44, n. 8 Shekinah] Compare Ecclus. xxiv. 8 " Then the Creator of all
things gave me Wisdom a commandment ; and he that created me made
my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy tabernacle be in Jacob, and thine
inheritance in Israel." 27.
p. 45, ill. 7 by night] How did Moses on the mount know when it was
day and when night? Because he was taught Scripture by day and
Mishnah or Oral Law by night. See Midr. Ps. xix. D1'7 Dl' (Buber p. 166),
Tanchuma 1"7 NB»n '3 (i. 127 b Warsaw 1879), Pirqe R. El. 46, Magen Aboth
on the Ages of Man. Or he learned Torah in the daytime and repeated it
by himself at night, to teach Israel that they should be working at Torah
day and night. During the forty days he was fed 13'3B>1 1'TD, or he ate
bread of Torah and drank water of Torah (Prov. ix. 5, Is. Iv. 1). See
Buber's Tanchuma NB»n '3 60 a, Buxt. 1861 on OB'S.
28.
p. 48, n. 19 punctuation] Rish, that is R. Jacob Shimshoni or ben
Shimshon, in the so-called Machsor Vitry (Hurwitz p. 462) writes of things
revealed to Moses " And not these only were said to Moses from Sinai by
word of mouth according to what we learn in the pereq [of the Mishnah
commencing] 11101 pa pN &c." On this "famous passage
in Nedarim 37 b sq." see Mr I. Harris on The Rise and Development of
the Massorah in the Jewish Quarterly Review (i. 138, 1889)*. On the
authority of Rab the verse Nehemiah viii. 8 is made in Nedar. I.e. to allude
to D'plDBI the " versual divisions," and D'DyO plD'B the "pausal divisions"
or punctuation of verses by accents, or as some think the nillDD.
" Obviously the Talmud is not referring to written signs of any kind, for
Nehemiah viii. 8 is describing a public recital of the Law. The divisions
spoken of must therefore be of the nature of elocutionary pauses."
Rish I.e. says that points are not Mosaic but were invented by the scribes,
which accounts for the existence of three systems of 11p'3 pointing
in his time. Compare Dr M. Friedlander's notice of A Third System of
Symbols for tJie Hebrew Vowels and Accents in the Jewish Quarterly
Review vn. 564 sq. (1895).
Rab's interpretation of Neh. viii. 8 is found also in Megillah 3 a, and
Bachja on the Pentateuch gives it s.v. '31N (Gen. xviii. 3) with 11p'3 in
place of D'DyO 'pDB. " They forgot these milDD and restored them
again" (Megil. I.e.).
* See also Prof. W. Bacher's Contribution to the History of the term
"Massorah" at the end of J. Q. R. vol. in. (1891), and the same writer's article
on The Origin of the word Haggadah (Agada) in J. Q. R. iv. 406—429,
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 155
R. Tobiah ben Eliezer (cent, x.) in his commentary Leqach Tob on
Canticles interprets Job xxviii. 27 '13 INI tN (doubtless on the authority
of some Midrash) as referring to Miqra, Targum, Accentuation, Pointing.
See the Cambridge University MS. Additional 378, fol. 25 a.
On cases of punctuation by accents see also p. 152, Crit. Note in. 21,
Joma 52 a & 31 b Tos. OB'BI 1"1 on Gen. iv. 7 nNB*, Ex. xxv. 33 D'ipiB'O,
Ex. xvii. 9 UD, Gen. xlix. 7 TIN, Deut. xxxi. 16 Dpi. In T. J. Abodah Z.
n. 7, 41 c & d these five references are given in their Biblical order and
R. Tanchuma adds Gen. xxxiv. 7. Cf. Sanhedrin 90 b, Mekhilta p7Dy par. 1
(Fr. 54 a), Gen. Rab. 80. 6 (Wiinsche p. 393), Cant. Rab. i. 2 '13 D'310 '3.
29.
p. 50, in. 16] Targ. Eccl. x. 16 Woe to thee 0 land of Israel when the
toicked Jeroboam shall reign over thee... and thy magnates eat bread
before they offer the morning sacrifice. Midr. Shocher Tob
(Buber p. 19) & R. D. Qimchi (p. 7 ed. Schiller-Szinessy) on Ps. i. "his
leaf shall not wither," even the imB* of the wise is instructive, cf. Epist.
Barn. 11. 8 "Folia. ..hoc est quia omnis serino &c," and see Schechter on
A Jewish Boswell in Studies in Judaism.
30.
p. 55, n. 32 1 Cor. xi. 4 — 5 dKaraKaXvirra rfj KeaXj) k.t.X. (cf. p. 82)] For
parallels and contrasts see J. J. Wetstenii Nov. Test. Graecum. Compare
Juvenal Sat. vi. 390 Pro cithara velare caput i.e. sacra facere capite velato.
See also Briill Jahrbiicher fur jiid. Gesch. u. Litteratur viii. 51 art. Die
Haarbedeckung der jiid. Frauen, Abrahams Jewish Life in the Middle
Ages p. 278.
Plutarch Quaest. Rom. 14 8ia ri robs yovels iKKopi^ovaiv oi pev viol avyxe-
KaXvppevoi ai be Bvyarepes yvpvals rais Keq^aXais Kai Tals Ko/ials XeAvpe-
vais; " The custom still obtains in West Cumberland for the male
mourners to wear their hats in Church at a Funeral. Within the last
20 years the men observed the same practice in Church on the Sunday but
one after the Funeral, but I have not seen them do it lately. All the
mourners however remain seated during the whole service on both days "
(Signed J. T. Pollock Vicar of Brigham, Cumberland. 16 Nov. 1896).
1 Cor. xi. 7 aw)p...So|a Beov vrrdpxav (cf. Heb. i. 3). See J. Q. R. in. 695
art. by Mr Schechter The Quotations from Ecclesiasticus in Rabbinic
Literature no. 19 iniD3 DIN '33 1111 DIN '33 D'17N 111 sons of men
are God's glory, a son of man's is his raiment, cf. Ps. xxix. 2 BHp nil 13.
1 Cor. xi. 10 igovalav. A crown or cap orl rrjs Kecj>aAfjs may signify
possession of or subjection to authority. H. A. W. Meyer Kommentar
uber das N. T. " Hitziy aber in d. theol. Jahrb. 1854 p. 129 ff. das Wort
fur ein judengriechisches ausgiebt, und zwar aus e'£ urov entstanden, da der
156 PIRQE ABOTH.
Schleier zwei vorne und hinten im Gleichgewichte uberhangende Halften
gehabt habe."
1 Cor. xi. 10 bia tovs dyyeXovs. Granted that it was comely for a woman
to have her head veiled in the presence of men, why should she when
praying (ver. 5) even in private have it veiled bid robs dyyeXovs ? St Paul,
himself conscious of being a spectacle botli to angels and men (1 Cor. iv. 9),
would have others no less awake to the presence of the unseen witnesses,
cf. Heb. xii. 1 videos paprvpav k.t.X. Everyone, it was said, was accom
panied by two angels (Note 20). When a man desired absolute privacy,
he begged his angels to leave him for a season (Berak. 60 b init.). A
woman praying or prophesying was to think of her angels as close at hand,
and to veil herself before them as if they were men.
Gen. Rab. 21. 9 (Wiinsche p. 98) on Gen. iii. 24 nSDinOI teaches that
angels change their shapes and appear at different times as men, women
[Zech. v. 9], winds or spirits, angels.
For Tuegri (al. Hegrin) as the name of the angel in Herm. Vis. iv. 2. 4
Dr J. Rendel Harris has proposed to read, and Dr Harmer accordingly
reads, Segri from Dan. vi. 22 UD. Note that one of the three
names of n'31pDD nil (comm. which is Gabriel) in Sanhed. 44 b (cf. Jalq. n.
353 init.) is pi3'D from UD (Kohut A. C. vi. 22). Briill Jahrbucher
fur Jildische Geschichte i. 158 (1874) art. Fremdsprachliche Worter in
Talrn. u. Midr. identifies pU'D with 'S.Kipav (or 'S.Keipav), and refers on
n'31pDB mi to Tanchuma Wesot-habracha § 6 (125 b, Warsaw 1879).
31.
p. 56, n. 35 the incommunicable name] On the Tetragrammaton or
Name of Four Letters 111' see Diet, of Bible art. Jehovah by Mr Aldis
Wright (1863), Kuenen The Religion of Israel and Hibbert Lectures n. 4,
Studia Biblica i. art. 1 by Prof. Driver (1885), Leopold Low Gesammelte
Schriften I. (Szegedin 1889) art. 7 Die Ausspraehe des vierbuchslabigen
Gottesnamens 1867, Maim. Moreh Nebukhim I. 62.
The Tetragrammaton 111' may be older than 11', 1', 1', and 11' may
have been derived from it by apocopation. As the verb-form ninnB'J with
1 conversive reduces to ¦mnB'.', so from 111' (it is said) may have come 11',
and thence 1' and 1'. " There are no grammatical objections to this."
But in proper names are found some of the archaisms which are classed
as exceptions to modern rules. For example, " Similar to the Aramaic is
the Hebrew form, which appears in its integrity in the proper name 'Tin ;
but ordinarily ai has passed into e, and we get the form ntin." See the
late Prof. W. Wright's Lectures on the Comparative Grammar of the
Semitic Languages p. 269 (Camb. 1890), and ib. p. 255 " We now proceed
to the large and important class of verbs in which the weak letter occupies
the third place in the root. In our Hebrew Grammars these are generally
called verbs 1"7, but as the 1 is merely a vowel letter, I prefer speaking of
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 157
them as verbs 1"? or '"7, according to circumstances. Verbs 1"7, strictly
so called, are such as 133 , which pertain to a quite different class, verba
tertiae gutturalis." A 1"7 verb not strictly so called is mB>, " Hithpal.
nipnB'n (tertia radicali geminata...) fut. apoc. •WnB';, in pausa -inn?" "
(Gesen. Thesaur.). Accordingly we may say that the root in question is
properly not nnB* but lit?, and that in "fut. apoc. innB"" it becomes
itself again, after conversion to a pseudo n"7 form and expansion therefrom
to ninB* in mnnB". In any case the quadriliteral imB* must have grown
out of some more elementary form of the root. Hence the comparison of
im', ninnB" and IT, innB" suggests that 11' is perhaps not merely an
apocopated form of 111'. Something still remains to be said in support of
the view that the longer is not the older form of the Name.
For ways of reading 111' see also Bp Pearson on the words Our Lord
in the Creed, Heb. Words and Synonyms by Dr E. G. King (1884), The
Gnostics and their Remains by C. W. King (ed. 2 1887), Irenaeus ed.
Harvey n. 58. 1 (vol. I. p. 386) "Eodem modo et Jatoth [Jaaih], extensa
cuin aspiratione novissima syllaba, mensuram praefinitam manifestat ; cum
autem per o Graecam corripitur, ut puta Jaoth [Jaoh], eum qui dat fugam
malorum significat," of. in Walton's Polyglot " Jaoth, vel potius Jaoh."
The emendation is confirmed by a reading Jacob, with cob for ah.
In a note on Iren. I. 1. 7 Harvey suggests that the name IAQ, which he
hesitates (p. 34, but see p. 230) to identify with nin', is "indicated in
the A and Q of the Apocalypse," see Rev. i. 8 'Efto gimi rb "AXd>a Kai to
*G, Xt'yet KypiOC, 6 06OC, d CON Kai 6 rfv Kai 6 ipxbpevos, 6 TT&NTOKpATtop.
The verse cited quotes from Ex. iii. 14'Efco eiMi c ojn and adds koI
d r/v kox o ipxbpevos, cf. Heb. xiii. 8 Jesus Christ is " the same yesterday,
and to day, and for ever." If at the time of the writing of the Apocalypse
the word nin' was regarded as comprising mm m.n mn, r/v av earai, this
would have been expressed as nearly as might be in Greek by the use of A
and Q, taken from the name IAQ, as symbols of past and future eternity.
We have only to conjecture that this name, however much it may have
differed therefrom, was understood to be the Greek for 111'.
Qiddushin 71a relates in the name of R. Jochanan that the secret of
the ni'niN '1 ]3 DB> (Rashi 1D1TP1 IPS'Dai IPfi'lp) used to be communi
cated to disciples once, or some say twice, in a septennium. The word
yi3B*, which has been inappropriately rendered week, is now understood to
have the same meaning here as in Chullin 91 b. The ministering angels
say a song only once in a day, BHin3 'N DyD ?"N1 n3B»3 'N DyB 1? '1DN1
D7iy3 'N DyB ?"N1 ?31'3 'N DyB ?"N1 yi3BO 'N DyB ?"N1 13BO 'N DyB 7"N1
or once in a week, month, year, septennium, jubilee or aeon.
Mr Schechter writes in the Jewish Quarterly Review vi. 427 (referring
to Tosephta Berachoth ix. ed. Schwartz, and Graetz Gesch. d. Juden), that
"At a certain period in history, when the heresy of the new sects was
threatening to affect larger classes, the Rabbis even enforced the utterance
158 PIRQE ABOTH.
of the Tetragrammaton in every benediction," that there might be no
doubt Who was addressed.
R. Mosheh of Cordovero makes a suggestion which is quoted with
approval in Tosafoth Yom Tob on Joma vi. 2 3n3B» 1D3 1311 Dyo '71N!
|'T3ir> I'P 01' i33D D'llBDI Dl' nil3y epD3 V'TNUip 1B>0 T1D D3ni
p'p p[ 01*31 'l31 13"P7 n"bl C>"bf> 71p33 D'JP3P P3133 lPlf> 0'3P3P
l"l3P f'vp 3"l3p o"ilP 7ip33 T31P (Berl. 1861) i.e. that the priests
in their daily blessing pronounced the Tetragrammaton with the pointing
of Adonat, "that is &c," but the high priest on the Day of Atonement
pronounced it with the pointing cholem, segol, qamec, segol.
In Mishnah Sotah vn. 6 (Surh. in. 264) on the sacerdotal blessing
Num. vi. 24— =26 it is said that " In Sanctuario rerpaypapparov efferebatur
secundum literas : sed in Provinciis substituebatur cognomen"; but it is
not said that " incurvabant se et adorabant et in facies decumbebant " at
the utterance of the Name, except when they heard it " ex ore Sacerdotis
magni" on the Day of Atonement (Joma I.e. Note 41). It is in order to
account for this that R. Mosheh of Cordovero makes his suggestion that
111' was not fully pronounced except by the high priest on the Day of
Atonement The pronunciation which R. Mosheh gives for it is YoHeWaHe,
an abbreviation of the complete spelling of the Name. Compare the equa
tion of 1', that is N"n 1"1', by Gematria to 111' (26).
The question of the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton is twofold.
What is the correct, grammatical vocalisation of 111'? and how was it
pronounced by the high priest on the Day of Atonement? Doubtless he
pronounced it not in a plain colloquial way, but with a musical intonation
as in a chant or song, Heb. 1D'y3 (Kohut A. C. v. 358 a). If it was ren
dered with a number of notes in excess of its proper grammatical comple
ment of vowels, this would account for the traditional view which makes
it a comprehensive I'll DB* nomen essentiae, signifying that 111' is
111D1 nil , ever existent and the cause of existence. See Ex. iii. 14 with
Targ. & comm., Pirqe R. El. 40 end, Tur Orach Chayim § 5, Judah ben
Barzilai on 1TX' 'D pp. 112, 116 (1885), Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 3.
The words of Irenaeus I.e. "extensa cum aspiratione novissima syllaba"
evidently convey, as far as they go, a true tradition. The end of the word
for One in the "Hear O Israel" was to be emphasised and dwelt upon
(pp. 54, 117), and in the words of lamentation in Jeremiah xxii. 18 J11N '11
111 '111 it may have been intended that the aspirated last syllable should
be prolonged in like manner. 32.
p. 56, in. 21 in imagine] There is a benediction in Kethuboth 8 a and
in the Hebrew Marriage Service (Auth. P. B. p. 299) " Blessed art thou,
0 Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast made man in thine image,
after thy likeness, and hast prepared unto him, out of his very self, a
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 159
perpetual fabric, ppnil in'33n niDI D7X3 107X3 D1N1 nN IX' IB'N
ly 'iy p33 130D 17," in which the expression P33 building is traditionally
interpreted "the female," with reference to Gen. ii. 22 '13 y?X1 nN J3'1
and the rib builded he into woman, cf. Berakh. 61 a 1X1N P333. Com
pare also Clem. Horn. XIX. 23 iva Ta iaopeva appevi alavias r) BrjXeia tIkttj
biKaiovs alaviovs viovs.
St Paul writes (2 Cor. v. 1) " For we know that if the earthly house of
our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not
made with hands, eternal, in the heavens." This is not unlike a B'11 upon
'13 17 ppnil in the benediction, which might be rendered "and didst
prepare for him therefrom [with especial reference to in'33n from 133
build] a perpetual building." Thus the iy 'iy p33 would be oiKobopr) D3). See also Note 32.
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 161
36.
p. 60, n. 40 the banquet] Ps. xvi. 15 x°PTaa'Br)aopai iv rd od>8ijvai rr)v
bo£av aov, Ecclus. xxiv. 21 oi iaBiovres pe...o'i irivovris pe (Joh. vi. 35),
St Luke xiv. 15. 37.
p. 62, in. 28 essentials] See Chag. i. 8 (a 11) in Crit. Note, Mishnah
Surh. n. 416, Chagigah Streane p. 47 (1891) "Rules for dissolving vows
fly in the air and have nothing to rest upon. Halakhoth for sabbath,
festival-offerings, and trespasses are as mountains that hang by a hair, the
Scripture little and the halakhoth multitudinous." With these are
contrasted things which are corpora legis. Compare Col. ii. 16 "Let no
man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast or a
new moon or a sabbath [adfifiara Nn3B>] : which are a shadow of the things
to come ; to be adpa tov Xpiarov," noting that vopos is a patristic name
of Christ (Justin Dial. 1 1, p. 42 ed. Otto). Cf. Berak. 63 a and Lev. R. 24. 5
(Iim 'B13), T. J. Ber. I. 3c30 (The Decalogue yDB> 7B* 1B13), Buxt. 405,
Kohut n. 334. The Rabbinic expression^ in the air with
nothing to rest upon might have suggested depa Kevepfiareiav (A Con
jectural Emendation of Col. ii. 18, Journ. of Philology vn. 130) to St Paul.
ib. Aftercourses. Clem. Strom, i. 20 (I.e. Note 2), having described
Greek philosophy as (ppaypbs tov dpireXdvos, continues, koI r) pev as apros
dvayxaia irpbs to (rjv, r) Kara rr)v irianv dXrjBeia- r) irpoiraibeia be Trpoao^r/paTi
eoiKev Kai Tpayrjpan. Aeiirvov be XrjyovTOs yXvKv rpayaXiov, Kara tov Qrjfiaiov
Ilivbapov. On niNIBIB see also p. 164.
Gematria in this verse or baba should be taken, not in its usual
exegetical sense as in the footnote (p. 62, n. 46), but in its " urspriingliche
Bedeutung Geometrie und Arithmetik," as in T. J. Terumoth v. 3 (43 c4r)
''1DO'3 }13BTIO ni3107B» iy until we learned HD'jn NI' 1D3 by gematric
calculation (Zunz G.V. p. 326 n., 1832), which was wanted also for tequfoth.
See Geiger on Aboth I. — in., Strack on Aboth, Kohut A.C., Levy Neuhebr.
u. Chald. Wbrterbuch, Maim. Hilk. Genebah viii. 1 with Maggid Mishnah,
Tosafoth Yomtob. Thus Greek Science — or say with St Clement
Philosophy — is ranked, below nisipPP DlPlJpP PP3P. It may be a
contradiction in terms to make irpoiraibeia an aftercourse, but this best
marks it as secondary to the one thing needful. On the meaning
of n'311' nD3n in Sotah 49 b see Dr D. H. Joel's Religionsphilosophie
des Sohar p. 338 (1849).
It has been thought that Gematria in Aboth includes a rudimentary
form of what was afterwards called by the Arabic name Algebra. On
Greek Algebra see Dr Heath's Diophantos of Alexandria (Camb. 1885).
Notice in Levy Nheb. Wbuch I. 479 (1876) the word nD131 for Mathematik
und Algebra. 21
162 PIRQE ABOTH.
Rashi explains Gematria by jip'TJO (p. 100, n. 1) and m'Plf> ]!3DP
letter-reckoning. Sachs (quoted by Levy) identifies the word with
ypappareia instead of yeaperpia, and so Bacher (Babl. Amorder). Athbash,
described below with some other cipher alphabets, is called Gematria by
Rab in Sanhedrin.
B^'3 n"N. In this permutation the letters from N to n are interchanged
with the letters in reverse order from n to N respectively. St Jerome
writes on Jer. xxv. 26 "Sicut apud nos Graecum alphabetum usque ad
novissimam litteraui per ordinem legitur, hoc est Alpha, Betha... rursmnqxie
propter memoriam parvulorum solemus lectionis ordinem invertere et
primis extrema miscere, ut dicamus Alpha, 0, Betha, Psi : sic et apud
Hebraeos.. Legimus itaque Aleph, Thau, Beth, Sin, B»3nN." He then
explains T.B'B' as 733 disguised by Athbash. In Jer. Ii. 1
'Dp 37 is identified with D'IBO by Athbash. See the nilD 3"7 of '? '1
'totol Mid. 29. On N13N by Athbash for n3in (Prov. x. 1) see
Kohut i. 59.
According to Rab in Sanhedrin 22 a the words pDIBl 7pn N30 N3D
(Dan. v. 25) were written N'100'33 (that is in the Athbash cipher)
D0U1B TIN no' no', cf. Journ. of Philol. vn. 138.
Dr E. G. King in Hebrew Words and Synonyms p. 25 (1884) quotes
Rashbam as writing on Exodus iii. in Athbash "He calls Himself 1'1N
and we call Him 1'1' with Vau for Yod as in Eccl. ii. 22 D1N7 111 ID '3."
D"3 7"N. In this cipher the letters from N to 3 are interchanged with
those from 7 to n respectively. Thus N7D1, for 1'7D1, becomes 7N3D
(Is. vii. 6) by Albam. See Num. Rab. 18. 21 (Wiinsche p. 454,
1885). Notice in Num. R. I.e. the identification of fear with
Torah by Gematria, thus 11111 1NT1 N"'in 11111 N"'in N'10D33 nNT
3"'in '11 DOy. That is to say, nNT and Iim are each numerically 611 :
add INT and llin, counting each word as one, and we get 613 the number
of the commandments in the Torah. Wiinsche inadvertently omits limi
and writes " Und 1NT1 zusammen giebt sechshundertunddreizehn" (p. 452)
without note or comment.
n"3 0"N. Atbach is applied to the word p3D (Prov. xxix. 21) in Sukkah
52 b and is thus explained, cf. Ex. Rab. 15. 7 (Wiinsche p. 108, 1882).
Arrange the twenty-seven letters, including the five finals, as far as possible
in pairs, as 0"N, X"', f"p, whereof each amounts numerically to ten, or a
hundred, or a thousand, thus
-|nB»1p 3073' 1133N
D)e|r* Dysx itno
Using the tens and the hundreds only and putting the two isolated
letters together, by the interchanges 1"3, TI, 1"3, D"D we turn p3D into
111D. Hence the evil IX' will witness in the world to come against those
whom he has led astray in this world, for it is said '13 113y iyi3D p3BD
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 163
(Prov. Le.). The evil yecer is with a man l'1iy3D "from a child," and is his
" servant," for it is said that he may rule over it (Gen. iv. 7).
As the letters )"1 stand alone in Atbach, so (Ex. R. I.e.) Israel are
D'BHIBD and separate from the nations, for it is said '13 p3B" 1137 Dy )1
(Num. xxiii. 9). This jn is also explained as ev (Wiinsche p. 108 n.).
When the days of the week in their order are arranged in pairs, the last
day is left without a ben zug. Accordingly Israel becomes its avfayos*,
and the Sabbath is called the Bride (Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 111).
On the alphabet y"03 D"nN see Shabbath 104 a, Kohut, Levy, Zunz I.e.
The letters from N to B* arranged in three parallel columns would give
seven triads of letters T'Dl, p"71, fal, ef'3, y"03, D"nN, and B>'3t, but
these last and the remaining letter are written in pairs n"V>, )"T in order
that n may not be without a " yoke-fellow."
In Midr. Ps. xc. it is said on 1'1' 13B> DnDIT, These are the nine
hundred and seventy four generations that were before the creation of
the world. Said R. Jochanan, Why has Bereshith a large beth ? In
order that it may count as if made up of two : aleph changes to lamed by
Albam, and yod to mem by Athbash : thus finally n'B'NTJ becomes
10^7133, that is 974. Afterwards " God created the heavens and the
earth " (p. 392 ed. Buber).
At the beginning of his book the npll (Ben Jacob's Ocar p. 551)
R. El'azar b. Jehudah b. Qalonymus of Worms writes that npl is by
Gematria his name 1ty?N, and |DB* is 1111' p 1ty7N. He adds that every
man ought to stamp his name in his book, and gives as examples N3n
11'7N '31 which begins D1N1 nN BH3'1, Midrash NB*in which denotes
TN' p Dri3'D ''31 IT, Bereshith Rabbah where D'yiBW 1'riNl near
the beginning amounts to N31 1'yB*11 '31 IT, Seder 'Olam in which
D1NO [77131 Dy or with one for the whole word added to eighty-five, as
mm and INT together count for two in Num. R. I.e.] is equivalent to
'Dl'. The writer does not explain this : nor does Buxtorf s.v. OD3
explain "nnN IBB' valet 794. Totidem BHpl pB>7."
The evil yecer is by Gematria yEHI o irovnpbs (Note 5) ; and Rabbenu
Shimshon in his t'131 'nSB* ou the Pentateuch equates yil IX' (sc. 'im
ha-kolel) to yi pi! (p. 24 Warsaw 1883). Satan has no power on the
day of Atonement for IDB'n is only 364 (Nedar. 32 b Tos. & Num. R.
l.c). Elohim is y301 nature (Joel Sohar p. 232 n.). The mX'X with
8 threads and 5 knots gives 613, the number of the commandments. See
Num. R. l.c. and cf. St James ii. 10 (p. 86 Mayor ed. 1). The number 318 in
Gen. xiv. 14 is the number of 1ty?N of Damascus, and in its Greek form
* For the form aivfryos (p. 14 n.) see Thayer N. T. Lex.
164 PIRQE ABOTH.
IHT, according to the Epistle of Barnabas, it hints at Jesus and the
Cross. See also Mr P. H. Mason's work Shemets Davar A Rabbinic
Reading-Book (Camb. 1880), in which interesting examples of Gematria
are given and explained.
loan? niNIBIB. For works so named see Ben Jacob's Ocar Ita-
Sefarim (p. 496, 1880).
In the periodical Beth Talmud (ed. Isaac H. Weiss, Wien) vol. n. 169
(1882) art. 1TJN1 H3'n3 by K>"ND (Friedmann) reference is made to a
commentary on the Torah (abbreviated from that of Nachmanides) by
R. Jacob baalha-Turim (Ocar pp. 479, 547) containing ptOI '3B7B> niNIBIB,
of which forty species are reckoned.
One of these (no. 27, Beth Talm.y. 208) is Gematria, under which head
examples are given of the inclusive reckoning 'im ha-kolel above mentioned.
The author of 'Ittur Bikkurim (it is said in a note) B*1D'B*3 D'too 7"3
niN'10031. His gematric license allows the insertion or omission of matres
lectionis, the omission of epenthetic and servile letters, and the counting in
of letters, words and sentences as units. Thus (1) n'B'N13 with one added
for the word is equated to D'HD B*B>, (2) 1131 inn nn'1 pNIl (1152) with
the addition of one for the whole sentence and sixteen for the number of its
letters makes up llin '73 13B> D'B?N (1169). (3) naniO D'17N mil (1034)
is said to amount to I'B'DI "170 7B* mil N'l 1t (1032) when the letters on
both sides are counted in as units. The alleged equality may be made out
by counting in the words instead of the letters of the two expressions, and
adding one for the former or writing It for If or reading N'l It as one word.
In the example (1) we may suppose B'B* to stand for 'B'B*, that is IB'B'.
Under no. 37 on letter-changes (p. 210 n.) notice the reversed
alphabet p"1B>n, and the alphabet of twenty-seven letters (ending with
the five finals) p"'N, T33, &c, which in effect allows tens or hundreds to
count as units.
Under no. 1 8 on the counting of letters (p. 206, cf. Midr. Rab., Jud. b.
Barzilai on Sefer Yegirah) it is said that the Decalogue has 620 letters,
pointing to the 613 commandments to Moses [p. 108] and the 7 to the sons
of Noah, and its ar/peiov is llin nT\%-
On the various kinds of ni'niNI SpTX (Buxt. 1945) see also the 3"N of
R. 'Aqiba in Jellinek Bet ha-Midrasch ill. 50 sq., and yilt UN pages 5 sq.
(Zitomir 1862). 38.
p. 63, n. 1 Paradise] The word D11B (2 Cor. xii. 4 rrapdbeiaos) was made
an acrostic )1p'1D13 of the methods of interpretation UD, BH1, tDI, OB'S.
In Chagigah 14 b R. 'Aqiba says to the three who went with him into
the pardes, When ye come nigh to stones of clear marble, say not Water,
water (Gen. i. 7). It was not to be said that in the beginning the world
was D'D3 D'D (T. J. Chag. n. 1, 77 c s.f), as if formed from preexistent vXrj.
See Levy s.v. D'O, Joel Sohar p. 322 (Leipz. 1849), Joel Blicke I. 166.
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 165
From Ps. civ. 2 it is deduced in Gen. Rab. 3. 1, Ex. R. 15. 22 that
" there was light " already before the world was made. So the Zohar on
Genesis (I. 16 b, Brody 1873) 'l3 PIP 1337 IIP. This illustrates the
exegetical rule that there is no regular succession in the Torah (Note 1).
Creation began from P71p3 a dot or point; take the yod representing
this from TIN dr)p and there remains UN light (Zohar I.e.). In
Midr. Shocher Tob on Ps. civ. (Buber p. 440) it is asked, How did the Holy
One create the light? He put on a white n'70 and made the world
resplendent with its UN.
On the foundation stone of the world see Buxt. 2541 s.v. 1"nB', cf.
Note 3 cornerstone. With the transparent stones like water in
Chagigah l.c. compare Rev. iv. 6 <»'s BdXaaaa vdXlvrj omoia kpyctaAA^, cf.
xv. 2 "mingled with fire" (Ezek. i. 4 amber), xxi. 1 "and the sea is no
more ", and see Mr Streane's Chagigah p. 83, n. 6.
39.
p. 64, n. 2 in whom the evil nature is strong] Ecclus. xxviii. 10 As is
the fuel of the fire, so will it burn... as is the strength of the man, so will be
his wrath, Sukkah 52 a end 13D'1 7113 11X' 11'ano 71131 73 the greater
a man the greater his yecer. A proof of God's might is 11X' B'313B')
see Joma 69 b with comm. and Variae Lectiones (D"1 iv. 202).
40.
p. 66, iv. 7 '13 1ND 1ND] Ecclus. vii. 17 Humble thy soul greatly; for
the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm, Syr. Summopere
(30 30) deprime teipsum quia finis omnium hominum ad vermem est
futurus. In Ecclus. xxxix. 16 All the works of the Lord are KaAa adtbbpa,
the Hebrew (p. 169 n.) has 0'31D D73 without 1ND very (Gen. i. 31).
41.
p. 67 n. 1"3p1 the Holy One blessed He, Surh. rv. 465 sanctus deus
benedictus] As inN "|113 is naturally rendered "blessed art Thou"
(Heb. Auth. P. B.), so Nil "]113 is most simply rendered as in ni3N '131
D?iyi "blessed is (instead of be) He," and is thus distinguished from
clearly optative forms of the ascription. Cf. Rom. i. 25 os ianv eiXoynrbs
eis roiis aldvas, 2 Cor. xi. 31 o av evXoyrjTos els tovs aldvas, and see Rom. ix. 5
R.V. marg. be (is) blessed for ever with Sanday and Headlam's note.
On the requirement to say (not write) a blessing at the mention of the
Name of God see Gen. Rab. 49. 1, Jalqut n. 946 on Prov. x. 7 13137 p'lX lat.
With the omission of 1"3 after 'pi in some of the older Hebrew manuscripts
compare in the New Testament the omission, that is to say in writing, of
the Doxology to the Lord's Prayer, on which see Lectures on Teaching of
12 Apost. pp. 65 — 68. See also The Jewish Quarterly Review art.
Amen by Mr H. W. Hogg, vol. ix. 1—23 (Oct. 1896).
166 PIRQE ABOTH.
The practice of bowing "at [R.V. in] the name of Jesus" is perhaps an
adaptation of the customary Jewish benediction of "the Name." On this
point Dr Gifford refers me to the works of Jeremy Taylor. See Holy
Dying Chap. IV. sect. viii. The Special Precepts of the Gospel no. 69 " To
worship the holy Jesus at the mention of His holy name ; as of old God
was at the mention of Jehovah" (Phil. ii. 10). Compare Mishnah
Joma vi. 2 (Surh. n. 240) And the priests and the people when they heard
the "nomen explicatum" uttered by the high priest were bowing and
worshipping and falling upon their faces and saying Benedictum nomen &c,
T. J. Joma in. 7 (40 d) Those close by fell upon their faces, those at a
distance said Benedictum nomen &c, Eccl. Rab. iii. 1 1 end.
On the practice of bowing at the beginning or end of certain of the
Eighteen Benedictions see Berakhoth T. B. 34 a & b, T. J. I. 8 (3 c & d.
Schwab p. 21, cf. iv. 1 p. 72), Tosefta ed. Zuckermandel p. 1, Tur Orach
Chayim §§ 113, 121. For the benedictions called ni3N and 1N111 or D'110
(cf. Schoettgen on Phil, ii.) see Heb. Auth. P. B. pages 44, 51.
According to Shulkan 'Arukh Orach Chayim § 123 at the words He
who maketh peace &c. (Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 54) '13 yD1Bl yi13 i.e. he takes
three steps backwards with one iy'13, looks to his right at the words
'13 1B»iy and to his left at the words '13 HW Nil while still yil3, and
ends with an obeisance like a slave leaving the presence of his master.
Jeremy Taylor The Life of our blessedLord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Part I. Ad sect. v. 8 ( Works ed. Heber vol. n. 72, 1822) "He hath changed
the ineffable name into a name utterable by man, and desirable by all the
world; the majesty is all arrayed in robes of mercy, the tetragrammaton8
or adorable mystery of the patriarchs is made fit for pronunciation and
expression, when it becometh the name of the Lord's Christ."
~ Nomen enim Jesu Hebraice prolatum nihil aliud est nisi terpaypapparov
vocatum per Schin. Videat, cui animus est, multa de mysterio hujus nominis
apud Galatinum. Ad eundem sensum fuit vaticinium Sibyllse.
The oracle quoted runs thus in Rzach Oraeula Sibyllina i. 324 sq.
(Vindobonae 1891) :
br) Tore Kai pey&Aoio Beov mils dvBpdnoiaiv
ij£ei aapKo(popos BvtjTois bpoiovpevos iv yrj'
reaaapa Opavrjevra diepei, bv" acpava b' iv avrd
biaabv ev dyyeXXovr' dpiBpbv b' bXov i£ovoprjva'
OKTa yap povdbas k.t.X.
Thus the name 'Iijo-oOs is described as a Tetragrammaton of vowels, atten
tion is called to the duplication of its consonant sigma, and the number of
the name (888) is given, as also by Irenaeus.
apud Galatinum. See lib. n. cap. 10 of Peter Galatin's Opus de Arcanis
Calholicae Veritatis &c.
For cabalistic evidences of Christianity see Bartolocci Bibliotheca
Magna Rabbinica. On the name Jesus and the Tetragrammaton see
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 167
Pars IV. pp. 420, 533 &c. The Name 111' of three different letters with
one repeated adumbrates the Trinity and the Incarnation : Psalm xcvi. 12
13"1B'N"731 'IB* tto' is an acrostic of 1B" Jesu, as the preceding verse is of
11' nin' : Shekhinah by an inclusive gematric reckoning, i.e. with one
counted in for the whole word, amounts to 386, which is the number of
the name yiB" Jesu.
The word n'E'NIS expanded acrostically reveals doctrines of Christianity,
and its letters make B>1 'nN3 Ego veni pauper.
Jewish cabalists have found the Name in Psalm xcvi. 11 and 1 Chron.
xvi. 31 — 32, and have read Gen. i. 9 '13 D'OI lip' as hinting cryptically at
UN 111'. The opening words ni03nn UOyi milD'1 UD' of Rambam's
Yad ha-Chazaqah are an acrostic of 111'.
There are Talmudic allusions to the use of Jesus as a name of power
for healing, as in T. J. Abodah Zarah in. 40 di2 1'DB*3 1'7 B>nto in NnN
N113B p 1B"1. It has been suggested that Pandera is an Aramaic form
for Pantheros, an anagram of the Greek Parthenos virgin.
The Incarnation A Study of Philippians ii. 5 — 1 1. See under this title
Dr Gifford's thorough discussion of the passage Phil. ii. 5 — 1 1 in the Expo
sitor (Sept. & Oct. 1896).* With "Christ Jesus... emptied (eKevaaev) himself,
taking the form of a servant... he humbled himself, becoming obedient even
unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted
(virepv\jraaev) him," we may compare Isaiah Iii. 13, liii. 12 "Behold, my ser
vant... shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high... Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil
with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death."
With eavTov iKevaaev...pexpi Bavdrov compare Is. liii. 12 1B>B3 niD7 liyi
he emptied out his soul to death. Rashi on Isaiah refers to Gen. xxiv. 20
113 iym Kai i^evaae tt)v vbpiav, and on iym in the Torah I. c. (p. 41
ed. Berliner, Berlin 1866) he writes that this usage is common in the
Mishnah, as '73 7N '73D liyoi he who empties from vessel to vessel, and
is found in Isaiah l.c. and Psalm cxli. 8 'B*B3 iyn 7N, R.V. marg. pour thou
not out my life, Field's Origenis Hexaplorum Quae Supersunt A. pr)
iKKevdar/s, 2. Q. pr) diroKevdatjs.
With bib Kai 6 Bebs avrbv virepv^aaev compare Is. Hi. 13 1331 NB'31 D1T
1ND, on which see Jalqut n. 571 71131 11 inN 'D with Dr E. G. King's
notes in The Yalkut on Zechariah pp. 17—18 (Camb. 1882), and Isaiah
LIII. according to the Jewish Interpreters ed. Neubauer & Driver with
Intr. by Pusey (Oxford 1877).
The exaltation of the Son of God is expressed realistically in the
Shepherd of Hermas by the figure of dvrjp ns vijtrjXos rd peyeBel dare
rbv irvpyov virepexeiv a man taller than the tower, cf. Evang. Pet. pexpi
rov ovpavoi k.t.X. On the sons of Anak see Rashi & D'D3n 'nBB> on Num.
xiii. 33, Sotah 34 b, Num. Rab. 16. 11, and cf. Midr. Ps. xxii. on D'DI '31PD1.
* Enlarged and published separately, 1897.
168 PIRQE ABOTH.
42.
p. 72, n. 21 uniting man and wife] Gen. Rab. 68. 3 — 4 (Wiinsche p. 327)
We find in Torah, Prophets and Kethubim that p N7N B"N 7B> 1311't PN
1"3pn "marriages are made in heaven." In six days the Lord made the
heavens and the earth (Ex. xx. 11). What is His occupation 1'BOJJ iy eas
aprt (Joh. v. 17)? He sits and couples couples, a work harder to Him than
the rending of the Red Sea, cf. Lev. Rab. 8. 1, Sotah 2 a, Sanhedrin 22 a.
Ex. Rab. 30. 9 (Wiinsche p. 219) God does not break the Sabbath by
His work in nature, that is to say by the continued movement of things, as
of the rain from heaven to earth, for this is done 11'Xn una within His
own precincts, the whole world being His (Joel Blicke n. 173).
Mishnah Berakh. vni. 5 (Surh. i. 30) Beth Shammai say Qui creavit
facem ignis, but Beth Hillel, regarding creation as still continuing, say
Qui creas faces ignis, cf. Joel Sohar p. 187 (Leipz. 1849).
The Holy One created His world by the letters Jod and He of 1', which
represent NDN1 N3N the father and the mother respectively (Joel Sohar
p. 237). Generally, in the mystic sense, awovala is yeveaeas dpxrj (Clem.
Strom, in. 3, Potter p. 519). Rab says in Baba Bathra 74 b that God
created everything in His world male and female, including Leviathan and
Behemoth (Bacher Babl. Amorder p. 21).
On the formation of the woman from one of the two sides (Ex. xxvi. 26)
of Adam see Gen. Rab. 17. 6 (Wiinsche p. 76), and compare Clem. R. n. 12
(Apost. Fathers by Lightfoot & Harmer p. 90, 1891) "For the Lord
Himself, being asked by a certain person when His kingdom would come,
said, When the two shall be one, and the outside as the inside, and the
male with the female, neither male nor female.''
43.
p. 74, iv. 25 interrogate] D'113 n7NB* is the questioning of a person
who has vowed a vow, especially by a Rabbi, in order to find a " door of
repentance." See Lowe Fragm. of T. B. p. 62 note G, Schechter in
Montefiore's Hibbert Lectures p. 560.
44.
p. 78, n. 1 by ten things the world was created] The ten things, for
which Scripture proofs are given (Streane Chagigah p. 60), are n03n
D'Om IDn ODB-D pIX 1iy3 1H33 na nyi 13131. Qiddushin 71 a men
tions names of God of twelve and forty-two letters respectively, and Rashi
writes that "they have not explained to us" what they are. See also
Maimonides Moreh Nebukhim 1. 62 (vol. 1. 273—279, Munk 1856). Bacher
conjectures in Die Agada der Babylonischen Amorder (Budapest 1878)
that the name of forty-two letters is made up of the Tetragrammaton Iim
and the thirty-eight letters of the above " ten things," " Der 42buchstabige
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 169
Name Gottes ist also nichts anderes als der Ausdruck fur das Wesen Gottes
und seine Attribute" (p. 18); and that the name of twelve letters is
nyi nsian loan (p. 19). 45.
p. 79, n. 1 the chariot] Ecclus. xlix. 8 bpaaiv bo^rjs r)v virebei^ev avra
im Spparos Xepovfiip. A Talmudic interpretation of Cherub is
sicut puer (Buxt. 1084).
Chagigah 13 a quotes from Ben Sira nimD33 pDy 17 j'N Thou hast no
business with the secret things (Deut. xxix. 29). The Fragment of Ecclus*
in Hebrew lately identified and described by Mr Schechter (Expositor
iv. 1 — 15, 1896) contains the Neo-Hebrew word pDy, for which the Greek
of Ecclus. xl. 1 has do-xoXia, partly perhaps because of the assonance. In
Acts vi. 3 PDy might be used to render xP^a (Ecclus. iii. 22).
Rashi on Prov. xxv. 27, with reference to the matters of bereshith and
the chariot, explains 113a D1133 1pm as meaning that one may however
speculate 7133 D7133 1DP D'P3P '1373 on words of the wise whose glory
is glory. For the idiom 1133 D1133, which is not uncommon,
compare Prov. xiv. 24 the folly of fools is folly, Berak. 23 a his prayer is a
prayer, Pesach. 113 b their life is not life, Rom. xi. 6 x"Pls ovkcti x&p<.s,
St James v. 12 &c. The verse in question might be rendered
to the effect that, as to eat honey much is not good, so to pry into the
inscrutable things " whose glory is glory " is not good.
Midrash Mishle applies Prov. xxv. 16 '131 nNXO B'31 to Ben 'Azzai
and Ben Zoma, who entered the pardes (p. 63).
46.
p. 80, v. 4 (cf. rv. 4) was Abraham tempted] Not "God did tempt Abra
ham " (Gen. xxii. 1). Compare Heb. xi. 17 ireipafrpevos, St James i. 13 prjbels
iretpa£bpevos k.t.X. ib. ver. 14 virb rrjs Ibias imBvpias k.t.X., cf. Sukkah
52 b the evil yecer n'DD [1 Chron. xxi. 1] seduces a man in this world &c,
Aboth rv. 32 let not thy yecer give thee false assurance.
47.
p. 83, v. 8 rains... Jerusalem] Of rain it is said in Ta'anith 7 a
D'nDI n"nnD D'OtMl Dl' tol3 the day of the rains is greater than that
of the quickening of the dead, the one being for righteous and wicked alike
(Matt. v. 45) and the other for the righteous only. Or it is as (or greater
than) the day on which the Torah was given, see Midr. Ps. cxvii. 1 IN 1771
D'13 73 '1 For thou art great and doest wondrous things (Ps. lxxxvi. 10)
* The recently published work The Original Hebrew of Ecclus. XXXIX. 15 to
XLIX. 11 (ed. Cowley & Neubauer, Oxford 1897) contains the folio described by
Mr Schechter and others following it which were afterwards discovered. 22
170 PIRQE ABOTH.
and niN7B3 is naught but rains (Job v. 9—10). Said R. Tanchum bar
Chiyah llin jnOD D'DB»3 m'T 17113, for the giving of the Torah was a
joy to Israel, but the fall of the rains is a joy to the whole world. Sifre
n. § 42 D3X1N 100 'nn31 (Deut. xi. 14) it is a blessing which includes all
others, for it is said '13 N'l 733 pN pin'l (Eccl. v. 8, Schiffer p. 29).
On drought see V. 11, Ta'anith 7 b. The Resurrection is placed in the
month Nisan by R. Isaac ibn nN'3 in his D'iyB> 1NO n. p. 106 (Fiirth 1861).
A meaning of yi y3B mishap is possession by an evil spirit (Buxt. 1696,
Kohut vi. 294). It is said in Aboth R. N. A & B (Schechter pp. 103—105)
that no one was ever y3B3 in Jerusalem, A adding that if any one so afflicted
looked upon the walls of Jerusalem he was healed.
"The Evangelists mention no instance of possession at Jerusalem"
(Westcott Gosp. Miracles p. 78, 1859). Sifre n. § 193 on Deut. xx. 4
"For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you... to fight for you
against your enemies, to save you from serpents and scorpions and evil
spirits." All these are pp'tD nocentes, and they belong to "the power of
the enemy" (Mark xvi. 17—18, Luke x. 19). Midr. Ps. xci. 13—14 (Buber
p. 400) Noah trod on serpents and scorpions miN D'p'tO l'l N71. How
is it that Israel pray and are not heard in this world ? It is because they
have not the knowledge of Shem ha-mephorash, which they will have in
the time to come (Is. Iii. 6). 48.
p. 83, n. 12 Sychar] In Rab. Joseph Schwarz's Das heilige Land
[Jerus. 1846] Deutsch bearbeitet von Dr Israel Schwarz (Fr. a. M. 1852)
it is said that south-east from Sichem is a village Aschar, and not far from
it on the Jerusalem road "ein groszer 100 Fusz tiefer Brunnen Jakobs-
brunnen genannt...Es scheint mir nun dasz dieses Dorf Aschar kein
anderes ist als das ehemalige Sechu, und der sogenannte Jakobsbrunnen
nicht weit davon die grosze Grube ist, woselbst Saul [1 Sam. xix. 22
13B»3 IB'N 71131 113 iy N3'1] bei seiner Reise nach Ramah nach dem
Aufenthalte von David und Samuel sich erkundigte" (pp. 124, 125). In
his Karme Schomron Schwarz had suggested that Aschar was Sychar.
See also Neubauer La Geographic du Talmud p. 171.
Schwarz supposes Aschar to be referred to in Gen. Rab. 98. 20
toa3B» ni13tN It too (Gen. xlix. 25), and Mr Schechter supports this
conjecture by a reading 75D3 niiapN in the Midrash ha-Gadol, of which
he is preparing an edition. The name in this form would be like Gur-baal
(2 Chron. xxvi. 7), and would mean " Ascharoth im Thai " (Das heil. Land
p. 128). It is said in Matlanoth Kehunnah (cf. INn IB') on Gen. R. l.c.
that some place O'IPP P3133 must be meant, and Schwarz remarks in
his Recension uber P7'D "pj> des S. Rapoport p. 5 (Wien 1853) that "die
Gegend Salim und Askar ziemlich hoch liegt" in contrast with Beth Shean
"that coucheth beneath" (Gen. Rab. I.e.). He wonders why Rapoport did
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 171
not mention his Heilige Land "da er doch schon im Besitz meines Werkes
war" (Recension I.e.). On toaa (75731 n'3) see Buxt. 333, Bacher Babl.
Amorder p. 48, Prof. W. R. Smith The Religion of the Semites Lect. 3.
Schwarz thinks that 131 D j'JJ (Menach. 64 b) may be referred to in the name
n'B*13 fy in T. J. 'Abodah Zarah v. 4, 44 d31.
It has also been suggested that 'laKapidrrjs may be from ni13DN (Rap.
'Erekh Millin p. 28). There is a form Iskar for Askar (Westcott on
St John iv. 5). The Sadducees disagreed with the Pharisees about
the 'omer. See Obad. Bert, in Surh. l.c. p. 83 n.
49.
p. 84, v. 9 the well] Omit 'B before 1N31. In the New Testament
see St John vi. 51 " I am the living bread which came down from heaven,"
1 Cor. x. 4 "that spiritual Rock that followed them... was Christ." Rashi on
Ta'anith 9 a [not fol. 19. 1 as Schoettgen i. 623, 1733] writes " The
well of Miriam, a rock with waters flowing from it, and it rolled and went
along with Israel. And it was the rock that Moses struck, which would
not let its waters flow for him because Miriam had died." Through Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam three " good gifts " were given to Israel, [Dl \zyi 1N3
the well, and the cloud, and the manna (Ta'an. I.e.). The same three
things are brought together in 1 Cor. x. 2 — 4 " And were all baptized unto
Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual
meat ; And did all drink the same spiritual drink." At the beginning of
Aboth R. N. it is said that Moses was sanctified in the cloud. St Paul
prefers " rock " to " well " as a symbol of Christ. That the rock or well
was to continue with Israel in the wilderness is deduced from Ex. xvii. 6
'1a T3B7 IDiy '331, on which see Mekhilta (Fr. 52 b) and Targ. Jonathan.
St Paul seems to testify to the prevalence of Midrashic interpretation
in his day by adopting the method and using it in an anti-Jewish sense
(Gal. iv., Clem. Hom. n. 22). But it is not said that the things allegorized
" are an allegory," for lOWB 'TO NX1' Nipo pN Scriptura non egreditur
ex simplicitate sua, id est, simplici & Uterali sensu (Buxt. 1861), cf.
Shabbath 63a, Jebamoth lib & 24a, Bacher Babl. Amorder p. 113,
Dobschiitz Die Einfache Bibelexegese der Tannaim p. 14 (1893).
50.
p. 92, v. 21 sponge] Dr Swete on the Gospel of Peter p. 83 (1893) writes
" Origen Matt. 137 may have had this in view when he compares the sponge
to the writings of unbelievers filled non de uerbo potabili. -sed de aliquo
contrario et nociuo et non potabili aceto intelligibili."
ib. n. 36 sieve. Cf. Ecclus. xxvii. 4 In the shaking of a sieve, the refuse
remaineth ; so the filth of man in his reasoning, St Luke xxii. 31 i^rrjaaro
iipas tov auiidaai k.t.X.
172 PIRQE ABOTH.
51.
p. 96, v. 32] Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 204 (cf. Crit. Note) Turn it (the Torah)
and turn it over again, for everything is in it, and contemplate it, and wax
grey and old over it, and stir not from it, for thou canst have no better
rule than this. Mr Schechter compares Ecclus. xi. 20 Be stedfast in thy
covenant, and be conversant therein, and wax old in thy work.
With Eccl. xii. 13 (p. 96 n.) compare Ecclus. xliii. 27 Kai awreXeia Xbyav
To irdv ianv auTos [1 Cor. XV. 28 Iva y o Bebs iravra iv iraaiv], On which it is
remarked in the Speaker's Commentary " This clause is evidently a spurious
Hellenistic addition by the younger Siracide."
The verse runs thus in the Original Hebrew of Ecclus. (p. 18 ed.
Cowley & Neubauer) :
: hsn Nin nm ppi spu *6 rhas tip
52.
p. 99, vi. 1 Thorah for its own sake. ..they reveal to him secrets oj
Thorah, cf. Ecclus. xiv. 21] Mr Schechter suggests in explanation of Ecclus.
vi. 22 "For wisdom is according to her name; and she is not manifest
unto many " that Kara rb bvopa avrr/s may be a rendering of 1DB"7 read
IDBO, with the sense that she is not manifest to the many who do not
seek her for her own sake, cf. Ecclus. xxxv. 5 x<*PiV ivroXijs which may be
for 11XD DEO, St Matt. x. 41 ets bvopa irpo ID, v. 8. § 2 on pN pin'l.
Sundry sayings about the writing of Torah are hung upon Hosea viii. 12
"Though I wrote for him the great things of my Torah, they have (or
would have) been accounted as a strange thing," and Ex. xxxiv. 27 (p. 105).
See the passages last cited, Gittin 60 b with Rashi and Tos. '1101N 1"1,
Pesiqta Rabbathi 1"B B"1 (Friedm. 14 a), Tanchuma '3 m, 'n NT1, 1"7 NB»n
(11 a, 25 a, 127 a Warsaw 1879), Buber Tanch. NB»n '3 n. 58 b, Jalqut I. 405.
Was the greater part ('311) of the Torah in writing 1 No, but Scripture
with the deductions from it by the thirteen middoth of R. Ishmael (Sifra
init.) comes to more than the oral Torah. Or things proved by Scripture
are of greater worth than mere traditions. If everything had been written,
Israel would have had no advantage over a " strange " people, as the
Christians (Frankel), who like themselves could produce their books and
parchments. The oral Law was not written, lest the Gentiles should
borrow it with the written Law and call themselves Israel. Or " should I
write " the Mishnah, which is greater than the Miqra (Deut. Rab. 14. 10), to
become "as a strange thing" by translation into the language of strangers 1
Moses wanted the Mishnah to be in writing, but God kept it as His
unwritten pvarr)piov for Israel, to distinguish them from the nations of the
world. What was oral was to be said, and what was written was to be
read. The sayer of Targum in the Synagogue might not look at the roll of
the Torah, and the reader of Torah might not take his eyes off from it.
But when the oral Law was in danger of being forgotten, the writing of
it was justified by Psalm cxix. 126. " It was a time to do something
for God, even if by such doings His law was apparently destroyed"
(Encycl. Brit. art. Mishnah, Berak. 63 a, Rish). Shemuel said that
3000 halakhoth were forgotten in the days of the mourning for Moses
(Temurah 15 a). Rab Papa said that there were 600 Sedarim of the Mishnah
and our Rabbis that there were 700 (Chagig. 14 a), in their days (Rashi).
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 175
57.
p. 1 14. § 4 (cf. p. 106) words of Qabbalah] Elias Levita near the end of
Massoreth ha-Massoreth (p. 261 ed. Ginsburg, 1867) says that the Mas-
sorites call the Former Prophets Nn'Olp NnobB'N and the Latter Prophets
N3'3n NnDpB'N, he knows not why. Rapoport in a letter to Luzzatto
(T'B> niUN p. 94 ed. Graber, 1885) explains NnD7B»N by Qabbalah, com
paring Syr. Nni3D7B'D tradition in St Matt. xv. and at the end of Genesis
iu D!'iyB»D1N nnD13*. See also Prof. Dr Ludwig Blau Zur Ein-
leitung in Die Heilige Schrift pp. 24 — 26 (Budapest 1894), and in the
same work notice inter alia p. 16 Eine vierte Bezeichnung fur die ganze
H. Schr. ist mm &c.
Rapoport objects to the statement in Zunz G. V. p. 44 n. (cf. p. 353) that
" Sammtliche nichtmosaische Biblische Biicher heissen 173p," apparently
meaning to say that Qabbalah is used in Mishnah and Gemara for Nebiim only
and not for Kethubim. But Job is quoted as Qabbalah in Niddah 25 a, Psalm
lxix. in Sotah 37 a D'D 1N3 '3 [p. 67 init.] D'p7N '3y'Bin n73p3 BHBD l'tol
'13 B*D3 iy, Psalm cxxxix. in T. J. Niddah in. 50 d31 (p. 106), and on Baba
Qamma2bp'D7' N7 P"1D llin '131 ND'n '31 Rashi explains "words of
Qabbalah" by D'31P3! D'f"33. So in the Mattanoth Kehunnah
on Num. Rab. 9. 7 " Thus far from Qabbalah (1 Chron. vii. 40), what is the
proof from Torah ? " we read And all Scripture is called Qabbalah except
the Torah of Moses.
Qabbalah as a designation of books of Scripture has been taken to mean
something received by direct inspiration from God.
Thus on Chullin 137 a it is said that the Torah of Moses is called Torah
because it was given for all generations, and that of the prophets only
Qabbalah because they received their prophecies from the Holy Spirit from
time to time as they were wanted.
Again, whereas the Mishnah cites Jonah iii. 10 without calling it Qab
balah and then Joel ii. 13 as Qabbalah (p. 106), " Rashi" (Zunz l.c.) gives as
the explanation of some Tosafist that Qabbalah is used of a prophet's
message from above and not of mere narrative (Surh. n. 362). But books
of the Former Prophets, which are D'UB'D pi (Rapoport), are called
NnD7B»N Qabbalah.
The interpretation of Qabbalah in Excursus in. 4 (p. 114) as a tradition
from Sinai agrees with the statements in Gemara and Midrash to the effect
that the Torah of Moses comprised everything that was to be revealed.
See Note 28, Tos. Bekhoroth 58 a 'DO 1"1, Sifra (end) " A prophet is not
allowed henceforth 131 BHn7 to innovate a word," Buxt. 2290 on 'NB*1,
Weber System der Altsyn. Paldstinischen Theologie p. 79 (Leipz. 1880).
* Rapoport's quotation from Ussherius comes from Walton's Polyglot
vol. vi. Variae Lectiones Syriacae p. 5 6, where the colophon to GeneBis with
n/to&Vd is given (F. C. B.).
176
PIRQE ABOTH.
For Qabbalah used of Scripture see also Chagigah 10 b (Streane p. 51),
Rosh ha-Shanah 19 a, Ta'anith 17 b, Niddah 23 a, T. J. Challah 1. 1 (57 bu),
Mass. Soferim 18. 3. Tosefta Yoma & Niddah (Zuck. pp. 18324, 186ir,
645^. Gen. Rab. 7. 2, Eccl. Rab. vii. 23, Pesiqta 11B (Buber 36 a), Midr.
Ps. lxviii. (Buber p. 318). Some references already given are included in
Friedmann Mekhilta 5 a, 15 b, 27 a, 28 b (bis), 30 a, 44 b, 65 a, 72 a &
Sifre 33 a (Ms), 52 a, 83 b. See also Weiss Sifra 86 b, that is col. 2 of the
last folio of niO 'inN. Rosh ha-Shanah 7 a quotes words of Ezra after
Zech. i. 7 (p. 106), but not expressly as Qabbalah.
On the History of Jewish Tradition see Mr Schechter's Studies in
Judaism. ib. they would have questioned the authority of the Prophet. See in
this connexion the comparison in T. J. Berakh. i. 7 (3 6) to two envoys of
a king one of whom is and the other is not to be believed without creden
tials, with allusion doubtless to Christianity. 58.
p. 117 thou destroyest the whole world] See p. xxviii. of )'3n 1BD
"Sepher Taghin Liber Coronularum" ed. J. J. L. Barges (Paris 1866).
59.
p. 120 § 4 The division of the Decalogue] See the essay Ueber die
urspriingliche und richtige Eintheilung des Dekalogs von Dr L. Heilbut
(Berlin 1874), which includes an interesting account of modern discussions
of the question. 60.
p. 124 The Lord's Prayer] Our Father which art in heaven. The
short reading ndrep without r)pdv k.t.X. in St Luke xi. 2 raises the ques
tion of the original language of " The Prayer," as the Lord's Prayer was
called in early Church writings. "Our Father" corresponds to the Hebrew
abinu, and "Father" without the pronoun to the Aramaic abba, as in
'A/3/3d <5 7ran;p in St Mark xiv. 36, Rom. viii. 15 (see Sanday & Headlam's
note), Gal. iv. 6. The fact that the pronoun in 13'3N originally implied
limitation to Israel is (so far as it goes) an indication of the priority of
ndrep r)pdv to ndrep without r)pav.
The Midrash on Ps. xiv. illustrates The fool hath said in his heart by
the case of Esau. His plan is, not that I should slay Abba the father,
but that Ishmael should do this ; and when he has slain Abi my father, and
I my brother, then I will slay him and have the world to myself. Here the
Aramaic Abba " the father " is followed in the next line but one (Buber
p. 112) by the Hebrew Abi "my father." So ndrep and ndrep r)pdv may
be thought to point to Aramaic and Hebrew originals respectively.
In the Hebrew of Delitzsch St John xii. 27 — 28 " Father, save me from
this hour... Father, glorify thy name" becomes '13 '3N...'3N My Father,
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 177
save me from this hour... My Father, glorify thy name, and in St Luke xi.
the Prayer commences (D'OB'aB') 13'3N, Our Father (which art in heaven),
the short reading being imperfectly indicated by the use of brackets.
[In all forms of post-Biblical Palestinian Aramaic except Samaritan
ab(b)d and immd are used for my father and my mother. Compare
Onk, Gen xx 12 ND'N na N7nD13 N'l N3N n3 'nnN; syr. hier. Lc viii 21
'NnNl ND'N, John xx 17 J133N1 N3N.
The only traces in Edessene Syriac of the use of t^CaK* for my (or thy)
father are found in the Old Syriac Gospels (crt. Mt x 32, Lc ii 49, Joh
vi 32; sin. Mt vi 4, xv 13). r^ar^is found now and then even in the
Peshitta for n-drep (e.g. Joh xii 28) in place of the more usual oai^, but
it never occurs in the Peshitta where the Greek has p.ou. For
"Abba, Father" the Old Syriac has the one word My Father in the
Gospel, and according to S. Ephraim our Father in the Epistles. The
Peshitta has the two words Abba, My Father in the Gospel, and Abba, our
Father in the Epistles (F. C. B.).]
The Prayer may have been given in Aramaic or Greek or Hebrew, which
last seems to have been the ordinary language for set forms of prayer
(Hamburger Real-Encycl. art. Gebetsprache), or in a mixed dialect. Com
pare the passage cited from T. J. Sanhedrin vi. 3 (5) in the Introduction to
Susanna in tho Speaker's Commentary, where Abba (Schwab p. 280 Mon
pere) is followed by a sentence in Hebrew, except its last word 1B1pDN3.
For examples of prayers in Aramaic see Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 151 Dip'
'13 tplB, Wiinsche Erlduterung der Evangelien Matt. vi. 13.
In the Hebrew New Testament we might read in St Luke xxiii. 46
'nil TpBN -|T3 N3N i.e. Abba, into thine hand I commit [R.V. Ps. xxxi. 5
commend] my spirit. In the Authorised Hebrew Daily Prayer
Book see in the Hymn 17D IB'N D7iy piN Into thy hand I commend my
spirit, when I sleep, and when I wake ; And with my spirit, my body also :
the Lord is with me, and I will not fear (pp. 3, 297). See also in
the Evening Service (p. 101) Blessed be the Lord by day ; blessed be the
Lord by night ; blessed be the Lord when we lie down ; blessed be the
Lord when we rise up. For in thy hands are the souls of the living and
the dead, as it is said, In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the
spirit of all human flesh. Into thy hand I commend my spirit ; thou hast
redeemed me, 0 Lord God of truth. Our God who art in heaven, assert
the unity of thy name, and establish thy kingdom continually, and reign
over us for ever and ever. The book ends with Night Prayer
for young children... 2. Hear, O Israel &c... 6. Into thy hand I com
mend my spirit : thou hast redeemed me, 0 Lord God of truth. 7. For
thy salvation I hope, 0 Lord. %* For infants 2, 6, 7. 23
178 PIRQE ABOTH.
In St John xix. 30 TereXearat, Kai kXivos ttjv Ked>aXr)v irapebaKev to irvevpa
Dr Abbott in The Spirit on the Waters (p. 256, 1897) takes the rare
phrase " unfortunately translated " bowed his head to mean laid his head
down i.e. to rest (Matt. viii. 20, Luke ix. 58). The rendering of Delitzsch
mil IN IpB'l 1B»N1 nN 0'1 (Heb. N. T. 1880) connects the saying with
Psalm xxxi. 5, but not with Matt, or Luke l.c. After the evening
Audi a scholar should at least say one 3 on the words
U'D' n'03(Fr. 42 a).
The Manna.
Wisdom xvi. 8 — 28 Tea, and in this thou didst persuade our enemies,
that thou art he that delivereth out of every evil... thou gavest thy people
angels' food to eat, and bread ready for their use didst thou provide for
them from heaven without their toil, bread having the virtue of every
pleasant savour, and agreeing to every taste ; For thy nature manifested
thy sweetness toward thy children ; while that bread, ministering to the
desire of the eater, tempered itself according to every man's choice... For
the creation, ministering to thee its maker,... con verting itself into all forms,
it ministered to thine all-nourishing bounty, according to the desire of
them that made supplication ; That thy sons, whom thou lovedst, O Lord,
might learn that it is not the growth of the earth's fruits that nourisheth
a man, but that thy word preserveth them that trust thee. For that which
was not marred by fire, when it was simply warmed by a faint sunbeam
melted away; That it might be known that we must rise before the sun to
give thee thanks, and must plead with thee at the dawning of the light.
Thus God is represented as the Father in heaven, who gives bread to
His children and delivers them from evil (c'k iravrbs kokoC).
By a curious 'Ipn 7N or exegetic various reading the Psalmist's
"angels' food" here referred to is made to mean not bread o/'abbirim
but bread of ebarim, bread which preternaturally permeated and was
wholly consumed by the members. See Midr. Ps. lxxviii. (Buber p. 345),
Joma 75 b, Mekhilta & Sifre (Fr. 59 b, 24 a), Bacher Die Agada der Tan-
naiten I 254 (1884). So St Cyril of Jerusalem writes of the Bread
in the Prayer in his last Catechetical Lecture : " Give us this day our sub
stantial bread. This common bread is not substantial bread, but this Holy
Bread is substantial, that is, appointed for the substance of the soul. For
this Bread goeth not into the belly and is cast out into the draught, but is
distributed into thy whole system for the benefit of body and soul. But
by this day, he means, ' each day,' as also Paul said, While it is called
to-day." See Dr Gilford's translation and notes in Nicene and post-Nicene
Fathers ed. Waee and Schaff (Lect. xxiii. § 15 p. 155, 1894).
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 179
The manna is described in Rabbinic writings as bread of Wisdom
(Prov. ix. 5, cf. Ecclus. xv. 1 — 3) and food for soul and spirit and as agree
ing to every taste. See Ex. Rab. 21 & 25, Midr. Ps. xxiii. on IDnN N7,
Zohar on TODO '331 (n. f. 61, Brody 1873), Wetstein on St John vi. 32,
Gfrorer Philo und die alexandrinische Theosophie I. cap. 8, Deane on
Wisdom Lc. Pesiqta psq. 6 init. (Buber 57 a) deduces from Neh.
ix. 6 TOO inNI and Thou quickenest that God is the mnp or sustenance
of the ministering angels. In St Mark xii. 44 all her living is lit. 73
nn;no. The gathering of the manna was to be as follows according to Ex. xvi.
4 — 5 (Sept. ed. Swete) : eiirev be Kvpios irpbs Mavarjv 'Iboii iyd va vpiv
aprovs e'K tov ovpavov, Kai i^eXevaerai o Xabs Kai avXXei-ovaiv to ttjs rjpepas
els rjpepav, biras ireipdaa avroiis el iropevaovrai ra vbpa pov r) ov' Kai earai
rfi rjpepa rfj exrj Kai eroipdaovaiv o iav elaeveyKaaiv, Kai earai biirXovv o
idv avvaydyaatv to Kaff rjpepav els rjpepav.
aprovs e'K toO ovpavov. St John vi. 31, 34 "ApTON eK Toy oyp^Noy
eAcoKEN AYTOlc cfiAreTN... Kvpie, irdvrore bos rjpiv rbv aprov tovtov, cf. Ex.
xvi. 15 Ouros d apros ov ebaxev Kvpios vpiv (payeiv. Westcott and Hort
N.T. under Quotations from the Old Testament "St John vi 31 ; Ex xvi 4,
15; Ps lxxviii (lxxvii) 24." The Didache in the Prayer has ndrep rjpdv 6 iv
rat ovpava...ds iv ovpava, St Matt, rots ovpavois... ovpava.
rb rrjs rjpepas els r)pipav. Heb. 1D1'3 Dl' 131, Syr. ND1'3 ND1'1 Nn713ND
the fipdpa of the day in the day, A.V. a certain rate every day marg.
the portion of a day in his day, R.V. a day's portion every day. Notice
that Syr. and R.V. give no literal rendering of 101'a in its day.
brras ireipdaa avrovs, Heb. 13D3N 15707, 1 Cor. X. 2, 12 Kai irdvres [to avTo]
irvevpanKov fipdpa ed)ayov...ireipaapbs vpds ovk e'iXrjcfiev el pr) dvBpdmvos'
ttiotos be b Beds, os ovk idaet, vpds ireipaaBrjvai virep b bvvaaBe K.T.X.
to Kaff rjpepav els rjpepav. Heb. D1' Dl' day day, Syr. Dl'733.
Shammai and Hillel. Bega 16 a records that Shammai used to eat
" to the honour of sabbath" and provide choice food in advance for that
day: Hillel did all things "to the name of heaven" and lived by the rule
Ps. lxviii. 20 Dl' D1' '1 1,113 Benedictus Dominus die quotidie.
The Prayer is fully discussed by Dr F. Chase on The Lord's Prayer
in the Early Church (Camb. Texts and Studies vol. i. no. 3, 1891) ; and the
work of the late Bishop of Durham (Dr Jos. B. Lightfoot) On a Fresh
Revision of the English New Testament contains in its latest form (1891)
Appendix I. On the Words imovaws, irepiovaios, Appendix II. The Last
Petition of the Lord's Prayer reprinted from the Guardian of Sept 7",
14'h, 21*' 1881. This work is hereinafter quoted by page with the letter D
prefixed. The late Canon F. C. Cook of Exeter (D. 270) published
two letters dated May 21 and Nov. 26, 1881 respectively to the Bishop of
London on Deliver us from Evil, and after them a work on The Revised
Version of the First Three Gospels (1882). The Second Letter was written
"in answer to three letters of the Lord Bishop of Durham."
180 PIRQE ABOTH.
Our daily Bread.
The whole Prayer in St Luke xi. in the Revised Version is as follows :
...Father... Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. ..Give us day
by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins ; for we ourselves
.also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into
temptation... The dots indicate omissions from the text (but not from the margin) of
the words given in the text of the A. V. " Our, which art in heaven, Thy
will be done as in heaven so in earth, but deliver us from evil." The R. V.
gives day by day without alternative, omitting the A.V. marg. Or for the
day. This last omission is noteworthy in connexion with the objec
tion made (sometimes without due discrimination) to prayer for the morrow
in the interminable discussion of the Greek word rendered daily. Omit this
altogether, and what remains of St Luke xi. 3 Our bread give us day by
day is a prayer for a succession of morrows. The objection is of force as
against John Lightfoot Hor. Hebr. Matt. vi. 1 1 " Our daily bread. That
is provide to-morrow's bread, and give it to us to-day, that we be not
solicitous for to-morrow," rather than against prayer for the food of to
morrow to be gathered "in his day" (A.V. marg.).
The word imovaios occurs in the petition for the Bread, and is not
extant in any earlier writing. St Luke's form of the petition is rbv dprov
rjpdv rbv imovaiov bibov rjpiv rb KaB' rjpepav, and St Matthew's Tov dprov rjpdv
rbv imovaiov 80s rjplv arjpepov (Origen De Orat. Libell. 27 end, Lommatzsch
torn, xxvii.). St Cyril of Jerusalem (Lc. p. 178) judiciously identifies
St Matthew's form with St Luke's*. There are different ways of approach
ing the question how the petition was or may be expressed in Hebrew or
Jewish Aramaic. If it refers to Ex. xvi. 4, we may conjecture that there
was an early Aramaic form of it like
ND1'3 ND1H ND17 J? 31
in-tlie-day of-the-day the-bread to-us Give.
As a rendering of rbv dprov rbv imovaiov into Hebrew, Wiinsche in Erldut.
der Eev. Matt. vi. 11 suggests IDI'3 Dl' Dn7 bread of a day in its day.
St Luke's to Kad' rjpepav, which may have come from Ex. xvi. 5 Sept.,
may be expressed in Hebrew by Dl' Dl'. Or, comparing Is. Ixvi. 23
in3B*3 naB* HOI lBHia B'ln 'ID (1 Sain. vii. 16, Zech. xiv. 16, 2 Chron.
xxiv. 5 13BO 13B» HO), we may write 101'3 Dl' HO for day by day.
Delitzsch and others render St Luke's form of the petition in Hebrew
by Dl' Dl' 13?"tn 13pn DntonN the bread, of our portion give us day by day,
* Learned Latin writers have inferred from the Vulgate that St Matthew's
word irTiobaiov was not used by St Luke (D. 250). Mangey on the Lord's Prayer
(ed. 3, 1721), connecting quotidianum with to ko0' i/pipav, argues that "The true
and antient reading may probably have been that of St Luke, where from the
vulgar Latin the word iiriobaios appears to have been wanting."
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 181
with reference to Prov. xxx. 8 (R.V. marg. the bread of my portion). The
same sense of rbv dprov rjpdv rbv imovaiov might be expressed by 13"1 Dn7
bread sufficient for us, cf. Prov. xxv. 16 Hast thou found honey? eat TI
so much as is sufficient and not more than sufficient for thee, lest thou be
filled therewith, and vomit it. For uses of H sufficient in Jewish
forms of prayer for food see Berakh. 29 b, Cant. Rab. vii. 2 1B' ID § 2.
A response 13"1 sat nobis was used in connexion with blessings with
reference to Mal. iii. 10 H '73 iy 1313, cf. Shabbath 32 b, Makkoth 23 b,
T. J.^Berak. 14 c (last folio) & Ta'an. in. 9 (66 c?), Lev. Rab. 35 sub fin.,
Friedmann nDD '7'? 7B* 11311 11D (Wien 1895) where it is suggested
(p. 107) that it was used in the Temple.
Dr Chase's working hypothesis (p. 45) is that the original form of the
petition might be represented by four Syriac words meaning Our-bread
of-the-day give to-us, and Ciasca's Arabic Diatessaron (Romae 1888) is
quoted as rendering it in three words
Give-us the-bread of-our-day,
and shewing no trace of imovaios. But this Diatessaron, when S^s strength
[cf. Deut. xxxiii. 25] has been corrected into «£»>5, is found to read
(cap. ix.) : U-o^j Oji Uktl
of-our-day qut Give-us,
and it uses QUT in cap. xxi. to render St John iv. 8 rpoqSds.
Hence and from the versions of St James ii. 1 5 Xeiirbpevoi rrjs i for N3p31D1 NDn?
panem quo opus est. On Oy, which implies sufficiency, see Lane's
Arabic-English Lexicon I. 2572, and in Payne Smith's Thesaurus Syriacus
col. 2680 see (j_QJO£D explained in terms of 0_ji. The Arabic word for
bread in the Prayer is hubz, as in Lagarde's Die vier Evv. Arabisch (Leipz.
1864) UsU& ljj-*£> give us in the day (Matt. & Luke).
Ciasca's Arabic and the Peshito have the same order of words, both
beginning with a verb meaning Give, and both ending with N3D1', which
(with suitable pointings) means in Syriac arjpepov and in Arabic our-day.
The explanations of imovaios. The epithet of the Bread has been
derived from elvai and from levai, and explained in a great variety of ways.
See Mr J. B. McClellan's " The New Testament in Two Volumes," of which
only vol. i. The Four Gospels (1875) has been published.
Origen tells us in De Orat. 27, I. p. 245 Delarue (D. 217) that the word
imovaios does not once occur in Greek literature and is not current in the
182 PIRQE ABOTH.
colloquial language : " It seems to have been coined by the Evangelists.
Matthew and Luke agree in using it without any difference. The same
course has been taken in other cases also by persons translating from the
Hebrew. For what Greek ever used either of the expressions eVwrifou or
dKovria6rjTt'>...A similar expression to imovaiov occurs in Moses, being
uttered by God, But ye shall be to me a people irepiovaios. And it seems
to me that both words are formed from ovaia." He continues "... We
pray therefore to be nourished with the Incarnate Word. But some
man will say that imovaiov is framed from imevai to come next after, so
that we are bidden to ask for the bread which is proper to the future
world. . . to-day being taken, as in many passages of Scripture, to signify the
present world, to-morrow the future world " (M'Clellan pp. 636 — 7, D. 230).
When St Jerome (about a.d. 383) revised the Latin of the New Testa
ment, he substituted supersubstantialem for quotidianum in the first
Gospel only, thus leading the learned Abelard and others to surmise that
imovaiov was not to be found in the third (D. 251). In his
commentaries on the Epistle to Titus and on St Matthew's Gospel he is
"apparently consistent with himself in connecting the word with ovaia,"
but in later works he shews indecision and writes Panem nostrum substan-
tivum sive superventurum... quotidianum sive super omnes substantias.
" In one point only is he consistent throughout. He insists on a spiritual
as opposed to a literal interpretation of the bread " (D. 250).
Correct principles of philology point to one of the derivations of im
ovaios from Uvai, and its derivation from ovaia "if not impossible, is at
least more difficult" (D. 223). But if the most learned of Patristic writers,
as Origen and St Jerome, could liken it in structure to 7repioi!o-tos, this
may have been done also by the earlier generation which made and gave
currency to the new compound; and the form imovaios may have been
preferred to the more correct iirovaios, to set over against irepiovaios, as
bpoovaios was chosen rather than bpovaios (cf. bpeanos) to contrast with
bpoiovaios. The more difficult derivation seemed possible to Beza (D. 257).
Dr W. Kay defends it in the Journal of Philology (vol. v. 48 — 51, 1874),
contending that the participle iiridv belongs to iireivai. Liddell and Scott's
Lexicon connects imovaa first with iireivai and then with imevai (p. 518
ed. 7, 1883), quoting Herodotus in. 85 in both cases.
Mr Wratislaw in the Churchman for July 1888 replied to Dr Kay "But
the real fact is that iireivai does possess a participle iirdv, well-known to
Plato and Demosthenes, though unknown to the controversialists upon
imovaios. Plato has it twice, in the Lysis 217 c olov rb iirdv, where iirbv
is a certain correction of Heindorf s for en ov : and in the Parmenides
132 C o eVl iraaiv iKeivo to vonpa iirbv voei. DEMOSTHENES has it in the
Oration against Meidias p. 517, line 15 iirbvros tov (pd/3ou tovtov. I think
the false analogy between irepiovaios and imovaios may now be dropped,
and the claims of eVl and elvai to have originated imovaios set aside for
ever." Mr Wratislaw then undertakes to prove as below by
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 183
examples, including "the evidence which Dr Lightfoot has been the first to
bring forward," that ij imovaa does not necessarily mean rj avpiov.
1. " In the Ecclesiazusae of Aristophanes one of the speakers, after
describing the time (ver. 20) ko'itoi 7rp6s bpBpov y iariv 'tis close on day
break, exclaims (ver. 105) vr) rr)v imovaav rjpepav, where rrjv avpiov would be
quite out of place" (D. 226).
2. Plato Crito p. 44 a. Very early in the morning (bpBpos fiaBvs) Crito
informs Socrates that the fatal ship has arrived at Sunium, and that on the
morrow Socrates must end his life. Socrates thinks that it will not arrive
Trjpepov to-day... not ttjs iiriovarjs on the on-coming day, but rijs erepas, for
in a vision "Methought a lady... called to me and said, Socrates on the
third day thou wilt come to fertile Phthia." Of the three days here men
tioned "The first is termed both rrjpepov and ttjs iiriovarjs, the second rijs
erepas, and the third rrj varepala [rr/s eVepas]. Hence it is clear that in the
early morning the day of which the major part is yet to come is represented
by rj imovaa. This makes it manifest that rj imovaa is not in itself equiva
lent to >) avpiov, although very often the context allows it to be so used."
3. It is argued that r) imovaa may possibly have the same meaning
in Acts XX. 15 ttj imovarj Karr/VTijaapev dvriKpv Xiov k.t.X., although the
Revised Version reads "And sailing from thence, we came the following
day over against Chios, and the next day we touched at Samos, and the day
after we came to Miletus."
4. Prov. xxvii. 1 pr) Kavxd ra eis avpiov, ov yap yivdaKeis ri re'^erat
rj imovaa (D. 222). The Greek of the LXX. is "an extremely vivid and
correct gloss upon and paraphrase of the original Hebrew," rj imovaa
standing for Dl' a day, and the sense being, Thou knowest not what the
space of a day, " between now and to-morrow," may bring forth. This is a
doubtful interpretation, but avpiov sometimes connotes a more distant
future than r) imovaa.
5. Xenophon Anabasis i. 7. 1 — 2. Here "the two senses of imovaa
appear to exhibit themselves in very close proximity." Cyrus holds a
review at midnight, expecting the king to arrive els rr)v imovaav ea. After
the review come deserters from the king's army, ap,a rfj imovarj rjpepq. The
same day is called rj imovaa before and at its commencement.
It is inferred that St Matthew's rbv dprov rjpdv rbv imovaiov 80s rjpiv
arjpepov "is the proper formula for a morning prayer, or a prayer said
at the beginning of or early in the day," while in using St Luke's form
rb KaB' rjpepav k.t.X. " we must be supposed to ask at any time for the bread
of the on-coming space of a day, reckoning from the moment of using the
prayer." The Didache however, which reads rbv dprov rjpdv rbv
imovaiov bos rjpiv arjpepov, adds at the end of the Prayer Tpls r^s rjpepas
ovto wpoaebxeade. The days of bereshith begin in the evening.
" It is at least possible," as Dr Chase well remarks, "that the apparent
analogy of irepiovaios, occurring in a group of passages (Ex. xix. 5, Deut.
vii. 6, xiv. 2, xxvi. 18) which we know to have occupied an important place
184 PIRQE ABOTH.
in Apostolic teaching (Tit. ii. 14, 1 Pet. ii. 9 ; comp. Acts xx. 28, Eph. i. 14),
may have suggested or facilitated this representation of the original Aramaic
word." It is assumed that this may have been ND1H of-the-day, the
Hebrew Dl' day, Targ. NOT being rendered rj imovaa in Prov. xxvii. 1
Boast not thyself of to-morrow, ov yap yivdaKeis ri re^erai rj imovaa.
If ND1H stood in a primitive form of the petition and was first rendered
ttjs imovans, this might have led (1) to the Mahar quod dicitur crastinum
of the Gospel according to the Hebrews (D. 237), and (2) to the coining of
imovaios (from levai) with a side glance, under the attraction of a " false
analogy," to the imperfectly understood n-epiouo-ios (from elvai).
With this comprehensive derivation would agree the expositions of
homilists as St Chrysostom, who "seems throughout to be wavering between
the meanings daily and necessary, i.e. between the derivations from levai
and elvai " (D. 236). If a word could be analysed in a variety of ways, the
homilist, caring little for philology as such, was content to combine the
religious lessons deducible from them all. He was like the Jewish Rabbi
who would have said, read not iir-iovaios but im-ovaios, with intent to put
new meanings into the word by a fresh derivation of it.
Origen may have " himself first started the derivation from elvai, ovaia,"
with reference (after his manner) to absolute being, or " may have got it
from one of his predecessors, Pantaenus or Clement" (D. 231). Mr M'Clellan
on the New Testament (p. 636) quotes from St Clement of Alexandria Paed.
i. 12 "The Divine Teacher prepares us for contentment and simplicity of
life &c, for He saith Be not careful for the morrow [Matt. vi. 34], meaning
that the Christian ought to enter upon a life of contentment and self-
ministration, and only for the single day (eqbrjpepov)," as a passage " which,
although perhaps not a direct interpretation, is of considerable importance
as testifying to Clement's recognition of the Old Latin quotidianus [Matt.
vi. 11], and consequently to the originality of his illustrious successor's
theory of the derivation from ovaia."
Various passages however in the works of Clement seem to me to shew
that he may have taken the same view of the petition as Origen after him.
He defines prayer as bpiAla converse with God. He writes in Paed. n. 1,
according to Bishop Kaye's rendering, " It should be our aim to raise our
eyes to the truth, firmly to lay hold of the Divine food from above, and to
be filled with the inexhaustible contemplation of Him who really exists
[toC bvras ovtos], tasting the unchangeable, enduring, pure pleasure. For
the food of Christ signifies that we ought to look for this agape." In the
same chapter, with a play upon the two senses of dpiarov, he disparages the
ephemeral meat and drink in comparison with the spiritual, and teaches
that by partaking of the repast of " righteousness and peace and joy in the
Holy Ghost" we become possessed of ro dpiarov rav bvrav, the choicest of
the things that are. Judging from such words we may think that
Clement would have said Pray not (very much as the Gospel says Labour
not) for the meat which perisheth, or like St Jerome on the Epistle to
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 185
Titus, Absit quippe ut nos, qui in crastinum cogitare prohibemur, de
pane isto qui post paululum concoquendus et abjiciendus est in secessum
in prece dominica rogare jubeamur (D. 249).
He uses the expression Spiritual Food in Paed. l.c. (Potter p. 169, cf. p.
971) aXX' ovk evAoyov rpairefas baipoviav perdkap^dveiv tovs Beias perexeiv
Kai HNEYMATIKH2 Karrj^iapevovs TPO*HS, thinking perhaps of the
Didaehe, with which its expounders shew that he was acquainted. In
its Eucharistic section and after the Lord's Prayer we read, "Thou, 0
Almighty Sovereign, didst create all things for Thy name's sake, and
gavest men food and drink to enjoy, that they might give thanks unto
Thee; but to us Thou didst graciously give spiritual pood and drink
and life eternal." The idea of spiritual food runs through the Bible, but
the nearest approach in it to the expression is in St Paul's use of the
terms spiritual meat and drink with reference to Manna and what is
rabbinically called the Well. Philo identifies the Xdyos with the
"bread from heaven" (Ex. xvi. 4, Deut. viii. 3), cf. Gfrorer l.c. p. 179,
Jowett on Philo and St Paul (Epp. of St Paul i. p. 484, 1859).
In Clem. Strom, vn. 13 (Potter p. 881) it is said of the gnostic bib
Kai btKalas evxerai, "Av irepiovaiav
els perdboaiv k.t.X., will not the gnostic not ask for superabundance to
give away, but pray that others may have what they want ? Canon Cook
on The Revised Version of the First Three Gospels infers that Clement
regarded imovaios " as the proper antithesis to irepiovaios."
The Epistle of Barnabas. The writer quotes in chap. x. of his Epistle
(pp. 101 — 103 ed. Cunningham 1877) the Mosaic prohibition of unclean
meats " Ye shall not eat swine, nor eagle, nor falcon, nor raven, nor any
fish that hath not scales upon him," and concludes that there is no com
mandment of God to abstain from eating, but Moses spake in the spirit...
but they after the desire of the flesh received his words as though they
concerned meats. An allegorist who explains away the obvious literal
sense of the Levitical ordinance "Thou shalt not eat &c." would not
improbably have spiritualised the " bread " in the Lord's Prayer.
Tertullian. In Tertull. De Orat. 6 Quanquam panem nostrum quo
tidianum da nobis hodie spiritaliter potius intelligamus, Christus enim
panis noster est &c., the spiritual interpretation of the bread is independent
of the epithet imovaios.
Jacob ofSerug (D. 241). Mr Burkitt gives me some extracts from the
Homilies of Jacob of Serug, " who flourished in the 5th century, and wrote
inter alia the accepted exposition of the Lord's Prayer in Syriac corre
sponding to S. Cyprian's in Latin, or to that of Evagrius in Egypt, using for
his text the Diatessaron. He explains at great length (without hinting at
any spiritualised interpretation of the clause) that NOl'1 N3'DN NOn7
means daily provision, not gold, or silver or jewels ; adding that the poor
man prays for daily bread, that he may be contented with what he hath :
24
186 PIRQE ABOTH.
the rich man also prays for daily bread, that he may be ashamed that he
hath ten thousand loaves, and that he may know that the superfluity which
he has belongs not to him but to the poor outside."
Mangey on the Lord's Prayer (ed. 3, 1721) writes on imovaiov k.t.X.
" The African Fathers have chose the mystical sense, and have explain'd
this daily Bread of Christ's Body. They observe, that as he was the
living Bread that came down from Heaven, so this living Bread is here
pray'd for ; and therefore suppos'd, that the spiritual food and nourishment,
receiv'd in the holy Sacrament, were the subject of this petition. This
interpretation seems partly owing to the primitive custom of receiving the
Communion daily, which might give the name of daily Bread to the
sacred Elements ; and partly to the pious mistake, that nothing temporal
could be ask'd for in this Divine form. But most certainly this is neither
a true nor an useful sense of the words. This mystical explication of
Bread is the product of warm imaginations ; and is neither agreeable to
our Saviour's design, nor to the notions of his hearers. He cannot be
thought to teach them to pray for that heavenly Bread, of which probably
they had never yet heard. The literal interpretation of the words
then is more probable, and daily Bread means no other than the necessaries
of this life (pp. 126 sq.)." But see on De Profugis in Mangey's
Philo i. p. 566 (1742) the note "ovpdvios rpocprj. Eadem fere scribuntur
Joh. vi. 32 — 51. Philo Xbyov esse docet cceleste alimentum, Dominus
seipsum ; eundem mysticum sensum ex manure manducatione uterque
deducit...nec mira nee nova visa est ista de pane coelesti doctrina. Soli
illi quibus hebetiores aures & animi erant, Christi dictis sunt offensi."
Libera nos a Malo.
On the petition pvaai rjpds dirb tov irovrjpov, lit. deliver its from the evil
(Matt. vi. 13), see Canon Cook's Second Letter above mentioned (p. 179).
In Appendix II. (D. 319) Bp Lightfoot sums up thus, " the earliest
Latin Father and the earliest Greek Father, of whose opinions we have
any knowledge, both take tov irovrjpov masculine. The masculine render
ing seems to have been adopted universally by the Greek Fathers. At
least no authority, even of a late date, has been produced for the neuter.
In the Latin Church the earliest distinct testimony for the neuter is
S. Augustine at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth
century. From that time forward the neuter gained ground in the Western
Church till it altogether supplanted the masculine." No reference however
is made to St Clement of Rome, who perhaps alludes to the Prayer in the
passage cited (1877) from the lost and found ending of his Epistle to the
Corinthians at the end of Excursus V. (p. 130).
Jacob of Serug gives Deliver me from Satan who contendeth against
me as a paraphrase of the petition Deliver us from bisha.
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 187
On the hypothesis that the Prayer was given in Aramaic it has been
said *, " The Aramaic original of dirb rov irovrjpov seems to have been men
bisho.. .which can be translated from evil, and from the evil, but not from
the Evil One"; and to this it is objected that, according to Dr Payne
Smith's Thesaurus, the Syriac bisha (or bisho) " Imprimis usurpatur de
diabolo" (D. 293). But Dr Payne Smith's words do not apply to
the Jewish Aramaic NB"3. On this see Buxtorf, Kohut and Levy's
Lexicons ; and for the saying attributed to Ben Sira Do not good to the evil
(B"3) and evil (B"3 or NB"3) shall not befall thee see also Schechter in
J. Q. R. in. 694, and Cowley and Neubauer's Original Heb. of Ecclus.
pp. xx, xxix. See also the various versions of Ecclus. vii. 1 — 2, comparing
the Syriac NB"3 JO pUN with Aboth I. 8 yi J3B»0 pill. " The
feminine in Syriac is the proper equivalent for the neuter in Greek, as any
common Syriac grammar will show. The masculine however may be so
used. Thus, in this particular word the masculine bisho properly represents
o irovrjpds, but may represent ro irovr/pov, though the proper representative
of the latter is the feminine bishtho" (D. 291). But the Targumic Jewish
Aramaic sometimes has bish or bisho where the Syriac has bishtho, as for
yi evil in Gen. ii. 9, Ps. vii. 10, Job i. 1, 8, ii. 3.
" So familiar was the word bisho, ' the Evil One,' as a synonym for Satan
to the ear of a Syrian, that in the Curetonian [and sin.] Syriac it appears
in Matt. xiii. 39, where the original has d bidfioXos, and in the Peshito
Syriac in Acts x. 38, where the original has roO biajibXov " (D. 292).
It was the New Testament itself which gave currency to the use of NB"3
for d irovrjpbs " the Evil One " in Christian Syriac literature, and from this
later usage we cannot safely infer that the Jewish Aramaic NB"3 had
exactly the same sense and application. Compare the use of yil as a
rendering of d irovrjpbs in the Parable of the Sower (p. 192).
" But the objection from the absence of this designation in the Talmudical
and early Rabbinical writings still remains to be dealt with. What shall
we say to this ?" (D. 284). Then follow the passages from Ex. Rab., Deut.
Rab., and Baba Bathra cited above in Note 5 :
Ex. Rab. 21. 7 (Job xvi. 11) "it is also written God hath delivered me
over to the wicked one i.e. He hath put me into the hand of Satan" (D. 286).
Here however we have merely a casual application to Satan of an indefinite
singular 7'iy " ungodly" (Sept. dbUov), which stands in parallelism with the
plural D'yB>1 (Sept. do-ej3eTs), thus
.lyisy D*jjBn *t Sjn hs)y Sn Sn ^-md'
Wiinsche reads (p. 170) Er uberlieferte mich einem verkehrten Gotte
[toiy 7N ?N] d. i. er gab mich in die Gewalt des Satans, damit die Israel
ite^ wenn Gericht fiber sie gehalten wird, nicht als Frevler hervorgehen.
* See Dr Neubauer's letter of the 18th June 1881 in the Academy (p. 455).
188 PIRQE ABOTH.
Darum stiirtze er mich in seine Gewalt. Das wollen die Worte sagen
Hi. 16. 11 In die Hand der Frevler ubergiebt er mich.
Deut. Rab. 11. 11 (Ps. xxxvii. 32) " The wicked one watcheth for the
righteous one, and seeketh to slay him*. [Now] there is none so wicked
among all the Satanim altogether as Samael... Thus also did Samael the
Wicked One watch for the soul of Moses and say &c." (D. 286). Here
yBH wicked is taken to mean Samael the wicked, and the epithet yBHI is
applied to him in conjunction with his name, as it might be to Titus or
Nebuchadnezzar. Notice that for yBH without the article the Septuagint
has d d/iapriaXo's. So in Job xxi. 30 yi (Targ. B"3, Syr. NB"3) is rendered d
irovrjpbs, thus on eis rjpepav diraXeias Kovopifcerai d irovrjpbs, els rjpepav opyrjs
avrov diraxBrjaovrat. Conversely yiO a malo without the article (p. 128 n.)
is a possible form of the original of d7rd roC irovrjpov.
Baba Bathra 16 a (Job ix. 24) " The earth is given into the hands oftlie
wicked one... Job meant in this phrase [the wicked one] none but Satan"
(D. 286). Here again there is merely an application to Satan of yBH
(Sept. daefiovs), an indefinite or collective singular standing in parallelism
with a plural "her judges" thus
.nw* pp&fiB> »ifi yen ts ruro p«
Talm. Jerus. Shabbath n. 6 Zit. (5 6 § 3 ed. princ.) quotes Ps. cix. 7
yBH NV IODB'13 (Sept. ev r3' PIP -jf>ipp PlCM
f>H13Dp i.e. the Evil Angel (Ps. lxxviii. 49 dyyeXav novr/pav) will emerge
from his place to suggest a case against him.
In Aboth R. N. ed. Schechter A i. & '3 1BD11 (pp. 4, 151) the wicked
serpent touches the tree with hands and feet, and shakes off its fruits
to the ground. Or (some say) he did not touch it at all ; but when the tree
saw him it cried out Wicked One, Wicked One, touch me not, for it is said
(Ps. xxxvi. 11) Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the
hand of the wicked remove me. This story is told of Samael the
Wicked in Sefer ha-Bahir (Zohar n'B»N13 28 b ed. Cremona), quoted by
Gill on St Matt. xiii. 19. Samael the Wicked is mentioned in Jellinek's
Bet ha-Midrasch Midr. 113 tN 17N (ii. 66) and 'n31 m?3'1 (hi. 87).
Origin of the term the Evil One. The New Testament is the earliest
known authority for the expression the evil one, and Canon Cook
suggests that the general use of the term 6 irovrjpbs in that sense " may
* Ungodly men say let us lie in wait for the righteous man... Let us condemn
him to a shameful death (Wisdom ii. 12, 20). There is a tract of Philo
De eo quod deterius potiori insidiari soleat (Mangey i. 191). The title 6 SUaios
(Acts iii. 14, vii. 52, xxii. 14) "first appears in Enoch as a Messianic designa
tion" (Enoch pp. 51, 112 ed. Charles). The New Testament expression the Evil
One (Matt. xiii. 19, Eph. vi. 16, 1 Joh. ii. 13—14) may have been used in earlier
writings now lost.
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 189
probably have originated in our Lord's exposition of the Parable of the
Sower." The Greek d irovrjpbs in St Matt. xiii. 19 and elsewhere may be
thought to stand for some Hebrew or Aramaic expression having d 2aravds
(Mark iv. 15) and d bidfioXos (Luke viii. 12) for synonyms (Note 20).
Perhaps a Targumist in retranslating the Parable of the Sower would have
rendered d irovrjpbs by NB"3 NIX', for the Evil Impulse occupies the heart
(Note 21) and is the foe of Torah (Note 22), and it is said epxerai b
irovrjpbs Kai dpird£ei to iairappevov iv tjj Kapbia. BiSHA may have been used
sometimes as an abbreviation of NB"3 NIX', in accordance with the saying
that the evil yecer has yi bish for one of its names. With Aboth iv. 2
compare on laxvpoi iarc.Kal veviKrJKare rbv irovrjpov (1 Joh. ii. 14).
The Septuagint uses irovrjpbs occasionally for yBH wicked (2 Sam. iv. 11,
Is. liii. 9), but in the great majority of cases for yi evil. It uses d irovrjpbs
as an epithet of Haman (p. 128), but not as a name of the Evil One; nor is
yil so used except in Hebrew New Testaments. Such expressions as
Ben Sira's nomjpbv ivBvprjpa (pp. 149, 152) may have led up to the use of
d irovrjpbs by itself as a name of Satan, cf. Tobit iii. 8, 17 Chald. & Heb.
Asmodai the king of the demons, Sept. & Syr. the evil demon. Notice the
LXX. rendering iyd yap olba tt)v nONHPlAN avrdv of Deut. xxxi. 21 for
I know 11V nN their imagination.
2 TlM. iv. 18 pvaerai pe b Kvpios dirb navrbs epyov irovrjpov Kai adaei els
tt)v fiaaiXeiav avrov rr)v eirovpaviov' d rj bb£a els tovs aldvas raSy aldvav, dprjv.
This is not improbably an application of words of the Lord's Prayer. The
expression from every evil work, " from the. sphere of evil in every form "
(Ellicott), may be a paraphrase of men bisha or yiD, which in places of the
Old Testament is freely rendered dn-d 7ravrds kokov, dirb KaKdv, dirb bbov
koktjs, dirb iravrbs irovrjpov irpdyparos (Prov. iii. 7, iv. 27, Job i. 1, 8, ii. 3,
xxviii 28).
1 St JoHNii. 12 — 14 deavrai vpiv ai dpapriai. . .iyvaKare rbv irare pa... vevi-
KrJKare rbv irovrjpov may refer to dopes rjpiv ras apaprias. ..irdrep. . .dirb rov irovrjpov
in the Prayer. The writer's preference for the masculine d irovr/pos would
not necessarily exclude a neuter rendering of dirb tov irovrjpov. In
favour of the masculine interpretation of e'K roO irovrjpov in St John xvii. 15
it is said that "whereas rd irovrjpov, 'the evil thing,' is never found in
S. John's writings, d irovrjpbs, ' the Evil One,' occurs many times " (D. 280).
This suggests more than it was intended to prove. The neuter
malum is made to mean the Evil One in an interpretation of a malo quoted
by Bp Lightfoot, " Hoc est a diabolo, qui totius mali et auctor est et origo.
Diabolus natura caelestis fuit, nunc est nequitia spiritalis ; aetate major
saeculo, nocendi usu tritus, laedendi arte peritissimus, unde non jam malus,
sed malum dicitur, a quo est omne quod malum est " (D. 305). Compare
the neuter x^-pov in the title of Philo's De eo quod deterius &c. (p. 188 n.).
The Liturgies. The Liturgies contain petitions for deliverance from
the crafts and assaults of the devil, " but all such prayers are, I believe,
invariably connected with petitions to be delivered from evil, from all evil
190 PIRQE ABOTH.
and mischief, and specially from sin and wickedness, and, in comparison
with such petitions, occupy a secondary place" (Canon Cook in D. 306).
Thus the Book of Common Prayer reads in the Litany " From all evil
and mischief; from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil &c. Good
Lord, dtliver us," and in the exposition of the Prayer in the Catechism
" and that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers ghostly
and bodily ; and that he will keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from
our ghostly enemy, and from everlasting death." In the Eastern
Liturgies (Brightman, Oxford 1896) " The general result seems to be that
prominence is given to d irovrjpbs, but combined with the larger reference to
all evil" (E. H. G.). On the Apostolic Constitutions see Canon
Cook's Second Letter, and in the Didache (ed. Bryennius 1883) com
pare (pevye diro iravrbs irovrjpov Kai dirb iravrbs bpoiov avrov, eis to irovrjpov. . .
pvaBeirjre reKva dirb rovrav dirbvrav, pvaai rjpas dirb tov irovrjpov, tov pvaaaBai
avTr)v dirb iravrbs irovrjpov (chaps. 3, 5, 8, 10).
Gonclnsion.
rbv dprov rjpdv rbv imovaiov] On the differences between the two Greek
forms of the Prayer see Mr T. E. Page's Critical Notes on the Lord's
Prayer in the Expositor 3rd series vol. vn. (1888), and see Thayer N. T.
Lex. on imovaios. While it is scarcely credible that the perplexing new
compound belonged to the Prayer as first taught, it must have been current
in versions of it before the Greek Gospels were written. The word itself
is an indication that the original language of the Prayer was not Greek.
Nor is it likely that imovaios was even the first Greek rendering of its
presumably simple Semitic archetype.
Supposing the petition for the bread to mean Give us this day (or day
by day) our daily bread, its two forms may have been derived from a
Semitic original meaning Give us the bread of the day in the day (p. 180),
as conversely in Lagarde's Arabic both arjpepov and rd Kaff rjpepav are
rendered in the day (p. 181). Before imovaios was thought of
simple Greek words meaning daily or of the day may have been in use
in the Prayer, cf. id>rjpepov rpofprjs (Jas. ii. 15), rr)v Trjs rjpepas rpofprjv
(D. 235). The Old Latin* panem quotidianum, which has been
thought to represent rd Kaff rjpepav (p. 180 n., McClellan p. 644), may em
body a true tradition of the original of dprov imovaiov. Cureton remarks
that the Old Syriac "constant of the day" is an equivalent of quotidianum.
Some think that the original of "daily" bread was bread of "ITV2 to
morrow (p. 184) : others that of the day may have been rendered imovaiov
because rj imovaa stands for "a day" in Prov. xxvii. 1. Possibly there was
a previous rendering r^s imovarjs. A Rabbinic saying distinguishes
* Mr Burkitt in Texts and Studies vol. iv. no. 3 The Old Latin and the Itala
shews reason to think that Itala meant the Vulgate.
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 191
between the instant and the distant morrow (Kohut v. 115 a), in a note
on Ex. xiii. 14 inD "133 "|7NB" '3 n'.ll idv be iparrjarj ae b v'tbs aov pera
ravTa And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come (Heb.
to-morrow). Although usually equivalent to rj avpiov in its ordinary sense,
rj imovaa may denote the day present reckoned from its commencement.
Supposing imovaios to be a derivative of elvai and to mean sufficient
(D. 228, 236), using the liturgical word 13"1 (p. 181) and borrowing from
Gen. xlvii. 15 Give us bread and Ex. xvi. 5 daily, we may express St Luke's
form of the petition in Hebrew thus
,dv dv vn nnS vh-nm
V V T T T
Compare St James ii. 16 rd imTrjbeia rov adparos, the Peshito rendering
in the Prayer the bread of our necessity (D. 239), and Dr Chase's note
in Texts and Studies l.c. p. 52.
The epithet imovaios "is not part of the original form of the petition,
and is due to liturgical use " (ib. p. 53). Nor is it quite clear why the new
word should have been constructed simply and solely to represent anything
that is likely to have stood in the Prayer in its original form. According
to the rules of philology it should be derived from imdv or imovaa, and its
connexion with ovaia "can only be maintained on the hypothesis that its
form was determined by false analogies, with a view to exhibiting its
component parts more clearly" (D. 225). A false analogy which com
mended itself to erudite interpreters of the word may have had attractions
for those who coined it (p. 182).
Origen (p. 182) gives a choice of derivations for the epithet of the
bread, but has no doubt of its being aprds aXrjBivbs. Bread was understood
mystically before imovaios came into existence, and the most curious in
terpretations of the " strange word " (D. 228) lead only to such results as
may be reached more rabMnico without it (p. 178). Tertullian
makes panem nostrum quotidianum mean Christ (p. 185).
The petition would doubtless soon have been spiritualised if nothing
had been left of it but Give us bread. St James says that "wisdom"
should be prayed for (i. 5), but does not say this of daily food (ii. 15).
With reference to St John vi. 32 sq., notice the remark on Aiyco (ib.
xix. 28) in The Spirit on the Waters p. 255 "Nowhere in Christ's doctrine
does the fourth Evangelist use thirst or kindred words (such as bread,
water, life, flesh, blood) in any but a spiritual sense."
The American Revisers write on St Matthew vi. 11 "Let the marg.
read Gr. our bread for the coming day, or our needful bread. So in Luke
xi. 3." The one may be a paraphrase, the other a more exact rendering of
the original which lies behind the Greek.
dirb tov irovrjpov] The obvious Biblical rendering of 0770 roC irovrjpov is
yiO a malo (p. 188), cf. Job i. 1, 8 Vulg. recedens a malo, Sept. otto iravrbs
irovr/pov updyparos. A possible alternative is yBHD ab impio. The
192 PIRQE ABOTH.
word yBH (it is said) occurs about 300 times and "the LXX. render it by
kokos, daefirjs, dbtKOs, dpapraXbs, irapdvopos, &C, but never by irovrjpbs."
Exceptions to this are 2 Sam. iv. 11 '13 D'yBH D'BON '3 f|N dXXd ko! vZv
avbpes TTOvrjpol direKTeivav dvbpa bUaiov, Is. liii. 9 113p D'yBH nN )n'1 Kai
bdaa tovs irovr/povs dvrl rr)s rad>rjs avrov, but as a rule irovrjpbs corresponds
to yi evil and not to yBH wicked. Compare Ps. vii. 9 Oh let D'yBH yi
irovTjpia dpapraXdv the evil of the wicked come to an end, Ps. x. 15 Break
thou the arm of yi! yBH dpapraXov Kai irovrjpov the wicked and the evil,
Ezek. xviii. 20 yBH nyBH1 and the wickedness of the wicked impietas impii
dvopia dvbpa.
The Hebrew for irovrjpos being as a rule yi evil, it may be thought that
St Matt. xiii. 19 epxerai O noNHPOS (R.V. the evil one, A.V. the wicked
one) Kai dpTra£ei to iarrappevov iv rrj Kapbia avrov should be rendered as by
Delitzsch '13 yH.pl N31. It does not however appear that yil was ever
used quite in this way for the Evil One until the Greek Testament was
translated into Hebrew. On the other hand actual Rabbinic usage as far
as it goes favours the use of yBH in the required sense (p. 188), thus
.13373 ynti yni s\oni yjyn. N3
A like expression would serve to render 6 anomoc (cf. Ezek. I.e.) in 2 Thess.
ii. 8, which Westcott and Hort connect with Is. xi. 4 yB'1 n'D'.
The Syriac versions render dirb tov irovrjpov by NB"3 |D from the evil.
This is also the most obvious expression for dirb rov irovrjpov in Jewish
Aramaic, which may have been the original language of the Prayer ; but it
does not follow that in the earlier dialect it must have meant precisely the
same as afterwards in Christian Syriac. By literal translation from the
New Testament yil iB made to have a meaning which, so far as we know,
it had not in genuine Hebrew, and the like may have happened to its
Syriac synonym NB"3 (p. 187).
If the titles the Righteous One (p. 188 n.) and the Evil One are to be
regarded as correlative, they are best accounted for as specialisations of
the Biblical p'1X righteous and yBH wicked respectively. From this point
of view the most natural Aramaic rendering of 6 irovrjpbs is not NB"3
(D. 293) but Ny'BH (p. 140).
But the best Hebrew rendering of the ambiguous dirb tov irovrjpov is
yiD (Aram. NB"3 JO). This is found several times in the Bible in the
phrase " depart from evil," yi may denote an evil person or spirit, it is a
name of " the imagination of man's heart," which is also irovrjpia and d
irovrjpbs (pp. 147, 189), and it describes the evil way to be shunned accord
ing to sayings of the Jewish Fathers (p. 35) and the things deprecated
as evil in Jewish Prayers*.
* See p. 129. 1 — 3 with the Variae Lectiones in Rabbinovicz V"i vol. i., and
Heb. Auth. P. B. p. 7.
HEBEEW TEXT
OF THE
SIX PEBAQIM.
d'aan w w pis niaN
"iy '** nay nay* ny a*nan pa Snip* : pNi d*ae> njip
*n*nxi nan pNa ipn d*B>npS naiNi j n*Jp it Dy nay*
nSys inaB^ paa a*nan pa mpan n*a : da *xsn Sa
imp Siaj Sn dN*a*i naiNi j np* laia *jin mpa '**
j u*a* nrop nr in
n"*
nSn iNna nS laSiya Nin -pa enpn *Nnas? na Sa
vnnx* vn*ro *maaSi *asj>a Nipjn Sa nawe> niaaS
p N*Mn *an : nyi dSiyS nSa* '** iaiNi t vrwy t\a
Snip* r\a matS Nin 711a e>npn run iaiN N*e>py
ipnx fyaS pn '** news? nnxai nun cnS nam na*aS
t ihn*i nun tu*
111337 N7N 1"3p1 DN13 N7 D7131 fV'j *
(so
a*aan w ww pis niaN
p iSni laSiya Nin npa empn nap amp *npan
nnN pp dniaN nnN pp pNi a*ap nnN pp nun
pa nun : nnN pp mpan n*a nnN pp Snip*
a*ae> : ?n» vSysa dnp lain rwtn *up '** a*nan
din pNni *NDa d*apn '** naN na a*nan pa pNi
iaixi : *nnua dipa ni *ni *S nan ipn n'a nr *n *Sai
: ywp pNn nNSa n*py naana dSa '** n/pya iai na
p*Sy SnS diaN -|iia iaN*i maia'i a*nan pa annaN
PP13 pjvspp Piii Add. 667 jpippp '"33 f>n'f>73 nyaiN J"i *
D113N '33 '3H3 '33 '33 DnB> 7N1E" "|3 (l"» f"p <7,7 O'PPP) 7!PipP
un i'3p mm *aSiya *n*:pp a*j*ap nyaiNa nnN apyi pnv
pN1 D'DB* 13ip 3'n31 UN J'jp pNI D'OB* 1311 n'B'NI '33p '" 3'nai
oy a'nai un j'3p ?nib" 13'D' nnjp ir n a'nai un pp B'ipon n'a
D'J'ip 'l 11313 'l3 "jPi; 113U» 7L> piPP3 piD3 'P3 3"3 PJli'3P31 .n'jp It
iPip:o '3 pi pjp ni nf>! lipsn 'pip pipp3 u'ipp 'p3 '1PP3 isn .lipp
D11PP ii>3 3D3 PI ]»JM1 .B'ipDI n'31 7BHB"1 llin DPI Dippi |'Jp
nn '3 ioin ntB' D'pi?n Nnbaon hsdib' Ob's ioin '3ni o"3Dii ppvpp
•icon 3 "3 ippi .nE'on ioi? np7in nwbv ni3nB> ib'sn 13 h ioin
D'3'3p 'B'ono NllE* D113N 11'7N '31 N3n3 'nNVO pi D'11tnD3 D'3'3p
?B» 13'3p N'VIDC '7E»D 1DD3 Nip (?) iiyDB> '1 7B» B»11D3 'n'NII 1"3p1 13PB"
dNiana '"ipn i>N DNisia pNii d'ob'i nnbin i?n a'nsiD DiiaN
1,113 NipDi JlinQ pi '31 D13N 1113 3in31 IONS' lit dmaNa N7N
13DPP 7"lJ i3P .i"3U PN1 D'DB* 13pB» 1113 lniN 13ipi |l'?y 7N7 D13N
]P1P31 O'3'JpP ]P U3'6 013P! pfn O'PD ppi pi Pi PlpPP P'PI ]»P
O'PPP P3PP3 'OP D'plpPP '7 P'3Pi '7 Pf
(5°)
d'aan up 'pp pis niaN
Naap ja »w *an iaN t vaaai 'aia ia*pna dSa a*p*nxS
b jroi =nnN anN *a yasi nina nSna *n**n nnN ays
nnN dipa nrt» *ai b iaN aiSp iS 'nninm biSp
*S iaN *jn ^d'isia Spi d*aan Sp nSiu i*ya iS *niax
b*sSn s]Sn nS }nN *axi uaipaa nay unnp -pin 'ai
nn« bn iS *niax nvSaiai niaia auaNi ^ant 'ivn
u'n dSiyap nvSjiai maia B'aaNi ann spa Sa *S jnu
nin h' Sy B'Snn isaa ama pi nun Bipaa nSn in
nSi t epai ant 'sSNa ms nun b aia Snip' nSa
cjaa nS binS iS I'iSa j*n anN Sp im*as nypap my
B'pyai nun n*?n ni'Saiai niaia auaN nSi anr nSi
iiapn naapa inN nmn -pSnnna nawp naSa d'aia
dSiya nnN nnan naSnnna : nn'pn N'n nix'pm n;Sy
dSiyS nn*pn N*n nwpm lapa -pSy napn naapa nin
: niNax '" bnj anin 'Si span b naiNi : Nan
IB-On IPfipi D7ip II PP'13 'f>31P Pil 'Dl' T'N N'3n f>iP3 6"i3 *
P!3f> '7PP 1D11P3 I/31T ppi' 'l 03PP 1PP1 .1'IPPi f>bf> b'))bl3 '13 D'3'3p
'P531 p"3pp PjpD D'3'3pp ]>iO Plfi'3P |PP Pipiip Plfipp3 PP1 P1PD
|PP! JP'PD Plf>'3P |PP1 IPPi PlDIU ]PP1 PPpp )3 'PI' '•) ]'iD Pl6'3P
f>ppp |3 »pi» '¦) ]'3v qip3 'is i07iya n"apn NiaB» no 73 lPf>PP Pifi'3P
Plf»'3P |J'P )PPI f"GpV |3 P'JJP '¦) 1Pf"D PP piPP A1P3 Plf"3P |PP1
'ia pan 'n piPP pT
inN pr 6"j a
D'IBID 7B»1 1PP f>"33 :
c)Da ?3 '7 jni3 nnx dn S"n anr nosi eps nos i? jnN '3Ni p"p ""
a"ppi .'13 mi'os nya'aB' 'a? inn Dipoa N7N n '3'n D7iyaE» anr 731
'13 span '7 'ia b aio O'pippp '3 ifoip
(49)
d'aan up 'pp pis naa
iipa SaSi an'NxaS an B"n 'a nawp Nan aSiyai
naiNi i mniaxyS *ippi mpS 'nn niNsn naiNi : Nsna
'a naiNi : nPNa n'aam na a*p*rnaS N'n B"n py
n,PNnS jnn naiNi : n/nmmS B'payi *]PNiS an }n n'lS
ma' iai' 'a 'a iaiNi : "pan niNsn may \n n'lS
nSiNapa nra'a d'a' niN iaiNi : d"n map -jS is'bvi
law biSpi B"n nupi B'a' -pN 'a iaiNi : maai ipy
n
naiN 'Nnv p pyap 'an aipa «nmn* p pyap 'an
duani na'pni naptn naanni maam npiyni nam *un
na'P niNsn may iaxap aSiyS nNJi a*p*n*S mm
mm ana B'lina niNsn iaiNi 5 Nxan npix nina
aua niNSni a*aa *aa a*apr may iaiNi j na'P aupt
'" "|Sa 'a nann npiai maSn nism iaiNi : dniaN
: maa wpi naai B*Spii*ai \vv ma niNax
a
B'aan nap nina ayap iSn naiN N'aaa p pyap 'ai
N'D3D p P"J K
JPP 'P ]'pPlP D' p'Pil 'P 113I1P "733D P'-Dp 3
(48)
a*aan up 'pp pns max
nyapa maSna p iSni : «d'ian naiapi B'yaiNa nupa
nuya nNma na'Na aSn na'aa B'nsp na*nya |TNn
SisSsa a*ian pmpna a*aan Piapa ninaa nnapa
mn aiyaa niina aiyaa napaa Nnpaa aip'a B'maSnn
pinp aiyaa nn'p aiyaa nap aiyaa auyn aiyaa p«
n'aan pia*n nSapa B'aan naiaNa aia aSa B'SN npNa
p'tna U'ni vnanS ya npiyni ipSna napni iaipa nN
nvian nN aniN aipan nN aniN amN laxyS naia
ninainn na aniN anp'an nN aniN mpmcn nN aniN
nap u'ni imaSna laS a'ja nSi maan }a pninai
Sy n'ayai mar epS lyiaai nan ay Siya npu nNiina
Snip imaSna laS ap'nai aiSpn Sy in'oyai naNn
naa Sy naiSm naSS naa Sy naiSn spaiai yaip a'pai
nan naiNni inyiap nN paam iai nN B'anan nipyS
N'aa naiN apa iai iaiNn Sa nnaS Nn iibin apa
i 'ana apa iSaS mBN iaNni nawp aSiyS rbai
nin aSiya mpiyS d"n nanu N'np nun nSiu
DP3 '3P3D D'IPP D'l )117P31 0O37P p"P lip PP133 0'31D O'Plip D* *
.D'i3n piaia .(nioa pip 'ippi) .a?n ni?3B»a 37i nsiaa pipp13P
.mnai nN noB'D Dipoi nN noB»o aniN aiiN .pN -pia .na'B"a
7nib» .nio?na aB"noi .iNina ia? d'3d N7i .naan un fim wni
1'aoii .(D137P |'J33) Danon .pioy? o"y 101711 .na7ia a^oi pya
D113 131 B>"y 131 'DO yDB1 N7B» 131 101N1 73B» ni07 NI .inyiOB' nN
'13 101N11 7N1B"0 p?nDnB» n3»3B»7
(47)
B'aan up 'pp pis maN
*nnin nSn maa }'ni maa ia ynh tisp naai naa
aia j'Ni j aia iSw a'a'am iSnj* a*aan maa iawp
Sn *nnn aa*? *nnj aia npS 'a iaNJp mm n^n
: ia?yn
n
nnpaa d'ai SaNn nSaa ns nun Sp nann N'n na
Say annN nninai n*nn nyx "m fP'n pNn Syi nnpn
aiai mn aSiya nppN nS aiai nppN p npy nnN bn
t Nan aSiyS nS
n
nmaSa nnv maa mann Sni naxyS nSnj ppan Sn
Vru -pnSpp B'aSa Sp a^nSpS niNnn Sni >npy
•paNSa Sya Nin pta\ ainaa Shj ninai BjnSpa
n,nSys nap nS bSp'p
i
maSanp : niaSan jai nanan ja nnv nun nSma
nninm yanNi anpya njnam niSya B'pSpa rvp)
noan aba tow Add. 667 '"331 .1,133? pi 'iifn D'osn? n?n f>") K
Nnn p"j a
p"7 1PP3 '»pi (nB'y pip 'ippi) 1H07D mv naa nonn "?ni '"p 3
H 1133 1,7 B" 17B» 11D73 '3 mi' 1133 DIE* lionn 7N1 JP1PP i"lPPi
Add. 667 '"33i .17ns' D'oan naa n!?yD7 ionb» loa naai ipy NinB'
nB'y 1H07D mv niipp '3 npp
(46)
B'aan up 'pp pis niaN
a
ma nNxv Sip na avi bv Saa 'iS p ypin* 'an iaN
mm Sp n^iaSya nviaS anS in maiNi nnaai aim
am au iawp tpu Nipj niina paiy u'np 'a Sap
npya nnSni iaiNi : aya mai ns' npN i*tn >nnN niN iS'sn nnN mai in
up nSn SsnmNa naS nSp SNnp' nSa mna u'xa
pun nnNi iaNiP vymai isiSn ian ¦'iNnp naSa anan
-|Sa mn nai nam Sp anan NSm : 'yn'ai 'siSn 'anya
¦•iNnp naSa anan up nSn SsnmNa naS nSp Snip'
nnN naSn in nnN pns nana naiSn "iyvai isiSn iai
nnN Sy nnN niN iS'sn in nnN nai in inN pias in
f|N1 DT3 ?B» |ip'1013 Nil e]!?3 OP 1PP K
N'3i mo3oi '3B» i7'aB»o i"3pn myi d';i dni p"j a
nnN niN 17'aN (in) inN nai in un pioa in ]fo pJpj 6i p"p3 3
iNE'y p"j 1
iyi'01 PiP 71? '13 1"p D'131 N711 1PP f>"P3 n
(45) 7
'PP pis
mini pp pis Nil
'iai Snip' Sa
N
: an^paai ana map ina n^pan ppSa d'aan up
anaiS nan napS nuna pBiyn Sa iaiN i'Na 'ai
Nipi iS Nin na iSa aSiyn Sap nSn my nSi nam
nx napa nvian nx amx aipan nx aniN ainx yi
mipaai nNi'i nuy mpaSai nvian nx napa aipan
maipai Nann fa mpniai ptai ip' man pn* nvnS
b iaxip nuaji nra n'pmi my uaa pmi mar 'nn
nSpaai niaSa iS n:nui nmaj b nya un n'pmi nsy
3 pais U'np pyaa npyji nun *n *iS j'Siai pi npni
Sy Smai nn ^iini yus mm >nSim na^nap injai
: nB'pyan ba Sy maanai mSuai uiaSy
D'DBM JO 1? f73Dl f>") N
l'D'D nN pDlB 13'NB- ('"P 3"? '») i33noi pyoa t"i 3
17111 PiP 'i3 133nD1 f<") a
[llll PPP Nil'1 3"'l] .73E»1 p"j ¦"
D7ia D'B'yon p"j n
(44)
nSBin
NipaS aup pan p naiN nn (topi bNioc p"*) Nin
(nixo? fi")) nixaS nipy pSp fa njpaS aup npy p
nsnS nipy n^ap fa (nio3? p".>) iiaSnS nipy pan p
fa nvaS d'yaiN fa naS §b'pSp fa tpnnS dnpy p
duiap fa na'pS d'yap fa njprS b'pp fa nxyS a*pan
iayi na iSn3 nxa p (nmts6 p";) nipS B'ypn fa nmajS
: aSiyn fa Saai
33 p IPPPi 07ip IP P3P31 P13fi P3PP3 ii33D p"l)P PIP IVfiVO
i63313fi 1PP PI ]'3D31 .!D0V0 ]P PPP3 UJ'P D'IPPP 3113 ]P3 IP 33
(npsdo) rmb&i n"?Ni dhdnds mmsDi ni3B"i ni'3B,o3 nvo3b> no 'as
IB'N ni'3B»D3 73N N13N NiyV D1S7 NI NI p 1DND1 33 33 ]2 1DND 7"1
03PP IPfi 3"PP1 .3"l7 iai NipD? B-On p 1DNO liy NVD3 Dl'1 IS 13PN
1N11P? 31301 OB'SnSB' '3SD i3f> P13P P3PPP PIP 13'P 'l pipe PIP
1PP3 PBI>P TUiP '3fi 031 .1BT1'D3 3"3 'npDyni 13N701 niO'7B'7 D31
(43)
mpya 'P'an pis niaN
S
pi ipja Spi iaja *y nn iaiN Nam fa nmn' *i
? B'apap maN pn nipyS nNa maai 'an
N"S
'rv pv pS bus =piai BJ'njS bus ry naiN nn Nin
iva'a >nmy njanp umiaN nSxi umSN I'* nusSa pn
: nniina u'pSn fni
an
iSiai na nSian na ^nsm na *psn naiN ia ja fa
: niaa naia nn*a nS f'NP *yvn nS njai *na
rS
: nmN nnyx aisS naiN Nn Nn ja
: n B'pns maN
nSan
HIPP f>"33 *
nB'iai f<") 3
ivf>no is ipp d'Ippp Pip:i .miD3 B'ipon n'3 .133^ fi") :
'13 )1V1 '1'
lian )"•) 1'sni f1") ""
P'i3JP" )1Di3 'D11P 'V .]3'P13 '3P n
rim p"j n
(4=)
mpya 'P'an pis maN
n"a
npSpi >amaN Sp ^maSn *B*iai ipSp ia P'P Sa
: aySa Sp n'aSn ¦'anan
a"a
amaN Sp lmaSn ^naiaj mm nSsp psji naia yy
nai aySa Sp n'aSn nmaj mn nann psji nyi yy
Sp 'vmaSn BySa Sp vn'aSnS amaN Sp vi'aSn pa
iNaS Binm B'nSN nnNi 'jp "B^mS ami' aySa
S*mnS 'ip *py p ppiv amaN Sp vi'aSn SaN <=nnp
j NSaN anmnviNi p' 'aniN
1771 D'131 '3 1T3 B"B' 'D 73 t") N
U"3 'P3 |iPil ]P3 l'T07nO fi") 3
Dl?i3i yB'in '133 <]PU p 1P31 |ipil ]P3 13'3N D113N fi") J
D'HN D'131 '31 fi") ~*
DP3P ]'3ui D7ip P11P ]')l) fiiV) p"p3 n
mvp fi") 1
]')D UDli li 1PP1 0"P7 PP3 PPP Dy73 DC V3IPD ipf> 0)0 '
p\if> 0"Pi 13131 1'PB ]1'3 D'pHiP P313 1311 IIP 3"pf>l O'DDI i& Opiip
'33 ]')V 1313 O'IPPP 3113D 'P"r>P P3133P f>P13P HI D'311) 0'1373
PP'P3 Dl)i3 '33 ]')!)) PD'13 DP136
J'111'1 D31'3 1'BHV 3'P3 P31P 0'1PP31 nnB>1N3 1'EHl'l (JP13 p"33 n
nnB» 1N37
13 n03N '3N! DI'O' 1Vn' N7 nOIOl D'OI 'B»3N i"i B
py \i I'B-ii' Plan 3"ny? i'7ni3i nrn D7iya p?3iN p"; '
(4>)
nipya wn p^ nm
ra
fuaN nanN v iaia n*iSn N'np nanN N'n it 'n
j pJirvi nn nanN it iaia nnSn niwi nam
i"a
nj'NPi B"pnnS nsia B*ap bpS xnp npiSna Sa
: B"pnnS nsia pN B'ap bpS
n"a
^ap npiSna «B'ap bpS Nnp npiSna Nn it 'n
: mnp Sp mpSna it a*ap bpS mwi 3SS,m
va
N'anan Sai it Sy Na Nan ya B'ain na naian Sa
: naipn mpyS n*a pp'saa -") 3
miy (?3)i mp f>' ) 3
)'N1 13 '17n D'311 Non fi") "•
D'aii xon D'ain nN N'onni Non oy3T :fap pii dd3T ysv ipp n
! 7N1B" nN N'onn ib»ni Non ib»n 033 p oyai' nNon by 'w 13 'i?n
(4°)
nipya 'P'an pns maN
BnnN um *Sni p'p mm npix unua mma yaix
nyi ivy p* nS Nim onn« aump annN Spa nyi ivy
BnnN um *Sni fm -»Sk man annN umi jfm iSpa
jypi
a
npiy ivni iSin piian ma *aSna "mma yaix
npiy nSi iSm nS man npiyi nSm ima na'Sn lap
jypi
N"a
mapa **spai jisb B'aan usS ^apva nn*a yaiN
va Buaa Ninp n^pa San nN jbid Ninp aieo nan
nx naSipi pn nx nx'sia N'np mapa va N'uiai
: nSBn nN naSipi napn nN nN'xia N*np nsj anapn
a"a
nanN nSaai iai Saa iaia nnSn N*np manx Sa
t BaSiyS nSaa nvN iaia nnSn nvNPi
13n' fi") a N71 fi") *
N7 P"3 "" JIW f>") 3
P"j) IB'yD 13B> 1711 13'N1 n&iy :f"P 111 '7P ]P PPP P7P PIPP n
'13 n'37 (D)'37ina 3"m .n'a (n'^y
IN'XIDB' fi") ' D'3B»1'3 fi") 1
ppiipPP ]')» 13131 PV3BPP17P1PP3 i"3P P13PPiP3 1PP3 P3P n
P3PPP ]>)i)b 07ip
n'07iy fi") a
(39)
nipya 'P'an pis maN
T"a
nna 3tSp tSpi 'Sp 'Sp naiNn aiNa mn'a «yaiN
oy >np -jSpi iSp *Sp ana ma a'naiN pi nuiva
i ypi 'Sp 'Spi iSp Tan -nSpi 'Sp pN.n
T"'
nap nx* mnS nui BiyaS nu myna mna *yanN
npp napa inasn nx* mnS nppi BiyaS npp nasna
: ypi mnS nppi aiyaS nu n'an mxiS nui aiyaS
n"'
naNS maai yiapS ^inaa an'aSna mn'a yaiN
n'Bsn nx* naNS nppi yiapS npp lmasna nap nx'
maai yiapS npp 'Ban iaxS nppi yiapS maa napa
: yi pSn nT naNS
nyaiN fi") K
ir qpu p"33 3
P17PP i3 D'13 jlfip OU P7P P13I3 p"33 J
]Dl'i PIT ]1Dip Hipp ]1'3 ip'P PI 'iifn '13 lSPl'^1 '7B1 i"l ^
'iP3 jipi p 1P31 17B» 17B>1 17B» '7B' ]f>3 f>3P3 O'IPPP i33 i3P .f>P13P
*SP *SP1 iSp "Pn '?&* ^m '7B> 17B-
]Ppil ]P3 K')10 P"3 n
310 p?n (ir p"d) nr fi") 1
(38)
nipya 'P'an pis maN
*anian Syi pnn mvy Syi ym 'uy Sy aSiyS Na am
naSna nSp niina
i"'
apn SiSn Syi nip nyiap Sy aSiyS nNa nyi mn
ma'sp Sy mny iSj Syi nnT nmay Sy aSiyS Na niSj
: apNn aapn Syi B'an
va
'Nxiaa myapa n'yaia mana iam >a'pis nyaixa
uy ipya usa n'yaia ^nsp Saap mn 'Nxiaai n'yap
'Nxiaai mppap ^uy ipya usa n'yapa n'P'Spap
usa ^nip Saap mn 'Nxiaai n'yap mi's usa n'yap
: B'uy nuna Sn
D13P il>l .\"> 'p 3"p '» '13 D'3D D'llDI 7yi '13 nN3 3TI fi") K
P'i33f> ]1Di3 »PP7pP 'V PI P1P73 PV3DPP
'i?'3 7yi pNn no'DB* by\ d'di nia'SB' ?y D7iy7 Na ni73 ¥') a
IP13 133 ry ]')vzi ]V3 ]ii)^ pi 'iiPi ry ciaiy) by pi3pp uppi ni'iy
DEM 717'n ii33
D'131 fi") 2
laino fi") n
'3E> ^"3 1 13B'l n3B» fi") n
(37) 6
nnpya 'P'an pis maN
ii'an nan mnS bjbj ivni anaana uaa *Simip 'a usS
Sy naiNi =puya a'pai naSna Snip a'pnS Sna: u'ni
nS iaiN yap nSp na Sy fnnN fimN Syi jipni jipni
: aSua fn'SiSm na«n Sy nmai myap
N"'
pxpa ^nin'ay 'su nyap Sy ^'Na muyis u'a nyap
pxpa Na mixa Sp ayi pipya 'p*NP fnxpai pipya
nana Sp ayi ipyS nSp lias a'yap fnxpai B'a'yi
: "Na n"Sa Sp ayi mSn Sia*S nSpi Na nnxa Spi
a"*
11BB3 nSp nnma niniaxn mma Sy aSiyS Na nai
: ^nvyap nn*s Syi j*n maS
7113 NllE* '0 '3D3 V) K
P13PP 11PP |Pip3 i3f> D'IPPP 3113 f>D13P p .|'3D31 .1D3n3 a
HP3i lifip
ifi3313fi '"ii P136 PiP3 1PP3 P3P1 .13713 3'E»D1 )'3y3 7N1B- fi" ) a
13713 a'B»D1 |'3ya 7N1E* S|'D1D1 yOlB* a'B'O! 7N1B* 3'P3
D?iy? l'N3 fi") ^
p'N fi") ' m'ay-p"j n
ii7nn nN 7io'7 N7E>i (i'fii |fo) nN3 niiV3 b") '
rnxpoi D'ayi tnnpo 'n'ay 'su iy3E» by t'Na nwyna '3'o iy3B» n
•"33 II P3DP PP13 13 J1N3 1''?3 ?E» ayi 1B»y7 N7E> 11D3 D'yaB*
Add. 667 |pippp
pi piP7 i"u 'p '» .n'yaE' b"s °
(36)
nipya 'P'an pis maN
yi'N nSi aaSiya «pnp ipa nnan nSi pnpn npa nna
B'naaan n'a aiaT nxn nSi anisan ava Sni fnaS 'ip
nSi ausn anSai anSn mpai naiya Sias Nxaj nSi
may nx mm nnxu nSi maiyan nN a'apj ia'a
pm pnn nSi a*min annnpai B'Sisx anaiy jpyn
pSxp Bipan *S ix n*anS anN ibn nSi ¦'aSpii'a aipyi
: aSpima
a
iNan *si pNn *s mipapn f*a "iNiaa anan nnpy
anaam anam i'apm naam jam nppni pnxn '31
iS'Ni npa Sp inniapi B'pnan t)N pnaiN pn niniSni
: m"ipy naxa nax sjn anaix P'l U'aN aniax Sp
iaia ivn aann aana nyapi naSua anan nyap
EHpi ie»3 ybnn N7i fi") K
n'3(a) anr pnis N71 i"3p ipppp oipp pip pi cippp 3ii 'pi a
D'P3P 117P3 O'IPP D'13D D'l .D"n300n
P3 '3pp 6il II P3DP '3Pp PPl'7 fipp plP3 P3P '3 ]P33 D13D 0< 3
.D"P f>P"13P Ipi p'PPIP i3f> mil inS3 N71 D'DE»3 133 N71 D'P3P '3
isiyoi ('33 byv p"p) »xy 7E» B'N fi") ]f>3 D'l
D7E1T7 J'7iyB,3 '13 D7WD D7E»1T3 V) ^
niE'DE,iPiPiPP)ipii'3 |f>3 j'snsE'aiyacjPn pipppop 3113 n
jn 17N1 (ns'ETi oy) (JP13 f>")3 '
D7133 11DN3 fi") n 1'lE^n p"j '
(35)
nnpya 'p*an pis maN
n
ymnS eSiaa nayi ivaN amaN nam:> nui'BJ nipy
: ivaN amaN Sp mam *Nm naa
n
: an Sy annpyi anxaa umiaNS ipyj b'bj nipy
1
Sy npyi anxaa anxan Sy rripii N'an maa npy : an
T
ibvi 'jp nanaa aipan nN umiaN iau nuvaj ampy
t 'Sipa iyap nSi B'ays ipy nT miN
n
nPN mS'sn nS "Pnpan n'aa ^ipyj b'bj nnpy
niE'yd) 'pp iew) fi") a N'i ipp fi")z *
II P3DP 'IPP D'IPPP Pip31 IIB'yi fi") J
1E»y3 3'P3 D'IPPP 3)13 bzfi fi"l) V't (J7 PPV P3PP3 1P13 p ""
i*J3i73 13'ni3N7
EHpD3 fi") n
t 1P'!P3 liip D'137 'PP3P (Add. 667 jpippp) i"3P '"33 P3P '
dm .i"3« tiE*Ni naa nbv 'aaaa aan vnpis laa 'a n?'sn N7
]f>3 IP13P D11PP »Pi ilPDi
(34)
'P'an pis
N
NSm naiS maSn nai aSiyn Nnaj nnaxa mpya
B'ypin ja yiS'nS nSn niNianS Sia' *mn nnN laxaa
aia iap p'Si nnaNa nnpya Niajp aSiyn nN pnaNap
t nnaNa nnpya Niajp aSiyn nN B'a"pap B'pnxS
a
B'sx tin naa ymnS ro iyi aiNa mm nipy
an'Sy N'anp iy aiusS fB'yaa vn nnnn Sap iusS
: Siaan mN
b'Sn -jin naa ymnS amax iyi roa nnn nipy
amaN Nap iy aiusS pa'yaa in nnnn Sap iusS
: aSia nap napi u*aN
n'n ipp f>"33 *
1'3D7 PVP |»K31 t") a
7130,1 'O (nN) p"3 3
vby bpi fi") n
(33)
nbit ja *y*an pis maN
a-S
nnN fnia Syp aaua ma Sinpp fix* nmaa* *Sn
mia Syi *n nnN nnna Syi nSu nnN nnna Syi nxu
fSa usS fiapni yi \nb nmy nnN nnna Syi >na nnN
: nim B'aSan 'aSa
PPP P'3)P3 P'ifi PP7ippl II P3DP lii331 7N1 f»SP3 fi")2 *
17 D13D n'3 71NEO E"E» f>") a
'n nnN a"yi no nnN 3"yi iipp 17P3 )"• 3
(3=)
nbv fa 'yan pis maN
a"a
|pap p' ia p'p naa nSn jpipa Sanan Sn naiN *n
t ia pN pin ''Snp fpn jp' nSb pnn
S
fN'xia maam niNnm naipn ibin ispn nTyS i
: aSiyn fa bini nN
N"S
B'mm anvnnS amani maS amSn naiN nn Nin
Nim nxvn ^Ninp >ymnSi ymnSi ymnS ymS pn*S
Nim yi Sya Nim »iy Nim pnn Nim paan Nim Nnian
'Nipa nS Nnap nS nSiy nS iusS j'np ^pnS nmy
:°papn 'sS Sanp ym niSp Sanp nmp npa nSi bus
'13 17'DN |B"1 JB" J" N7D ]ipi i"'1 . TNO '31 f>") "
nvn7 fi") a
yi(i)in7i ynn7i yi'7 a"P 3
Nil 7N NinB* fi") "¦
iyn nu p"j n
(Nin 1113) J117 3"'l .|'17 PPP ('1 jn'7 fi") 1
NE-O fi") '
17E» 73nE> 1PP P"P3 "
(juB-n 'T7 fi")) ti3B»na Na bir\v fi") a
(3')
Nav fa *yn did niaN
i"a
iSpanai napn Sn na*iN Ssja naiN japn SNiap
: "ipS Sv Sn
ra
nan Nin naS nS' naSn naiN amaN fa yp'SN
vnS nan Nin naS fpi naSm pnn i'u Sy nama vnS
: pma i'u Sy nama
n"a
fa naSn iaiN 'Saan isa p'n nmn' ->p *av i
ima p* nnipi ninp a*a^y SbinS nan Nin naS auapn
niSipa a*aiy SbinS nan Nin naS aupjn p naSm
: fP' p* nnipi
dm .iqn i'7yo a'E»ni i'3'ya yn '" int p 3'P3 d'Ippp 3ii3 n
blfi 1'ni3iy 73 17 J'?niOB> 1070 ISN N7N 1DN3 N7 ISN Jim )f>33 )'D1!7
'i3P filPD 1P3 piPPP OP '3 PIP 137 P3PP fib D'p"17PP P3DPP '1PP3
(if>3313P pP3' |17i P13P PiP3 'v) ii3 PD17
1'13N fi") a
mm 1017.1 fi") 3
H3 3"'l 13 fi") ¦>
(3°)
nbit fa 'y*ai pis maN
a"a
aaiNn Sa biSpS a*ipa *in naiN pin fa »mno i
: B'SyipS pni >nSi nviNS aiai nm
ra
aSiyn usS mnTinsS nan nTn aSiyn naiN apy i
j pSpiaS Bjanp na ^hitiisS laxy ppnn Nan
n"a
B'aia B'pyai naipna nnN nyp ns' naiN nn Nin
nnip Sp nnN nyp ms' Nan aSiyn "n Saa nTn aSiya
: nTn aSiyn "n Saa Nan aSiya nn
n"a
nypa '"p'an nN nxnn Sn naiN mySN fa fiyap i
iS SNPn Sni iusS Saia map nypa uanm Sni iBya
5 mSpSp nypa miNiS Smpn Sni nro nypa
N'nno h fi") K
'N 737 D17E> )"') D1N1 73 D17BO fi") a
'in 7N1 f>"3 3
niDiisa iovy jpnn(i) fi") "*
na'i fi") n
(Add. 667 ]Pippp) 'tap '"33 p 03 6P13P 13 '
(*9> 5
Nav ja 'y*an pis maN
n"*
nSiy niaSn mupp maSna mm 'in naiN nmn' i: pm
to"*
roina nnai mm ina jn anna npSp 'aiN fiyap n
: fn'aj Sy nSiy aia bp nnai niaSa nnai
a
xn naxn Sni nnn aipaS nSu *m naiN a'Nnro n
: jypn Sn nnva Sni nin*a ma**p* ^mmanp 'inN Nian
N"a
nS p)ni a*ypin niSpa nS u*n*a pN naiN *nv i
: "B'pnxn niB'a
1107 n33B'E' 11073 fi") *
n'Dra 'i nSn ioe» 'Nmn3 "I «? W" :3"l? l"pp qi P3D3 P3P3 a
Tn30B» 'N1113 H IDE' Nip3 1D71 1DB> liy p 1W7N H n'7 '10N1 IDE'
n'Na H N7 N3n :3"l3 )"' Cp )'3!1U3 71J31 .3"l7 137n3 D'osn '3'y
13713 D'Oan '3'y TXO NUB? D"1 IDE1 N1p3 1D71 IDE* 'N1113 H N7N IDE-
'31 IDE* 1'0n3 '1 N7N IDE* 'N1W3 N71
'ia I'TareE*) in i'hn Nan n'ie* fi") 3
D'P'IV 7B> p!D"0 fi") n 101N n'n Nin P"3 ^
(*8)
nbv fa 'yai pis maN
nam nap aiS P' nnma nSay bni "nann B'^'aa
:nS p'S
va
iS >rop nnN mxa npiyn ibin apy fa myS i
inN nivap iS nip nnx nn'ay laiym nnx a'Spis
: nuynsn usS a*ina a*aia a*pyai naipn
ra
mixa bpS x*np naua Sa naix nSroan pnv n
: B"pnnS nsia px mxa bpS nvxpi B"pnnS nsia
i"'
maaa mSy a'an nmaSn maa n' iaix nmyS n
xiiaa -pi xnai iai 'Niiaa iman maai 'iman : a'ap
17 1PP fi")-i a 11333 qP)3 fi")Z K
D'OB1 fi") ^ 131p P"3 3
yiOE- p <|P13 fi")-i n
ppPP ]'P1 V39iD3 'lip IP^P i3D II P3DP3 f>3PP |1Di Pipi PPl f>3 '
)'3 113P1 (]113 P'P' fib PI 'Pi '3 (l7B»a fi")) IDXy 11333 3"il DP'3'3
1PPP1 1PPP ia
11333 fi") '
<*7)
Nav fa 'yai pis maN
N"*
uaa pus pnn ja laxy "ipinn naiN SNyap' n
ypi naip nNmna laS Dim nip nyiapi Sui na'N
: nn Dii
a"*
nSn nm* p j*np *n*n* p *nn Sn iaiN nn Nin
: nnN nSi f'NPn jnp *nyn aiSa*p naxn Sxi nnN
r'
isia uiya nnmn nN a"pan Sa naiN >pni' i
isib ipiya nnmn nN Saaan Sai ipiya na"pS
t uiya nSaaS
T*
nn*nm nnna pieyi ^pay aya nn naiN n'Na n
iS P' nnmn fa mSa*a bni anx Sa usa nn Ssp
'13 133 7NV0E" H 3"'l •IB'inn 73 '01N liyDE' H fi") "
173P fi") a
jn3(i') fi") 3
poya oyoo fi") "¦
n7oa b"i "> 'in p"3 "
(26)
xav fa 'yai pis max
af*p'saa laSS roa Sy laSn naix >
31 .1E'yn7N UPlfo ]Ppil ]P3 7'P' )lDi3 137P D'IPPP Pip 'Pi n
(D)13 11Sn7 )"'1 .n3DD 713N7 P3P3 p"331 .l"'1 'i3 f>lP 13 '
13n31 73 (P1D7) NI fi")
(*s>
I
xav p *yan pns max
naaa *a 'jp nvnan nN naaan naiaa Nin nT *n
: iSp* *Tiai naaN
n
nmayn ja anmai *nSp mxaS pi *in naiN *NTy ja
nixa napp nmay nniu nmayi nixa mnu nixap
: nmay nmay napi nixa
i
vSsa 'nn Sni anN SaS Ta nn Sn naix mn xin
pxp nai -jS pxi nyp iS ya^ anx n,S pxp nan SaS
: aipa iS
T
maa B'ap bp SSnan Sa naix >roa' P'x aa'iS n
5 ^BP.n SiS*na mta nnxi jjiip nnx 'taa uaa pynsj
fi"r> 3"? 'ui nnon(3)3 )P3 (JP13 fi' )z *
mai fi") a
IOIN .133' E"N DO'!? H t ]P ibfi) P>')DV 'PD |f"3 D' D'IPPP i33 3
p pni' h : noi b»13N nipnE* (dini 73 '3D3) nn bm 'in (ind) ind
: '3i ??noi 73 ioin npna
DE-n 717»n3 P3P3 f>ll Tr03 mN1 331E>3 UN fi") "¦
(*4>
'yan pns
N
aanN Saa naSn Ban *Nin nT *n iaiN Nan p
: a*nSapn naSa Saa 'ip
b'Sn nnN aia 'jp nx' nN paian mau Nin nT 'n
: my naiSa mna Spiai maja
y
'a -psa yu* 'jp ipSna napn n*py Nin ni 'n
naSiya n,S aiai nn aSiya ^ipx n,S aiai mipx SaNn
: Nan
DIN 1PP fi")3 a P11PPP PH3DP31 ]f>3 11PN fi") H
7V Pi3 PIP 13 "> <31 Tnny ,3 j"i 3
PIPipp P11P3 'il '3 P13PP lpippj )3 1P31 D7W7 p"i n
(23)
rvapy *p'Sp pns maN
maana a*ana vpyap aSai *ius Sy inasmi mnpiy
D*ana vpipi ^B'aiya vsw jS'nS nan Nin naS
: laipaa miN mma p'N vSy niNa nminn Sa nS'SN
ma
'su p p nro mnsi au'p naiN maan nTyS n
t naanS "niNnsns m'naaui msipn maSn nnm
naioa D'nn pE>i 310 Nia' 'a .ini' N7i i3iya iyiya n'ni '3E» *
D'IPD P31P3 P'Pli <|P)3 PI piPP :3E>n N71 in70 pN
73 73N f>"3 a
1'oyio fi") 3
p"3) nir'to j'N ia maB'131 niNa D7iyaE» nmnn 73 17'bne» fi") "¦
n!?E" 731' ?yi D'o C373) by ^inE* pya n'ni 'iw loipoo iniN (d'ptd
E"0' N71 3NT N7 niX3 n3E»31 )3yi W7y .Till Dn N3' '3 .INT N71 I'E'IE'
na niE»yo
D3PP DD DD'J D11PP1 ti"v )"v P1P11P P3PP3 f"lP 13) IDDn i"l n
NDDn ('13 fi")) P 3"il 'J"3 '? niO 'UN P31 Pip '13 PIP
nun nip pipp f>"33 1
D'31 ]1Di3 m(N)'10D'31 fi") '
ifiDD Pinw '3i> )iDi3''p 3"fii .ynvo ppis p .nmaia fi") n
Pil3DP IIP P7ip31 I31P3 P'PD P'PVfiV PP3PP P1331P P1P3PP
(«)
mapy *p*Sp pns maN
pmna pxami *nuSi Na miSS nxnn Sai nama mm
3inynS nSpi ainynS anNn fa a'yisii bv Saa aman
"fpma Sam naN p pnni naaa'p na Sy anS pn
: nmyaS
'i"a
px nin px nnn px ax ibin mmy fa myS i
fN naan pN bn mm f'N pnx mn px bx
nva px nyn fN bn naan fN nNT pN bn nNi'
pN ax nnm px nap px ax nyn px nva px ax
: nap px mm
ra
xm naS vpyaa nana maanp Sa naiN nn Nin
nnnxa nnm 'B'aiya tpipi pana vsjyp fS'xS nan
IPfipp 1PP fi"p31 .70131 N3 710'7 1X111 731 3"'l .117'1 N3' fi') * nmb
myio p"j a Tin t'Ttno fi") a
Ipmo f>"i n iaiDD'E» fi"D "<
(Add. 667) 'UP '"331 MI P3DP iD P'lPf>P 17P qipP3 f>"p3 1
noan ya dn noan ya mm ya dn nun j'N p« in ya dn : 'PPiP
I'n nyi fN dn nyi ya ns'a ya dn ns'a |'n ini' ya dn int ya
nun fN nop j'N dn nop
1N3 i"i n j'oyio f>"j '
(=.) 4
n'apy *p'Sp pns maN
a"a
mm* nan *aipaS aua ixipiP Snip' pa'an
|;'S anN aua '3P aaipaS aua ixnpjp anS nynu
: aanSN
ra
^aSiyn xnai lap "Sa anS pup Snip' pa'an
xnaj lap 'Sa anS pup anS nynu mm' nam
: iavyn Sx mmn aaS mro aia npS 'a ':p naSiyn
n"a
Sam jiro aSiyn aiaai roiro nipini nsx San
: mpyan 'sS
n"a
mpns nmxam pamya firo San naix nn xm
nnnms ap^sni cppa uunm nnms nunn B"nn Sa Sy
DlpO? 1PP P"33 N
(Dlp07) D'33 )N1p3B» ]fo 1PP f>"33 a
jipil |P3 non '73 fi") 3
D7iyn N133 13K> P13PP |P3 11PP p"33 ""
D7iyi N133 13E» (HDD '73 Dn? tn3E' 1Pf>PP ]P3 1PP f>"33 n
.iE>yon an 'a? i?ai N7 u'Jp ipf> *)PP3i .nB»yoi an 'a1? fi") 1
iB-yoi a"y N7 73N 3"m
nina p "3 n idiid nixoi fi") '
(=°)
n'apy 'p'Sp pns max
1"*
mi «minpn nui pxi Sp nn iaix Sxyap' n
j nnapa anxn Sa nx Sapa
nx pSuna pxi niSpi pmp naix na'py 'ai
: annyS anxn
a
vb anro mnnS va > ninaa iaix nn xin
i npmp naanS va nipnsS
x"a
'a w "aSxa xmup aix ann naix n'n xin
: anxn nx npy dnSx aSxa
o'diip D'l minB'n!? ni3i e»ni7 bp 'ii ]6a ))'Sy> dhppp i33 *
l)"il II PJDP bv D'31D
(ni'ay 1317 p"p) iny1? |'7'3io fi") a
ioin n'n Nin P)3'PP HPP3 71D1 7'P' )lDi3 nilDO fi") 3
1E»iy7 3"D nilE^O ]f>3 1PP ^
P'PI J'PD fi"') .(D'17N D7X3 N133B») 17 nyii3 ni'n' na'n fi") n
IDS' li IPfol P3 P3D 713 1P333 P133D 07P DlDi U»71P p"3pPD frlpPPP
PJJ713 fib P"P1 D1N1 nN IB'y D'17N D7X3 '3 13B" 1D1 D1N3 D1N1 Dl
(3P1PP i'lppi D"P 117 ]"!)) l"p7pi II P3P
(19)
mapy 'P'Sp pis max
i"'
maan maana anna vpyap Sa 'aiN nn Nin
maan fN vpyaa nana maanp Sai na"pna
5 na**pna
va
mn *uaa nnu nvnan nnp Sa iaiN nn Nin
*uaa nnu nvnan nn f*NP Sai uan nnu aipan
: uan nnu aipan mn "n
ra
Sp pn nnnp anvp iaiN avain p xDin n
pixn 'ay Sp nvaja ma na'P'i anSn nn'Pi d'nnx
: anyn ja anxn nx px'xia
T"'
nTaani a'pnpn nx SSnan naix 'yman iTyS i
nSjani u'ax amax Sp inna isani ninyian nx
iS px ^B'aia B'pya n'a P'P 'S Sy p)N mnma bus
: xan aSiyS pSn
ia t'NB'7ai ipfipp ipp 6"p3i .i3D'n fi") *
7E» n3'E> fi") a
>3pi) i-ui ]>3 ]f»a> i*3 qpu 71^1 na?n3 N7B» )f>3 qpi3 6"p3 3
D'313 !T3n '3D J'3?011 ('13 1DD11 IPfipp
D'310 D'B'yOl inn fi") ""
(!8)
mapy 'P'Sp pis maN
iu nxj nai nT fS'N nNJ na *nT fS'N rou na iaiNi
: ipsja a"nna iS'Na mSy pSya ani
a"*
n'aSn naiN i'Na i apa naiN 'nv ia man i
pSya uropaa inN iai mapi roipi apv Ninp aan
napi nS iapn pi •& lpsjs a"nna iS'Na 3)by
Sia' nu'y iNn npx anam nx napn fs nxa ipsj
'a' Sa npaSa ma' jsi Sn iropa vSy nspn imsx
: laSa an'B'i n^p ^ >a"nna ivx xn ^"n
namp ixan nxn'P Sa iaix xbii fa num i
nxin namp maan'p Sai na"pna inaan inaanS
: na"pna inaan px ixan
73i3 'fi oipp nr i?'N 1N3 no fiir» fi")i *
ir ni'3 iN3 noi fi") a
3insn i'"?y nbyo fi") 3
P'33 11PD PI 031) b")0 '"33 )3 1P3! 13'3pi 1DP" '"33 f>lP 13 ">
D'l (Add. 667 UP'PI D7'13Pf>p iD PP3PP D17Pi 1DP" D'IPPP 7pu
DP'3'3 1Df> PIPP'PPP ij; Pippi
'i3i T07n pvp n3iB»n 7a 3"'i .naiEi fi") n
in3B'DD (inN) 131 PVP 111D7n P"3 1
^333 pip 11PP3 PIP 13
17 3E"E> iy fi") "
('7)
mapy 'p'Sp pis maN
juai nna' piN Sy imuNi 'jp npSp iS'Sx juai
inyi *nx p'x l» 'xm naro tx 'jp bup iS'Sx
'ap nx i'btx ipx aipan Saa up nnx iS'Sx fuai
: -pnanai n/Sx xiax
iSpa iS jn naix nnmna p*x anmn* fa myS i
San ^aa 'a mna naix xin fai iSp nSpi nnxp
: nS un: -p'ai
X"'
nropa p'Bsai roipi npna nSnan iaix ^apy n
inn' p 1PP f>"33 a t"u ') '3 PiP 'u 7n i"i *
JiyOB' '31 fi") "" IOIN Nil 1113 pi fi") 3
i"'1 13'3PiD '"33 ]13P PPP PPPP P113 PPi P"p1 :in3E>DD fi") n
73i3 PPPP D'PBPi blfi pi'P P'PPPD PPPi fPpP PD3 PP17 '"p3D
PIl) P'lP 113 1PP3 'P'f>1D f>Sp3 137 '1P1 .'1P3i fPpp DipP3 7P1D
p"' P'DP13 piPPP ip (3f>1PP i"lPP |1P3pi P11PP bv '"til DUPi D11P
13PDP7 '311N ''P37 f>P ''P ''311N D73 DNIpl ION D13E> 71137 : J"t1 ')
]1Di J3PDP7 H3yn N3 7N 1Pf> o"pfi) pi'P3 '317^ ''P3 fiblV D'31 )1Di
.0*31 |!Di3 '311N IPPp I3i''317fi Dil3 DPipi 7pf>i P'P VTVfi^ fibfi 7'P'
fPp3 i"'l D'31 ]lDi DPDP7 PPP3 '37P 3P3Pi MP D'31 |1Di 'fi p"fii
]P 3311P PIP) fPp P1PD P7ip3P PUP ]31 0'31 ]1Di 031 7'P' ]lDi J3PDP
D17p P1PD DDP 13'Pil 7'P' ]lDi f>lPB pi'P ]P1 D'31 ]lDi PlPD PPP
)P3D '3PP1 D'31 ]!Di )i D'lPlf" 7133 1171 7'P' p"3pPD 'Pi fPp3 7ip3
7'P'i 'iPD fpp3 '31N IPPp pi 0'317P Dil3 ofripi i)73i 137P PIP
Dn3B» 71137 :n naN'l ^ DIPS '"Dl ]1'3D PIl D'31 ]1Di3 1P1P 137P1
[Pp3 UnX ]10i ppi '73 D'311N D713 DNipi 1DN
fi") 3 N3'3n '31 fi") 3
"3P ir> Pppip 'l P'3P 1DP" Pl»f>1P 17P qipp3 P31P D'1PP3 '3 137 1
313'P )"D1 P713f>P ]'3r>i PDPPP1 ]'7P |'31?i OD 17P'P3 PDiDP '3 'PPI
1131 P13137 p"P31 ,®b&2 P"7 fi"v )"' Cil P31p P3PP7 P1PP1P
7DP PVP1P 1P'3P 71331 7pf>Pl D'3DP1 PDiDPI P1DJ3P i"3P D'3'3PPP
PDVPO IPPP 1131 fib S3P 6ppip '1 jf>3 f»3P
(15)
mapy 'p*Sp pis maN
an*va pNi f*apv vnp bup ibin pmn p num n
ap' nS B'xS apiaai 'jp b*xS apia m nn nnm nan
nvap *nnn nana ppaiyi papv vnp bup SaN
: 'ui inyi Sn p'n '" 'Ni' naro tn 'jp aanu'a
i
B"p lS'Na ainan vSy nSya roipi apvp nnN
Saj 'a ami nna ap' up mSia nninn Sa nN
: vSy
n
nnN pSp Sy ^pSaiN vnp npSp ibin pyap i
ama naTa iSaN iS'nb *nn nnm nai vSy iibn nSi
t aipa 'Sa nNix «*p iNSa nunSp ^a 'a up
'131 Dl'3'3 E"l fi") 711) DM 'l3 'P3 jipil ]P3 nnna J'pDiyi fi") K
mm
'13 'P3 |ipi) |P3 D1'3'3 I'llE" fi") 711) D'l DIDy fi") a
.1"3pnE' min3 pDiyi 3E1'B> UN i'p'DNB' po D^E" N7N '7 J'N fi") 3
fi"v 'l qi P1313 )"i;i iaB> b y3ip
P1ipf> PH3DP3 PI3 D'IPP DM3D D'l 173NB> fi") ~*
'11 1PP f>"33 n
(-4)
'P'Sp pns
N
apxi anai npSpa *Sanpn iaix SxSSna ja mapy
nSm nnx ^pxSi nnxa pxa yi nmay n'S xa mx
nnxa pxa *yi papm \n fn'S mny nnx 'a usSi
'a usSi mySim naiS iSin nnx ^pxSi nmiB ns'aa
B'aSan 'aSa nSa usS fiapni \n p'S nmy nnx
: 'Xin mia
a
Sp naiSpa SSsna nn iaix aunan pa nnum i
: %uySa d"n inyi nx p'x nxna u'SiS'xp maSa
'NI fi") a 73PD1 fi") «
iN71 fi") ^ )"U fi"' 737P33 PIP p 3
yi 1PP fi"33 "
ny7ini (ion fi")) idi nay) Dipo? fi") 1
n"apn fi") T
PlPipP 1PD31 1,P3 N3'3n fi") n
N7D?NE> fi") Q
1PP3 |lDi3 iy73 fi") "
(13) 3
naiN 'ai up pis maN
"¦on am b'Sn nix Nin funi ainn Sn 'a 'jp Nin mna
: n,axy usa ypi nn' Sni
n"'
a'pnp na mnm maSS anpp nn iaiN iTyS i
t ^naNSa Sya Nin 'ai Say nnN *a usS ym ainp'SNS
&">
B'Syism nana naxSam nxp Bin naix fisia n
xS naix nn Nin pnn n'an Syai nann napni B'Sxy
bx "SaaS anin fa nnx xSi majS naxSan -pSy
Sya xin faxji nam nap nS funu nam mm nnnaS
Sp fiap jna ym nnSiys nap nS bSp'p npaxSa
: xiaS nmyS B'pnx
nyn 7y Dn3i iDn 311 D'sn iin nu Dinn jun 6n) '3 fi") N
npE* fi") a
yn ]P3 <7P13 6"33 3
D'IPPP 3113 711)1 .13"' P3DP3 |Ppi73 in3N70 7y3 N11 J0N31 fi") n
in?iya 13E' 17 D^'E1 DD P13P33P P)3'PP ]f>3 D3 f>3PP
13DD 70317 f>"3 n
(")
naiN *ai up pns maN
n"*
maa *n* ibin nTyS i anai npSp nax *pi
av aipi aiyaS nu nn Sxi nSpa n,'Sy a'an nman
aB'aan Sp pix roja aanna nni npma usS nnx
Syip na'PJ pa'PiP nnan xap pSroa mm nm
annan Sai spp npmS ppmSi aipy nx'py fnx'pyi
t px *Sroa
va
nvian nxjpi ym ixi nyi yy iaix ypim i
: aSiyn fa anxn nx px'xia
T"a
nppnn nSpa mSy ^a'an nman paa 'm iaix 'av i
bpS in' mpya Sai nS npim nvxp mm maSS naxy
? B'BP
T"'
nnxpai nSsnai yap mnpa nnT nn naix pyap n
aipan usS *auunn xSx yap -jnSsn pyn Sx SSsna
ti fi") «
|ipi 71131 .D'D3n7B"N'33 Donno 'im 1PP f>"P3D p"l>P i"}3 a
nan N7EMn7n3a fi") d>
3'3n ipp f>"33 n y-in fi") -
D'3i3nni D'om fi") 1 ]pnnt fi") n
do
ibin 'ai up pis maN
BUTNa epa Snip' 'aan Sa vn' bn iapa naiN
yiaa nup epa -jny fa nTySNi *pay aupmn p nTySNi
: aSia nx
a"'
pan'p anaia nil xn it 'n 1x11 inx biS ibn
lan naiN ypim n naia py naiN myS 'an anx na
nN nNim ibin fiyap ni aia jap naix 'av ni aia
nx ux nxii anS lax aia aS iaix myS i nSun
: aanai man SSaap 'Banana iiy fa iTySx nai
roaa pnnn'P nyi im xn it 'x lxm ixx anS nax
11 yi lan iaix ypim ii nyn yy iaix myS i anx
nnx bSpb ivxi nnSn naix fiyap ii yi pp iaix ov
ypi nnS 'jp ^xin ipa aipan fa nnSa anxn fa nnS
anS nax yn aS naix myS i pui pin pnxi bSp' xSi
mai SSaap aanaia my fa iTySx nai nx ux nxu
x aanai
Dnoy f)N fi") K
PI plP7 'fi P3DP ]"D niB" fi") a
)"' P3DP3 ]Ppi) ]fi3 D3H31D PiP '">PP P"J3 3
PIPipP 1PD31 |P3 '1 '3 1PP1 .DlpOl ]D 11? 17N3 fi") ""
(io)
ibin 'ai up pis max
nip nnm nai iS nip laxyS nip aia bp nip biSp
: xan aSiyn "n iS
a
naix nn xin 'xapai SSna Sap *xbt ja pnv fai
i,aS 'a naxyS naia ptnn Sx nam nnm *mpy ax
; nmxu
jn iS'xi 'xaT fa finv faiS iS vn B'maSn npan
pan ov ii nuin fa ypin' ni aupmn fa aiTyS i
roia nn xin iiy fa mySx m SNini fa fiyap ii
ns'a naNa u'np no na aupmn fa nTySN jnap
pyap non "pan ov mnSv *ipn mum ja ypin'
: iaman ^'ya fiy fa iTySN Nan Nm Sxmi p
N"'
BUTxa epa SxnP' 'aan Sa vn' bx iaix nm xin
Sixp xax fSa nx yiaa nup spa aupmn fa mySxi
nnn ppp n3io ]'P13 0' *ipi .13"' 'r> yv mo'1? ]f>3 3"i "
pi ppp pi fapp iry'7N DDi iry?N dd |'3 dippp uid'P 'pi a
P31P PlPipP3
133D 1Pf>P Ofi li'Pfi '3 V13P1 1tl)'i6 '1 P1PD D7ip '1 |P3 )"b 3
'1 DD3 1'7'Pipi 6ip |3P1' piD 7"pp 13PP3
13D1P' '•) iD 1'3P OD |f>3 1PP D'IPPP P3p3 ""
i131 '133 11PP3 »D1' fi") n
J'yD3 fi") '
(9)
ibin *an up pis maN
*yapnS iS ips'xp iai laxn Sxi laipaS yunp
: nisn xS xap nipx misxpa naxn Sxi aisop
1
pixn ay nSi Nan Nn' ma pN naiN n'n Nin
nanan Sa nSi naSa fnspn nSi naS fp'an nSi non
: p'x mnS Snnpn B'Pix pxp aipaai Bona nmnaa
T
naxi d'an us Sy nsxp nnx nSuSu nxn xin t\a
: jisia' ms'aa epai n,iS'aN ns'axn ^Sx nS
. n
aoai naia nan nana npa naia naix nn xin
anay nana naT nana nmsp nana mixn nana
naia nnn nana aopa naia a*Pi nana Sn nana
naia npnx naia na'P' nana naan naia B'm
PPl3i 13"PP i"3P '"Dli PPVPP ''PP i3P •yiOE'7 IB'SN 'NE" fi") *
TD3U DIPDi il3' PPPD PUP iD 137 in 1Pf>P bfi IPlis :i"ll 13'3PiD
i"3U DIPDi 13lfi 13P IPipi fibfi qiP3i UPDPD
yDEM7 PiP ]P3 fJ'PlPi 1'li P"P1 -131D1 Plipi IDPfil 3
'"33 filP 13 "" n33NB'37 fi"3 a
D'B>3 1310 )ipi P13P33P P13'PP ]f>3> 13'JP D'IPPP 3113 n
D'SE'3 .1310
naio ixy naio qpu >pf>}P 7113 .loan naio n3'B" n3io fi") 1
(nnn fi"j) i3i3n
(8)
ibin 'an up pis maN
amaN maTP bop bpS jnay *B'Say vn' na'xn ay
nap aa'Sy af*Sya anxi nyS maiy ppnxi jnyoa
: an'py iS'Na
imxS nSn binS ^paipa pxp mpia annT nn
anxS pnaiy pxi pxin nypa pamxa npxnii faxy
: ipnn nypa
n
liixi npyp na *]iixia uixi npy naix nn xin
B'inx fixi Saa'P na uixi usa roixi Saa uixia
t n,iixn usa
n
Sxi na'xn ja naxy pnsn Sx iaix SSn n
ny -pan nN pin Sni nma av ny naxya faxn
D'boyi PPP D'pDiyi b'vb p 1P31 D'pDiy fi") K
'3N i7yo fi") a
iain iaB» 3"i 3
D1N7 PiP '3Pi II P3DP3 |ipil ]f>3 1? PiP PPP13 p"33 1
!'N13 P"3 n
1 P3'P PP3P3 b")0 '"33 i3P 1 1PP p"33 '
loxy 1PP fi"33 '
(7)
up pis
N
Sa BiNn iS ma'P nip' mn N'n it 'n ibin oi
i\m mi anNn fa iS «mxsn npiyS mxsn x*np
Sp fiap fna ym* nnx pxp anmana nSp nixaa
ni'ay iapi nnap roia mxa nasn apna nni nixa
n'S xa nnx pxi anai npSpa Sanam nnasn roia
Sai nyaip jtixi mxn yy naa nSyaS ma yn ni'ay
: aonai nsaa n;pya
a
maSn ns' iaix x'Pin nmn' i Sp ua Sx'Sai fan
nnn "Sai fiy nnapa anup nyu'P pix yn ay mm
d'Sayn Sai fiy nnuS nSaa nso naxSa nay ya^
iiionss fi") a niNani fi") N
]lDi3 'D11P ]"V |133P PI 'ilf>l 10 1PP 'P'fi~> 10fi 7PP '"33 J
VI 1DP ¦" P'i33fi
i"3P -"33 p"i3 P3P in 731 yy ]i?i 3'P3i 731 yy ]fis 3-P3 n
ni1131 fi") 1 '1P3i OD P3D3 '131 llin 731 1PPPPD
(6)
Sap npa fipxi pis max
T"a
nann npyi aya max yap nnmn npy iaix 'xap
: ms' bus iaaa aixn Sa nx Sapa 'im
r
Sni psen fa pSnani an n,S npy naiN Sn'Sbj fan
: mnaiN npyS nann
n"'
mNxa nSi B'aann pa mSro o' Sa ibin ua fiyap
nSn ip*yn xin piian axS *npmp xSx aia nuS
t xan xoa anai naian Sai npyan
^"'
aSiyn anan npSp Sy iaix Sxnai ja fiyap jai
: oiSpn nyi naNn Syi pnn Sy 0"p
ip'nE> N7N ppp ipwo fi") *
nE"yo N7N ip'y Nil EH1D N7 f""i p D'l N71 f""3 a
'3 'p b'ob y» ioiy fi") 3
P'f>li 1PP13 lifip P13'PP .D3'iyE'3 lOaE* D1?E'0BE'D1 nDN'3E> ^
i'lPPi p"7 1PP OU PP73P '"Dli PPl'PP ''P3 i3f> .D'IPPP 3113
nUiaa .^031 .*liip D'137 'Pf>3P p"?i l3"pD P3D3 fipfilPl 3P1PP
P1DS DE* a'na PN
(5) 2
Sap npa ppNn pis maN
a"'
lainn nbp Banana nnm ''aan naix p*Saax
B'maSnn inp*i a*ym a*an aipaS iSmi niSi nam
t SSnna bop bp xxaii ima*i aa*mx a*xan
i"*
Sp vmaSna *in iaix SSn fna iSa*p *nbpi SSn
pnpai nvnan nN aniN biSp epm biSp aniN fnnN
: nmnS
n"*
»)*bib xS *n *xbp nax *xap nii naix n*n xin
: t|Sn ^xina panpx ni a*m xSap at)S*' xSm a*)iB'
ra
na oxyS *iNPai *S *a *S *iN px bn naiN n*n Nin
: maN vpay nS *bx ux
,TDE» fi") «
S|'D' fl'DV N711 fi") a
S|'7' N711 fi") 3
JP'PP 117 bi) 7113 1Pf>31 :i"l D"3P1P 7"S N3NP3 Plipi IDPf1! ^
i"313 N7 N3'inX N13i J'X TD7n (C)PDP >"p)
DN1 f>"3 n
(4)
Sap npa fipxn pis max
n
lannn Sxi yn jbpb pnm naix 'Saixn 'xna
: nuynsn ja pxmn Sxi ypiS
a
ja nmn' ana iSap nap p pyapi 'xaa ja nmn'
'Sya vnpai au'nn *'aiya naxy pyn Sx iaix 'xaa
nusSa piasipai B'ypia -pvya in' *]UsS pnaiy ^ynn
t ynn nx p'Sy nSa*pp jB'pnxa mvya vn'
anyn nx mpnS naia nn iaix nap p fiyap
i ippS naS' fama nbp miaia "mm nm
nN amN naiN n'yap jna iSap jvSaaNi n'yap
PNmn nNi miPiS ymnn Sni nuam nN NiPi naNSan
: nuynsn ja
j'3'i byi i'.teoi fi") a 'anya f>"3 *
t'Nars fi') :
r'ir fi") n !?3pB'37 fi") 711) DM 173pE'3 fi") ""
D3H313 llin D'D3n |1'il336i PPl'PP 1pf>PP )63 D3 >pfiiP fi")Z 1
.'p P3DP b'l)b ]•>» ]!33P PIl '31 B»N'nn 7N1 ]P3 1PP D'IPPP 3113 '
P133PP 31ip '3PP p'PUPP P1313 'ilPD i"'l i"3P P13'PP 13D3 13 "p p"fi\
PiP 1pf> DD 3P33P 1PPPP ]f>3 (JP13 p>pil yEH7 PiPI niEH7 PiP ]'3
yBH7
(3)
Sap npa jiPNn pns maN
n
aSpim p'n pnv p ^ovi nmx p'n iTyv ja ov
no nma n' naiN annnx p'n myi* ja ov fna iSap
mxaxa nmpi fn'Sin isya paNna nm B'aanS nyn
t annan nN
n
nmnS mns nma m' naiN aSpim P'x pnv ja ov
: npxn ay nn'p nam Sxi nma ua a'uy vnn
i
max -»p*a non npxa naim Sp nax mpxa
ami npxn ay nmp maia aixnp fBT Sa aoann
: Bin*i ^pii* isibi nmn *iaia Saiai laxyS nyi
T
fa ypin* ana iSap *Saixn "xnai xmis fa ypin*
Sa nx fi *im lan nS nipi an nS npy naix mms
: maT epS anxn
Spi' DD3 piPP O'fOPP '3P 7PP i3 Pip3 f>"33 *
13DO 173? b'vb 3"'l .ni'1XB"N )P3 1PP f>"33 a
N0X3 nniB* '111 f>"31 .P"3 '3 P'PT )"D 3
naion 73 fi") n inso fi") ">
'7 B'11' f>"3 7113 D'l b 111' fi") 1
'NnD DipP3 'Nn3 PiP IPpi) ]fi? "'iP D'IPPP i33 '
(*)
fiPNn pns
N
BUp*S ypinn ypin*S maai u*aa nnn Sap npa
p nSiron nBia *PiNS nnaa a*NOii B'xoiS aupTi
anoSn moym pna auma vn anan npSp max
: nmnS i"B ipyi nann
a
iaix n'n xin nSiron naia o'pa n'n pfrtn pyap
Syi nmayn Syi nnmn Sy naiy aSiyn anan npSp Sy
: a*nan mS*ai
i
naix n^n xin pn^tn pyapa Sa*p iaia p*x aii*aix
Bns SapS roa Sy am nx B'papan anaya vnn Sx
SapS «nSp roa Sy am nN ppapan anaya vn nSx
x aa'Sy bop nub 'mi bis
n3o by N7B> fi") *
(0
1101N DEO 131 1D1N1
D7iy7 n*?iN3 N'ao
D^yrr ton nai
iai
iflTD' pf> '33iD 71Pipp PPP13 'P3 pil3 P3DPP i3 iil3P '3D ]'fi) 7PP >"il
n'733N jie^a E'lis oyi mi3ni niNDis 'ai!?n oy
13p DllP Dl? P13713P PPP13P 'P3
mS'a biSiinb
ieodi B>npn pni* man1? b»ni
n'3E» nNXin
N'J'iaNBiNp
noann ehio7 ib>n Diam n'3a
p"s>b T"iin n3E-
nSiyrr jtok nm