REVIEW QUESTIONS ON MISHNAYOS
Prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
of Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim
daf@dafyomi.co.il http://www.dafyomi.co.il
Mishnah 1
1)
(a) What does Rebbi mean when he advises a person (see Tos. Yom Tov) to choose a path in life which is splendid for oneself and splendid for others?
(b) What is an example of where an act is splendid for...
1. ... oneself but not for others (i.e. others do not praise him for his actions
2. ... others but not for oneself?
(c) What does he say about a 'Mitzvah Kalah'?
(d) Why is that?
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2)
(a) What does Rebbi advise a person to do before says that before ...
1. ... indulging in an Aveirah that stands to bring a person pleasure?
2. ... desisting from performing a Mitzvah that stands to cause a person significant loss?
(b) To prevent a person from sinning, he advises him to remember that he is being observed from above (see Tos. Yom Tov). The ramifications of this are three-fold. Firstly, 'a seeing eye. What are the two other things?
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Mishnah 2
3)
(a) Raban Gamliel the son of Rebbi Yehudah ha'Nasi considers the combination of Torah and Derech Eretz a good thing. What does Derech Eretz mean in this context?
(b) How does Torah cause a person to forget about sin?
(c) What does he say about Torah without Melachah?
(d) Why is that?
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4)
(a) What does Raban Gamliel ... say about a communal worker?
(b) On what merit do communal workers succeed in their work?
(c) In spite of what we just said, what is the Mishnah's closing comment?
(d) How else might we interpret Raban Gamliel ...threefold statement?
(e) How does the Rambam explain the Mishnah's final phrase?
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Mishnah 3
5)
(a) On what grounds does the Tana advise the communal workers to keep their distance from the ruling power?
(b) Why does he find it necessary to issue a special warning in this regard?
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Mishnah 4
6)
(a) Raban Gamliel the son of Rebbi Yehudah ha'Nasi also used to say 'Aseh Retzono ki'Retzonecha'. In the context of giving Tzedakah, what did he mean?
(b) How will Hash-m will react to someone who fulfils this maxim?
(c) What did he also say about someone who negates his own will before that of Hash-m?
(d) What else might 'Retzon Acherim' mean?
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7)
(a) What does Hillel mean when he says 'Do not separate from the community'?
(b) What will happen to someone who ignores Hillel's advice?
(c) He also warned one against believing in one's own virtues until one's day of death. Which precedent supports this warning?
(d) What does he say about ...
1. ... judging one's fellow-Jew?
2. ... issuing vague statements?
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8)
(a) What might he also mean when he says 'Al Tomar Davar she'Iy Efshar Lishmo'a ... '?
(b) According to Rashi's text, the Mishnah reads 'Al Tomar Davar she'Efshar Lishmo'a ... '. What does Hillel then mean to say?
(c) And the Mishnah ends with the warning not to say 'le'che'she'Epaneh Eshneh' (When I am free I will sit down to learn). Why not? What is the danger in saying that?
(d) What should one therefore do?
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Mishnah 5
9)
(a) What does Hillel say about ...
1. ... a Boor?
2. ... an Am ha'Aretz?
3. ... a Bayshan?
4. ... a Kapdan - (who is short-tempered and who cannot tolerate his pupils asking questions)?
(b) What does he say, based on the Pasuk in the Pasuk in Nitzavim "v'Lo me'Ever la'Yam Hi"?
(c) And what does he mean when he advises what to do in a place where there are no 'men'?
(d) What does he suggest that one does?
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Mishnah 6
10)
(a) What did Hillel remark when he once saw a skull floating on the water?
(b) Why is Reuven not considered praiseworthy for killing Shimon if the latter is Chayav Misah?
(c) Then why did Hash-m deliver Shimon specifically into the hands of Reuven?
(d) What do we learn from the sequence of events?
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Mishnah 7
11)
(a) What does Hillel also say about a person who ...
1. ... eats a lot of meat (i.e. who is self-indulgent)?
2. ... amasses property?
(b) A certain Chasid would Daven to Hash-m to save him from 'Pizur ha'Nefesh'. What did he mean by that?
(c) And what does he say about someone who has ...
1. ... many wives?
2. ... maidservants?
3. ... slaves?
(d) What is the significance of the sequence of the above cases?
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12)
(a) What does Hillel say further regarding someone who increases ...
1. ... Torah?
2. ... Yeshivah (meaning Talmidim)?
(b) The alternative version of this latter statement is - 'Marbeh Chochmah, Marbeh Yeshivah'. Why is that?
(c) What does he mean when he says 'Merbeh Eitzah, Marbeh Tevunah'?
(d) What does he finally say about someone who ...
1. ... gives a lot of Tzedakah?
2. ... has acquired a good name?
3. ... words of Torah?
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Mishnah 8
13)
(a) Who received the oral tradition from Hillel and Shamai?
(b) What does he say about a person who has learned much Torah?
(c) Why is that?
(d) Why does the statement suit the person who said it?
(e) Three of his star Talmidim (see Tos. Yom Tov) were R. Yosi ha'Kohen, R. Shimon ben Nesanel and R. Elazar ben Arach. The best known of his Talmidim however, are the first two on the list. What are there names?
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14)
(a) In listing their praises, how does he describe R. Eliezer?
(b) What is the simple meaning of his praise of R. Yehoshua 'Ashrei Yoladto'
(c) Others say that he was actually referring to R. Yehoshua's mother. What is the statement then referring to?
(d) She never removed his cot from the Beis ha'Midrash from the day that he was born. Why did she do that?
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15)
(a) According to the Tana Kama, whowas the Talmid that R. Yochanan ben Zakai assessed as the greatest?
(b) Whom did Aba Shaul maintain as being the greatest?
(c) How is it possible to reconcile the two opinions in a way that they do not argue?
(d) And what did he mean when he described ...
1. ... R. Yosi ha'Kohen as 'a Chasid'?
2. ... R. Shimon ben Nesanel as a Yerei Chet?
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Mishnah 9
16)
(a) What did R. Yochanan ben Zakai e ask each of his Talmidim to go and find out (see Tos. Yom Tov)?
(b) What did R. Eliezer mean when he replied 'Ayin Tovah'?
(c) R. Yehoshua said 'a good friend'. What did R. Yosi ha'Kohen say?
(d) What is the advantage of a good ...
1. ... friend over a good neighbor?
2. ... neighbor over a good friend?
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17)
(a) R. Shimon ben Nesanel said 'ha'Ro'eh es ha'Nolad', and R. Elazar ben Arach 'Lev Tov'. What does 'ha'Ro'eh es ha'Nolad' mean?
(b) On what grounds did R. Yochanan ben Zakai praise the opinion of R. Elazar ben Arach?
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18)
(a) He then asked them to go and find out which path a person should most avoid. Why was it not obvious that they would simply say the opposite of their initial statements?
(b) What is an example of a Midah that is superlative, yet the opposite is not bad?
(c) All of them did in fact, give the exact opposite, except for R. Shimon ben Nesanel ('ha'Ro'eh es ha'Nolad'). What did he say?
(d) In what way can his answer be construed as the opposite of his previous one?
(e) Why in fact, did he not simply say 'Mi she'Eino Ro'eh es ha'Nolad'?
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19)
(a) R. Shimon ben Nesanel quotes the Pasuk in Tehilim "Loveh Rasha v'Lo Yeshalem, v'Tzadik Chonen v'Nosen". To which Tzadik and Rasha is David referring here?
(b) Whose answer did R. Yochanan ben Zakai praise this time?
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Mishnah 10
20)
(a) How many statements does the Mishnah record issued by each of the above five Tana'im?
(b) R. Eliezer's first statement was that one should treat the Kavod of one's friend with as much respect as one's own (see Tos. Yom Tov). What was his second?
(c) What did he mean when he prescribed doing Teshuvah the day before one's death?
(d) What warning did he issue together with the advice to warm oneself before the fire of the Chachamim?
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21)
(a) R. Eliezer compared the bite of a Talmid-Chacham to that of a fox (see Tos. Yom Tov). What is the significance of a fox's bite?
(b) To what does he compares a Talmid Chacham's ...
1. ... sting?
2. ... hiss (i.e. speech)?
(c) What (that a Talmid Chacham punishes with his speech alone) does the latter statement mean?
(d) And to what does he compare all their words?
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Mishnah 11
22)
(a) Which two things, besides 'Ayin ha'Ra' (an evil eye), does R. Yehoshua say will take a person out of this world?
(b) Apart from the interpretation that we gave it in Mishnah 9, what might 'Ayin ha'Ra' mean?
(c) What does 'Yetzer ha'Ra' refer to (according to the Tos. Yom Tov citing the Rambam)?
(d) What else, besides 'Sin'as Chinam' (baseless hatred), might Sin'as ha'Beri'os refer to?
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Mishnah 12
23)
(a) What does R. Yosi ha'Kohen say about other people's money?
(b) What did he mean when he said that one should prepare oneself before learning Torah?
(c) Why did he consider this necessary?
(d) And what did he mean when he said that all one's deeds should be performed 'le'Shem Shamayim'?
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Mishnah 13
24)
(a) What did R. Shimon ben Nesanel mean when he said that one should take care when reciting the Shema and the Amidah?
(b) And what did he say about Davenning?
(c) How did he base this on the Pasuk in Yo'el "ki Chanun v'Rachum Hu Erech Apayim v'Rav Chesed v'Nicham al ha'Ra'ah")? What did he extrapolate from there?
(d) When he said 'Al Tehi Rasha Bifnei Atzmecha', he may have meant that one should not do things today that one is bound to regret tomorrow (and brand oneself a Rasha). How does the Rambam explain it?
(e) What else might R. Shimon ben Nesanel have meant?
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Mishnah 14
25)
(a) What did R. Elazar ben Arach mean when he said 'Hevei Shakud Lilmod Torah'?
(b) He also said that one should know how to answer an Apikores (see Tos. Yom Tov). What is the definition of an Apikores?
(c) What did he mean when he added 'Da Lifnei Mi Atah Amel'?
(d) And what was his third piece of advice?
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Mishnah 15
26)
(a) R. Tarfon was not one of R. Yochanan ben Zakai's Talmidim. said 'ha'Yom Katzer, v'ha'Melachah Merubeh, v'ha'Po'alim Atzelim, v'ha'Sachar Harbeh'. What did he add to that?
(b) What does all this mean?
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Mishnah 16
27)
(a) R. Tarfon also said that the work is not ours to finish. Why is that a good thing?
(b) What did he say to counter that?
(c) And what did R. Tarfon say about a person who learns a lot of Torah?
(d) And finally, he said, Hash-m faithfully remunerates us for our work. How does he go on to reconcile this with the fact that many people do not seem to receive their wages (see Tiferes Yisrael).
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