Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

~Level 1~
Bartenura - "the yoke of the government (malchut)" - the yoke of the king and ministers (government).

"the yoke of livelihood (derech eretz)" - the toil and efforts in making a livelihood because his work is blessed.

"whoever removes from himself the yoke of torah" - one who says: "the yoke of torah is difficult and I am unable to bear it".

~Level 2~
Rabeinu Yonah - "yoke of the government" - since he makes his torah primary and his work secondary, The Holy One, blessed be He, will guard him from all evil and from the need to interrupt his torah study. And G-d will not put in the king's heart to take him for his work. He will be saved from the government to do the will of his Father in Heaven to toil in torah.

"yoke of derech eretz" - he will not need to do much work for his livelihood. A little work will suffice him to sustain himself. For the work of a Tzadik (righteous man) is blessed and he is happy with his portion.

"whoever removes" - he thinks to work a lot through abandoning the work of torah. But G-d foils his plan and puts in the king's heart to take him for his work. For "a king's heart is like rivulets of water in the G-d's hand; wherever He wishes, He turns it" (Mishlei 21:1).

"the yoke of livelihood placed upon him" - he will strain and wander after his livelihood but will not find it. And even if he finds it, he will not be happy with his portion. He wll squander all his days in vanity to amass wealth and increase it, similar to: "Whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver" (Kohelet 5:9). Thus all his days are troubles and he wastes them in toil and strain and he will not have rest forever.

~Level 2~
Hanhagot HaGr'a - immediately upon waking up from one's bed, to say wholeheartedly and with joy: "I accept upon myself the yoke of torah today" (Hanhagot HaGr'a)

~Level 2~
Orchot Chaim, Keter Rosh ot 71 - Rabeinu said something which experience testitifies on: when one gets up in the morning and accepts the yoke of torah today truly and wholeheartedly, namely, that he resolves in his heart to not listen to anything and no distraction will annul him today - then all the annulments (bitulim) will leave him and he will certainly succeed in torah that day. And according to the strength of receiving the yoke of torah in the morning and the strength of the resolve to learn, so too will be the divine help from G-d that day and the leaving of the distractions.

~Level 3~
Rabbi Avraham Azoulai - Ahava b'Taanugim - "whoever takes upon himself the yoke of torah.." - he takes on himself the yoke of torah anew every day what he did not have the previous day. For he always advances and strengthens himself very much to toil more. The Holy One, blessed be He, pays him back reward. For not only is a new yoke of the Malchut not placed on him, but even the old yoke which was upon him until now is removed as reward for accepting on himself the yoke of torah anew..

Furthermore, not only the yoke of the government taxes and fees is removed from him, but even for the yoke of earning a livelihood which is upon every human being to provide for his wife and children as the way of the land - nevertheless, G-d provides his livelihood without effort on his part. For his work is done by others...

"whoever removes from himself the yoke of torah.." - not only does he not take upon himself anew the yoke to learn torah, but even the yoke which was already upon him until now he becomes increasingly lax and idle always.

"has the yoke of the government, etc. placed upon him" - measure for measure, not only is the old yoke of the goverment not removed from him, but even a new additional yoke of the goverment is placed on him.

~Level 3~
Matanat Avot - it is written: "man was born to toil" (Job 5:7). Thus, every person must toil and endeavor in something during his life. This must be something heavy and pressuring that he is forced to toil in otherwise it is not considered toil. Hence, since man was born to toil, then only if he toils in something specific will he find satisfaction (sipuk) in life. For then he will have fulfilled the purpose of his creation and the form of man within him.

Thus for something very easy , there is no satisfaction in doing it. Only when man invests himself and toils in something difficult for him - then he will have joy and satisfaction when he succeeds in standing up to the thing he took upon himself.

Thus it is not enough for a man to sit and study torah lightly, such as reading the torah portion every day, or "chok l'yisrael", or tehilim in order to save himself from the yoke of the government and livelihood. For then he will not have toil - neither in torah nor in livelihood. How then will he find satisfaction and fulfillment of his purpose in life (to toil)?

Therefore, G-d fixed in the creation that only one who takes on himself completely the yoke of torah and this is his goal and life and all his labor and work is to attain a certain ambitious level in torah - he will merit to be exempted from the yoke of government and livelihood.

For since he has taken on a yoke, then he has what to fulfill man's purpose to toil, and there is no need to saddle on him another toil...

~Level 3~
Chatam Sofer - In the midrash "the sword and the book descended wrapped together from heaven. If you don't toil in torah, behold here is the sword" (Devarim Rabba 4:1).
The intent is that removal of the yoke of torah is not like transgressing other sins. For the latter, the punishment is destined for the future. For his book will be examined. But for bitul torah it is not so. The punishment is wrapped around his heel. For it is like two buckets (on a pulley). When one rises, the other descends..

~Level 4~
Siftei Daat on Avot (R.Yerucham Levovitz) - this is a great foundation in the service of G-d. A man must know this great primary principle. It is not like the world thinks, namely, that the primary goal of man's service is to acquire levels and good traits and much torah and knowledge (daat). And if it were possible to acquire everything easily and without toil, it would be good, but what can we do, we must acquire these things even if they entail much work.

This is a mistaken view in the world. Rather, the primary job of man is specifically - the work and strain and difficulty. This is a great foundation brought in Daat Tevunot, that the world was created with G-d's concealment (hester panim) and with the attribute of justice, namely, with the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and much (room for) errors. Because man's primary job in this world is solely - difficulty and toil. This is "man was born to toil" (Iyov 5:7). Namely, this is the whole intent and purpose. The whole creation of this world is only to be a yoke on man. The primary intent in everything is the yoke, that man will bear a yoke..

This is what we learned: "whoever takes upon himself the yoke of torah, etc." For if he accepts upon himself the yoke of torah, he has discharged his duty (yatza yedei chovato) of bearing the yoke of G-d..

And if he does not accept on himself the yoke of torah, then the yoke of the government, etc. is placed on him. For in truth, the entire creation is nothing but the yoke of G-d. And in this world, it is only a yoke, either the yoke of torah or the yoke of the government, work, etc. According to the level a man carries the yoke of the Holy One, blessed be He, so too will be the corresponding lightening of the yoke of work, etc.

Fortunate is he who merits that his toil is in torah. But one who did not merit that his toil be in torah should know with certainty that he will not remain without a yoke. Rather, immediately other loads will be saddled on his shoulders. For "whoever removes from himself the yoke of torah, has the yoke of the government and the yoke of livelihood placed upon him".

(translator: and even one who is rich and has no yoke receives the yoke of bad thoughts, sleeplessness, melancholy, honor seeking, etc. etc.)

~Level 3~
Rosh Avot - "whoever removes from himself the yoke of torah" - he removes from himself the yoke of torah like one who wants to remove something which burdens him, as in "they removed (vayitparku)" (Shemot 32, Rashi there: "like one who removes a burden"). Then he receives a heavy yoke of malchut (government) and derech eretz (livelihood) so that he will have no time for idleness. Thus he wrote "placed upon him" and not "he is given" or the like. For idleness leads to shiamum (mental instability) and shiamum leads to sin.

But for the Tannaim (mishnaic sages), even though some of them were wood choppers, water carriers, cobblers, etc. and certainly they did not remove from themselves the yoke of torah but nevertheless most of their time was spent toiling in torah and mitzvot and they were not obstructed by this yoke of work and livelihood. Rather "it is good the study of torah with the way of the world (Derech Eretz, i.e. work), for exertion in both causes sin to be forgotten" (Avot 2::2). And this is not considered "placed upon him".

~Level 4~
Maharal - through the torah, a man clings to G-d, blessed be He. Due to this, "whoever takes upon himself the yoke of torah has the yoke of the government and the yoke of livelihood removed from him".

You should know that there are three orders of conduct (hanhagot) in the world.

One, a man must conduct himself according to the conduct of the natural order, to plow, sow, and other needs according to the order of nature. Man is subjugated (meshubad) to the conduct (laws) of nature.

Two, there is also an order outside the conduct (laws) of nature. Namely, the conduct of human beings which stems from free will. Through this comes the conduct of society and the government according to what it wants or does not want, decreeing decrees on man. This is the societal conduct. Man is likewise subjugated to this conduct. He is subjugated to the king (ruling power) whose hand directs this conduct.

(Rabbi Hartman: this is more difficult than the first (nature). For nature is machine-like and does the same thing all the time. Thus man can plan around it. But human beings have free will and adapt. Thus it is more difficult to get around them than for nature.)

Three, the Divine conduct which G-d ordained in the world. This conduct is above nature and above [human] free will..

He taught that when man takes upon himself the yoke of torah, then he is with G-d and the yokes of livelihood and government are removed from him. He comes out from these yokes. For both of them are from the aspect of this world.

When he is subjugated to G-d, it is impossible for him to be subjugated to the government or nature.

This is what our sages said (Avodah Zara 5a): "the Jewish people accepted the Torah only in order that no nation or tongue would rule over them... and the Angel of Death would not rule over them".

Corresponding to the conduct of nature, he said: "the Angel of Death would not rule over them". Namlely, that they won't be subjugated under nature. for the angel of death rules over people according to nature.

Corresponding to the conduct of people (free will) which is above nature, he said: "and no nation or tongue would rule over them".

The general principle is that one who takes upon himself the yoke of torah, which is divine, comes out of the decree of nature and out of the decree of society which is of human beings and not nature.

This is as our sags said (Avot 6:3):

"And the tablets were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d, graven upon the tablets" (Exodus 32:16). Read not haruth ['graven'] but heruth ['freedom']. For there is no free man but one that occupies himself with the study of the Torah. And whoever occupies himself with the study of the Torah becomes elevated.."

Thus one who toils in torah rises up and thus his level is above the level of nature, the natural order, and above the level of society, the human order. Thus he becomes emancipated from these two kingdoms we mentioned.

The reason one who toils in torah rises above the physical world is because the Intellect (sechel) is elevated above the physical world.

Due to this, he is free from the order of the conduct of nature and from the governments. For their level is from the aspect of this world. But one who toils in torah comes out of the level of this world. Therefore, he said here that the yoke of the government and livelihood is removed from him. For even though man cannot live without a livelihood (parnasa) and he needs to work (melachah) in order to toil in torah. But nevertheless, he does not have the yoke of livelihood (derech eretz). Because his livelihood (parnasa) comes easily when he takes upon himself the yoke of torah. For then he is completely to G-d and is elevated above this world.

But if he removes from himself the yoke of torah, he turns to this physical world in removing the yoke of torah which is above this world. And all the while he removes himself from the level which is above nature and he instead turns to the physical world, then these two things rule over him, namely, the yoke of government and the yoke of livelihood..

In the temple, the Shulchan (table) was in the north. The Shulchan represents malchut (kingship, government), corresponding to the conduct of the malchut (government).

The menorah (candelabrum) was in the south. It had seven branches corresponding to the seven days of nature as known to the wise.

But the torah was on a higher level. For these two were in the Heichal (inner hall) which corresponds to this world. But the torah was in the ark in the holy of holies which corresponds to the level of the Upper Worlds (Olam HaElyon). These things are clear to one who understands deep wisdom... Through torah a man goes out free from their dominion and level. This is enough for the understanding person.

~Level 4~
Rabbi Avraham Azoulai - Ahava b'Taanugim - "the yoke of the government (Malchut)" - (kabalistic - the trait of Malchut, namely, the Shechina which governs the world and decrees good or bad. But he who accepts the yoke of torah can annul the decrees of the Malchut Shamayim. He can even annul the yoke of nature whenever he wants, namely, the physical laws of nature since the six days of creation. This is similar to: "He who decreed that oil should burn can decree that vinegar shoud burn" (Taanit 25a). So too for many other righteous men who could change nature.