with a select treasury of commentaries on all levels of Torah interpretation
Chapter 6 Beraitha 9
with select commentaries
Abbreviations used in this translation:
RSHI - Rashi Commentary (1040-1105)
RMBM - Rambam (1135-1204)
BRTN - Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura Commentary (1445-1515)
TFRT - Tiferet Yisrael commentary (1782–1860)
YONA - Rabeinu Yonah (1180-1263)
MHRL - Derech Chaim - Maharal of Prague (1525-1609) (from hebrewbooks.org/14193)
VLNA - Biur HaGra of Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna - (1720-1797)
| Commentary Legend: | |
 | - for basic commentaries as relating to the plain meaning (Pshat). |
 | - elaborates more into the theme. |
 | - deeper in, Maharal of Prague. |
 | - more themes in the text. |
Chapter 6 Beraitha 9פרק ו ברייתא ט
| Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda would say in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: beauty, strength, wealth, honor, wisdom, older age, elderliness, and sons are becoming to the tzadikim (the righteous) and becoming to the world, as written: "old age is a crown of glory, [if] it is found in the way of righteousness" (Mishlei 16:31). And "the glory of youths is their strength, and the glory of elders is their age" (Mishlei 20:29). And "the crown of the wise is their riches" (Mishlei 14:24). And "children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers" (Mishlei 17:6). And "the moon shall blush and the sun shall be abashed, when the L-ord of hosts shall reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be honor" (Isaiah 24:23). Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya would say: "these seven qualities which the sages have enumerated [as becoming] for the tzadikim, were all of them realized in Rebbi and his sons". | רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יְהוּדָה מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי אוֹמֵר, הַנּוֹי וְהַכֹּחַ וְהָעֹשֶׁר וְהַכָּבוֹד וְהַחָכְמָה וְהַזִּקְנָה וְהַשֵּׂיבָה וְהַבָּנִים, נָאֶה לַצַּדִּיקִים וְנָאֶה לָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם טז) עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת שֵׂיבָה בְּדֶרֶךְ צְדָקָה תִּמָּצֵא. וְאוֹמֵר (שם כ) תִּפְאֶרֶת בַּחוּרִים כֹּחָם וַהֲדַר זְקֵנִים שֵׂיבָה. וְאוֹמֵר (שם יד) עֲטֶרֶת חֲכָמִים עָשְׁרָם. וְאוֹמֵר (שם יז) עֲטֶרֶת זְקֵנִים בְּנֵי בָנִים וְתִפְאֶרֶת בָּנִים אֲבוֹתָם. וְאוֹמֵר (ישעיה כד) וְחָפְרָה הַלְּבָנָה וּבוֹשָׁה הַחַמָּה, כִּי מָלַךְ ה' צְבָאוֹת בְּהַר צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלַיִם וְנֶגֶד זְקֵנָיו כָּבוֹד. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן מְנַסְיָא אוֹמֵר, אֵלּוּ שֶׁבַע מִדּוֹת שֶׁמָּנוּ חֲכָמִים לַצַּדִּיקִים, כֻּלָּם נִתְקַיְּמוּ בְרַבִּי וּבְבָנָיו |
Tiferet Yisrael - "beauty.." - for when these things are found in the tzadikim, not only will they gain through this but also the people of the world will gain through this.
Beauty will help grant the tzadikim favor before ministers and kings allowing them to work for the good of their people.
Through strength they will save the oppressed from their oppressors. Through wealth they will support the poor and destitute. Through honor, their counsel to heed the word of G-d will be listened to. Through wisdom they will teach the people to know G-d. Through older age, their teachings will be sound, concise and well thought out.
Through elderliness (very old age), they can tell over stories of past events that occurred on the G-d fearing and how G-d saved them. Likewise they can report on the wicked who were tranquil in the beginning but their end was sufferings.
With many children and grandchildren they will plant many fine trees (ie good people) in Yisrael who will bear fruit to spread knowledge of G-d throughout the land.
But the wicked use all these powers, everything for the opposite. Beauty for illicit relations, power for corruption, etc.
Binah Le'Itim 2:40 - "are becoming to the righteous and becoming to the world" - for when these qualities are found among lowly people, it is not fitting for them. For they damage themselves. It causes them to become arrogant and of inflated spirit on account of them. This then leads to harm to the world. For they will strive to rule and impose dominion over everyone.
But for the tzadikim it is good for them and good for the world. For they will conduct themselves according to reason and torah and will not become proud nor harm others..
Midrash Shmuel - the intent here is to warn a man that these seven things are powerful and one needs to carefully weigh them on scales. For one can incline himself to go in the just ways or to corrupt himself and become wicked. Fortunate is he who chooses to be righteous and woe to he who inclines himself to the other side...
For example, beauty is something which can raise a man to the level of tzadik as we find by Yosef Hatzadik. Due to his being of beautiful form and appearance, his master's wife set her eyes on him. But he overcame his evil inclination and conquered it.
But for an ugly person, it will not be considered such a righteousness when he distances from promiscuity. Thus in this sense beauty is becoming to the tzadikim...
Sforno - "beauty, strength, wealth, honor, wisdom.." - it is proper to pray on the tzadikim of the generation that they will attain these successes for their own good and for the good of the generation. He brought proofs of some of them from scripture and testified that even though it is not common to find all these qualities together in one tzadik but nevertheless they were all found in his generation - in Rebbi and his sons.
Ben Ish Chai - Birkat Avot - "beauty, strength, wealth, honor, wisdom.." - a talmid chacham who learns torah lishma, truly and wholly (b'emet ub'tamim) - he will merit these seven things just like they were fulfilled by Rebbi and his sons.
Chida, roshei avot - "strength" - certainly strength is good for the righteous to serve G-d and toil in torah, as written in the talmud: "your strength to torah" (cheylech l'oreita) (Bava Metzia 84a). For it is necessary to minimize eating and sleeping and to toil in torah and the like. This is the meaning of "your strength to Torah" (cheylech l'oreita)..
Maharal - "beauty, strength, wealth, honor, wisdom, , old age.. and sons.." - the intent is that all qualities (maalot) are fitting to the righteous. We already explained that the number 7 always teaches on all the levels of something. Seven always teaches on this. Scripture demonstrates in saying: "they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways" (Devarim/Deut. 28:7)...
These seven qualities include all qualities... and one who merits to torah merits all these seven qualities. For wisdom is fitting specifically (davka) to a tzadik. And when there is wisdom, if so, certainly he is a tzadik. For "if there is no fear [of G-d], there is no wisdom" (Avot 3:17). And when he is a tzadik, this leads to all the seven qualities.
In the previous beraitha he taught that one who toils in torah merits life in this world and in the World-to-come.. Now he comes to teach that just like through torah one merits the highest level, namely, the seventh level which is life in the World-to-come, so too through torah one merits all the qualities. They are likewise seven. He brought a proof from Rebbi and his sons in whom all the seven qualities were fulfilled. For they were chachamim (scholars) in torah and merited these 7 qualities..
Midrash Shmuel - "the moon shall blush and the sun shall be abashed, when the L-ord of hosts shall reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be honor" - for when Moshiach comes, the glory of G-d will shine on us and then "the moon shall blush and the sun shall be abashed". For their light will be as darkness as scripture states: "the sun will no more be your light by day; nor the brightness of the moon give light to you; but the L-ord will be to you an everlasting light, and your G-d your glory" (Isaiah 60:19).
"and before His elders shall be honor" - he said earlier that honor is becoming for the tzadikim, ie it is proper to honor them. Thus he brought a proof to his words from the verse "and before His elders shall be honor". For then at that time, those deserving of honor wil be honored, namely, the sages and pious who are called "His elders". They will be granted honor as is fitting.
Chatam Sofer, drashot chelek 1:72a - "the moon shall blush and the sun shall be abashed, when the L-ord of hosts shall reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem - the Rabbi of the generation is called "the sun".. while his chief disciple is called "the moon". For he receives from him like the moon receives from the sun.
He teaches that in the future "the sun shall be abashed" for they will have no preeminence as the people will hear from G-d, blessed be He. "and before His elders shall be honor" - G-d will dwell opposite them, so to speak, face to face. And even for the Messiah king, Israel will have no need for him.
Matanat Avot - "the moon shall blush and the sun shall be abashed" - this refers to the rich people, television stars, politicians etc. that the world honors greatly. When G-d becomes king over all the land and honor is granted to the servants of G-d, all of their imaginary honor will turn to one big embarrassment..
Ruach Chaim - "beauty, strength., wealth, honor, wisdom, older age, elderliness, and sons are becoming to the tzadikim (the righteous) and becoming to the world" - for these things are like the number "0". On its own it is nothing and even a thousand of them does not add up to "1". Only that through it, the number "1" can become 1 million.