with a select treasury of commentaries on all levels of Torah interpretation
Chapter 4 Mishna 14
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 4 Mishna 14פרק ד משנה יד
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Rabbi Yehuda says: be heedful of the Talmud, for an error in Talmud is accounted as intentional. Rabbi Shimon said: there are three crowns - the crown of torah, the crown of the priesthood, and the crown of kingship, but the crown of a good name surpasses them all. |
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בַּתַּלְמוּד, שֶׁשִּׁגְגַת תַּלְמוּד עוֹלָה זָדוֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם, כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן. |
Bartenura - "be heedful of the Talmud, for an error in Talmud is accounted as intentional" - if you made a mistake in a talmud ruling due to negligence of not examining it meticulously and you permitted the forbidden, the Holy One, blessed be He, will consider this as if you did it intentionally.
Chida, Petach Einayim, Bava Metziah 33b - why "any mistake in Talmud is accounted as intentional"?
Why can't the talmid chacham (torah scholar) be like the am haaretz (torah ignorant)?
This is not difficult. For the talmid chacham (torah scholar) knows how to learn [talmud] and understand. Due to this, it is a sin. But the am haaretz (ignoramus) did not learn nor understand. Furthermore, due to the greatness of the neshama (soul) of the talmid chacham, the damage [in the mystical worlds] is great, similar to "around Him it is stormy" (Tehilim 50:3), unlike the soul of the am haaretz which is from the world of Asiyah (lower world).
Furthermore, when the talmid chacham sins there is a chilul Hash-em (desecration of G-d's Name)..
Maharal - "be heedful of the Talmud, for an error in Talmud is accounted as intentional" - Talmud is the clarification of the reasons of the mishna (oral law), every matter according to what needs clarification. If one is not careful in it and gives an incorrect reason, he will come to deduce something which is not true. This is considered as intentional.
It is proper to ask: why did he say "be careful in talmud", and not "be careful in mishna". Is one not liable to err also in mishna? Why did he exhort on the talmud? Furthermore why does error specifically in talmud count as intentional?
The explanation of this is that the talmud is not like the mishna. For the mishna does not clarify matters completely. It merely states the law as it is while the Talmud clarifies the underlying reasons to understand the matter through intellect and wisdom.
Therefore, he said: "unintentional in talmud is considered intentional". For unintentional is error and the cause of error is the physical. For if the physical is inactive, the intellect is active and then there is no misjudgement and error. Thus, error applies to actions which pertain to the physical body.
And sometimes the intellect (sechel) which shines on the physical man is not with him and thus he errs. But for the [transcendent] intellect, it is not applicable to err. Therefore, "talmud is considered intentional". For since the talmud is of intellect (sichli), he should not have erred.
To what is this similar? To a man who walks in darkness and breaks objects in his path. Certainly it is proper to call him unintentional since he did not see. But a man who walks and has a lit candle which shines light and nevertheless, he breaks objects due to not putting to heart - certainly this is considered intentional. For he had a shining candle and nevertheless did not put to heart [to look].
Therefore, specifically "since any mistake in TALMUD shall be counted as intentional". For there is no matter which is completely intellect like the talmud, not mishna nor tanach (scripture). And thus he does not have the same shining candle when he learns these things and as before on the level of intellect there is no error at all.
In the talmud (Bava Metzia 33b):
Rabbi Yehuda ben Ilai expounded: What is the meaning of the verse: "Show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1)? [Answer:] "Show my people their transgression" - refers to scholars, whose unwitting errors are accounted as intentional faults; "and the house of Jacob their sins" - to the ignorant, whose intentional sins are accounted to them as unwitting errors. And that is the meaning of what we learned: "R. Yehudah said: Be heedful of the Talmud, for an error in Talmud is accounted as intentional" (Avot).The explanation is that the talmid Chacham (talmud scholar) who has a shining candle on his head, as written: "the chacham's eyes are on his head" (Kohelet 2:14).
Thus he should not err on any matter, always employing his intellect and thus not erring. Even for matters of the body he should be careful and not err at all. Therefore, even his unintentional mistakes are considered intentional.
But for an am haaretz (torah ignorant) it is the opposite. Even his intentional is considered unintentional. For he lacks the intellect (sechel, ie true intellect which comes through torah study). The am haaretz (ignorant) is entirely bodily and like someone walking without a [lit] candle. Therefore, even his intentional is considered as unintentional since he is [primarily] a man of the physical and error is from the [side of the] body..
Bartenura - "there are three crowns.." - written in the torah which the torah obligates honoring.
"the crown of torah" - as written: "you shall honor an elder" (Vayikra 19), which refers to one who acquired [torah] wisdom.
"the crown of the priesthood" - as written there: "you shall sanctify him", and "he shall be holy to you".
"the crown of kingship" - as written: "you shall place a king over yourselves" (Devarim 17:15), which our sages expounded "that fear of the king shall be upon you".
"the crown of a good name" - one who has done good deeds and has a good reputation due to them, even though we don't find the torah obligates honoring him, but nevertheless, he is above all the other crowns. For they all need this...
Tiferet Yisrael - "three crowns.." - not one of the three crowns nor all three together are worthy of being called crowns if they don't have a good name alongside them. Namely, through good deeds he can do through that crown.
For wisdom, lineage, or wealth are gifts from G-d. One did not earn them through his own efforts. If he uses this crown for good deeds, fortunate is he. He is a crowned king in Israel. But if not, he is the lowest of the low and the crown on his head is like a nose ring on a pig's snout.
Ahava b'Taanugim - "three crowns" - he said "three crowns" to exclude. ie do not say there are four crowns. For the crown of a good name cannot be attained without first attaining one of these three crowns. This is what he said "there are three crowns.." The crown of a good name is not counted with them. For it can only sprout and rise on top of them. Namely, after there is a foundation of one of these crowns or all of them, then the crown of a good name can sprout and rise. Thus he said "three crowns" and not "four crowns".
Aternatively, "three crowns" comes to exclude other external qualities such as wealth, might, sons. For specifically only the three crowns in the mishna are proper crowns to coronate oneself with and are worthy of being called crowns if he acquired one of them.
Perhaps he said "three crowns" to exclude the view that it is only one crown. For the crown of torah is the cause of all of the other crowns, since regarding the crown of priesthood it is written: "he (the kohen) shall teach your statutes (torah) to Jacob" (Devarim 33:10), and regarding a king scripture states: "through me (the torah) kings are coronated" (Mishlei 8:15)..
Chida, Kisei Rachamim - why did he not include the crown of prophecy? Because the prophet is like an angel and a man of G-d while our mishna is referring to human beings. Alternatively, the crown of torah is whole and when he merits the crown of torah wholly (b'shlemut), prophecy will come to him.
Ketav Sofer, Avot - "the crown of a good name surpasses them all" - as written: "one with whom people are pleased, G-d is pleased; but one from whom people are displeased, G-d is displeased" (Avot 3:12). Thus, if we see that the person who acquired the crown of torah, priesthood, or kingship, also has a good name, then we can know that his intent is l'Shem Shamayim (to G-d, not for honor, etc.) For through the good name, these three crowns also attain importance..
Yachel Yisrael - "there are three crowns - the crown of torah, the crown of the priesthood, and the crown of kingship" - the crown of torah is greater than all of them. Thus one who merits it is greater than those who merited only the crown of priesthood or kingship.
In the talmud: "a mamzer (bastard) torah scholar comes before a kohen gadol am haaretz (torah ignorant high priest)" (Horayot 13a). Thus even the person of lowest geneology (a mamzer) who cannot even marry into the congregation - he comes before the Jew of highest geneology (high priest), provided he has the crown of torah.
Another proof is from the vessels in the temple. The crowns (zerim) of the vessels which represent Priesthood (kehuna) and Kingship (malchut) are only in the holy chamber (Heychal), namely, the crowns on the Shulchan (Table which represents malchut/kingship) and the golden altar (which represents kehuna/priesthood). But the crown which represents the torah was on the holy ark which was in the holy of holies.
Hence, the torah is what brings a man close to G-d in the highest manner possible and thus its level is higher than the other crowns...
Indeed the crown of torah was written first [in this mishna] because it is the primary purpose and goal of everything.
The goal of the other two crowns is merely to draw a person to the service of G-d and thus merit the crown of torah.
The purpose of the kohanim/priests is to draw the people to the torah in pleasant ways as written by Aharon (the high priest) who "loved peace and pursued peace, loved the public and drew them close to the torah" (Avot 1:12).. and likewise the purpose of the kohanim/priests and the tribe of Levi is to teach torah, as Moshe blessed them: "they shall teach Your statutes to Jacob and Your Torah to Yisrael" (Devarim 33:10).. and in parsha Mishpatim, when there is a question in a torah law "and you shall come to the Levitic kohanim and to the judge who will be in those days, and you shall inquire, and they will tell you the words of judgment" (Devarim 17:9)...
Sometimes, there are those who refuse to hearken to the laws of the torah. This is where the king comes in, whose purpose is to punish those who rebel [against the torah law] and return them to the good path..