Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

~Level 1~
Bartenura - "exile yourself to a place of torah" - if there are no torah scholars in your place (city).

"say not that it will come after you" - that torah scholars will come to your place.

"that your colleagues will [help] uphold it in your hand" - do not rely on your colleagues, that when they return from the Rav, you will learn from them what they learned from the Rav. Rather, exile yourself to the place of the Rav. For hearing from the student is not like hearing from the Rav.

Alternative explanation: why do I tell you "exile yourself to a place of torah"? So that "your colleagues will uphold it in your hands" - even if you are extremely sharp and knowledgeable, nevertheless the torah will not endure by you except through debating it with colleagues.

Thus he continues: "do not rely on your own understanding".

~Level 2~
Rabeinu Avraham Pritzel - "exile yourself to a place of torah" - for we see many times that the students who study torah in their homes, for it is comfortable and enjoyable at home, then the comfort overpowers them and the toil and in depth study of torah weakens.. thus he said: "exile yourself to a place of torah"..

"do not rely on your understanding" - rather join with peers to debate (l'palpel). It is known what our sages said: " 'a sword to the loners' (Yirmiyahu 50:37) - ie a sword of the divine attribute of justice hangs over the loners who study torah alone. For their toil is false and they will become foolish and not attain correct knowledge.

~Level 2~
Ahava b'Taanugim - "a place of torah" - a place where the goal of the people there is only toil in torah. All of their goal and aspiration is solely in toil in torah. This is called a "place of torah". For when a man stands in such a place, perforce he will sit and learn torah due to seeing the people there whose only desire is toil in torah...

~Level 3~
Merkevet Hamishna - the reason this mishna follows the previous one (three crowns..) is so that one thinks about the greatness of the crown of torah. It is the head of all crowns. Therefore one should not be concerned if he needs to suffer until he reaches it. Thus he exhorted to exile oneself to a place of torah and not be distressed by the sufferings of exile due to the resulting lofty purpose and gains he will attain. On this Shlomo said: "if you will seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasures.." (Mishlei 2:4).

Just like people travel and exile themselves from place to place, crossing seas, etc., unconcerned by the dangers on the roads and the sea. For in their travels they place opposite their eyes their aspirations of great monetary profits that they will gain and thus are unconcerned by the sufferings they will endure in their journeys and hardships.

If a person does this regarding torah, thinking of the reward he will attain through the torah and is unconcerned by the suffering - then it will cause him to acquire wisdoms. This is what Shlomo continues: "then you will understand fear of G-d" (Mishlei 2:4)...

~Level 4~
Yachel Yisrael - "exile yourself to a place of torah" - the Tanna (sage) used the term "exile", not "dwell", nor "go", not even "uproot [yourself]", but rather "exile [yourself]".

What is he trying to emphasize by choosing this term (exile)?

The midrash Shmuel says: "the intent is that he flee to escape for his life like a murderer who is exiled [to a city of refuge]..."

Just like the purpose of the exiled murderer is to save himself from physical death, so too one who goes out to learn torah needs to feel that he is saving himself from spiritual death, from becoming immersed in the cesspool of physicality.

Life in exile is not easy. One's livelihood is not found in abundance. Living conditions are not the best.

The Yaavetz points out that one in exile faces many hardships. He suffers humiliations and no one recognizes him.

So too the obligation to study torah exists in all situations, even when travelling to a place where no one recognizes him and he drops to a lower social standing.

To emphasize this, the Tanna uses the term "exile yourself to a place of torah". One who goes to study torah must conduct himself like an exiled person, with everything this implies..

The benefit from exiling oneself is intense study. To immerse oneself in torah with a mind free from the vanities of this world. This can only occur when one distances from his home and separates from matters of this world..

Furthermore, when a man goes out to a different place to study, he learns to value every second and utilizes his time to learn. For this is the reason he left his home..

The Midrash Shmuel brings: "the main torah study of a man is when he is exiled from his place, away from the place of his father, mother, relatives and friends - so that they don't pamper him and indulge him."

The main study of a man in his youth needs to be far from his family and parent's home so that he is far from the pampering of the home. Learning out of comfort and laziness is not like learning out of effort and strengthening over difficulties. A hint to this: "my father and mother left me but G-d has gathered me in" (Tehilim 27:10).

Another explanation: one who needs to move residence and is unsure where to go. The Tanna tells him: "exile yourself to a place of torah". When you need to move for reasons of livelihood or some other reason - choose "to exile to a place of torah".

One who needs to find a home should first and foremost seek a place of torah, even if this entails difficulties in other areas.

The needs of the soul come before the needs of the body. The spiritual direction is more important than the directions of the air [in the apartment]..

In the talmud (Shabbat 147b): "his name is not 'Nehorai', but rather Rabbi Elazar ben Arach.. Why then was he called 'Nehorai'? Because he illuminates the eyes of the sages in Halacha".

Thus Nehorai was a nickname of one of the Tanaim (early sages) who merited this nickname due to his tremendous sharpness.. He was the epitome of one who illuminates the path [in torah]. Indeed Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai said he alone outweighed all the sages in Israel in torah (Avot 2:10).

From such a great sage, surely we should find many teachings in his name in the mishna. But actually we find his name very, very few times relative to his peers, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Eliezer. Where was this sage hidden?

Our sages teach that while the other sages remained in Yavne, the place of torah and the sages of the Sanhedrin, even after the death of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach went to "Diyomsit". Diyomsit was a place blessed with springs of water with healing effects. The place also excelled in wine making.

The talmud reports what happened to Rabbi Elazar ben Arach after he returned from that place, after a prolonged stay in this place of rest. He returned to his peers and wanted to return to his studies. He opened a chumash (torah) where the first mitzvah is written (Parsha Bo): "this month shall be to you.." (hachodesh haze lachem..)

Instead of saying "hachodesh haze lachem.." (this month shall be to you), he said by mistake "hacheresh haya lebam" (their heart was deaf)!

Due to the prolonged time he spent without his peers to push him in learning, he distanced so far from his studies that he erred even in identifying similar hebrew letters. The letter "Dalet" became "Reish", "zayin" became "yud", and "chaf" became "beit" and he said: "their hearts became deaf".

It was not a coincidence that he said these words. From Heaven, he was shown just how much the distancing from a place of torah damaged him. His wellspring was blocked and his heart closed. His mind no longer grasped words of wisdom, like a deaf man who hears nothing.

When his peers saw the extent of what happened, "they prayed for him and his torah returned". Through the power of their prayers, his peers, the great tannaim (mishnaic sages), restored his torah to him. But "a miracle does not occur every day". Not every person merits to friends on the level of the Tannaim who can repair what he corrupted.

Therefore, the Tanna exhorts every one of us: "exile yourself to a place of torah"!

"do not say your friends wil come after you" - in the talmud there (Shab.147b) it implies that desire for comfort is what drew Rabbi Elazar ben Arach to Diyumsat. There it says that the beautiful and healthy waters there: "destroyed 10 tribes of Israel". Rashi there explains: "they were drawn after enjoyments and busied in that instead of torah. Thus, they went out to evil ways."

Hence, it is the drawing after physical pleasures which prevents a man from toiling in torah study.

Even regarding Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, the talmud says there: "he visited there", but afterwards "he was drawn after it" - he was drawn after the pleasures (Rashi: after the wine and bathing). Thus, automatically: "his learning left him"..

In the Midrash (Kohelet Rabba 7): "Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai had five primary disciples.. when he died they went to Yavne except for Elazar ben Arach who went by his wife at Diyumsat.. At first he did not intend to leave his peers.

Rather, "he waited for them to come by him, but they did not come".

When he realized this, "he sought to go to them". He did not want to leave his friends. He realized the benefit of "acquire for yourself a friend" (Avot 1:6) for torah study. But his wife did not let him. She said to him: "who needs who? Who is the greatest sage of the group?"

He answered her: "they need me". The Rav (Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai) crowned him as the greatest of the disciples.

His wife further asked him: "a jug (of food) and mice. Do the mice go after the jug or the jug goes after the mice?" ie one who needs something needs to go after it. They need you. With these words, she injected the poison of arrogance in his heart and "he listened to her and sat until he forgot his learning"...

From here we learn the importance of being in a place of torah, even for a giant of giants like Rabbi Elazar ben Arach...

~Level 4~
Matanat Avot - "exile yourself to a place of torah" - it is known that one who is exiled to a city of refuge (ir miklat, due to accidental murder) cannot leave there for any reason, as the mishna says:

"Even the top general in the army of Israel like Yoav ben Tzeruyah cannot ever leave there, as written: 'that shall escape there' - [the talmud expounds:] there he shall dwell, there he shall die, there he shall be buried" (Makot 9b).

In this the Tanna teaches us that if you truly want to succeed to grow in torah properly, then you must enter in torah like one exiled to a city of refuge who never leaves there for any reason in the world.

Do not think that if you leave the torah for a short or long trip, then you still have hope to grow in torah. Do not say: "it will come after you", ie due to my being such a big torah scholar, then even if I leave the study, I am not considered leaving the torah. For it comes with me every where I go.

Forget that! For the torah is a divine work, the most sublime of all creations. It does not go and follow after any man who is not immersed in it properly...

Of course, it does not mean that if one pauses for one second from his studies that he will forget everything he learned. For all the torah luminaries of the generation also sometimes stopped learning to attend to needs of individuals or the public. Certainly every person needs to take breaks to and get some air in order to recharge his batteries.

Rather, the Tanna is referring to those people who go out completely from the torah study when they take a break. They become "freed from the torah and the mitzvot". Such people cannot remember their learning since they removed their mind from it (hesech daat). But the best solution is to know that even if one needs to stop learning for whatever reason, but one should not take his mind off of it COMPLETELY. His thoughts should still be in the learning, like the thoughts of a father who left his only son. Even though he is not in the presence of his son, but he thinks about him and his welfare and looks forward always to when they will be reunited.

So too if we must part from the beloved torah for some time, nevertheless, we should at least look forward and long to when we can return to clinging to it as we cherish.

~Level 4~
Chida, Chasdei Avot - "do not say that she (the torah) will come after you" - for the torah is compared to a woman, as our sages expounded: " 'Moses commanded us a law [Torah], an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob' (Devarim 33:7) - read not morashah [inheritance], but me'orasah [betrothed]" (Berachot 57a).

While the Talmid Chacham (torah scholar) is compared to her husband. Thus, it seems that the law should be that the woman should come to the city of the husband when there is no reason not to come. Hence, if the torah is a wife, why should I go after her?.. and in Mishlei/Proverbs 8:17: "[the torah says:] I will love those who love me, and those who seek me eagerly will find me; Riches and honor are with me, powerful wealth.."

This is difficult. For the Halacha is that the woman should honor her husband like a king and serve him and comfort him, as the Rambam wrote (Ishut ch.15), and the torah is the wife of the torah scholar.

Why then does she (the torah) not do like the way of women? Why does the husband need to kill himself over her (study hard) and be subjugated to her all his days? For it is written in Megilah: "[the torah says:] if you leave me one day, I will leave you two days" (Yerushalmi Berachot ch.9).

Why does the torah not do like halacha of the physical woman who is obligated to honor her husband?

If he hides from her [one day] and consoles her, the physical woman should be consoled, like all the laws of the righteous women.

There are two answers to the matter..
One, for the physical wife - this alone is her husband. For a woman cannot have two husbands. This is her lot. Thus she is obligated to treat him like a king and calm him. For without him, she will be all alone, like a woman whose husband went to a faraway land.

Thus, justice obligates that she seek his love for no one else can redeem her.

It is not so though for the spiritual holy wife (the torah). She has many many husbands who seek her attention and love, day and night always. Thus, if one of her husbands turns a cold shoulder, it is like nothing to her. For who dares to insult the princess of the King who has countless husbands much better than him.

Thus, it is up to him to appease her and rouse her love.. If he pursues her, in her holiness, she will return to him if he is faithful to her and she overlooks his transgressions.

Secondly, the husband is obligated to provide his physical wife food, clothing, and marital relations (Onaah). In exchange for these, she is subjugated to him for everything. But for the spiritual wife (the torah), he is only obligated to her "marital relations" (Onaah), namely, to fix times for torah study.

But for food and clothing, not only does he not provide her this - but it is the opposite - she provides for him food and clothing, and "from faraway she brings her bread" (Mishlei 31:14).

Therefore, the Chacham (torah scholar) is obligated to his spiritual wife. For she does two (food and clothing) while he does only one (Onaah).

This is what is written: "[the torah says] as for me, I will love those who love me, and those who seek me eagerly will find me" (Mishlei 8:17). The extra "I" comes to exclude the physical wife. For she seeks love from her husband. But I (the torah) am not like this. Rather, those who love me, I will love. I need first that they love me. Only then, will I love them and only to those who seek me will I find myself to them. This is the opposite of the physical wife who seeks her husband's face... this is what the mishna says: "do not say that she (the torah) will come after you", i.e. like the physical wife.