PIRKEI AVOT 1:1 – ANCIENT WISDOM, UNIVERSAL LESSONS

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Pirkei Avot for Noahides

Pirkei Avot 1:1

Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgment; raise up many disciples; and make a safeguard for the Torah.

What does this teach us?

Moses was the greatest of the prophets [1]. He was worthy of receiving the Torah, both the Written Torah and the accompanying Oral Torah. He received it with its general principles, its particulars, and its inferences; there was no law that was to be innovated later [2].

The Mishnah says that Moses received the Torah “from Sinai.” The Sages explain that this means that he received it from the One who was revealed at Sinai [3]. This revelation took place in the presence of the entire Jewish people [4]. At that time, there were approximately six hundred thousand adult men, besides women and children [5].

The wording is significant. The Mishnah says that Moses received the Torah from Sinai, rather than simply saying that he received it from God. One explanation is that this emphasizes that Moses was not merely a “student” receiving instruction from a teacher. The difference between Moses and G-d was, in fact, unfathomably great [6].

The Mishnah also does not say that G-d gave the Torah to Moses alone. According to the Alshich, this is significant because G-d gave the Torah to every individual member of the Jewish people [7].

Moses then transmitted the Torah to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. From there, the Torah continued to be transmitted from generation to generation through the Sages of Israel. This continuous chain of transmission is known as the Masorah.

The Rambam explains that the Torah was transmitted through an unbroken chain of tradition, from Moses through the generations of Sages until his own time.

The Men of the Great Assembly emphasized three important principles:

1. Be deliberate in judgment

Take your time before reaching a judgment. Do not judge too quickly, because new information may come to light that was not known at first [8].

This principle is not only relevant to judges. It also teaches us something about how we relate to other people.

We often form an opinion about someone based on what we see or hear at a particular moment. But there may be circumstances we do not yet know, information we have not yet heard, or aspects of a person’s character that have not yet become visible.

To be deliberate in judgment therefore means leaving room for new information.

It also means being patient with ourselves and with others.

2. Raise up many disciples

Teach as many people Torah as possible. We should not first demand perfection from someone before being willing to teach them. As long as a person’s conduct is not known to be corrupt and he does not have a bad reputation, Torah can be taught to him [9].

The purpose of teaching Torah is not simply to increase the number of people who possess knowledge. Torah learning is meant to help a person grow in wisdom, understanding, and righteous conduct.

We should therefore not wait until someone is perfect before we are willing to teach them. Learning itself is part of the journey.

3. Make a safeguard for the Torah

Create boundaries that help prevent a person from coming close to sin. The idea is not to wait until someone is already standing on the edge of doing something wrong, but to take appropriate precautions beforehand [10].

The Sages therefore established safeguards around the Torah. For example, they prohibited even the handling of certain utensils on Shabbat, out of concern that a person might otherwise come to use them for a labor forbidden by the Torah [11].

A safeguard is therefore a preventative measure. It creates distance between a person and a possible transgression.

A Noahide Perspective

What can these three principles teach us as Noahides?

Noahides accept the Seven Noahide Laws because they were confirmed by God when He gave the Torah to Moses. We know of these commandments through the transmission of Torah from generation to generation by the Jewish Sages [12].

In particular, the Lubavitcher Rebbe devoted considerable attention to encouraging Jews to make these universal laws known throughout the world [13].

The three principles of Pirkei Avot can therefore also offer valuable guidance to Noahides who are learning about the Seven Noahide Laws.

1. Be patient in judgment

When people begin studying the Seven Noahide Laws, it is important to be patient with themselves and with others.

Do not judge too quickly, and do not be unnecessarily harsh. Both you and the people around you are on a journey of discovery. There is much to discover, much to learn, and sometimes things that need to change.

When you discover that something in your life needs to be changed or improved, that is not a reason to condemn yourself. It is an opportunity to take a new step.

And if you do not succeed immediately, that is not the end of the journey. Begin again.

As Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught:

“If you believe that you can damage, believe that you can repair.”
— Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, Likutei Moharan II:112

This is a powerful way of approaching spiritual growth. We should take our responsibilities seriously, but we should not allow a failure to convince us that we cannot change.

Being patient in judgment therefore applies not only to the way we judge others, but also to the way we judge ourselves.

2. Raise up many disciples

A Jew may teach a non-Jew the Torah teachings that pertain to the Seven Noahide Laws [14]. The Sages specifically distinguish these teachings from Torah study that is uniquely the inheritance of the Jewish people [15].

Therefore, the Seven Noahide Laws and their Torah foundations may be taught to those who seek to understand and observe them [16].

Learning and teaching therefore go hand in hand.

A person who has learned something valuable does not have to wait until he knows everything before sharing it with someone else. At the same time, teaching others should be approached with humility. We are not expected to know everything; we can share what we have learned while continuing to learn ourselves.

In this way, the principle of “raise up many disciples” can also become relevant to Noahides:

Learn, grow, and help others learn and grow.

3. Make a safeguard

Noahides are not obligated to create additional religious safeguards in the same way that the Sages established safeguards around the Torah for the Jewish people. Nevertheless, they should take appropriate precautions to help themselves fulfill the Seven Noahide Laws properly and avoid transgressing them.

The principle is simple:

Do not wait until you are already in a difficult situation before deciding what you should do.

It can be wise to establish practical habits that make it easier to observe the Noahide Laws correctly.

For example, the Seventh Noahide Law prohibits theft.

A Noahide could therefore adopt a practical safeguard:

Do not take, accept, or use something belonging to another person unless you are sure that you have permission to do so.

Imagine that someone in a store hands you something, but you are not certain whether the person actually gave it to you or merely intended to show it to you.

Instead of assuming that you may take it, simply ask.

That small question can prevent a much larger problem.

This is the practical wisdom of a safeguard: it is better to prevent a transgression than to deal with its consequences afterward.

From Sinai to Everyday Life

Pirkei Avot 1:1 begins by reminding us where the Torah comes from and how it was transmitted: from Sinai, through Moses and the generations of Torah scholars.

It then presents three principles that help preserve and transmit Torah:

Be deliberate in judgment.
Raise up many disciples.
Make a safeguard for the Torah.

For Noahides, these principles can become practical tools for living the Seven Noahide Laws.

Be patient—with others and with yourself.

Teach what you have learned.

And create practical boundaries that help you do what is right before you find yourself in a situation where doing what is right becomes difficult.

Ancient wisdom can become very practical when it is brought into everyday life.

Angelique Sijbolts
Nous remercions le rabbin Tani Burton pour ses commentaires.

notes de bas de page

[1] Deuteronomy 34:10

[2] Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:1

[3] See for example Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 1:1 – from Sinai: From the One who was revealed at Sinai.

[4] Deuteronomy 4:10

[5] Exodus 12:37

[6] Alshich on Avos Feldheim edition p. 15

[7] Alshich on Avos Feldheim edition p. 13

[8] Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:1

[9] Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 1:1

[10] Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:1

[11] Pirkei Avot – The ArtScroll Mesorah Series p. 9

[12] Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 8:11.

[13] Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, “The Seven Noachide Laws,” Sichos in English, Vol. 16, 11 Nissan 5743 [1983], p. 27.)

[14] Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 10:8–9.

[15] Talmud, Sanhedrin 59a.

[16] Talmud, Sanhedrin 59a; Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 10:9.

 

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