בס”ד

Pirkei Avot 1:7

Nittai the Arbelite says: Keep far from a bad neighbor, do not associate with a wicked person, and do not give up belief in retribution. — Pirkei Avot 1:7

What Does This Teach Us?

At first, this Mishnah seems to give three separate pieces of advice: stay away from a bad neighbor, do not befriend a wicked person, and do not lose faith that wrongdoing will be punished. The last one feels out of place. What does belief in retribution have to do with our neighbors and friends?

The answer is that the third piece of advice makes the first two possible. Keeping our distance from wicked people is hard when they seem to be doing well. We start to think: “Why am I staying away from him? He is successful and I am not.” Nittai knows this temptation. So he adds the reason to stay strong: the success of the wicked does not last. Without this belief, it becomes very hard to keep the first two pieces of advice.

Let us look at each point

1. Keep Far from a Bad Neighbor

The Mishnah gives two reasons. First, we should not learn from his actions. Second, we should not suffer along with him when things go wrong. As the saying goes: “Woe to the wicked, and woe to his neighbor.” (Mishnah Negaim 12:6)

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that this is a neighbor with a quarrelsome, sneaky, and bad character [1]. The Mishnah says we should keep far away from such a person. Sometimes that simply means moving house. Hirsch adds that staying near such a person has a price. You may not notice it for a long time, but over the years, ignoring the problem will harm you.

2. Do Not Associate with a Wicked Person

The Sages compare this to someone who walks into a tannery. He buys nothing and takes nothing, but the smell goes home with him. In the same way, someone who joins wicked people, even without doing what they do, takes some of their fate with him [2].

The Rambam says that “do not associate” covers every kind of friendship and company, so that we do not learn from his actions. He points back to earlier chapters: a person picks up the faults of the bad people around him [3].

Hirsch makes this practical. In daily life, we cannot avoid everyone who has thrown away G-d’s laws. But we do not have to be close to them, and we should not make a shared cause with them. He says the word hitchaber (“associate”) means exactly this: do not become part of groups where wicked people set the tone [4].

3. Do Not Give Up Belief in Retribution

When we see wicked people doing well, it can feel unfair. A quiet voice says: “Why is he doing fine and I am not? Maybe I should join him and be like him. Then I would be happy too.”

The Rambam adds a warning. Whether you sin yourself or see someone else sin, do not feel safe and say that G-d will only punish in the World to Come. And do not give up on quick punishment for this sin. [5].

Bartenura says the same in simple words. Do not say: “This wicked man is successful, so I will join him.” Know that his downfall can come suddenly [6].

Believing that G-d will eventually punish evil is one of the foundations of faith. Even when it seems slow, we trust that a time of judgment will come. Otherwise, a good person might start thinking that evil and injustice always win. ArtScroll also gives a second reading: do not despair because of punishment. Even if you have been punished, there is hope. You can honestly return to G-d and be forgiven [7].

Rashi reads the word for “calamity” in two ways [8]:

So this third point is not a separate topic. It protects the other two. When we trust that G-d is just, we do not need to copy the person who seems to be winning.

A Noahide Perspective

For Noahides, this Mishnah can be a real challenge. Most of us do not live among other Noahides or Jews. We have to manage with the people around us.

Still, the advice applies to us too. If you live next to a truly unpleasant neighbor, it is often better to move. A long conflict with a neighbor can become a constant source of stress. Research in Amsterdam found a link between neighbor nuisance and worse self-rated health [9]. This may add to stress.

Difficult people can be found anywhere: at work, at a sports club, in a hobby group, or in your street. The most important thing is to be aware of their effect on you and, where possible, to keep your distance. Sometimes that means another club or hobby. Sometimes it means another job or another home. These are not easy decisions, but living for years in a stressful environment can harm your wellbeing.

The third point also matters for us. According to Jewish tradition, non-Jews are also responsible before G-d. The Seven Noahide Laws are the basic moral duties for all of humanity. They include the ban on idolatry, murder, theft, and sexual immorality, and the duty to set up courts of justice. The Rambam writes that a non-Jew who accepts these laws and keeps them because G-d commanded them is one of the righteous of the nations and has a share in the World to Come [10].

So there is both responsibility and reward. Good actions matter to G-d, and knowingly breaking basic divine laws has consequences. G-d judges not only Israel, but all nations, fairly.

From Sinai to Everyday Life

Pirkei Avot begins with the Torah given at Sinai. With Nittai the Arbelite, that high teaching comes down to very ordinary questions: Who lives next to me? Who are my friends? What do I think when life seems unfair?

For Noahides, three simple steps follow:

Our surroundings shape us, but we can shape our surroundings too. With every wise choice, we make it easier to live as G-d asks.

Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton for the feedback

Notes

[1] Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, Chapters of the Fathers, p. 15–16.

[2] Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 1:7.

[3] Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:7.

[4] Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, Chapters of the Fathers, p. 15–16.

[5] Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:7.

[6] Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 1:7.

[7] Pirkei Avot – The ArtScroll Mesorah Series, p. 10.

[8] Rashi on Pirkei Avot 1:7.

[9] Agyemang et al., “The association of neighbourhood psychosocial stressors and self-rated health in Amsterdam,” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (2007).

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



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