Torah for Christians: Pirke Avot
TORAH FOR CHRISTIANS
SEASON THREE EPISODE NINETEEN
PIRKE AVOT
“Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly.”
This quote is a definitive statement of how God gave the Torah to Israel. But it’s not quite what you think. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.
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Welcome to Torah for Christians. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr.
One of the most interesting and accessible classical Jewish texts is called Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers. Pirke Avot is an addendum to the Mishnah and contains classic quotes by generations of rabbis that deal with ethical behavior. Instead of discussing whether an animal is kosher or not, Pirke Avot offers such gems as “If I am not for myself, who am I? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” That’s a saying of Hillel circa 30 BCE but we have quotes from much earlier and much later rabbis as well in Pirke Avot.
We study Pirke Avot year-long. It’s a suitable text for Middle and High School students as well as for adults. We even sneak in a quote or two for younger kids on occasion; these saying are that accessible and easy to understand.
But many Jews study each of the six chapters of Pirke Avot in succession during the six Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot. Not only is it a good way to count the weeks between the festivals, but it is also a great way to spend a long Shabbat afternoon: in study and contemplation.
Let’s return to the quote I cited in the Introduction; the very first verse of Pirke Avot. From a technical perspective, the text moves from Moses to Joshua to the Prophets to the Sanhedrin, the Men of the Great Assembly. After declaring this chain of transmission, in Hebrew “Shalshelet HaKabbalah,” we read several anonymous quotes. Then, suddenly, we come upon the Zugot, the pairs of rabbis who headed the Sanhedrin. The first pair, Antigonus of Socho and Shimon the Righteous, headed the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem in the early 1st Century, BCE. These were lifetime appointments; they were succeeded by several sets of Zugot, among them Hillel and Shammai, the greatest scholars of their era, if not of all rabbinic times. We see more of their quotes in Pirke Avot than of any other rabbis.
We quoted Hillel earlier: If not for myself… So, it’s only appropriate that we cite Shammai as well: “Shammai used to say: make your [study of the] Torah a fixed practice; speak little but do much; and receive all men with a pleasant countenance.” This is interesting because Shammai, by all accounts, rarely received men with a pleasant countenance.
Let’s look deeper at these two quotes as two examples of early Pirke Avot sayings. Hillel gave us a tripartite quote, “If I am not for myself, who am I? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” What does this mean?
If I am not for myself, who am I? Hillel here says that we must put ourselves first; nobody else can or should take responsibility for your life. But if I am only for myself, what am I? This speaks to the ego; we are nothing if we think only of ourselves. We must concern ourselves with the larger world as well as our own personal needs and desires. And if not now, when? This statement may sound unrelated but really, Hillel is saying that now is the time to change our behavior; to put ourselves first while also giving the needs of others a prominent place in our lives. And if we are not doing this, the time to change is now.
A modern example of this is our charitable donations. We work hard to provide for ourselves and our families. But we also realize that we must take care of others as well. Whether that is volunteering or donating money to a soup kitchen, giving money to a research foundation like the American Heart Association or even supporting Israel, we balance those immediate personal needs with the immediate needs of the larger world. Hillel is telling us that life is a balancing act; while we might be knocked off the beam every so often, we can and indeed must climb back on as soon as we can.
When we turn to Shammai, we read, “Make your [study of the] Torah a fixed practice; speak little but do much; and receive all men with a pleasant countenance.” Shammai gives us a blueprint for Jewish learning; take a few minutes every morning, for example, to read a chapter of the Bible or study a page of Talmud. Let your actions speak for yourself and be welcoming of all who come near you.
Hillel and Shammai were the last of the Zugot. After them, we read the statements of individual rabbis. We begin with Rabban Gamliel, Hillel’s grandson, and the head of the Jewish community in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. Rabban Gamliel said, “Find yourself a teacher.” This elaborates on Shammai’s statement of making your study of Torah a fixed habit; it is even better when we study Torah with a teacher.
We could go on, but time does not allow us to study all six chapters, with dozens of statements in each one of them. But as I said, this is a very easy and accessible text; I would recommend that you find yourself a teacher and make the study of Pirke Avot a fixed habit.
But there is a much deeper meaning to Pirke Avot – and it’s found in the very first Mishnah, the first statement of the text. It speaks to the entire purpose of rabbinic literature, but it’s hidden in plain sight. We’ll bring it to light after our break.
I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.
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Welcome back to Torah for Christians. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr. Before we return to our discussion of Pirke Avot, I want to thank you for listening to this podcast. Please remember to review and rate this episode on Apple, Spotify, or whatever service you are using. Also, please go back and listen to previous episodes if you have not done so already. A transcript is also available on our Buzzsprout feed. And now, this and many previous episodes are available on our brand-new YouTube channel. And if you would like to read my weekly Torah Study, please go to Bible Stories They (Never) Taught You in Religious School, available for free on www.Substack.com. I have also started another Substack page called Wednesday Torah, where I share random thoughts on the Jewish experience. Please subscribe to both.
What is the big mystery about Pirke Avot Mishnah One of Chapter One?
Let’s look at the text carefully. We read that Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai. Well and good. But then, notice the chain of transmission: Moses to Joshua, Joshua to the Prophets, and finally, from the Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. Notice who is missing.
There are two groups missing. One group is the Davidic Kings. While the rabbis eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah, a descendent of King David, Biblical Kings never had religious authority; that was always in the hands of the priests, with the Prophets acting as buffers informing the people of God’s word and holding both kings and priests accountable.
Which brings us to the second group that is missing: the Priests. This brings us to a historical conflict between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. As you recall, the Sadducees were the descents of Zadok, the High Priest who officiated at the Temple upon the return from Babylonian Exile. Zadok of course was a descendent of Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first High Priest.
But in the formative days of the Pharisees, in the late 2nd and early 1st Century BCE, we also recall that the Hasmoneans, Judah Maccabee and his brothers, especially Simon, were also Aaronide Priests. When Simon finally defeated the Greeks, he declared himself High Priest AND King, until a true king could be found. Of course, Simon had no intention of giving up the kingship – but, one could not be a priest and a king; they are descended from different Tribes.the
This prompted a civil war between the Pharisees and Sadducees in the coming decades. The Pharisees triumphed but it created a lasting enmity between the two sects.
Aside from a political debate, what was the major difference between the Pharisees and the Sadducees? In brief, the Pharisees believed in an Oral Law, also called the Oral Torah, while the Sadducees rejected this concept.
The Oral Law is a specific Pharisaic concept. Besides God giving Moses the written Torah on Mt. Sinai, God also revealed an oral law to him, which was transmitted by mouth: from Moses to Joshua and then to the Prophets, etc. This Oral Torah bypassed the Priests because the Sadducees, the Priests of their day, did not believe in the Oral Law; they were Biblically focused.
While that was a legitimate belief, it did not survive the fall of the Temple. The Pharisees survived, becoming the Rabbis and so we read their texts and Judaism became the domain of the Pharisees, later called the Rabbis. And in the 2nd Century, CE, that Oral Law was finally written down, becoming the Mishnah. The Pharisaic viewpoint not only promoted Oral Law, but it also excluded the Sadducees. And so, the Priests were not in the Chain of Transmission.
To sum it all up then, Pirke Avot is the classic source for Rabbinic Jewish wisdom about life, the universe and everything. But when we take a deeper look, it also is the classic source for viewing the split between Pharisees and Sadducees – even though this message is hidden in plain sight.
I want to thank you for listening to Torah for Christians. Please remember to rate and review this, and previous episodes on Apple, Spotify, or other streaming services. You can also like us on Facebook and now, you can subscribe to the podcast on Youtube and read a transcript on Buzzsprout.
On the next episode, I will introduce you to the great “forgotten festival” on the Jewish calendar, Shavuot. It is tremendously important but not often observed. We’ll figure out the reasons for this next week.
Finally, I have begun to publish a weekly Torah Study, called Bible Stories They Never Taught You in Religious School. It’s available for free on www.substack.com. You can also sign up on Substack for the newsletter to appear every Friday in your Inbox. You can also find my new column, Wednesday Torah there, where I offer weekly musings about life, the universe and everything.
Have a wonderful week and remember; Hinei Mah Tov … L’hitra’ot, till we meet again. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.
