Hillel used to say: "Do not remove yourself from
the community, and do not believe in yourself
(trust yourself) until the day you die, and do not judge
your friend until you have dealt with a situation like his,
and do not say 'that could never happen,' because in the
end, it could happen, and do not say that 'when I have free time, I will learn Torah', since you may never find free time." ~ Pirkei Avot 2:5
the community, and do not believe in yourself
(trust yourself) until the day you die, and do not judge
your friend until you have dealt with a situation like his,
and do not say 'that could never happen,' because in the
end, it could happen, and do not say that 'when I have free time, I will learn Torah', since you may never find free time." ~ Pirkei Avot 2:5
You are free
to comment on the above text freely with your own personal thoughts and
reflections, and/or use the questions below to inspire your written responses.
1. This excerpt is composed of 5 different imperatives. How
do each of these pieces of advice enhance the life of a person? Why do
you think Hillel groups these five statements together?
2. Which of Hillel's statements above concerns one's internal development, and which
concern one's interactions with
others? Why are both important?
3. If it were your job to make certain that each of us today has 5
"Do nots..." which of the five above on Hillel's list would you
keep? Which would you set aside as perhaps not relevant in today's world?
Create statements that you might substitute for any of those above so that you
end up with "Hillel's 'Do Nots' for 2015: A Guide to Good Living."
To me, the most dramatic and unexpected line in this perek is "do not believe in yourself until the day you die." In our community, we stress self-confidence and positive self-image, so why would one of our greatest sages advise us not to believe in ourselves? I think that this statement refers to the idea that in Judaism, there is no such thing as being "done." The most learned Torah scholar in the world cannot be done gaining new knowledge. Because our texts (Mishna, Talmud, Torah, etc) are so rich and so overflowing with possible interpretations and insights, there's no possible way that someone can complete his studies. If we sit back after a Torah lesson and exhale, feeling that we've learned what we need to know, we will be over-confident or even cocky, which is exactly what Hillel is saying here, in my opinion. If we give tzedakah and then exclaim, "I've done my mitzvah for the week, so now I'm done," it is almost as if we are being lazy in our Judaism, doing the bare minimum to make ourselves feel like mensches. According to Hillel, our job is to strive to do mitzvot and practice Judaism fully and with kavana (intention).
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, the message isn't that we should lack self-confidence, rather that we should believe we always have more to learn and should continue striving to do all the mitzvot we can.
ReplyDeleteDo not say, "When I have free time I will..." study Torah, learn a craft, practice yoga, reach out to a friend in need, visit an ailing relative.." Free time is a state of mind...none of us really have any yet we all have lots of it. Mostly we all, we have free choice and we need to choose to fill our time with acts that help us live a truly good life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Susan. I like the notion of free time as a state of mind. "When I have free time I will ...". One needs to make the time, as there will never be "free time". I am glad to be taking the time to learn with you all!
ReplyDeleteI also am drawn to the notion of "Do not remove yourself from the community". Being part of the TBA community provides so much to each and every one of us. Community allows a structure of belonging, support, guidance, and love.
ReplyDeleteHi friends, I love all of your comments and can hear your voices through your words and understand and agree with most of your thoughts. Like some previous comments, Here's where I am a little perplexed "do not believe in yourself (trust yourself) until the day you die". Rather harsh huh? Does that mean don't get too settled or think our work is done too soon?but we shouldn't feel confident? I'm a bit mystified. And as morbid as it sounds, how do we know the day we die? I mean we might not even know the moment. So what's up?
ReplyDeleteTo me, all five parts are telling us to focus less on ourselves and more on others. Be part of a community, don't think you know it all, look at it from another's point of view, have an open mind about what might happen, make time for things other than the rat race. While these things all point us away from the self, they are also the things that foster our internal moral development.
ReplyDeleteLike Dan, I was struck by how all of these pieces fit together and I was drawn to community. At the start we must be part of the community but then our behavior within the community must be one of not self centered or overly self centered. One where we are not judgemental and realize that we don't really know it what it is like to experience a situation until we do. And those situations could happen to us so another reason not too judge. Finally use our time wisely, always learning and trying to better ourselves as the Torah teaches.
ReplyDeleteOne last point, after the week where we remember the Holocaust, the phrase "don't say it could never happen because it can" seems particularly haunting. Almost like a prediction of what can happen when community goes wrong.
Once again, your comments on this perek are insightful and filled with wisdom. Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts and feelings on Week 2.
ReplyDeleteSo, in fact, most of the commentary on Perek 2.5 actually concur that these statements are related and complement one another. As early as the 16th century, a scholar known as the” Maharal of Prague” [whose name was Judah Loew ben Bezalel (1520-1609)] suggested that the first phrase: “Do not remove yourself from the community” is actually the main theme or topic of this passage, and that the subsequent 4 sections fit beneath that first main idea. In other words, the Maharal explains that this entire passage is really about the stability of the community as opposed to the vulnerability of the individual. The entire 5-part statement by Hillel is meant to reinforce that the community stands firm even as individuals are subject to changes of mind and heart.
If we follow the Maharal’s line of thinking, then the first statement – “Do not believe in yourself until the day that you die” – is a reminder to human beings that physical life is variable; that our bodies change quickly, they age and are unpredictable. The implication is that sometimes we feel as if we can meet any challenge and sometimes we feel weak and succumb to physical difficulties. We should not take our physical bodies for granted – because of their changeable nature. The only thing that is for certain – for all of us – is physical death.
The second phrase: “Do not judge your friend until you have dealt with his or her situation” relates to the ways in which circumstances change right before our eyes. Since we are all subject to change, we cannot assume that we would have acted differently than our friends if we found ourselves in similar circumstances. We all become vulnerable when circumstances occur that our beyond our control, and when things change in unpredictable directions.
Post #2
DeleteWe move to the third phrase: “Do not say ‘that could never happen’ because in the end, it could happen.” The Maharal indicates that this phrase deals with the inevitable changes of time. It is similar to the phrases above as it, too, hints at the changeability and inevitability of human nature, but this phrase warns us that “never” is a long, long time…and that anything and everything can change over time. The example is given of a wealthy person who always refuses any business advice from anyone because he thinks he wealth is a constant; he will always be wealthy. He believes that he will never lose his wealth – that it is permanent – and he makes decisions only on the basis of constancy. We are reminded that times change – and that too often there are reversals that occur that seemed implausible yesterday but become tomorrow’s reality.
Finally, “Do not say that when I have free time, I will study Torah, because you may never find free time.” Once again, this emphasizes that everything around is in constant flux -- the human condition, the physical realities of our bodies, time and circumstances – so much so that we cannot leave something as important as Torah study to the future. The future is uncertain. Many of you commented on this phrase in your responses this week, and indicated the very same sentiment. That is, we need to live in the present and not reserve time and space in the future for important endeavors because the future is uncertain and unpredictable. Today is the only moment that we have; now is the only time that is in our hands.
Therefore, when we re-examine Hillel’s first clause – “Do not separate yourself from the community” in light of the Maharal’s commentary, we are supposed to understand that being connected to a community helps to anchor us in time and space; it firmly plants us in a place in which people can support one another through shared experiences of change. The community is something that we can “count on” – and is not subject to the frailties and changes of human beings, but at the same time, is sensitive to these shared vulnerabilities. Being part of a community helps us to more readily live within these inevitable changes and live through the unpredictable nature of life itself. The implication is that IF we remain connected to our community….THEN we will be less likely to succumb to the 4 subsequent ‘temptations’ that Hillel cites and all of which people tend to think or say when they are frustrated, desperate or confronting times or circumstances that are beyond the control of any individual.
I wanted to share this commentary with you not because it is in any way “the” definitive commentary; rather, because I was interested in your seeing the similarities between your connections and interpretations and the great Maharal of Prague! This form of commentary – taking the opening phrase and then “fitting” everything below it as supporting evidence – is one mode of interpretation that the Rabbis tend to use quite frequently. In addition to trying to figure out what each individual phrase means, they search for ways to connect the components into a whole so that there is one single underlying lesson or “sermonette.” Remember, every commentary is legitimate! No one has the right answer. Your comments this week about the life of the individual and the meaning of community all resonate, and moreover, putting your thoughts together into one “response” certainly makes for a compelling, multi-faceted and cogent commentary. Great work! Let’s keep going…Chapter 3 is on its way.
Best to all of you, scholars!
Lisa
The "don't say it could never happen" kind of reminds me of Murphy's law
ReplyDelete