Week #7, Pirke Avot 1:1

“Moses received the Torah [from God at] Sinai, and gaveit to Joshua. Joshua [gave it] to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it to the Men of the Great Assembly.”

                                    ~Pirke Avot 1:1

Questions to consider:

Why the deliberate enumeration of the “journey” of the Torah from Sinai to the Men of the Great Assembly (said to be the Great Sanhedrin which was the ruling body in Jerusalem during the time of the Temple)? What is the importance of the sequence and order presented by the Rabbis? Why do you think that this Mishnah was selected as the actual beginning of Pirke Avot? What is the relevance of this Mishnah to the upcoming celebration of Shavuot? What “sermon” would you offer for Shavuot if you were to use the Mishnah below to teach about your own, personal experience with Pirke Avot?

Week #6, Pirke Avot 6:5

Do not seek greatness for yourself, and do
not lust for honor.  More than you study, do.
Desire not the table of kings, for your table
is greater than theirs, and your crown is
greater than theirs, and faithful is your
Employer to pay you the rewards of your work.

Pirke Avot 6:5

Questions to consider:

1. Why is it so important that deeds exceed study?  Isn't it contradictory with the Jewish principal found elsewhere that "The study of Torah is equal to them all because it leads to them all"?
2. How do you understand the metaphor of God as "Employer"  in the context of this perek?
3. Comment on the progression of ideas in this perek, please.

Week #5, Pirke Avot 5:15

There are four types among those who sit
before the sages (wise scholars):
 the sponge, the funnel, the strainer
and the sieve. 

The sponge absorbs all. 

The funnel takes in at one end
and lets it out the other. 

The strainer rejects the wine
and retains the sediment. 

The sieve rejects the coarse flour
and retains the fine flour.

~Pirke Avot 5:15

 

Questions to consider:

1. Pirke Avot is intended to be a guide for moral and ethical behavior and not a psychological treatise. Why do you think the Rabbis use these particular metaphors to compare and contrast people’s styles? 
2. Do you think that these four ways of sitting at the feet of scholars transmits information about a person’s learning style? Attitude toward learning? Both? 
3. Which if any of the styles resonates most with you -- if not now as an adult, then when you were a child?