Wednesday 28 October 2020: Light as an eagle? Surely not. Avot 5:23 urges us to be "light as an eagle" in doing God's will. But why should the mishnah pick on one of the heaviest birds for this simile?
Sunday 25 October 2020: Where are the Gaonim? Scholarship on Pirkei Avot rarely makes any reference to the period of the Gaonim and, in turn, the Gaonim do not appear to have had much to say about Avot. Is this actually so?
Wednesday 21 October 2020: Angry -- but with whom? Avot 5:14 depicts four different types of human temperament and has harsh things to say about people who are quick to anger. The mishnah does not however specify against whom the anger is directed. There are three possibilities.
Friday 16 October 2020: Loud and Clear! The importance of speaking properly. A baraita in the 6th chapter of Avot lists "articulate speech" among the 48 ways of acquiring Torah learning. This post explains why it is so important.
Tuesday 13 October 2020: Mazikim and refusal to take responsibility for what happens in one's life. Avot 5:8 lists mazikim among the 10 things created just before Shabbat at the end of the Six Days of Creation. Do mazikim exist or are they a brilliant metaphor with a lesson to teach us?
Sunday 11 October 2020: Getting to grips with tongs made with tongs. What is the significance of listing "tongs made with tongs" in Avot 5:8? Maybe the answer relates to the technology of innovation.
Friday 9 October 2020: Praying for the health of an ailing opponent. US President Donald Trump's coronavirus attack raises the question whether his opponents should rejoice over his illness or pray for his recovery. Does Avot 4:24 apply?
Wednesday 7 October 2020: Avot and leadership: practical applications for ancient advice. Links to a recent article that looks at contemporary business ethics in the light of the need to cultivate a "good heart" in Avot 2:13.
Monday 5 October 2020: How much work, and what sort of work, is an aspiring Torah scholar supposed to reduce? What is the difference, in the context of Avot 6:6, between reducing one's derech eretz and reducing one's melachah?
Sunday 4 October 2020: Mitzvot and good deeds: don't forget your underwear. Avot 2:1 urges people to chase God's commandments equally, whether they appear to be big or small. The Ma'amar Hakavod of the Pele Yo'etz offers a helpful metaphor to support this.
Thursday 1 October 2020: Lulav and lockdown: a positive perspective. Celebrating Sukkot at home is a great opportunity to be happy with one's lot (Avot 4:1) and not cast envious eyes at someone else's bigger, better lulav.
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Avot Today blogposts for September 2020 here
Avot Today blogposts for August 2020 here
Avot Today blogposts for July 2020 here
