Avot in Retrospect: a summary of last month's blogposts

 In case you missed them, here's a list of items posted on Avot Today in January 2021:

Sunday 24 January 2021: Lions' tails and foxes' heads: a fresh perspective: When Rabbi Matya ben Charash says it's better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a fox, is his message for the public at large or for the sages of his era?

Wednesday 20 January 2021: The Shemonah Perakim: are they really a preface to Avot? Maimonides says they are, and he should know because he wrote them -- but do they fulfill their stated purpose? 

Sunday 17 January 2021: The moral behind the miracle: a crowded Temple and the need to make room for others. A 19th century German rabbi finds a powerful message in an apparently descriptive mishnah.

Thursday 14 January 2021: When I have the time ...:  Again on Avot 2:5, what message does it have for the person who finds it tough to squeeze a Torah learning routine into his or her busy schedule?

Sunday 10 January 2021: Not in front of the children. What does Avot have to say about letting things slip out in front of the kids -- even if they can't understand what they've heard?

Thursday 7 January 2021: Keeping in with the crowd, even at a distance.  Hillel the Elder teaches (Avot 2:5) that a person should not separate himself from the community. Can this be done metaphorically? 

Sunday 3 January 2021: What does "Be exiled" mean?: In Avot 4:18 we learn of the importance of being exiled to a place of Torah. How literally do we take this injunction?

*********************************

Avot Today blogposts for December 2020 here

Avot Today blogposts for November 2020 here

Avot Today blogposts for October 2020 here

Avot Today blogposts for September 2020 here

Avot Today blogposts for August 2020 here

Avot Today blogposts for July 2020 here