From the Jewish News of Northern California, 26 March 2021 ("We are imperfect — but commanded to do better" by Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein) comes the following quote:
As Pirkei Avot instructs, it is not up to us to complete the task of repairing our varied and innumerable broken places, but neither are we free to give up the lifelong, impassioned attempt.
What Rabbi Tarfon (Avot 2:21) actually says is somewhat less ambitious:
It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it.
The day is short, the work is much, the workers are lazy, the reward is great, and the Master is pressing.
Is Rabbi Goldstein's interpretation legitimate? In the context of his article, it certainly seems so. He writes of man's inherent imperfection and the need to improve oneself through the better deployment of one's freedom to exercise one's choice. Making the right decisions and then acting on them is definitely a life-long task from which there is neither relief nor let-up.
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