Wednesday 23 March 2022: It doesn't take great brains...: mastery of the Torah takes a good memory, a massive capacity for comprehension and analysis, vast patience and total dedication -- but there are other things we ordinary mortals can achieve without so much talent, for example the art of humility.
Monday 21 March 2022: A home for all? Does Avot advocate opening one's home to Ukrainian refugees? The answer is a qualified "yes".
Wednesday 16 March 2022: Purim and Pirkei Avot 3: Drinking wine at midday: The Purim festivities invariably involve the consumption of alcohol, and in Jerusalem on a Friday that means drinking at noon. Avot warns against this. Why, and what does it mean?
Tuesday 15 March 2022: Purim and Pirkei Avot 2: Citing a teaching in the name of its originator: The only verse from the Book of Esther that is cited in Avot deals with the need to acknowledge one's sources. But there's a paradox here ...
Monday 14 March 2022: Purim and Pirkei Avot 1: rejoicing over the downfall of enemies: At 4:24, Shmuel HaKatan cautions against having the wrong motivation for one's celebration of Haman's demise -- so what should we really be celebrating?
Thursday 10 March 2022: A good telling off? No way!: What does learning from other people (Avot 4:1) have to do with reprimanding them?
Tuesday 8 March 2022: From the Garden of Unearthly Delights: Two Books: A recent visit to my local Jewish bookshop unearthed a couple of titles on Pirkei Avot that I hadn't seen before -- one brand new and one from 1983.
Sunday 6 March 2022: Pirkei Avot comes to Instagram: can memes be used effectively as a means of attracting attention to people -- particularly the young -- who don't know Pirkei Avot exists or what it teaches?
Friday 4 March 2022: Testing man, testing God. A pair of teachings in the fifth chapter of Avot focus on two aspects of tests. We ask the question: are all tests designed to establish the same thing?
Wednesday 2 March 2022: Rabbis: what do we really need them for? How do communal rabbinical appointments fit in with the scheme of "get yourself a rabbi"?
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Avot Today blogposts for February 2022 here
Avot Today blogposts for January 2022 here
Avot Today blogposts for December 2021 here
Avot Today blogposts for November 2021 here
Avot Today blogposts for October 2021 here
Avot Today blogposts for September 2021 here
