Watch what you say -- and what you do: a new slant on Avtalyon

With the new academic year in mind, it’s a good time to give some attention to teachers, students and the nature of their relationship. This is the second in a series of posts that reflect on the teachings in Avot on this topic.

The first chapter in Avot contains one mishnah that isn’t a bon mot or neat maxim, but really a narrative. It’s also unusual because it’s not being addressed to the public at large: it’s literally a “word to the wise”. I’m referring to the teaching at Avot 1:11 that runs like this:

Avtalyon used to say: “Wise men! Be careful with your words, in case you are exiled to a place where the water is bad. The disciples who follow after you will then drink this bad water and die, and the Name of Heaven will be desecrated.

This is one of a number of mishnayot in Avot that receives relatively little treatment from the commentators—not because it is undeserving of comment and discussion but because the parable is so clear in its meaning. Teach the Torah in a way that is wrong, and your students and followers will perpetuate your error. Fulfilment of the precepts of the Torah as a recipe for a Jew’s eternal life in the world to come; non-fulfilment is no guarantee of eternity.

The text of this Mishnah leaves it open to a wider interpretation. The parable opens with the Hebrew words

חֲכָמִים, הִזָּהֲרוּ בְדִבְרֵיכֶם, שֶׁמָּא תָחֽוֹבוּ חוֹבַת גָּלוּת

The Hebrew word rendered and generally understood as “your words” is דִבְרֵיכֶם. This same word, as Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’ev Yadler points out in his Tiferet Tzion, can also be taken to mean “things”—a general term that includes not just a person’s words but also one’s deeds, possessions, appearance and demeanour. Since humans learn from another not solely through verbal transmission but by emulating the conduct of others, a wise teacher should be aware of the extent to which not just classes and course materials but also personal habits, mannerisms, pet phrases and out-of-class conduct can impress themselves on disciples, talmidim and pupils of every kind.