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

If you were away or busy during July, you may have missed all or any of the posts listed below. Do please take the opportunity to enjoy them at your leisure now.

Sunday 30 July 2023: So what does it really mean to love peace? When you read the same words often enough and always hear the same explanation, it's easy to overlook the possibility that they may convey another meaning -- even with a topic as plainly obvious as Hillel's advice at Avot 1:12 to love peace. 

Wednesday 26 July 2023: Beyond understanding. Another piece of advice from Hillel is not to say anything that can't be understood if the objective is for other people to understand it (Avot 2:5). Do the mournful threnodies which we recite on Tisha b'Av breach this guidance?

Monday 24 July 2023: When two giants meet: a modern midrash? Our sages emphasise the importance of learning with enthusiasm and not letting one's mindset go stale (Avot 1:4). To illustrate this, R' Chaim Druckman records an encounter between the celebrated musician and composer Leonard Bernstein and the iconic artist Pablo Picasso. But did they ever meet, and does it matter whether this anecdote is true or not?

Friday 21 July 2023: Don't touch, don't even talk? One of the most controversial mishnayot in modern times is that of Yose ben Yochanan ish Yerushalayim, that one should not talk too much with even one's own wife, not to mention other people's. This difficult mishnah is tackled head-on in a new book, Reclaiming Dignity. 

Wednesday 19 July 2023: When it's time to raid the fridge... A baraita at Avot 6:4 urges the serious Torah student to adopt an ascetic lifestyle. But how far, and how long, need self-denial go?

Monday 17 July 2023: When Peter Rabbi met Pirkei Avot. A chance finding of two quite contrasting books on the same pile of unwanted literature opens up questions regarding the moral standards of one of Beatrix Potter's best-loved children's characters.

Friday 14 July 2023: Seeking out the hidden talent. R' Yaakov Hillel, commenting on Avot 1:13, laments the fact that people tend to follow big-name rabbis with high media profiles, while great Torah scholars are never recognised because they sit quietly learning away in out-of-the-way places. But how are we to find them when they are hidden?

Wednesday 12 July 2023: When knowing stuff is not enough. Exploring the parameters of Avot 4:1 (Who is wise? The person who learns from everyone), we ask whether emotional intelligence has a place in Pirkei Avot.

Monday 10 July 2023: Worth looking into. Here are four Avot-related snippets that may interest you. Enjoy!

Friday 7 July 2023: Peace and Pinchas -- again. We revisit the question whether Pinchas is an appropriate role model for peace seekers in light of an item in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.

Wednesday 5 July 2023: Picking the right fight. Hillel (Avot 1:12) urges us to model ourselves on Aaron when pursuing peace. Why Aaron, we ask, and not Moses or Pinchas? 

Tuesday 4 July 2023: A hang-out for sages or a cause for jealousy? Yose ben Yo'ezer ish Tzeredah says (Avot 1:4) that we should open out homes to sages so that people will flock to our houses to hear and learn from them. What might happen if everyone tried to do this?

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Avot Today blogposts for June 2023
Avot Today blogposts for May 2023
Avot Today blogposts for April 2023
Avot Today blogposts for March 2023
Avot Today blogposts for February 2023
Avot Today blogposts for January 2023