The Miller's tale

No, this is not a bawdy yarn penned by Geoffrey Chaucer. It’s a tale of how a perceptive rabbi has engaged with Pirkei Avot and how that tractate is reflected in his thoughts and experiences.

I’m talking here of The Wisdom of Avos, a slim hardback volume published by Mosaica in 2022 and which I mentioned in a post a week or two back. The miller in question is R’ Yisroel Miller, who served for many years as a community rabbi in Pittsburgh, then subsequently in Calgary. He will be known to many readers as the author of In Search of the Jewish Woman (1988), What’s Wrong with Being Human? (1993) and What’s Wrong with Being Happy? (1994).  I read What’s Wrong with Being Human? When it first came out and was much impressed by the accessibility and clarity of R’ Miller’s writing, so much so that I re-read it during the Covid pandemic. His essay “In search of our leader Moshe” moves me still.

So what does R’ Miller do with Avot?

This book is not an attempt to furnish omnibus coverage of the entire tractate. Indeed, it originates from notes on a series of shiurim on Avot that R’ Miller did not intend to publish, but which he was persuaded to do by one of his former congregants. Since its focus is on mishnayot that provide fertile ground for thought and demand discussion, it concentrates on the first four perakim; this is where we find commentary based on R' Miller's shiurim. The book also gently touches upon perakim 5 and 6. The book’s provenance as notes on shiurim accounts for the absence of footnotes and detailed references, as well as the presence of many real-life examples and telling anecdotes.

The author sets out his stall at the beginning, explaining what he describes as his “revolutionary old approach”. This consists of essentially four steps:

1.        If a mishnah seems self-evident, ask why someone might disagree with it.
   
   
2.        If it offers no new insight, ask if it is saying something more than a simple translation reveals.
3.        Since Avot has no gemara, take a look at what the Avot deRabbi Natan and comments scattered through the two Talmuds say.
4.        When a mishnah features several points, ask if it teaches more than the sum of its individual parts.

No, there is nothing surprising here. But it’s also surprising how easy it is to skip these steps and jump to one’s own conclusions.

I’ve been dipping in and out of this little book with great enjoyment. From time to time I shall be discussing some of the points R’ Miller makes. I look forward to sharing them with you.