When I saw the title of Rebbetzin Shira Smiles’ article in Torah Tidbits 1571 (Parashat Chukkat)—“Cheerful Countenance”—I immediately assumed that she was writing about the teaching of Shammai, who urges us at Avot 1:15 to greet everyone with a cheerful countenance. I was however quite wrong. The subject of her essay was a teaching by Shammai’s colleague and contemporary, Hillel.
At Avot 1:12 Hillel exhorts us to be talmidim,
disciples of the peace-loving Aaron, in our actions as well as our attitude:
הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן, אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם
וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וּמְקָרְבָן לַתּוֹרָה
Be among the disciples of Aaron—love
peace and pursue peace, love people and draw them close to the Torah.
Unlike many people who write on Aaron’s peace-making
proclivities, Rebbetzin Smiles does not recite the well-known stories of his
shuttle diplomacy between hostile parties in order to encourage them to make
peace. She does however allude to it in the course of her bringing an unusual
explanation of Hillel’s teaching by Rabbi Tzvi Meyer Zilberberg. She writes:
“One does [not] have to seek out
arguments to make peace. Rather, one should love peace and aspire to develop it
within himself. One should do his best to avoid conflict with others and look
for the goodness in people around him. To be happy for others and not to be
jealous of others’ successes. When we develop feelings of love and peace within
ourselves it will radiate peace and goodness to others as well”.
The classical commentators (including Avot deRabbi Natan,
Rambam, Bartenura, Me’iri, Rashi, R’ Chaim Volozhiner) send the student straight
to Aaron’s role as an intermediary between disputants. Indeed, Rabbenu Yonah
adds that it is not enough to love peace in one’s heart: there has to be action
too.
Some modern writers do however connect Hillel’s teaching to
the quest for inner peace. Thus R’ Abraham J. Twerski (Visions of the
Fathers) contrasts the pursuit of inner peace through fulfilling one’s
mission in life with the illusory and transitory inner peace that can be
achieved through drug abuse and the quest for money. For R’ Reuven P.Bulka (Chapters
of the Sages) the pursuit of physical real-world peace is only a
preliminary to a greater ideal: Hillel’s mishnah is depicting a progression
from peace merely as a societal norm to a fundamentally more meaningful peace
based on “a love of humankind and a concern for its development” in order to
give life direction and purpose. I’m
sure that Hillel would have little objection to this fine sentiment, but wonder
whether he would have recognised his teaching within R’ Bulka’s words.
Ultimately, nothing can alter the fact that, on a simple
reading of Hillel’s teaching, his words do not appear to focus on our inner
growth, particularly since they finish with an encouragement to draw other
people to the Torah. If Hillel had been addressing the need to acquire inner
tranquillity and then radiate it out so that it can be felt by others, he could
surely have found a clearer way to express himself. Among modern commentators R’
Yaakov Hillel (Eternal Ethics from Sinai) writes of the importance of
attracting others to the Torah through demonstrating humility and contentment
with one’s lot—but he does so in the context of a description of Hillel’s
qualities rather than as an explanation of his teaching in this mishnah.
I also have trouble with the statement: “When we develop
feelings of love and peace within ourselves it will radiate peace and goodness
to others as well”. As an ideal, it is wonderful. However, I respectfully doubt
that it is an efficacious means of pursuing peace in empirical terms. However
much love and peace I feel within myself and radiate to the best of my ability,
it has never once created peace between my quarrelling grandchildren and is
certainly less effective than distracting them with a promise of an ice cream.
And, outside of family life, I can say much the same about my experiences of
dispute resolution in a more adult context.
Ultimately, I believe that Hillel was focusing on real-life
disputes that demanded a peaceful solution for the sake of the peace of mind of
the disputants, not on the inner growth of the peace-seeker—but I’m prepared to
be persuaded that I’m wrong.
For comments and discussion of this post on Facebook, click here.
