The sixth perek of Avot consists of a set of baraitot that tag along after the first five perakim of mishnayot. To some people they may seem like an afterthought, an accidental child trailing in the wake of five illustrious siblings. As if to rub it in, the rabbis named as authors of its teachings include Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi—stigmatised by all but Rambam and Tosefot Yom Tov as being only an Amora and not a real Tanna at all.
Though it contains the longest teaching in Avot, where at
6:6 we learn the 48 things that aid us to acquire Torah, the sixth chapter
still contains only 11 baraitot and they are among the least frequently cited
teachings in the tractate. But this perek should not be ignored. There is much
to learn from it, if we only care to look.
I found myself thinking again about Avot 6:5, where an
anonymous Tanna says:
אַל תְּבַקֵּשׁ
גְּדֻלָּה לְעַצְמְךָ, וְאַל תַּחְמוֹד כָּבוֹד, יוֹתֵר מִלִּמּוּדֶֽךָ עֲשֵׂה,
וְאַל תִּתְאַוֶּה לְשֻׁלְחָנָם שֶׁל מְלָכִים, שֶׁשֻּׁלְחָנְךָ גָּדוֹל
מִשֻּׁלְחָנָם, וְכִתְרְךָ גָּדוֹל מִכִּתְרָם, וְנֶאֱמָן הוּא בַּֽעַל
מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ שֶׁיְּשַׁלֶּם לְךָ שְׂכַר פְּעֻלָּתֶֽךָ
Do not seek greatness for
yourself, and do not lust for honour. Do more than you have learned. Don’t desire
the table of kings, for your table is greater than theirs, and your crown is
greater than theirs, and trustworthy is your Employer to pay you the rewards of
your work.
As a preliminary question, we can ask: To whom is this baraita
addressed? From the text itself we can infer that it these words are being
spoken to someone who (i) is not a king but (ii) who is apparently interested
in seeking high status (gedulah) and honor (kavod). He is however
(iii) not fulfilling his maximum potential for action. He needs to be assured
that (iv) what he has is greater than that which is possessed by those whom he
wishes to join or emulate, and that (v) if he plays his cards right and serves
God properly, he can be sure to receive his due reward.
The Maharam Shik, in his Chidushei Aggadot al Masechet
Avot, perceptively asks why it is that a tzaddik or talmid
chacham should ever seek greatness, riches and the pleasurable things of
this world: surely this is not for them? He then supplies an answer, pointing
to the words spoken by King Solomon (Kohelet 9:16):
Wisdom is better than strength.
Even so, the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not listened to.
King Solomon was both rich and wise; his words and wisdom
are still regularly pondered today, and the point made here is a good one. Can
we truly say that we take sufficient care to weigh the words of someone who is
poor, who presents himself badly and who looks more as though he is need of
some helpful advice himself? And how eagerly do many of us seek to catch pearls
of wisdom from someone who has been touched by wealth, fame or high
responsibility? At any rate, this baraita serves as a sort of reality check for
the impecunious tzaddik or talmid chacham: he must ask himself
two questions: (i) is the benefit he seeks to confer on others his real motive
for seeking greatness and honour? (ii) is he equipped to cope with the
pressures, responsibilities and temptations that greatness and honour may put his
way?
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