Description: Chapter 1 - 04
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 1 – 04
The second Mishnah in Chapter 1 says,
שמעון הצדיק היה משירי אנשי כנסת הגדולה, הוא היה אומר על שלשה דברים העולם עומד על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים
Shimon Hatzadik was the remnant of the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah. He would say that the world exists upon three things, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilas Chasadim, kindness and charity.
Shimon Hatzadik is a very famous person in Jewish history. He was the Kohen Gadol and the Gemarah tells us that the miracles of the Beis Hamikdash continued through his time, but ended with his passing. This includes the neis that the neir maravi of the menorah always burned longer than the other flames, and the goiral of the two goats on Yom Kippur always came out Hashem in the right hand, the red string would turn white and so on. These came to an end with his passing.
Another aspect of his leadership was that the Greek empire came into power in his day. Alexander the Great rose to power and conquered much of that part of the world. The story is told in the Gemarah that Alexander was marching to conquer Yerushalayim, and Shimon Hatzadik went out to greet him, and he got off his horse and knelt in front of Shimon, because he would see an image of Shimon Hatzadik in his dreams, before he fought a successful battle. This was the onset of the Chanukah story, because the Yevanim now began to dominate and oppress the Jews, but only after the passing of Shimon Hatzadik. His zchus protected us all, and obviated the need for any war as the Chashmonaim waged later – his enemies simply knelt in front of him! That was the great level of tzidkus he was on, and he led the generation with that.
Shimon Hatzadik was the end of an era, the last of the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah which was populated by Nevi’im and baalei ruach hakodesh such as Mordechai Hatzadik, and Chananyah, Mishoel, and Azaryah. The open display of Hashem’s presence, the open miracles of the Beis Hamikdash, which was a facet of nevuah came to an end with his passing. Other meforshim point out that the reference to the fact that he was the last of the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah comes to demonstrate that this is the greatest chashivus he possessed – that he was of that generation, and thus was head and shoulders above his generation. The meforshim say that he was therefore referred to as ‘tzaddik’ an unusual appellation, because of the great level he possessed in comparison to the rest of the generation.
The Gemarah says that Hashem had mercy on the Jews during the reign of the Yevanim and sent Shimon Hatzadik to lead them, and compares this to how Hashem sent Mordechai and Esther to lead the Jews during the time of Haman.
In light of all this, we can understand that Shimon Hatzadik taught his generation that the world exists on three pillars – and only on those pillars! This was counteracting the influence of the Greek culture which was beginning to infiltrate in Klal Yisrael and take over the world. The Greeks were ardent naturalists – believing in nature and not in ruchniyos at all as we are familiar from Chanukah. This was Shimon Hatzadik’s teaching for his generation – understand what the world really revolves around – only ruchniyos, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilas Chasadim.
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 1 – 04
The second Mishnah in Chapter 1 says,
שמעון הצדיק היה משירי אנשי כנסת הגדולה, הוא היה אומר על שלשה דברים העולם עומד על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים
Shimon Hatzadik was the remnant of the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah. He would say that the world exists upon three things, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilas Chasadim, kindness and charity.
Shimon Hatzadik is a very famous person in Jewish history. He was the Kohen Gadol and the Gemarah tells us that the miracles of the Beis Hamikdash continued through his time, but ended with his passing. This includes the neis that the neir maravi of the menorah always burned longer than the other flames, and the goiral of the two goats on Yom Kippur always came out Hashem in the right hand, the red string would turn white and so on. These came to an end with his passing.
Another aspect of his leadership was that the Greek empire came into power in his day. Alexander the Great rose to power and conquered much of that part of the world. The story is told in the Gemarah that Alexander was marching to conquer Yerushalayim, and Shimon Hatzadik went out to greet him, and he got off his horse and knelt in front of Shimon, because he would see an image of Shimon Hatzadik in his dreams, before he fought a successful battle. This was the onset of the Chanukah story, because the Yevanim now began to dominate and oppress the Jews, but only after the passing of Shimon Hatzadik. His zchus protected us all, and obviated the need for any war as the Chashmonaim waged later – his enemies simply knelt in front of him! That was the great level of tzidkus he was on, and he led the generation with that.
Shimon Hatzadik was the end of an era, the last of the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah which was populated by Nevi’im and baalei ruach hakodesh such as Mordechai Hatzadik, and Chananyah, Mishoel, and Azaryah. The open display of Hashem’s presence, the open miracles of the Beis Hamikdash, which was a facet of nevuah came to an end with his passing. Other meforshim point out that the reference to the fact that he was the last of the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah comes to demonstrate that this is the greatest chashivus he possessed – that he was of that generation, and thus was head and shoulders above his generation. The meforshim say that he was therefore referred to as ‘tzaddik’ an unusual appellation, because of the great level he possessed in comparison to the rest of the generation.
The Gemarah says that Hashem had mercy on the Jews during the reign of the Yevanim and sent Shimon Hatzadik to lead them, and compares this to how Hashem sent Mordechai and Esther to lead the Jews during the time of Haman.
In light of all this, we can understand that Shimon Hatzadik taught his generation that the world exists on three pillars – and only on those pillars! This was counteracting the influence of the Greek culture which was beginning to infiltrate in Klal Yisrael and take over the world. The Greeks were ardent naturalists – believing in nature and not in ruchniyos at all as we are familiar from Chanukah. This was Shimon Hatzadik’s teaching for his generation – understand what the world really revolves around – only ruchniyos, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilas Chasadim.