Description: Chapter 6 - 01
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 6 – 01
In preparation for Shavuos let us begin learning the sixth perek of Pirkei Avos, which talks all about learning Torah. The Mishnah begins with an introduction:
שנו חכמים בלשון המשנה ברוך שבחר בהם ובמשנתם
The chachamim taught us in the language of the Mishnah, Baruch Hashem who chose them and their teachings.
What is this introduction coming to say? There is a beautiful pshat by Rav Meir Schapiro zatzal, the founder of Daf Yomi, and the Rosh Yeshiva of Chachmei Lublin, that every single statement made by a tannah in Pirkei Avos, was something that they taught through living it! For example, Hillel says in Perek Aleph, be from the talmidim of Aharon Hakohen who loved peace and pursued peace, loved people and brought them close to Torah. We know the famous stories of Hillel related in the Gemarah, how he kept the peace no matter the situation, when the person tried to get him angry by asking foolish questions, and asking them on Erev Shabbos when it was a difficult time, and even asking when Hillel was indisposed and trying to bathe! Nevertheless, Hillel never lost his temper (but the person lost his bet!) Hillel was the one who found a creative way to have a ger convert to Judaism while learning the whole Torah on one foot, rather than getting angry at his foolishness. That’s mekarvan le’Torah.
We witness this with our gedolim, as with the gedolim of every generation. It’s known that when the Chafetz Chaim originally was trying to publish his sefer Chafetz Chaim for the first time, he sought to get haskamos from the gedolei hador, as he was an unknown young man at the time. He approached Rav Boruch Mordechai Lipshitz, the Rav of Novardok, and Rav Boruch secretly told a number of his talmidim to engage the Chafetz Chaim in conversation, and see if he will speak any lashon horah. It’s said that one of the talmidim, Rav Kimchi, who later became the rav of Micholiav, spoke with the Chafetz Chaim for six hours, but the Chafetz Chaim never once ventured anywhere near lashon horah. Rav Baruch then gave him a haskamah! Similar stories happened with other rabbanim whom he approached.
Rav Meir Schapiro says, that this is why some of the tannaim in Pirkei Avos, just repeat pesukim in Mishlei or other places – what are they being mechadesh? But the answer is, it was a lesson that they were mosair nefesh for! They gave their life to perfect and exemplify this middah. That’s what the introduction to the Mishnah means. ‘Shanu Chachamim bi’lashon ha’mishnah,’ the chachamim themselves, their own lives, were being taught through the language of the Mishnah – therefore we immediately say, Baruch Hashem who chose such tzaddikim and role models to teach us the Torah.
The Kesav Sofer quotes a Gemarah we learned in Chagigah, in Daf Hashavuah, that the reason why we praise and bless the chachamim of the Mishnah as an introduction, is because we have a rule, ‘אם הרב דומה למלאך אלוקים צבקות למוד ממנו,’ if your rebbi is in your eyes a heavenly angel of Hashem, then you can learn from him. We therefore start by saying how much chashivus and reverence we have for the chachamim of the Mishnah.
Pirkei Avos
Chapter 6 – 01
In preparation for Shavuos let us begin learning the sixth perek of Pirkei Avos, which talks all about learning Torah. The Mishnah begins with an introduction:
שנו חכמים בלשון המשנה ברוך שבחר בהם ובמשנתם
The chachamim taught us in the language of the Mishnah, Baruch Hashem who chose them and their teachings.
What is this introduction coming to say? There is a beautiful pshat by Rav Meir Schapiro zatzal, the founder of Daf Yomi, and the Rosh Yeshiva of Chachmei Lublin, that every single statement made by a tannah in Pirkei Avos, was something that they taught through living it! For example, Hillel says in Perek Aleph, be from the talmidim of Aharon Hakohen who loved peace and pursued peace, loved people and brought them close to Torah. We know the famous stories of Hillel related in the Gemarah, how he kept the peace no matter the situation, when the person tried to get him angry by asking foolish questions, and asking them on Erev Shabbos when it was a difficult time, and even asking when Hillel was indisposed and trying to bathe! Nevertheless, Hillel never lost his temper (but the person lost his bet!) Hillel was the one who found a creative way to have a ger convert to Judaism while learning the whole Torah on one foot, rather than getting angry at his foolishness. That’s mekarvan le’Torah.
We witness this with our gedolim, as with the gedolim of every generation. It’s known that when the Chafetz Chaim originally was trying to publish his sefer Chafetz Chaim for the first time, he sought to get haskamos from the gedolei hador, as he was an unknown young man at the time. He approached Rav Boruch Mordechai Lipshitz, the Rav of Novardok, and Rav Boruch secretly told a number of his talmidim to engage the Chafetz Chaim in conversation, and see if he will speak any lashon horah. It’s said that one of the talmidim, Rav Kimchi, who later became the rav of Micholiav, spoke with the Chafetz Chaim for six hours, but the Chafetz Chaim never once ventured anywhere near lashon horah. Rav Baruch then gave him a haskamah! Similar stories happened with other rabbanim whom he approached.
Rav Meir Schapiro says, that this is why some of the tannaim in Pirkei Avos, just repeat pesukim in Mishlei or other places – what are they being mechadesh? But the answer is, it was a lesson that they were mosair nefesh for! They gave their life to perfect and exemplify this middah. That’s what the introduction to the Mishnah means. ‘Shanu Chachamim bi’lashon ha’mishnah,’ the chachamim themselves, their own lives, were being taught through the language of the Mishnah – therefore we immediately say, Baruch Hashem who chose such tzaddikim and role models to teach us the Torah.
The Kesav Sofer quotes a Gemarah we learned in Chagigah, in Daf Hashavuah, that the reason why we praise and bless the chachamim of the Mishnah as an introduction, is because we have a rule, ‘אם הרב דומה למלאך אלוקים צבקות למוד ממנו,’ if your rebbi is in your eyes a heavenly angel of Hashem, then you can learn from him. We therefore start by saying how much chashivus and reverence we have for the chachamim of the Mishnah.