Torah Lesson - Pirkie Avot Chapter 1 Mishna 13

[muman613]

I have been learning the Torah portion for this Shabbat and have learned some very interesting insights.

This is what I learned tonight:



For some reason this pasuk from Pirkie Avot came to my mind this afternoon at work. I would like to share it with everyone here who is interested in learning more Torah and doing more Mitzvot in this world.

http://www.messiahtruth.com/mishna18.html
A Name Made Great Is a Name Destroyed

HE (Hillel) USED TO SAY: A NAME MADE GREAT IS A NAME DESTROYED; HE WHO DOES NOT INCREASE HIS KNOWLEDGE, DECREASES IT; AND HE WHO DOES NOT STUDY, DESERVES TO DIE; AND HE WHO MAKES A WORLDLY USE OF THE CROWN (of Torah) SHALL PASS AWAY.

There are many interpretations of these words of Hillel.

1.Notoriety invites jealousy, enemies and vengeance. This comports with the personality of Hillel in advising humility. It follows in the idea which was expressed in Mishna 9, wherein Shemaya advised not to become close to the ruling power. Exposure invites scrutiny and 'ayin ha'ra'.Also fame usually has a limited life, and in his ambition to attain fame, a man often loses his good name.

2.The pursuit of fame, the dedication to achieve it, creates the seed for its self destruction. It is directly opposite the lessons of Hillel in the pursuit of peace. The pursuer of peace, in drawing two opposing parties towards the center, acts as a catalyst, one who is a necessary ingredient in that equation, but never part of the substantative matter of the dispute. He submerges his personality; he draws the two together by appealing to the good nature of both. He does not laud himself, nor does he approach as a judge, prosecutor or advocate. He doesn't count, and his mission is often self-effacing. But he has a goal... to bring peace between men.

Remember the story of Aharon, who disregarded his personal dignity. He ran after each disputant and appealed to both. The mission was not 'beneath his dignity' to pursue; he sought no fame, no honor, no reward. His mission was for the sake of Shalom and "l'shayme shamayim" ...for the sake of Heaven, that the name of Hashem be glorified in the hearts and minds of all, by the deeds of one who professed to speak in the name of Heaven.

The one who seeks fame, by contrast, has a personal goal. His agenda is his own glorification, the acceptance and recognition by all of his greatness, goodness and glory.

The Mishna later instructs us... "He who pursues honor.honor will flee from him." How many people do we know who strive for honor... and we all recognize the ingenuousness of that person's strivings He claims he serves society, but we see through it? He is serving himself.

The result? We look at his every act with distrust and cynicism, and we listen to him with tongue in cheek. He's out for himself.

Our Rabbis tell us that there are three things that remove a person from this world: "Jealousy... Lust... and Honor remove a person from this world."

Jealousy... because it is self destructive. It devours the person who is entangled in its web.

Lust... because it is addictive. Get a little taste of forbidden fruit, and the overwhelming power of its emotional grasp locks you in its jaws.

Honor... because it feeds an ego towards a perverted end. It is but self-gratification...and is never satisfied. The more you have the more you want. All of the above result in self-destruction.

3.Others have read the statement of Hillel as a continuation of his previous words about seeking and pursuing peace, and have read this phrase in this fashion.

One's name will remain great, even after death, because of the deeds he performed in pursuing peace. The Priestly blessing that is uttered by the Kohanim has a three-fold part to it; namely, May Hashem bless you and guard you.... from all harm. May Hashem shine his face upon you and give you favor... in the eyes of all who behold you. May Hashem raise his face to you, and give you peace....within yourself, between husband and wife, family, society and the entire world.

The rabbis comment that the last is the most significant one because it is all encompassing. The pursuers of peace shall have earned an eternal blessing from all mankind.

4.Others have read the words of Hillel as an observation of our national quality; namely, that the flame of Israel surges when it seems to be all but extinguished.

"The name becomes great, when it appears to have died" ...is the nuance of Hillel's remark.

This is the story of our people. From the source in the Torah we find the pattern of our fortunes throughout history. Because of our iniquities....."Hashem became angry over that land [Israel] to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book [Torah]. Hashem removed them [Israel] from their land in anger and great rage, and thrust them into a different land, as today...." Deut. 29:26-27

"When all these things shall befall you, the blessing and the curse that I have put before you today, and you contemplate in your heart, in the midst of all the nations where Hashem your G-d has driven you... you will return to the Lord your G-d and you will hearken to his voice, to all that I command you today...you and your children, with all your heart and all your soul.... Then will Hashem will return all your remnants and show mercy to you. He will bring back and gather you from all the nations where the Lord your G-d has dispersed you. Should your dispersion be to the ends of the heavens, from there the Lord your G-d will gather you and from there he will take you." Deut. 30:1-4

Hasn't this been the life cycle of our people? With the detruction of the first Temple and the exile of the nation into Babylonia in 586 B.C.E., the future of the Jewish nation seemed doomed. But from the ashes of that destruction rose a renaissance of Jewish life in Babylonia, that laid the groundword for the greatest literary and religious revival in Jewish history... the Babylonian community that produced the great Talmud of today.

With the destruction of the second Temple and the decimation of the land of Israel by the Romans in 70 C.E., the fall of Betar, again, the future of our nation was bleak. But new communities in North Africa, like Kairiwan and communities in Europe and Spain began to flourish, that illuminate the Jewish horizon once again.

With the destruction of the European Jewish community in our days, and the murder of a third of our people....again, the embers appeared as dying coals, but the flame flared up again in a rejuvenation of a nation in the establishment of the State of Israel, and a resurgence of a commitment to Torah by a large segment of the American Jewish community.

This is what Hillel means when he says: The name gains in ascendency, just when it appears to be dying.

The eternity of Israel is assured.