Avot125

31:
There is so much more of the biography of Rabban Yoĥanan ben-Zakkai that we could relate with interest, but I think that over the past few shiurim enough of it has been given to permit an understanding of the man, his personality, his influence, and his enormous contribution to the survival of Judaism after the debâcle of the year 70 CE. So we can now turn our attention to the one teaching of his which is quoted in our mishnah.

32:
The Hebrew text of our mishnah can be interpreted in more than one way. It is most interesting that of the the classical commentators Rambam does not see fit to elaborate on this mishnah at all. Presumably he assumed that the manner in which he understood it (whatever it was) was the manner in which everybody would understand it.

33:
One possible understanding of the text is that if you have learned much Torah you have a duty to pass that learning on, to teach it to others, for the study of Torah should be the vocation of all Israel. This interpretation is reflected in the translation of our mishnah given above.

34:
Rabbi YomTov Lippmann Heller, in his commentary Tos^efot YomTov, seems to imply that the 'you' to whom Rabban Yoĥanan ben-Zakkai addresses his teaching is all Israel, as a people. He writes:

Furthermore, Rabbi Heller seems to give the Hebrew word tovah – a good thing – a different meaning, a favour. Apparently, he understands Rabban Yoĥanan ben-Zakkai to be saying: "If Israel learns much Torah we may not consider that we are doing God a favour: this is our purpose in the world.

35:
Rabbi Ovadyah of Bertinoro understands the text differently. He understands Rabban Yoĥanan ben-Zakkai to be saying that if a person has learned much Torah they should not get big-headed about it. He interprets the Hebrew phrase al taĥazik tovah le-atzm^ekha as meaning 'do not boast to yourself that you have done a good thing'. He adds that such a teaching is most appropriate when coming from Rabban Yoĥanan ben-Zakkai since he was the foremost scholar of his age. He points out that of him the Gemara [Sukkah 28a] says:

For an explanation of kal va-ĥomer etc please see Avot 054. The rather amusing references to angels, sprites, palm trees and so forth are probably references to matters which Rabban Yoĥanan had to study for some reason or another. Indeed, the reference to the palm tree might be a reference to the incident which we described Avot 117 (in tradition figs and dates can get confused).

In our Discussion in Avot 123 I brought the text of a message which was sent to me by David Baird in which he complained that in modern Israel 'religion' and 'nationalism' are too often synonymous. Elro'i Sadeh agrees with David:

While reading your last commentaries on Pirqei Avot I came to the same conclusion as did David Baird in his comment which was attached to our last study, Avot 123. Working in a very national religious environment I daily experience the fanaticism connected to the Disengagement plan. The way some important rabbis of the national religious camp speak vehemently against the Disengagement and teach people how to behave, i.e. to avoid the plan being implemented, the way young adolescents and others understand their words by acting in a very radical, revolting and dangerous way, give me the impression that their ideology has become very close to that of the Zealots in the past.

The ideology of "Eretz Israel hashlemah" , i.e. the total entity of the land of Israel, based on religious motives, "Torat Israel, 'Am Israel and Eretz Israel" or like the saying "Ein devar tov lamut be'ad artzeinu", which was said by Josef Trumpeldor(1880-1920), seem to me very close to simple idolatry! Nothing seem to be more important than "only Eretz Israel" Where is the zeal of those rabbis in dealing with poverty, injustice, people getting underpaid or not paid at all, sexual abuse or violence in families, Agunot i.e. women who cannot remarry as their husbands have disappeared, the rights of minorities, Palestinians, foreign workers and other "sojourners in our midst", etc.?

Nowhere in our rich tradition are we obligated to die on Qiddush HaShem, i.e. Sanctifying G-ds Name, but because of three severe sins: if one is forced 1. to kill somebody, 2. to commit idolatry, 3. to commit a forbidden sexual relationship. And even in some circumstances it is preferable to save your life by committing such a severe sin.

Since the Shoah rabbis have developed a new concept: Qiddush haChaim, i.e. the sanctification of life! There is no obligation to die on Shlemut ha-aretz, i.e. the completeness of the country of Israel!! I wonder what these rabbis have to say to their disciples after the Disengagement? Well, I really agree with David Baird that we need not only "a division of religion and state" but also "division of religion and nationalism". As "the two have always been proven to be a self destructive formula". In that way, I believe, we may continue the essence of Judaism as taught by Rabban Yochanan Ben-Zakkai.