Avot076

1:
Even though the previous mishnah was attributed to Rabban Shim'on ben-Gamli'el our present mishnah – the last in Chapter 1 – is given the very same attribution. Already in Avot 068 I had warned that the multiplication of personalities bearing the same name within the family of the descendents of Hillel would cause problems of identification. It does not seem reasonable to assume that the Rabban Shim'on ben-Gamli'el of our present mishnah is the same as the Rabban Shim'on ben-Gamli'el of the previous mishnah; if that were the case it would have been more appropriate for the mishnah to use the leading phrase "He [also] used to say", as was the case in mishnayot 13 and 14 [see Avot 060 and 064].

2:
The fact that the very first mishnah of Chapter 2, which follows on immediately after our present mishnah, is attributed to Rabbi (Yehudah, the President of the Sanhedrin) suggests very forcibly that the sage of our present mishnah was Rabbi Yehudah's father, Rabban Shim'on ben-Gamli'el, the grandson of the sage of the same name in the previous mishnah.

3:
This Rabban Shim'on ben-Gamli'el presided over the Sanhedrin during the first half of the 2nd century CE. To him fell the most difficult task of rehabilitating the nation after the disastrous debacle of the Bar-Kokhba revolt. He moved (and the seat of the Sanhedrin moved with him) to the small village of Usha in Lower Galilee and there with great patience he put the pieces back together which rampant nationalism had smashed to smithereens. During his presidency poverty was rampant, even to the extent that the Sanhedrin had to discuss [Ketubot 49a] whether parents were halakhically required to feed and care for their children!

To be continued.

I here continue the presentation of comments that you have sent me concerning 'Lashon ha-Ra' and the modern democratic system. This is what Michael Lewyn has sent me:

You might be interested in knowing that there are electoral systems which (according to their supporters) minimize lashon hara. One is preference voting: people check the names of all the candidates they like, and so can vote for all the candidates, none, or any in between. The candidate with the most votes wins. So if Levi attacks Reuben and Shimon he may lose even if voters believe his attacks, because they will vote "no" on all the candidates. Another option is instant runoff voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than voting for only one candidate. Under this system, candidates may avoid attacking each other in order to gain second and third choice voters, and the second/third choice votes of the weakest candidates are redistributed to the top candidates until someone has a majority. So if Levi thinks that other candidate's supporters might rank him as a second choice, he will avoid attacking the other candidates in order to gain those second choice votes.

I respond:

As far as I am aware countries (such as the Republic of Ireland) which have espoused systems similar to those described by Michael have not experienced a lessening of competition between the candidates. Ultimately, if you want to get elected you have to stand up and say "Vote for me because I am better than the rest". Israel, for example, is a state which has espoused the most inclusive form of proportional voting yet devised; and yet Israel, to our shame, has probably the most vitriolic election campaigns known to democratic states.

I am probably showing exceeding ignorance here, but I can't help thinking that the best solution would be that originally intended by the founding fathers of American democracy. As I understand it their original intention was the indirect election of the President and that the people would put the choice of the best person for the presidency in the hands of a popularly elected electoral college. This would mean that the 'voters' would approach the candidate and the candidate would not have to approach the voters.

I recall again the teaching of Confucius that "only those are worthy to govern who would rather be excused". I have a distinct memory how the secretary-general of her party pleaded with an old woman to come out of retirement and lead her country. As he repeatedly made the request the old grandmother sat in her seat among the audience clutching her handbag with tears streaming down her face and shaking her head repeatedly in refusal. That was how Golda Meir became Prime Minister of Israel.

I shall bring more of your comments on the democratic system and lashon ha-ra next time.

Even though I am officially on vacation I hope to send out as many shiurim in this series as possible. Please forgive me if here and there I should fail in my good intentions .