Avot206
of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel
RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP
TRACTATE AVOT, CHAPTER THREE, MISHNAH EIGHTEEN (recap):
Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah says: If there is no Torah there is no social intercourse, if there is no social intercourse there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom there is no fear [of Heaven], if there is no fear [of Heaven] there is no wisdom. If there is no comprehension there is no knowledge, if there is no knowledge there is no comprehension. If there is no flour there is no Torah, if there is no Torah there is no flour.
EXPLANATIONS (continued):
7:
The teaching of Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah which is presented in our mishnah consists of four clauses, in which eight concepts are designated as being complementary.
8:
In the first clause the term Torah is probably being used in its widest sense: the whole gamut of Jewish religious civilization as enshrined in the writings of the bible and the sages. (In the last clause the same term apparently bears a more restricted meaning.) The term that has been translated 'social intercourse' [Derekh Eretz] bears several connotations in Hebrew. It sometimes bears the simple meaning of 'earning a living'; it can also indicate 'common politeness' or 'good manners'; in some cases it can represent 'accepted morality'. It is quite possible that Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah intended all these connotations to be enshrined in his statement.
9:
Mishnah Kiddushin 1:10 reads (in part):
Everyone who possesses some [knowledge of] bible and Mishnah and Derekh Eretz will not quickly sin… But anyone who has no bible, Mishnah or Derekh Eretz contributes nothing to this world.
The classical commentators on this passage explain Derekh Eretz as referring to 'social intercourse', the simple morality of common politeness, honesty and helpfulness in human relations: getting on with people.
In his book "The Two Tablets of the Covenant" Rabbi Yeshayahu Horowitz (1570-1626) mentions a statement made by Rabbi El'azar which is to be found in Avot de-Rabbi Natan. I have not been able to locate the statement, but this is what Rabbi Horowitz (the "Shelah") says:
In all your ways know Him and He will straighten your paths [Proverbs 3:6]. In tractate Berakhot [63a] Bar-Kappara expands this. [He says]: Which is a small verse upon which all the main elements of Torah depend? – You must say that it is In all your ways know Him and He will straighten your paths. And in the first chapter of tractate Sotah [5b] Rabbi Yehoshu'a ben-Levi says: Everyone who straightens his paths [tries to live decently] will witness God's salvation… And in Avot de-Rabbi Natan we read: Rabbi El'azar says: Always have two hands – one in Torah and one in Derekh Eretz for "anyone who has no bible, Mishnah or Derekh Eretz contributes nothing to this world." Rabbi Shemu'el bar-Naĥmani said: Derekh Eretz preceded Torah by twenty-six generations … and whoever is careful regarding Derekh Eretz will witness [God's] compassion…
Clearly, the quotations offered in this passage serve to teach that 'knowing God' means Derekh Eretz and Derekh Eretz means 'getting on with people' through common decency.
10:
In the above quotation Rabbi Shemu'el bar-Naĥmani even notes that for twenty-six generations (from Adam to Moses) the world managed with just Derekh Eretz and without Torah. Presumably he means to say that if all people during those generations had lived according to Derekh Eretz there would have been no need for the giving of the Torah. However, the opposite is also true: sometimes, through strict adherence to the letter of the law a person can be a rogue! In his commentary on Leviticus 19:2 Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben-Naĥman) writes:
The Torah warns us against fornication and forbidden foods and permits intercourse between a man and his wife and the consumption of meat and wine. But a greedy person could find a way to be immersed in licentiousness just with his wife or wives [even though strictly speaking this is permitted]; he could over-indulge in drinking wine and guzzling meat [and would not be contravening the strict letter of the law], and to freely utter all kinds of vulgar remarks – because this prohibition is not mentioned in the Torah. Thus he will be a rogue with the permission of the Torah!
And this is why Derekh Eretz is needed together with Torah and each complements the other: If there is no Torah there is no Derekh Eretz, if there is no Derekh Eretz there is no Torah.
To be continued.
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