Avot242

1:
There are two sages from the period of the Mishnah who are known to us as Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Ya'akov. His place in our present chapter among the sages of the latter part of the 2nd century tells us that the sage of our present mishnah is the Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Ya'akov who was a contemporary of Rabbi Me'ir, Rabbi Yehudah ben-Ilai, Rabbi Yosé and all the other sages of the generation that survived the Hadrianic persecution (135-136 CE). (However, as we shall see later on there is also a slight possibility that the name of the sage of our mishnah has become garbled.)

2:
Very little of the biography of Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Ya'akov is known to us. One charming story is recounted in the Talmud of Eretz-Israel [Pe'ah 37b] which surely tells us much about his character:

This story, perhaps, indicates that Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Ya'akov was not among those who did not practice what they preached.

3:
In our present mishnah Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Ya'akov teaches that the performance of each good deed serves the one who does it as a kind of defence counsel in the heavenly court. Conversely, the performance of a sinful act serves the opposite function in the court on high. This is a beautiful metaphor. It is very tempting to understand the teaching in our mishnah is a most general sense: every time one performs on of the commandments (such as, say, reciting the Shema) one 'gains points'. However, it may well be that Rabbi Eli'ezer ben Ya'akov had a much more specific kind of mitzvah in mind.

4:
A very similar thought is expressed in the very last halakhah in Tosefta, Tractate Pe'ah [4:20]:

This teaching is very similar to that of our present mishnah; except that the mitzvah is specifically 'kindness'. The sages often used the word 'mitzvah' as a synonym for 'kindness' so it is possible that this was the intention of our present mishnah too. We might further notice that in the Tosefta this teaching is attributed to Rabbi El'azar bar Yosé which, because of the abbreviations so prevalent in manuscripts, might also be the name of the sage of our present mishnah – or vice versa!

5:
The modern Jew might find it very easy to dismiss the teaching of our mishnah as being 'unsophisticated'. Even among the religiously motivated it is becoming more and more difficult to find spiritual uplift in teachings that presume a direct connection between the religious deed and its religious reward (or punishment). The post-Holocaust religious Jew often sees himself, like Coleridge's ancient mariner, as "a sadder, but a wiser man." However, I have said before that we may view the purpose of the mitzvot as the addition of kedushah, sanctity, to our very secular lives: the more kedushah we are able to garner for ourselves the more 'points' we amass in the constant fight to give meaning and richness to our lives. If the attempt to introduce a modicum of holiness into our daily lives is a virtue then each mitzvah performed is an instrument designed to effect that end. And if the mitzvah in question also involves kindness of any kind towards another human being then possibly we have achieved for ourselves a "double score" in the race for 'points'.

In Avot 239 we gave the biography of Rabbi Me'ir. Todd Stone writes:

Rabbi Meir is called the Master of miracles. Does the Talmud mention any of the miracles?

I respond:

Yes, in some circles Rabbi Me'ir is known as Rabbi Me'ir ba'al ha-ness, as Todd mentions. The 'miracle' in question is one that I recounted as part of the sage's biography – but I toned down the miraculous element that is so beloved in some circles. You can re-read the story of how Rabbi Me'ir rescued his sister-in-law from a Roman brothel in In Avot 239. As the story is told in the Talmud Rabbi Me'ir persuaded the brothel-keeper to facilitate the woman's escape by promising him that he would be safe from the retribution of the authorities if he said "God of Me'ir, answer me!" Which he did. Of course, he also accepted the very large sum of money that Me'ir offered!

Happy Chanukah, everybody!