Avot353

6:
From the point of view of its content our mishnah is quite straightforward and needs little clarification. The subject of the mishnah is, of course, Torah. But when ben-Bag-Bag urges us to "turn it over and over" he is not referring only to the Written Torah, of course, but also to the Unwritten Torah, the oral tradition, which, as we learned in the very first mishnah of this tractate, Moses received from Sinai.

7:
Ben-Bag-Bag also exhorts us to read the Torah – Torah in its widest sense: the total corpus of what makes Judaism Judaism. However, the Aramaic verb can be understood differently and in his commentary on our mishnah, Tosefot Yom-Tov, Rabbi YomTov Lippmann Heller suggests that we understand the injunction as meaning "perceive in it":

through study of Torah.

8:
The Tanna also tells us never to forsake Torah study. Rabbi Ovadya of Bertinoro sees in this a demand for exclusivity:

Some of the sages were very wary indeed of Greek philosophy – what was eventually to develop into the general culture of the modern western world. For example, in the Gemara of Eretz-Israel [Pe'ah 3a] we find that

Since God instructed Joshua [1:8] to study Torah both day and night this, according to Rabbi Eli'ezer would not leave a time appropriate for Greek philosophy. As we have seen, there were other sages, such as Rabbi himself, who took the opposite view.

9:
Our mishnah – and the tractate – concludes with a succinct admonition, which is an answer to all those who question the value of Jewish learning: you will get out of it what you put into it. Or, perhaps, the fruits of your studies will be commensurate with the effort you have put into them.

10:
Please read the Afterword which follows the Discussion.

In Avot 351 we noted that two elements "prove" that seventy is the time for grey hairs. We quoted a biblical verse and Amnon Ronel asks: "and the other?"

I respond:

The other element is what I wrote immediately afterwards, that according to tradition David was seventy years old when he died.

In that same shiur we explained why eighty was called the age for might. Amnon Ronel comments:

According to your explanation the age of eighty concludes the period of might which was not the case with the previous ages which began a period.

I respond:

A most perceptive comment!

Also concerning Avot 351, Nehama Barbiru writes:

According to our mishnah a person's life is measured up to the age of one hundred. How does this square with measuring man's life to 120?

I respond:

It doesn't. Moses died at the age of 120 [Deuteronomy 34:7] and it cannot be expected that any human being coming after him should aspire to greater longevity. Therefore we wish people to live "until 120", as did Moses, but no longer.

In Avot 351 I wrote: I hope that Michael is not falling into the fallacy of assuming that in Mishnaic times everybody lived off the land. The vast majority of people lived in cities and towns and engaged in urban activities.

Ed Frankel concurs:

Historical/demographical studies have also repeatedly demonstrated that while life spans were shorter in ancient times, it was not due as much to early death after reaching maturity, but the greater number of deaths at birth, in infancy and childhood. Once a person advanced to adulthood, a lifespan similar to that of today was not uncommon.

It has taken us nearly four and one half years, but at long last we have concluded our study of Tractate Avot. (I have mentioned before that the extra chapter which is to be found in prayer books is not part of the original tractate but one that was added from a different source for liturgical convenience; and this is a Mishnah study group.)

I offer sincerest thanks to the Almighty who has enabled me to complete the explanation of this tractate despite one life-threatening crisis and a second crisis that incapacitated me for many a long week (and still does).

Traditionally, with the completion of a tractate we turn our attention to the next tractate to be studied. I hope, God willing, to set before you on Tuesday 17th June the list of suggestions you have sent me and the tractates that will be offered for your selection.

The completion of a tractate always fills one with a sense of achievement. If you have any comments on the way we have studied this tractate please feel free to send them to me (the address is in the blurb below the ruled line): I may possibly publish some of them so that others might get an impression of what this Virtual Bet Midrash is all about..

God bless you all and thank you for studying with me.