עִברִית
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְנִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת:
English
Yehoshua ben Perachiah and Nitai of Arbel received from them. Yehoshua ben Perachiah says, “Make for yourself a mentor, acquire for yourself a friend and judge every person as meritorious.”
Commentary
Rodef Shalom Commentary- (2024) Zev ben David, ואוש
Although each of the three pieces of advice in this week’s verse deserves to be considered, and doubtless. will in this forum, the first holds a special place in my Jewish journey.
When I was working at the NIH, one of the prominent scientists there in the Vaccine Research Center, Danny Douek, was also an active member of a local conservative synagogue and a professed atheist. I met him first as a collaborator with my research advisor, but when he learned that I was in the process of converting to Judaism, our conversations began to be more and more infused with a blend of science and Judaism, mostly in separate threads, but intersecting in the areas of learning and in the broad scale conversations about science, knowledge, and the universe. Today’s passage was the first I’d learned explicitly from Pirkei Avot when Danny quoted it, likely in the context of a conversation about him effectively becoming my unofficial third research mentor in my PhD project,, he brought up the notion that we are encouraged not to acquire a mentor or receive a mentor but to make one.
In my youth, older siblings and relatives, teachers and school advisors all seemed eager to be my mentors and they did not seem like they needed to be ‘made’. However, as I’ve aged and had opportunities to become a mentor, I certainly feel that I was made to be one, that is to say most of the work in mentorship is actually done by the mentee. No one of us could download all of our knowledge, wisdom, experiences, for good or ill into a single person, and even if this technology were somehow to exist someday, it would likely take the same lifetime of learning to understand and make meaning from it. Instead the mentee must learn to express their needs, both those self-aware and those subconscious, to their mentor and to determine the scope included in the relationship. In my first two years of my PhD, my research mentors had taught me much about their spheres of expertise, the techniques, the challenges, and the approaches, at least those for which they had funding, to tackle these questions, but it wasn’t until I met Danny that I learned to forge a different kind of mentorship. One not bound by the formal structure of science alone, but one which helped me understand myself and my journey as a human being, and a Jew, better. Indeed this copy of Pirkei Avot in my hand today was a gift from that mentor, one that I cherish dearly. In the spirit of the tradition, Denny wrote in it “ Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and passed it on..” to you!
Today carrying on this tradition, I hope that we can through these discussions make mentors of each other.
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Discussion Topics
Topic 1:
How is a mentor different than a teacher?
Topic 2:
Words are cheap, actions are expensive
Topic 3:
How do we make ourselves pleasant?
Translations
English
Mishnah Yomit- Dr. Joshua Kulp
Joshua ben Perahiah and Nittai the Arbelite received [the oral tradition] from them. Joshua ben Perahiah used to say: appoint for thyself a teacher, and acquire for thyself a companion and judge all men with the scale weighted in his favor.
Open Mishnah
Yehoshua ben Perachiah and Nitai of Arbel received from them. Yehoshua ben Perachia says, “Make for yourself a mentor, acquire for yourself a friend and judge every person as meritorious.”
Open Mishnah
The Mishna with Obadiah Bartenura- Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
Yehoshuah ben Prachya and Nitai Ha’arbeli received it from them. Yehoshua ben Prachya says: Make a teacher for yourself. [Rambam explains: Even if he is not fit to be your teacher, still make him your teacher, and do not learn by yourself. And I have heard: “Make a teacher for yourself” that you learn from constantly, and do not learn today from one and tomorrow from another. And even though they said (Avodah Zarah 19a): “If one learns Torah from only one master, he never sees a sign of blessing,” they have already explained: That is true of svara (sharpening in dialectics after the “substance” has been acquired), it being beneficial for one to hear the svara of the many; but in gemara (acquiring the “substance” itself), one master is preferable, to avoid differences in formulations of the same (oral learnings)], and acquire a friend for yourself, [even if it is very costly for you to do so, and you must spend much to acquire his love. But it cannot be stated “Acquire a teacher for yourself,” a teacher being obliged to teach gratis], and judge each man in the scales of merit. [This is so when the act is in the balance, it not being discernible from his deeds whether he is righteous or wicked and he performs a deed which permits of judging him in the scales of merit or in those of guilt; it is the way of lovingkindness to judge him in the scales of merit. But if one is confirmed in evil, it is permitted to judge him in the scales of guilt, their having stated only (Shabbath 97a): “If one suspects the innocent he is smitten in his body,” implying that if he suspects the wicked he is not smitten.]
Sayings of the Jewish Fathers (Pirqe Aboth) translated by Charles Taylor
7. Jehoshua’ ben Perachia and Matthai the Arbelite received from them. Jehoshua’ ben Perachiah said, Make unto thyself a master; and possess thyself of an associate; and judge every man in the scale of merit.
Deutsch
Mischnajot mit deutscher Übersetzung und Erklärung
Josua, Sohn Perachjas, und Nittai aus Arbel empfingen von ihnen. Josua, Sohn Perachja’s spricht: Schaffe dir einen Lehrer, erwirb dir einen Genossen, und beurteile jeden Menschen nach der guten Seile.
Mischnajot mit deutscher Übersetzung und Erklärung. Berlin 1887-1933 [de]
Source: talmud.de
Digitization: Sefaria License: [missing]
Talmud Bavli- Lazarus Goldschmidt (1929)
JEHOŠUA͑ B. PERAḤJA UND NITAJ AUS ARBEL EMPFINGEN SIE VON JENEN. JEHOŠUA͑ B. PERAḤJA SPRACH: SCHAFFE DIR EINEN LEHRER UND ERWIRB DIR EINEN KOLLEGEN. BEURTEILE JEDEN MENSCHEN NACH DER GUTEN SEITE.
Talmud Bavli. Lazarus Goldschmidt. 1929 [de]
Source: nli.org.il
Digitization: Sefaria License: Public Domain
Français
Maximes des Pères- Rabbi Rivon (2023)
Yehochouâ, fils de Prahia, et Nitaï d’Arbel furent les disciples des précédents. Yehochouâ, fils de Prahia disait: «Fais-toi un maître, acquiers-toi un compagnon d’étude et juge tout homme sous un jour favorable.»
Español
Ritual de oraciones para todo el ano- Marcos Edery (1965)
Ieoshua Ben Perajiá y Nitai de Arbel, recibieron la tradición oral de los anteriores. Ieoshua Ben Perajiá dice: hazte de un maestro, adquiérete un amigo, y juzga a tus semejantes generosamente.
Português
Ética dos Pais- Bruno Manuel (2023)
Yehoshua ben Perachiah e Nitai de Arbel receberam (o ensino) deles. Yehoshua ben Perachia diz: “Faz de ti mesmo um mentor, arranja para ti um amigo e julgue todas as pessoas como meritórias”.
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