Chapter One

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Hebrew

ה יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
אוֹמֵר: יְהִי בֵיתְךָ פָּתוּחַ לִרְוָחָה,
וְיִהְיוּ עֲנִיִּים בְּנֵי בֵיתֶךָ, וְאַל
תַּרְבֶּה שִׂיחָה עִם הָאִשָּׁה,
בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ אָמְרוּ, קַל וָחֹמֶר בְּאֵשֶׁת
חֲבֵרוֹ. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: כָּל
הַמַּרְבֶּה שִׂיחָה עִם הָאִשָּׁה, גּוֹרֵם
רָעָה לְעַצְמוֹ, וּבוֹטֵל מִדִּבְרֵי
תּוֹרָה, וְסוֹפוֹ יוֹרֵשׁ גֵּיהִנֹּם.

Sephardi

5 Yosei ben Yochanan ish Yerushalayim
omer: yehi beit'cha patuach lirvachah,
ve-yihyu aniyim b'nei veitecha, ve-al
tarbeh sichah im ha'ishah,
b'ishto amru, kal va-chomer b'eshet
chavero. mi-kan amru chachamim: kol
hamarbeh sichah im ha'ishah, gorem
ra'ah le-atzmo, u-votel mi-divrei
Torah, ve-sofo yoresh gehinom.

English

5 Yosei ben Yochanan of Jerusalem says: Let your house be wide open for guests. Poor people should be treated like members of your own household. Do not engage in too much idle chatter with a woman. Yosei ben Yochanan said this even regarding one's own wife; how much more so does it apply to another person's wife. Based on this, the Sages said: Whoever engages in too much idle chatter with a woman, causes evil to himself, neglects the study of Torah, and will eventually receive punishment in Gehinom.

Hebrew

ו יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְנִתַּאי
הָאַרְבֵּלִי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר: עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב1,
וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָּן אֶת כָּל
הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת.

Sephardi

6 Yehoshua ben Perachyah ve-Nittai
ha-Arbeli kiblu mehem. Yehoshua
ben Perachyah omer: aseh lecha rav1,
u-kneh lecha chaver, vehevei dan et kol
ha'adam le-chaf zechut.

English

6 Yehoshua ben Perachyah and Nittai of Arbel received and learned Torah from Yosei ben Yoezer and Yosei ben Yochanan. Yehoshua ben Perachyah says: Make for yourself a teacher from whom you can regularly learn,1 acquire for yourself a close and trusted friend, and judge every person favorably, even if he appears to have done something wrong.

Hebrew

ז נִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי אוֹמֵר: הַרְחֵק
מִשָּׁכֵן רָע2, וְאַל תִּתְחַבֵּר לָרָשָׁע,
וְאַל תִּתְיָאֵשׁ מִן הַפֻּרְעָנוּת.

Sephardi

7 Nittai ha-Arbeli omer: harchek
mi-shachen ra2, ve-al titchaber la-rasha,
ve-al titya'esh min ha-pur'anut.

English

7 Nittai of Arbel says: Keep away from a neighbor who might be a bad influence on you,2 do not attach yourself to a wicked person, and do not despair when punishment is given for wrongdoings.

Hebrew

ח יְהוּדָה בֶּן טַבַּאי וְשִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן
שָׁטָח קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. יְהוּדָה בֶּן
טַבַּאי אוֹמֵר: אַל תַּעַשׂ עַצְמְךָ
כְּעוֹרְכֵי הַדַּיָּנִין, וּכְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ בַעֲלֵי
הַדִּין עוֹמְדִים לְפָנֶיךָ, יִהְיוּ
בְעֵינֶיךָ כִּרְשָׁעִים, וּכְשֶׁנִּפְטָרִים
מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ כְּזַכָּאִין,
כְּשֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הַדִּין.

Sephardi

8 Yehudah ben Tabbai ve-Shimon ben
Shatach kiblu mehem. Yehudah ben
Tabbai omer: al ta'as atzmecha
k'orchei ha-dayanim, uch'she-yihyu ba'alei
hadin omdim lefanecha, yihyu
b'einekha kirsha'im, uch'she-niftarim
milfanekha yihyu b'einekha k'zaka'in,
k'she-kiblu aleihem et hadin.

English

8 Yehudah ben Tabbai and Shimon ben Shatach received and learned Torah from Yehoshua ben Perachyah and Nittai of Arbel. Yehudah ben Tabbai says: When you are sitting as a judge on a case, do not act as a lawyer by giving advice to those being judged. When the people being judged are standing before you in court, consider both of them guilty and do not help either side. After the case, when they leave you and have accepted the verdict, you should look for ways to consider them both as righteous.

Hebrew

ט שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטָח אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי
מַרְבֶּה לַחְקֹר אֶת הָעֵדִים3,
וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּדְבָרֶיךָ, שֶׁמָּא
מִתּוֹכָם יִלְמְדוּ לְשַׁקֵּר.

Sephardi

9 Shimon ben Shatach omer: hevei
marbeh lachkor et ha-edim3,
vehevei zahir bi-devarekha, shema
mi-tocham yilmedu le-shaker.

English

9 Shimon ben Shatach says: As a judge, you should investigate and question the witnesses thoroughly.3 When questioning them, be careful with the words you use, because perhaps they will learn from your words what to say in order to win the case, and they will lie.

Hebrew

י שְׁמַעְיָה וְאַבְטַלְיוֹן קִבְּלוּ
מֵהֶם. שְׁמַעְיָה אוֹמֵר: אֱהֹב
אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה4 וּשְׂנָא אֶת
הָרַבָּנוּת, וְאַל תִּתְוַדַּע לָרָשׁוּת.

Sephardi

10 Shemayah ve-Avtalyon kiblu
mehem. Shemayah omer: ehov
et ha-melachah4 u-s'na et
ha-rabbanut, ve-al titvada la-rashut.

English

10 Shemayah and Avtalyon received and learned Torah from Yehudah ben Tabbai and Shimon ben Shatach. Shemayah says: You should love work,4 and not consider yourself too important to be involved in it. Hate positions of power, and do not choose to be in power unless the responsibility is placed upon you. Do not become too friendly with those in power.

Hebrew

יא אַבְטַלְיוֹן אוֹמֵר: חֲכָמִים,
הִזָּהֲרוּ בְדִבְרֵיכֶם, שֶׁמָּא תָחוּבוּ
חוֹבַת גָּלוּת וְתִגְלוּ לִמְקוֹם מַיִם
הָרָעִים, וְיִשְׁתּוּ הַתַּלְמִידִים
הַבָּאִים אַחֲרֵיכֶם וְיָמוּתוּ,
וְנִמְצָא שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם מִתְחַלֵּל.

Sephardi

11 Avtalyon omer: chachamim,
hizaharu bi-devareichem, shema tachuvu
chovat galut ve-tiglu limkom mayim
ha-ra'im, ve-yishtu ha-talmidim
ha-ba'im achareichem ve-yamutu,
ve-nimtza shem shamayim mitchallel.

English

11 Avtalyon says: Torah scholars, watch your words, for they can make you liable to be exiled. You may then be sent to a place of "bitter, unhealthy waters"—ideas that can damage the mind. The students who follow you to this place will drink from these "bitter waters," misinterpreting the Torah, and they will die spiritually, causing God's Name to be desecrated.

Commentary

1 The Hebrew word used here, וּקְנֵה, is related to the word קָנֶה, meaning "pen." Accordingly, the mishnah says, "A pen is a friend for you." When we use a pen to write something down, our thoughts become more organized, and we understand things more clearly. In this sense, the pen is a helpful friend to mankind.

Appointing a teacher is mentioned before removing doubt. Appoint a teacher even before you have any doubts, and he will then guide you when they arise.

2 Literally, "dweller." It is important to keep close to God, whose presence "dwells" in this world. At the same time, we must distance ourselves from the "bad dwellers"—the negative influences that surround us.

3 If you are having a hard time keeping the Torah and its commandments, question your eyes and ears that witnessed Mattan Torah. They will remind you of their experience, and it will motivate you to do what's right.

4 This can be referring to the "work" Hillel (Shemaya's student) speaks about in the following mishnah. Even though peace can sometimes be hard work, do it with love and joy.