Chapter Two

Visible layers

Hebrew

מִן הָאָדָם, וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּמִצְוָה
קַלָּה כְּבַחֲמוּרָה, שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה
יוֹדֵעַ מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת,
וֶהֱוֵי מְחַשֵּׁב הֶפְסֵד מִצְוָה כְּנֶגֶד
שְׂכָרָהּ, וּשְׂכַר עֲבֵרָה כְּנֶגֶד
הֶפְסֵדָהּ. הִסְתַּכֵּל בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה
דְּבָרִים, וְאֵין אַתָּה בָא לִידֵי
עֲבֵרָה, דַּע מַה לְּמַעְלָה מִמָּךְ,
עַיִן רוֹאָה וְאֹזֶן שׁוֹמַעַת, וְכָל
מַעֲשֶׂיךָ בַּסֵּפֶר נִכְתָּבִים.

Sephardi

min ha'adam, vehevei zahir b'mitzvah
kalah k'vachamurah, she'ein atah
yodea matan s'charan shel mitzvot,
vehevei mechashshev hefsed mitzvah k'neged
s'charah, us'char averah k'neged
hefsedah. histakel bi-sh'loshah
d'varim, ve-ein atah va lidei
averah, da mah l'maalah mimcha,
ayin ro'ah ve-ozen shoma'at, vechol
ma'asecha ba-sefer nichtavim.

English

for himself?1 Any path that is honorable and beneficial for himself and is also honorable and beneficial to other people. Be as careful with a commandment that you think is not so important as you are with a commandment that you think is very important, because you do not know how much reward is given for different commandments or how important they are to God. Compare any expenses or loss of money that might be caused when you do a commandment with the reward that you will receive for doing it, and compare the temporary physical gain from a sin with the loss that it will cause. Consider the three things listed below and you will not come to commit a sin; know what is happening above you in heaven: 1. There is an eye that sees everything; 2. there is an ear that hears everything; 3. all your deeds are written and recorded in a book.

Hebrew

ב רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי
יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא אוֹמֵר: יָפֶה
תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה עִם דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ,
שֶׁיְּגִיעַת שְׁנֵיהֶם מְשַׁכַּחַת עָוֹן,
וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה2
סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן, וְכָל
הָעוֹסְקִים עִם הַצִּבּוּר יִהְיוּ
עוֹסְקִים עִמָּהֶם לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם,
שֶׁזְּכוּת אֲבוֹתָם מְסַיַּעְתָּם,
וּצִדְקָתָם עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד, וְאַתֶּם,
מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה
כְּאִלּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם.

Sephardi

2 Rabban Gamliel beno shel Rabbi
Yehudah HaNasi omer: yafeh
talmud Torah im derech eretz,
she-y'giat sheneihem m'shakachat avon,
vechol Torah she'ein imah melakhah2
sofah b'telah ve-goreret avon, vechol
ha-oskim im ha-tzibbur yihyu
oskim imahem l'shem shamayim,
she-z'chut avotam m'saya'tam,
utzidkatam omedet la'ad, v'atem,
ma'aleh ani aleichem sachar harbeh
ke'ilu asitem.

English

2 Rabban Gamliel the son of Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi says: Torah learning goes well with having a job, because working hard at both of them will keep you away from sin. And any Torah learning that is not accompanied by work2 will eventually end, and that will cause a person to sin. Whoever works with the community should work with them for the sake of Heaven and not to receive honor, because if they do so, the merit of their ancestors helps them succeed in their communal work, and their righteousness will last forever. Although the person was helped by the merit of the ancestors, God says: I will give you great reward as if you had accomplished it all by yourself.

Hebrew

ג הֱווּ זְהִירִין בָּרָשׁוּת,3 שֶׁאֵין
מְקָרְבִין לוֹ לָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְצֹרֶךְ
עַצְמָן, נִרְאִין כְּאוֹהֲבִין בִּשְׁעַת
הֲנָאָתָן, וְאֵין עוֹמְדִין לוֹ לָאָדָם
בִּשְׁעַת דָּחֳקוֹ.

Sephardi

3 hevu z'hirin ba-rashut,3 she'ein
m'qarvin lo la-adam ela l'tzorekh
atzmam, nir'in k'ohavin bi-sh'at
hana'atan, ve-ein omdin lo la-adam
bi-sh'at dochqo.

English

3 Beware of those in power3 because they befriend a person only for their own needs. They seem to be a friend when they are benefiting from a person, but they will not stand by a person and help him in his time of need.

Hebrew

ד הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר: עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ
כִּרְצוֹנְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ
כִּרְצוֹנוֹ, בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ
כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי
רְצוֹנְךָ. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר: אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ
מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ
עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת
חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ,
וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר
לִשְׁמוֹעַ שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע, וְאַל
תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאֶפְנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא
לֹא תִפָּנֶה.

Sephardi

4 hu hayah omer: aseh retzono
ki-r'tzoncha, kedei she-yaaseh retzonekha
ki-r'tzono, batel retzonekha mipnei retzono
kedei she-y'vatel retzon acherim mipnei
retzonekha. Hillel omer: al tifrosh
min ha-tzibbur, ve-al taamin b'atzm'cha
ad yom motcha, ve-al tadin et
chavercha ad she-tagia li-m'komo,
ve-al tomar davar she-i efshar
lishmo'a she-sofo l'hishama, ve-al
tomar li-ch'she-efneh eshneh, shema
lo tifaneh.

English

4 Rabban Gamliel would often say: Treat God's will as though it were your own will, so that He will treat your will as though it were His will. Set aside your will in favor of God's will, so that He will set aside the will of others in favor of your will. Hillel says: Do not separate yourself from the community and ignore their needs. Stay on guard and do not be sure of your ability to withstand temptation until the day you die. Do not judge your friend until you are in his place and can fully understand what he is going through. Do not say something that is not easily understood, relying on the fact that it will be understood after more thought, because it might be misinterpreted. Do not say, "I will learn Torah when I have free time," because you may never have free time.

Hebrew

ה הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר: אֵין בּוּר4 יְרֵא
חֵטְא, וְלֹא עַם הָאָרֶץ חָסִיד,
וְלֹא הַבַּיְשָׁן לָמֵד, וְלֹא הַקַּפְּדָן
מְלַמֵּד, וְלֹא כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה בִּסְחוֹרָה

Sephardi

5 hu hayah omer: ein bur4 yerei
chet, v'lo am ha'aretz chasid,
v'lo ha-bayshan lomed, v'lo ha-qapdan
melamed, v'lo kol hamarbeh bi-s'chorah

English

5 Hillel would often say: A boor (an ignorant,4 rough, and uncivilized person) cannot be afraid of sin. An unlearned person cannot be a chassid—someone who is extra careful with the Torah and its commandments. A person who is embarrassed to ask questions cannot learn. An impatient person who gets angry easily cannot teach. A person who spends too much

Commentary

1 The mishnah asks, "What is the proper path?" What is the ideal approach to Divine service that a person should take? The answer is, "A person should choose for himself." We must ensure that every commandment is done by choice—i.e. by making a conscious decision to do it, and not merely doing it out of thoughtless habit …

2 This is a reference to the commandment to "Love your fellow as yourself." While it is a challenging commandment to keep, requiring much effort and work, it is also a necessary prerequisite to Torah study.

3 "Those in power" is an allusion to a person's thoughts and feelings that control him. One must be wary of them, because sometimes they lead a person to evil, convincing him that they are actually good. Remember that they only wish to pursue pleasures, not God.

4 The boor isn't necessarily ignorant, but rather unaffected by what he learns. In other words, his Torah knowledge does not refine him and make him better person. The mishnah teaches us that we must apply everything that we learn so that our sensitivity and conduct will be improved as a result.