Chapter Two

Visible layers

Hebrew

יג רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי זָהִיר
בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה
מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע,1
אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי
הַמָּקוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם
הוּא, אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד,
וְנִחָם עַל הָרָעָה. וְאַל תְּהִי רָשָׁע
בִּפְנֵי עַצְמְךָ.

Sephardi

13 Rabbi Shimon omer: hevei zahir
bikriat Shema uvat'filah. Uch'she'atah
mitpallel, al ta'as tefilat'cha keva,1
ela rachamim v'tachanunim lifnei
hamakom, shene'emar: ki chanun ve-rachum
hu, erech apayim v'rav chesed,
v'nicham al ha-ra'ah. Ve-al tehi rasha
bifnei atzmecha.

English

13 Rabbi Shimon says: Be very careful about reading the Shema and praying at the proper time. When you pray, do not make your prayer something you do out of habit; rather, make it a heartfelt plea and a request for mercy before God,1 Who is merciful and kind. As it says in the book of Joel: God is gracious and merciful; He is slow to anger and has a lot of kindness, and He is lenient with punishments. Do not consider yourself to be wicked, because that can cause you to stop caring about sins, or make you depressed.

Hebrew

יד רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי שָׁקוּד
לִלְמֹד תּוֹרָה. וְדַע מַה שֶּׁתָּשִׁיב
לְאַפִּיקוֹרוֹס. וְדַע לִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה
עָמֵל, וּמִי הוּא בַּעַל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ
שֶׁיְּשַׁלֵּם לְךָ שְׂכַר פְּעֻלָּתֶךָ.

Sephardi

14 Rabbi Elazar omer: hevei shakud
lilmod Torah. V'da mah shetashiv
l'apikoros. V'da lifnei mi atah
ameil, umi hu ba'al melachtecha
sheyeshaleim lecha s'char pe'ulatecha.

English

14 Rabbi Elazar says: Work hard to learn Torah. Know what to answer someone who mocks or does not believe in the Jewish beliefs. Know before Whom you are working and know Who your Boss is, Who will pay you the reward for your work.

Hebrew

טו רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר: הַיּוֹם קָצֵר,
וְהַמְּלָאכָה מְרֻבָּה, וְהַפּוֹעֲלִים
עֲצֵלִים,2 וְהַשָּׂכָר הַרְבֵּה, וּבַעַל
הַבַּיִת דּוֹחֵק.

Sephardi

15 Rabbi Tarfon omer: hayom katzer,
veham'lachah merubah, vehapo'alim
atzeilim,2 vehasachar harbeh, uva'al
habayit dochek.

English

15 Rabbi Tarfon says: The day is short, and time is very limited; there is a lot of work to be done in Torah learning and serving God. The workers are lazy and could really achieve more if they put in extra effort.2 The reward for this work is great, and God, the Master, is pushing the workers, eager for them to achieve more.

Hebrew

טז הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר: לֹא עָלֶיךָ
הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה
בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה, אִם
לָמַדְתָּ תּוֹרָה הַרְבֵּה, נוֹתְנִין לְךָ
שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה, וְנֶאֱמָן הוּא בַּעַל
מְלַאכְתְּךָ שֶׁיְּשַׁלֵּם לְךָ שְׂכַר
פְּעֻלָּתֶךָ, וְדַע שֶׁמַּתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל
צַדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא.

Sephardi

16 Hu hayah omer: lo alecha
ham'lachah ligmor, v'lo atah
ven chorin libatel mimenah, im
lamad'ta Torah harbeh, not'nin lecha
sachar harbeh, vene'eman hu ba'al
melachtecha sheyeshaleim lecha s'char
pe'ulatecha, v'da shematan s'charan shel
tzaddikim le'atid lavo.

English

16 Rabbi Tarfon would often say: Although there is so much to be done, do not be discouraged because it is not required of you to complete all the work. You are required, however, to do as much as you possibly can, and you are not free to stop trying. If you have learned a lot of Torah, God will give you a lot of reward; your Boss is trusted to pay you the reward for your work, but know that the righteous receive their reward in the World to Come.

Hebrew

רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָא בֶּן עֲקַשְׁיָא אוֹמֵר: רָצָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ
בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ הִרְבָּה
לָהֶם תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יְיָ חָפֵץ לְמַעַן
צִדְקוֹ, יַגְדִּיל תּוֹרָה וְיַאְדִּיר.

Sephardi

Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya omer: ratzah hakadosh
baruch hu lezakot et Yisrael, lefichach hirbah
lahem Torah umitzvot, shene'emar: Adonai chafetz lema'an
tzidko, yagdil Torah v'ya'dir.

English

Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya says: the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to make the Children of Israel have many merits. He therefore gave them an abundance of Torah and commandments, so that they would have many opportunities to connect to God. As it says in Isaiah: The Lord wanted, for the sake of increasing the Jewish Nation's righteousness, that the Torah be made great and glorious.

CHAPTER THREE

Hebrew

כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא,
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים, לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ
אָרֶץ, נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר.

Sephardi

Kol Yisrael yesh lahem chelek la-olam haba,
shene'emar: v'amecha kulam tzaddikim, le'olam yirshu
aretz, netzer mata'ai ma'aseh yadai lehitpa'er.

English

All the Children of Israel have a portion in the World to Come. As it says in Isaiah regarding the Redemption of the Jewish Nation: Your people are all righteous, and they will all inherit the Land of Israel forever—they will never be exiled from it again. Everyone will recognize that they are the branch of My planting and the work of My hands, in which I, God, take pride.

Hebrew

א עֲקַבְיָא בֶּן מַהֲלַלְאֵל אוֹמֵר:
הִסְתַּכֵּל בִּשְׁלשָׁה דְּבָרִים,3 וְאֵין
אַתָּה בָא לִידֵי עֲבֵרָה. דַּע מֵאַיִן
בָּאתָ, וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, וְלִפְנֵי
מִי אַתָּה עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן.
מֵאַיִן בָּאתָ: מִטִּפָּה סְרוּחָה.
וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ: לִמְקוֹם עָפָר
רִמָּה וְתוֹלֵעָה. וְלִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה
עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן: לִפְנֵי
מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ
בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Sephardi

A Akavya ben Mahalalel omer:
histakel bishloshah devarim,3 ve'ein
atah va lidei averah. Da mei'ayin
bata, ule'an atah holech, v'lifnei
mi atah atid liten din vecheshbon.
Mei'ayin bata: mitipah seruchah.
Ule'an atah holech: limkom afar
rimah vetola'ah. V'lifnei mi atah
atid liten din vecheshbon: lifnei
melech malchei hamelachim hakadosh
baruch hu.

English

1 Akavya ben Mahalalel says: Look at and consider these three things at all times,3 and you will not come to commit a sin: Know where you came from, where you are going, and before Whom you will eventually have to give justification and a detailed report of everything you did during your lifetime. The mishnah explains: Where did you come from? The body begins growing from a spoiled drop of fluid in the mother's womb. Where are you going? You will eventually die and go to a grave, a place that is full of dust, worms, and maggots. Before Whom will you give a detailed report? Before the supreme King of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Commentary

1 Alternatively, "Don't make your own prayer primary." Whenever a Jew suffers, the Divine Presence also suffers. Rather than focusing primarily on your own concerns, pray for mercy on behalf of the Divine Presence, which is suffering with you.

2 This mishnah even provides a lesson for someone who is fully utilizing his time, doing his work, and is not lazy. The only thing such a person is missing is not forcing himself to go beyond his natural limits. To stretch one's limit is called "much work," and the "workers are lazy" in this regard.

3 By looking at "three things" you will not do a sin. In addition to the two obvious components of your life—God and yourself—there is a third component: a world that must be elevated. Your soul came down to this world for a purpose—to reveal God's holiness in it. If you keep this in mind, you will not come to sin.