Chapter Six

Perek 6

פֶּרֶק ו

Visible layers

Hebrew

ג הַלּוֹמֵד מֵחֲבֵרוֹ פֶּרֶק אֶחָד, אוֹ
הֲלָכָה אַחַת, אוֹ פָּסוּק אֶחָד, אוֹ
דִּבּוּר אֶחָד, אוֹ אֲפִילוּ אוֹת אַחַת,
צָרִיךְ לִנְהֹג בּוֹ כָּבוֹד,1 שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ
בְּדָוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁלֹּא לָמַד
מֵאֲחִיתֹפֶל אֶלָּא שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים בִּלְבַד,2
קְרָאוֹ רַבּוֹ אַלּוּפּוֹ וּמְיֻדָּעוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
וְאַתָּה אֱנוֹשׁ כְּעֶרְכִּי, אַלּוּפִי וּמְיֻדָּעִי.
וַהֲלֹא דְבָרִים קַל וָחוֹמֶר, וּמַה דָּוִד
מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁלֹּא לָמַד מֵאֲחִיתֹפֶל
אֶלָּא שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים בִּלְבַד, קְרָאוֹ רַבּוֹ
אַלּוּפּוֹ וּמְיֻדָּעוֹ, הַלּוֹמֵד מֵחֲבֵרוֹ
פֶּרֶק אֶחָד, אוֹ הֲלָכָה אַחַת, אוֹ
פָּסוּק אֶחָד, אוֹ דִּבּוּר אֶחָד, אוֹ
אֲפִילוּ אוֹת אַחַת, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה
וְכַמָּה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִנְהֹג בּוֹ כָּבוֹד. וְאֵין
כָּבוֹד אֶלָּא תוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כָּבוֹד
חֲכָמִים יִנְחָלוּ, וּתְמִימִים יִנְחֲלוּ
טוֹב. וְאֵין טוֹב אֶלָּא תוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:

Sephardi

3 Halomed meichavero perek echad, o
halachah achat, o pasuk echad, o
dibur echad, o afilu ot achat,
tzarich linhog bo kavod,1 sheken matzinu
b'David melech Yisrael, shelo lamad
mei'Achitofel ela sh'nei d'varim bilvad,2
kra'o rabo alupo umyuda'o, shene'emar:
ve'atah enosh k'erki, alufi umyuda'i.
Vahalo d'varim kal vachomer, umah David
melech Yisrael shelo lamad mei'Achitofel
ela sh'nei d'varim bilvad, kra'o rabo
alupo umyuda'o, halomed meichavero
perek echad, o hachalah achat, o
pasuk echad, o dibur echad, o
afilu ot achat, al achat kamah
v'chamah shetzarich linhog bo kavod. V'ein
kavod ela Torah, shene'emar: kavod
chachamim yinchalu, utmimim yinchalu
tov. V'ein tov ela Torah, shene'emar:

English

3 Someone who learns a single chapter, a single law, a single verse, a single statement, or even a single letter of Torah from his friend must treat him with honor.1 For we find this by David, the king of Israel—that he learned only two things from Achitofel2—to learn together with other people rather than alone, and to walk with others and with excitement when going to learn—and he called him his rabbi, his leader, and his teacher. As King David says to Achitofel in Psalms: You are a man equal to me; you are my leader and my teacher. Surely this leads us to an obvious conclusion: If David, the king of Israel, learned only two things from Achitofel, and still called him his rabbi, his leader, and his teacher, then if an ordinary person learns a single chapter, a single law, a single verse, a single statement, or even a single letter of Torah from his friend, how much more so must he treat him with honor. Honor is deserved only for Torah. As it says in Proverbs: The Sages will inherit honor; the perfect ones will inherit good. And only Torah is truly good. As it says in

Hebrew

כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם, תּוֹרָתִי
אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ.

Sephardi

Ki lekach tov natati lachem, Torati
al ta'azovu.

English

Proverbs: I, God, have given you a good teaching; do not forsake My Torah.

Hebrew

ד כָּךְ הִיא דַּרְכָּהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה:3 פַּת
בַּמֶּלַח תֹּאכֵל, וּמַיִם בַּמְּשׂוּרָה
תִּשְׁתֶּה, וְעַל הָאָרֶץ תִּישַׁן, וְחַיֵּי
צַעַר תִּחְיֶה, וּבַתּוֹרָה אַתָּה עָמֵל,
אִם אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה כֵּן, אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב
לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְטוֹב לָךְ
לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.

Sephardi

4 Kach hi darkah shel Torah:3 pat
bamelach tochel, umayim bamesurah
tishteh, ve'al ha'aretz tishan, ve-chayyei
tza'ar tichyeh, uvatorah atah amel,
im atah oseh ken, ashreicha v'tov
lach. Ashreicha ba-olam hazeh, v'tov lach
la-olam haba.

English

4 This is the way to master Torah:3 Eat bread with salt, drink small amounts of water, sleep on the ground, live a life of hardship without indulging in physical pleasures, and work hard in Torah. In Psalms it says that if you do this, "You will be fortunate, and it will be good for you." "You will be fortunate" in this world, and "it will be good for you" in the World to Come.

Hebrew

ה אַל תְּבַקֵּשׁ גְּדֻלָּה לְעַצְמְךָ, וְאַל
תַּחְמוֹד כָּבוֹד, יוֹתֵר מִלִּמּוּדְךָ
עֲשֵׂה, וְאַל תִּתְאַוֶּה לְשֻׁלְחָנָם שֶׁל
מְלָכִים, שֶׁשֻּׁלְחָנְךָ גָּדוֹל מִשֻּׁלְחָנָם,
וְכִתְרְךָ גָּדוֹל מִכִּתְרָם, וְנֶאֱמָן הוּא
בַּעַל מְלַאכְתְּךָ שֶׁיְּשַׁלֵּם לְךָ שְׂכַר
פְּעֻלָּתֶךָ.

Sephardi

5 Al t'vakesh gedulah l'atzm'cha, ve-al
tachmod kavod, yoter milimud'cha
aseh, ve-al titaveh l'shulchanam shel
melachim, sheshulchan'cha gadol mishulchanam,
v'chitr'cha gadol mikitram, vene'eman hu
ba'al m'lachtecha shey'shalem lecha s'char
p'ulatecha.

English

5 Do not look for greatness for yourself and do not desire honor. The good deeds you do should be greater than your Torah learning. Do not desire the table of kings and their riches, because your table—greatness through serving God—is greater than their fancy tables and physical riches, and your crown of honor is greater than their physical crown. God, Your Boss, is trusted to pay you the reward for your work of serving Him.

Hebrew

ו גְּדוֹלָה תוֹרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַכְּהֻנָּה
וּמִן הַמַּלְכוּת, שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת נִקְנֵית
בִּשְׁלשִׁים מַעֲלוֹת, וְהַכְּהֻנָּה בְּעֶשְׂרִים
וְאַרְבַּע, וְהַתּוֹרָה נִקְנֵית בְּאַרְבָּעִים
וּשְׁמוֹנָה דְבָרִים. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: בְּתַלְמוּד,
בִּשְׁמִיעַת הָאֹזֶן, בַּעֲרִיכַת שְׂפָתַיִם,
בְּבִינַת הַלֵּב, בְּאֵימָה, בְּיִרְאָה,

Sephardi

6 Gedolah Torah yoter min hak'hunah
umin hamalchut, shehamalchut nikneit
bishloshim ma'alot, v'hak'hunah b'esrim
v'arba, v'hatorah nikneit b'arba'im
ushmonah d'varim. V'elu hen: b'talmud,
bishmi'at ha'ozen, ba'arichat s'fatayim,
b'vinat halev, b'eimah, b'yirah,

English

6 Torah is greater than being a Kohen or king, because being a king comes with thirty special privileges and responsibilities, such as the restriction of anyone else sitting in his place or riding on his horse; being a Kohen comes with twenty-four gifts that must be given to Kohanim, such as the first fruits, challah, and the terumah contribution. Whereas acquiring and mastering the Torah requires forty-eight qualities. They are: constant learning, careful listening, verbally pronouncing

Commentary

1 Literally, "accustom." We must not only treat people with respect, but also be accustomed to doing so. It should be part of our very nature.

2 Why does the Braita use the word "only" in reference to learning from Achitofel, and not later in reference to learning from anyone? Something learned "מֵחֲבֵרוֹ"—from a fellow Jew—grows and develops with you. Things learned from a wicked person (such as Achitofel) do not grow and develop; you are only left with the exact thing that you learned.

3 An alternative interpretation: If a person finds himself in a challenging situation—even lacking all but bare physical necessities—he should not despair. Instead he should resolve to work hard in Torah and remind himself that: 1) Torah is greater than all worldly pleasures, and 2) He will be compensated in the World to Come.