Part 8 (2/2)

(5) I Sam. II, 30.

2. Ben Azzai (6) said, ”Hasten to do even a slight precept (7), and flee from transgression; for one virtue leads to another, and transgression draws transgression in its train; for the recompense of a virtue is a virtue, and the recompense of a transgression is a transgression” (8). 3. He used to say, ”Despise not any man, and carp not at any thing (9); for there is not a man that has not his hour, and there is not a thing that has not its place.”

(6) Simon ben Azzai (see n. 1) was a very a.s.siduous student and a man of great piety. He was betrothed to the daughter of Akiba, but separated from his prospective wife in order to devote all of his time to study. It was said of him, ”At the death of ben Azzai, the last industrious man pa.s.sed away”

(_Sotah_ IX, 15), and ”He who sees ben Azzai in a dream might hope for saintliness.” He declared that the greatest principle of Judaism is the belief in the common brotherhood of all mankind, which he derived from the pa.s.sage, Genesis VI, 1, ”This is the generation of Adam (man).” See Bacher, _ibid._, 409-424.

(7) Cf. chapter II, 1.

(8) Well-doing is the fruit of well-doing, and evil-doing the fruit of evil-doing.

(9) Or ”do not consider anything as being impossible.”

4. R. Levitas of Jabneh said, ”Be exceedingly lowly of spirit (10), since the hope of man is but the worm.”

(10) R. Levitas lived probably about 120 C.E. Maimonides declares that the medium way between the extremes of the _too little_ and the _too much_ is the path of virtue, but he makes an exception in the case of humility, and, in accordance with this pa.s.sage, considers the extreme of being very humble the virtue. See Gorfinkle, _The Eight Chapters_, p. 60, n. 2.

5. R. Jochanan, the son of Berokah (11), said, ”Whosoever profanes the Name of Heaven (12) in secret will suffer the penalty for it in public; and this, whether the Heavenly Name be profaned in ignorance or in wilfulness.”

(11) A contemporary of Akiba.

(12) ”Name of Heaven” is a common subst.i.tute for the ”name of G.o.d.”

6. R. Ishmael (13), his son, said, ”He who learns in order to teach (14), to him the means will be granted both to learn and to teach; but he who learns in order to practise, to him the means will be granted to learn, and to teach, to observe, and to practise.”

(13) He lived about 150 C.E.

(14) To one who learns _Torah_ and does not teach it are applied the words in Num. XV, 31: ”he hath despised the word of the Lord” (_Sanhedrin_, 99a).

7. R. Zadok said, ”Separate not thyself from the congregation; (in the judge's office) act not the counsel's part (15); make not of the _Torah_ a crown wherewith to aggrandize thyself, nor a spade wherewith to dig” (16). So also used Hillel to say, ”He who makes a worldly use of the crown (of the _Torah_) shall waste away” (17). Hence thou mayest infer that whosoever derives a profit for himself from the words of the _Torah_ is helping on his own destruction.

(15) Cf. chapter I, 8.

(16) _I.e._, for material and selfish ends.

(17) Cf. chapter I, 13.

8. R. Jose (18) said, ”Whoso honors the _Torah_ will himself be honored by mankind, but whoso dishonors the _Torah_ will himself be dishonored by mankind.”

(18) R. Jose ben Chalafta was a contemporary of R. Meir.

9. R. Ishmael (19), his son, said, ”He who shuns the judicial office rids himself of hatred, robbery, and vain swearing (20); but he who presumptuously lays down decisions is foolish, wicked, and of an arrogant spirit.” 10. He used to say, ”Judge not alone, for none may judge alone save One; neither say (to thy judicial colleagues), 'Accept my view,' for the choice is theirs (to concur); and it is not for thee (to compel concurrence).”

(19) He lived about 160-220 C.E.

(20) The judge brings upon himself the hatred of the one who is disappointed by his judgment. An erroneous judgment is equivalent to robbery. When the judge exacts an unnecessary oath, perjury may result.

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