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  "title": "Pirkei Avot",
  "summary": "“Ethics of the Fathers” — the tractate of Jewish ethical wisdom traditionally read between Pesach and Shavuot.",
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    "article": {
      "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-facts-pirkei-avot",
      "title": "Pirkei Avot",
      "deck": "“Ethics of the Fathers” — the tractate of Jewish ethical wisdom traditionally read between Pesach and Shavuot.",
      "summary": "Summary. Pirkei Avot (“Chapters of the Fathers,” sometimes translated “Ethics of the Fathers”) is a tractate of the Mishnah (Order Nezikin) collecting ethical teachings of the Tannaitic sages from Moshe at Sinai down to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. Unlike most of the Mishnah, it contains no Halacha — only wisdom. It is traditionally studied chapter-by-chapter on the Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot (with a sixth chapter added for the week-of-Shavuot study cycle). Pirkei Avot is the most accessible introduction to the Tannaitic mind.",
      "level": "deeper",
      "sectionSlug": "going-deeper",
      "tags": [
        "avot",
        "ethics",
        "mishnah"
      ],
      "publishedAt": "2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z",
      "wordCount": 551,
      "readMinutes": 3
    },
    "section": {
      "slug": "torah-texts",
      "title": "Torah & Texts"
    },
    "image": null,
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "summary",
        "body": "Summary. [Pirkei Avot](/glossary.json#letter-P) (“Chapters of the Fathers,” sometimes translated “Ethics of the Fathers”) is a [tractate](/glossary.json#letter-M) of the [Mishnah](/glossary.json#letter-M) (Order Nezikin) collecting ethical teachings of the [Tannaitic](/glossary.json#letter-T) sages from Moshe at Sinai down to [Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi](/glossary.json#letter-Y). Unlike most of the Mishnah, it contains no [Halacha](/glossary.json#letter-H) — only wisdom. It is traditionally studied chapter-by-chapter on the [Shabbat](/glossary.json#letter-S) afternoons between [Pesach](/glossary.json#letter-P) and [Shavuot](/glossary.json#letter-S) (with a sixth chapter added for the week-of-Shavuot study cycle). Pirkei [Avot](/glossary.json#letter-A) is the most accessible introduction to the Tannaitic mind.",
        "text": "Summary. Pirkei Avot (“Chapters of the Fathers,” sometimes translated “Ethics of the Fathers”) is a tractate of the Mishnah (Order Nezikin) collecting ethical teachings of the Tannaitic sages from Moshe at Sinai down to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. Unlike most of the Mishnah, it contains no Halacha — only wisdom. It is traditionally studied chapter-by-chapter on the Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot (with a sixth chapter added for the week-of-Shavuot study cycle). Pirkei Avot is the most accessible introduction to the Tannaitic mind."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Structure",
        "text": "Structure"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Five chapters (the sixth is a later addition known as [Kinyan Torah](/glossary.json#letter-K) and is not strictly part of the Mishnah). The first chapter traces the chain of transmission from Moshe down through the generations and records the foundational teachings of each link in the chain. Chapters two through five preserve the teachings of later Tannaim. Each saying is brief, memorable, and densely freighted.",
        "text": "Five chapters (the sixth is a later addition known as Kinyan Torah and is not strictly part of the Mishnah). The first chapter traces the chain of transmission from Moshe down through the generations and records the foundational teachings of each link in the chain. Chapters two through five preserve the teachings of later Tannaim. Each saying is brief, memorable, and densely freighted."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Famous Sayings",
        "text": "Famous Sayings"
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Among the best-known teachings:",
        "text": "Among the best-known teachings:"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "“The world stands on three things: [Torah](/glossary.json#letter-T), [Avodah](/glossary.json#letter-A), and [Gemilut Chasadim](/glossary.json#letter-G).” — [Shimon HaTzaddik (1:2)](https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1.2)",
        "text": "“The world stands on three things: Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim.” — Shimon HaTzaddik (1:2)"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” — [Hillel (1:14)](https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1.14)",
        "text": "“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” — Hillel (1:14)"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "“Make for yourself a rabbi and acquire for yourself a friend.” — [Yehoshua ben Perachya (1:6)](https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1.6)",
        "text": "“Make for yourself a rabbi and acquire for yourself a friend.” — Yehoshua ben Perachya (1:6)"
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "“In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” — Hillel (2:5)",
        "text": "“In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” — Hillel (2:5)"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "“It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” — [Rabbi Tarfon (2:16)](https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.2.16)",
        "text": "“It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” — Rabbi Tarfon (2:16)"
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "“Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” — Ben Zoma (4:1)",
        "text": "“Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” — Ben Zoma (4:1)"
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "When and How It Is Studied",
        "text": "When and How It Is Studied"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The customary practice is to read one chapter on each of the Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot. With six chapters (including the added Kinyan Torah) and roughly six weeks of [Sefirat HaOmer](/glossary.json#letter-O), the cycle fits the season exactly. Many extend the practice through the summer months. The Mishna’s opening (each chapter is preceded by Kol [Yisrael](/glossary.json#letter-Y) yesh lahem chelek l’[olam haba](/glossary.json#letter-O) — “All Israel have a share in the World to Come”) is also recited.",
        "text": "The customary practice is to read one chapter on each of the Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot. With six chapters (including the added Kinyan Torah) and roughly six weeks of Sefirat HaOmer, the cycle fits the season exactly. Many extend the practice through the summer months. The Mishna’s opening (each chapter is preceded by Kol Yisrael yesh lahem chelek l’olam haba — “All Israel have a share in the World to Come”) is also recited."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "The Best Commentaries",
        "text": "The Best Commentaries"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The classical commentaries are by the [Rambam](/glossary.json#letter-R) (his Commentary on the Mishnah includes the famous philosophical Introduction known as [Shemonah Perakim](/glossary.json#letter-S), “Eight Chapters,” a treatise on the soul and ethics), [Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona](/glossary.json#letter-R) (Avot 1–4), and [the Bartenura](/glossary.json#letter-T). [The Vilna Gaon](/glossary.json#letter-T)’s commentary is brief and incisive. Among modern English commentaries: [Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks](/glossary.json#letter-J), Ethics of the Fathers (the Koren edition); Pirkei Avos: The ArtScroll Mesorah Series; Irving Bunim, Ethics from Sinai (three volumes); and the Rosenberg Hertz prayer-book commentary.",
        "text": "The classical commentaries are by the Rambam (his Commentary on the Mishnah includes the famous philosophical Introduction known as Shemonah Perakim, “Eight Chapters,” a treatise on the soul and ethics), Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona (Avot 1–4), and the Bartenura. The Vilna Gaon’s commentary is brief and incisive. Among modern English commentaries: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Ethics of the Fathers (the Koren edition); Pirkei Avos: The ArtScroll Mesorah Series; Irving Bunim, Ethics from Sinai (three volumes); and the Rosenberg Hertz prayer-book commentary."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Where Denominations Diverge",
        "text": "Where Denominations Diverge"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Universal across all denominations. Pirkei Avot is often the first Mishnaic text encountered by [Reform](/glossary.json#letter-R) and Conservative Hebrew school students; it is one of the very few Mishnaic tractates in the standard liturgy of every denomination. Its non-halachic content makes it broadly accessible.",
        "text": "Universal across all denominations. Pirkei Avot is often the first Mishnaic text encountered by Reform and Conservative Hebrew school students; it is one of the very few Mishnaic tractates in the standard liturgy of every denomination. Its non-halachic content makes it broadly accessible."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Sources",
        "text": "Sources"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Mishnah, tractate Avot (in Order Nezikin)](https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot).",
        "text": "Mishnah, tractate Avot (in Order Nezikin)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Rambam, Commentary on Avot (including Shemonah Perakim).",
        "text": "Rambam, Commentary on Avot (including Shemonah Perakim)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Bartenura on Avot.",
        "text": "Bartenura on Avot."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Rabbeinu Yonah on Avot.",
        "text": "Rabbeinu Yonah on Avot."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Pirkei Avot](https://www.sefaria.org/topics/pirkei-avot) — Sefaria.",
        "text": "Pirkei Avot — Sefaria."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[12 Facts You Should Know About Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6410436/jewish/12-Facts-You-Should-Know-About-Pirkei-Avot-Ethics-of-the-Fathers.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "12 Facts You Should Know About Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[All Israel have a share in the World to Come](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2835294/jewish/All-Israel-have-a-share-in-the-World-to-Come.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "All Israel have a share in the World to Come — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Further Reading",
        "text": "Further Reading"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Ethics of the Fathers (Koren).",
        "text": "Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Ethics of the Fathers (Koren)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Irving Bunim, Ethics from Sinai (3 vols.).",
        "text": "Irving Bunim, Ethics from Sinai (3 vols.)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Aharon Lichtenstein, Talks on Pirkei Avot.",
        "text": "Aharon Lichtenstein, Talks on Pirkei Avot."
      }
    ],
    "related": [
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-world",
        "title": "Why Did God Create the World?",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-world.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-mussar",
        "title": "What Is Mussar?",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-mussar.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism",
        "title": "Hasidism vs. Mitnagdism",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalah",
        "title": "What Is Kabbalah?",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalah.json"
      }
    ],
    "goDeeper": [],
    "glossary": {
      "avodah": {
        "term": "Avodah",
        "hebrew": "עֲבוֹדָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'service' or 'work' — the worship of God, especially prayer, and one of the three pillars on which, Pirkei Avot teaches, the world stands. It also names the Yom Kippur liturgy recalling the High Priest's Temple service.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-three-pillars-torah-avodah-gemilut-chasadim"
      },
      "avot": {
        "term": "Avot",
        "hebrew": "אָבוֹת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Fathers' — the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and the name of the first blessing of the Amidah, which invokes them. Pirkei Avot, the Mishnah's tractate of ethical teachings, shares the name.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "gemilut-chasadim": {
        "term": "Gemilut Chasadim",
        "hebrew": "גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Acts of loving-kindness — visiting the sick, welcoming guests, comforting mourners — one of the three pillars on which, Pirkei Avot teaches, the world stands.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-three-pillars-torah-avodah-gemilut-chasadim"
      },
      "halacha": {
        "term": "Halacha",
        "hebrew": "הֲלָכָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Jewish law — literally \"the way one walks\" — the legal system that develops from the Torah's mitzvot through the Mishnah, Talmud, and the great codes; the movements differ on how binding it is, not on its centrality to the tradition.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-is-halacha"
      },
      "jonathan-sacks": {
        "term": "Jonathan Sacks",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020) served as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and became one of the most widely read Jewish thinkers of his generation; his commentary anchors the Koren Shalem Siddur, the Field Guide's recommended first siddur for most New Jews.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-siddur"
      },
      "kinyan-torah": {
        "term": "Kinyan Torah",
        "hebrew": "קִנְיַן תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "\"The acquisition of Torah\" — the sixth chapter appended to Pirkei Avot, traditionally studied in the week before Shavuot, on the ways Torah is acquired.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "mishnah": {
        "term": "Mishnah",
        "hebrew": "מִשְׁנָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The first great written compilation of the Oral Torah, organized by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi around 200 CE into six orders; together with the Gemara it forms the Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-talmud-in-one-article"
      },
      "omer": {
        "term": "Omer",
        "hebrew": "עֹמֶר",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Originally the barley offering brought on the second day of Pesach; now the 49-day period counted aloud each night from Pesach to Shavuot, a practice called Sefirat HaOmer.",
        "moreSlug": "calendar-counting-the-omer-sefirat-haomer"
      },
      "pesach": {
        "term": "Pesach",
        "hebrew": "פֶּסַח",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Passover — the spring festival commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, observed with the seder meal, matzah, and the removal of chametz from the home.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-pesach"
      },
      "pirkei-avot": {
        "term": "Pirkei Avot",
        "hebrew": "פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Chapters of the Fathers' — the Mishnah's tractate of ethical wisdom, traditionally studied on the Shabbat afternoons between Pesach and Shavuot.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-facts-pirkei-avot"
      },
      "rabbeinu-yonah": {
        "term": "Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona",
        "hebrew": "רבינו יונה מגירונדי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A 13th-century Catalan rabbi and cousin of the Ramban (c. 1200-1263), best known for his ethical work Shaarei Teshuvah and for a classical commentary on Pirkei Avot.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-facts-pirkei-avot"
      },
      "rambam": {
        "term": "Rambam",
        "hebrew": "רמב״ם",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1138–1204), known by the acronym Rambam and in the Latin West as Maimonides, was the towering rationalist codifier and philosopher of medieval Judaism — author of the legal code Mishneh Torah and the philosophical Guide for the Perplexed. His formulation of God's unity and incorporeality remains foundational to Jewish theology across denominations.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god"
      },
      "reform-judaism": {
        "term": "Reform Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Reform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "shabbat": {
        "term": "Shabbat",
        "hebrew": "שַׁבָּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seventh day — the weekly day of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, marked by candle lighting, kiddush, festive meals, and rest from creative work.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-shabbat"
      },
      "shavuot": {
        "term": "Shavuot",
        "hebrew": "שָׁבוּעוֹת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The early-summer festival marking the giving of the Torah at Sinai, arriving at the end of the seven-week count from Pesach; customs include all-night study and dairy foods.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-shavuot"
      },
      "shemonah-perakim": {
        "term": "Shemonah Perakim",
        "hebrew": "שְׁמוֹנָה פְּרָקִים",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Eight Chapters' — the Rambam's introduction to Pirkei Avot, a compact treatise on the soul, character, and the middle path.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "tanna": {
        "term": "Tanna",
        "hebrew": "תנא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A sage of the Mishnaic period, roughly the 1st and 2nd centuries CE (plural Tannaim). Their teachings form the Mishnah and the earliest layer of rabbinic literature.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "bartenura": {
        "term": "The Bartenura",
        "hebrew": "עובדיה מברטנורא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura (c. 1445-c. 1515), the Italian rabbi whose accessible commentary on the Mishnah has been printed alongside nearly every edition since the 16th century; he later revived the Jewish community of Jerusalem.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-facts-pirkei-avot"
      },
      "vilna-gaon": {
        "term": "The Vilna Gaon",
        "hebrew": "הגאון מווילנא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman (1720-1797), the towering Lithuanian Talmudist who led the Mitnagdic opposition to the rising Hasidic movement while remaining a serious student of Kabbalah himself.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism"
      },
      "torah": {
        "term": "Torah",
        "hebrew": "תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "yehudah-hanasi": {
        "term": "Yehudah HaNasi",
        "hebrew": "יהודה הנשיא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Known simply as \"Rabbi,\" Yehudah HaNasi (c. 135–217 CE) compiled the Mishnah around 200 CE in the Land of Israel, organizing centuries of oral tradition into the six orders that remain the skeleton of Jewish law to this day.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-talmud-in-one-article"
      },
      "yisrael-the-name": {
        "term": "Yisrael",
        "hebrew": "ישראל",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Yisrael, the name given to the patriarch Yaakov after he wrestled with a divine being (Bereshit 32:29), means roughly \"one who wrestles with God\" and became the name of the Jewish people as a whole — a people defined, on this reading, by struggle and engagement rather than easy certainty.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jew"
      },
      "masechet": {
        "term": "masechet",
        "hebrew": "מַסֶּכֶת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A tractate — one of the 63 subject-organized volumes of the Mishnah and Talmud, such as Berakhot (blessings) or Shabbat.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "olam-haba": {
        "term": "olam haba",
        "hebrew": "עוֹלָם הַבָּא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'The World to Come' — the classical Jewish term for existence beyond this world, used both of the soul's reward after death and of the perfected world after the resurrection of the dead.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-do-jews-believe-in-an-afterlife"
      }
    }
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": "parent",
      "title": "Torah & Texts",
      "href": "/sections/torah-texts.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Why Did God Create the World?",
      "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-why-did-god-create-the-world.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "What Is Mussar?",
      "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-mussar.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Hasidism vs. Mitnagdism",
      "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "What Is Kabbalah?",
      "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalah.json"
    }
  ]
}