Ethics of the Fathers

pirkei avot - perek ה

פרקי אבות - פרק ה

Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

Hebrew

וּמֵשִׁיב כַּהֲלָכָה, וְאוֹמֵר עַל רִאשׁוֹן רִאשׁוֹן וְעַל אַחֲרוֹן אַחֲרוֹן, וְעַל מַה שֶּׁלֹּא
שָׁמַע אוֹמֵר לֹא שָׁמָעְתִּי, וּמוֹדֶה עַל הָאֱמֶת. וְחִלּוּפֵיהֶן בַּגֹּלֶם.

Israeli

umeshiv kahalachah, ve-omer al rishon rishon ve-al acharon acharon, ve-al mah shelo
shama omer lo shamati, umodeh al ha-emet. vechilufeihen bagolem.

Hebrew

שִׁבְעָה מִינֵי פֻרְעָנִיּוֹת בָּאִין לָעוֹלָם עַל שִׁבְעָה גוּפֵי עֲבֵרָה. מִקְצָתָן מְעַשְּׂרִין
וּמִקְצָתָן אֵינָן מְעַשְּׂרִין, רָעָב שֶׁל בַּצֹּרֶת בָּא, מִקְצָתָן רְעֵבִים וּמִקְצָתָן שְׂבֵעִים.
גָּמְרוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְעַשֵּׂר, רָעָב שֶׁל מְהוּמָה וְשֶׁל בַּצֹּרֶת בָּא. וְשֶׁלֹּא לִטֹּל אֶת
הַחַלָּה, רָעָב שֶׁל כְּלָיָה בָּא.

Israeli

shivah minei furaniyot ba-in la-olam al shivah gufei averah. miktzatan me-asrin
umiktzatan einan me-asrin, ra-av shel batzoret ba, miktzatan re-evim umiktzatan s've-im.
gameru shelo le-aser, ra-av shel mehumah veshel batzoret ba. veshelo litol et
hachalah, ra-av shel k'layah ba.

Hebrew

דֶּבֶר בָּא לָעוֹלָם עַל מִיתוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא נִמְסְרוּ לְבֵית דִּין, וְעַל
פֵּרוֹת שְׁבִיעִית. חֶרֶב בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם עַל עִנּוּי הַדִּין, וְעַל עִוּוּת הַדִּין, וְעַל הַמּוֹרִים
בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא כַהֲלָכָה.

Israeli

dever ba la-olam al mitot ha-amurot batorah shelo nimseru leveit din, ve-al
perot sh'vi-it. cherev ba-ah la-olam al inui hadin, ve-al ivut hadin, ve-al hamorim
batorah shelo chahalachah.

Hebrew

חַיָּה רָעָה בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם עַל שְׁבוּעַת שָׁוְא וְעַל חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם. גָּלוּת בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם
עַל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְעַל גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת, וְעַל שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים, וְעַל שְׁמִטַּת הָאָרֶץ.

Israeli

chayah ra-ah ba-ah la-olam al sh'vu-at shav ve-al chilul Hashem. galut ba-ah la-olam
al avodah zarah, ve-al gilui arayot, ve-al sh'fichut damim, ve-al sh'mitat ha-aretz.

Hebrew

בְּאַרְבָּעָה פְרָקִים הַדֶּבֶר מִתְרַבֶּה, בָּרְבִיעִית, וּבַשְּׁבִיעִית, וּבְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית,
וּבְמוֹצָאֵי הֶחָג שֶׁבְּכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה. בָּרְבִיעִית, מִפְּנֵי מַעְשַׂר עָנִי שֶׁבַּשְּׁלִישִׁית,
בַּשְּׁבִיעִית, מִפְּנֵי מַעְשַׂר עָנִי שֶׁבַּשִּׁשִּׁית. בְּמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית, מִפְּנֵי פֵרוֹת
שְׁבִיעִית. בְּמוֹצָאֵי הֶחָג שֶׁבְּכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה, מִפְּנֵי גֶזֶל מַתְּנוֹת עֲנִיִּים.

Israeli

be-arba-ah f'rakim hadever mitrabeh, barevi-it, uvashvi-it, uvmotza-ei sh'vi-it,
uvmotza-ei hechag shebchol shanah veshanah. barevi-it, mipnei masar ani shebashlishit,
bashvi-it, mipnei masar ani shebashishit. b'motza-ei sh'vi-it, mipnei ferot
sh'vi-it. b'motza-ei hechag shebchol shanah veshanah, mipnei gezel matnot aniyim.

Hebrew

אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בָּאָדָם. הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלְּךָ, זוֹ מִדָּה בֵינוֹנִית, וְיֵשׁ

Israeli

arba midot ba-Adam. ha-omer sheli sheli veshelecha shelecha, zo midah veinonit, veyesh

Commentary

“There is nothing new under the sun” (1:9). On the eve of the Sabbath at twilight – between the six days of nature, and the seventh, which belongs to the One who transcends nature. The mouth of the earth, which opened to swallow Koraḥ; the mouth of the well, which accompanied the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness; the mouth of [Balaam’s] ass, which spoke (Num. 22:28); the rainbow, which appeared after the Flood; the manna, which descended as “bread from heaven”; the staff, with which Moses performed signs and wonders; the Shamir, the miraculous worm which, according to tradition, split the stones from which the Temple was made; the writing [on the Tablets], which could be seen from both sides; the inscription of the Tablets and the Tablets themselves, hewn and inscribed by God. Some say, also tongs made with tongs: the infinite regress – what held the first implement forged by fire, if not another implement forged by fire?

5:10. Seven types of punishment: As heirs to the prophetic tradition, the sages sought to understand national calamities as divine punishment, measure for measure, for national failings, religious, ethical or social. Thus the appropriate response to tragedy was collective penitence and rededication of the nation to the principles on which it was founded.

5:13. Robbing the poor of their gifts: The gleanings of the harvest, the corners of the field, and forgotten sheaves. These were to be left for the poor at harvest time; hence the connection with Sukkot, the harvest festival.

5:14. Some say this is a Sodom type: The sin of Sodom, according to Ezekiel 16:49, was that “they did not help the poor and needy.” Insisting on property rights, they frowned on charity. An ignoramus: this, according to some scholars, is a critique of the property-sharing communes associated with the Essenes.