It is the most ironic thing – in the way that it should be a clear sign of Hashgocho (Divine Providence)- that the Yahrzeit of Rav Breuer zt’l will always fall out in the week in which we will read the second Chapter of Avoth. The chapter in which Raban Gamliel, the son of Rabi Yehuda Hanasi (Rebbe), declares: Yafeh Talmud Torah im Derech Eretz!
Take note, at the same time, that this Mishnah does not exist in a vacuum. It is in the midst of the recounting the family of the great Nesi’im, the leaders of their generations in the bloodline of King David, an institution that lasted right up until the late 8th or 9th century, with the existence of the exilarch in Iraq. (The actual existence of a Nasi would disappear just two generations after Rebbe with his grandson Yehuda Nesiah.)
First, Rebbe declares that a person can choose a “Derech Yesharah,” a straight (middle?) path. This path is described as the one that is appropriate for him, as well as fitting in the eyes of the public.
רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: אֵיזוֹ הִיא דֶֽרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיָּבוֹר לוֹ הָאָדָם, כָּל שֶׁהִיא תִּפְאֶֽרֶת לְעֹשֶֽׂיהָ וְתִפְאֶֽרֶת לוֹ מִן הָאָדָם
This sounds like a healthy dose of moderation. Always do the thing that is honorable before the public. Rebbe – perhaps as a leader with ties to important Romans, perhaps as a man of great personal wealth- is injecting a measure of moderation into Jewish thought. Don’t be an extremist. Don’t serve G-d in the face of public opinion, but rather in a way that is palatable to those around you.
But as we read further, we see that this is a call to something stricter and more challenging!
וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּמִצְוָה קַלָּה כְּבַחֲמוּרָה
Because the reader is then told, perhaps to maintain this straight path, that he may not be lax in ANY Mitzvah, he needs to have an impeccable reputation. You can find no fault in his ways.
Next, he has to live a life of strict and mature responsibility, wherein he gives up many pleasures for a greater good. There are many tempting lifestyles of glamour and ease around him. Still, he always chooses the “greater good”-which, in the lingo of Avoth, is “calculating the immediate loss against the ultimate reward”.
וֶהֱוֵי מְחַשֵּׁב הֶפְסֵד מִצְוָה כְּנֶֽגֶד שְׂכָרָהּ, וּשְׂכַר עֲבֵרָה כְּנֶֽגֶד הֶפְסֵדָהּ.
Finally, he needs to remember that he is above sin; he shall not lower himself to sin, because Hashem is watching him and monitoring his actions.דַּע מַה לְּמַֽעְלָה מִמָּךְ, עַֽיִן רוֹאָה וְאֹֽזֶן שׁוֹמַֽעַת, וְכָל מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ בְּסֵֽפֶר נִכְתָּבִים
The next Mishnah now reads without much need of explanation at all:
Raban Gamliel, his son, declares that his father’s directives apply equally to one who wants to study Torah. One can be fully engaged in Talmud Torah; indeed, it is most beautiful, though, when combined with Derech Eretz, and one does not need to be in defiance of Derech Eretz. (There is a clear implication that if it needs to defy the norms, then Talmud Torah would prevail. It would take precedence over what society deems as “normal”. Nevertheless, if it need not defy the norms of Derech Eretz….Yafeh!)
Both the Nasi and his son are telling us to meet the challenge of integration – never compromising, but always seeking to make our service of Hashem pleasing, easily admirable, and honorable according to the standards of Derech Eretz.
These are the ways of our community and its great leaders.I will elaborate- Gd willing- in an upcoming post.
