Notwithstanding the fact that there are many editions of the Sayings of the Jewish Fathers , and that it has been translated innumerable times in all modern tongues, no apology need be given for the appearance of this little volume in the series of Jewish Classics . The Pirke Abot is indeed a classical bit of that ancient Jewish classic, the Mishnah . The translation in this edition is based largely upon that of Taylor, in his Sayings of the Jewish Fathers , and upon the excellent version of Sin

The original aim of Abot was to show the divine source and authority of the traditional law revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and to demonstrate its continuity from Moses through Joshua, the elders, and the men of the Great Synagogue, down to those Rabbis who lived during the period between 200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. Loeb maintains that Abot was originally a composition of the Pharisaic Rabbis who wished to indicate that the traditions held and expounded by them, and which the Sadducees repudiated, we

The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers is the oldest collection of ethical dicta of the Rabbis of the Mishnah (9). It is a Rabbinic anthology. It has been happily styled "a compendium of practical ethics" (10), and, as Mielziner has said, "these Rabbinical sentences, if properly arranged, present an almost complete code of human duties" (11). The Abot is, then, a sort of moral code. (9) There was another, and apparently older, recension of Pirke Abot on which is based the Abot de-Rabbi Natan , an hag

(13) On the subject-matter of this section, consult Hoffmann, Die erste Mischna , pp. 26-37; idem, Mischnaiot Seder Nesikin , Introd. , pp. XX-XXI; Brull, Enstehung und ursprunglicher Inhalt des Traktates Abot; Loeb, La Chaine , etc.; Ginzburg, Spruche der Vater, erstes Capitel historisch beleuchtet (Liepzig, 1889); Strack, Die Spruche der Vater , Introd. , pp. 7-8; idem, Einleitung , p. 52, and Rawicz, Commentar des Maimonides , p. 105, n. 3. It is apparent from the literary construction of Abo

One of the following chapters is read on each Sabbath from the Sabbath after Passover until the Sabbath before New Year. All Israel (1) have a portion in the world to come, and it is said, "And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land (2) for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified" (3). (1) This does not mean that Israel alone, to the exclusion of other nations, will have a portion in the future world. On the future world ([olam haba]

All Israel have a portion in the world to come, and it is said, "And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified". 1. Rabbi (1) said, "which is the right course that a man should choose for himself? (2) That which is a pride to him who pursues it and which also brings him honor from mankind. Be as scrupulous about a light precept as about a grave one, for thou knowest not the grant of reward for

All Israel have a portion in the world to come, and it is said, "And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified". 1. Akabia (1), the son of Mahalalel, said, "Consider three things, and thou wilt not come within the power of sin (2): know whence thou camest, and whither thou art going, and before whom thou wilt in the future have to give an account and reckoning (3). Whence thou camest: from a f

All Israel have a portion in the world to come, and it is said, "And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified". 1. Ben Zoma (1) said, "Who is wise? He who learns from all men, as it is said, 'from all my teachers have I gotten understanding' (2). Who is mighty? He who controls his passions, as it is said, 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth over his spirit

All Israel have a portion in the world to come, and it is said, "And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified". 1. With ten sayings the world was created. What does this teach us? Could it not have been created with one saying? It is to make known the punishment that will befall the wicked who destroy the world that was created with ten sayings, as well as the goodly reward that will be besto

[s]      the document contained a special character known as "section      sign", resembling two lower-case s's one above the other. Spruchen      umlaut over tue u in Vater      umlaut over the a Beitragen      umlaut over the a Spruche      umlaut over the a Tubingen      umlaut over the u ubertragen      umlaut over the u uberzetzt      umlaut over the u erklart      umlaut over the a Maimonide      umlaut over the i (in this French title) Introduction a la …      umlaut over the first a Pere

R. Meir      umlaut over the i, wherever this name appears footnote 23      mutual assistance. as Agudat Achim      period and lower-case 'as' are as found in the source text footnote 45      Chald. Worterbuch: umlaut over the o...

happy art thou in this world, and in the source text, the comma was a period....

tables of stone      are as written in the source text as a translation of the Hebrew      "luchot"; modern readers may better recognize the phrase 'tablets      of stone'. footnote 23 archaol.: umlaut over the second a....

footnote 5      to individuals or to number of persons: is as written in the      source text footnote 8      alteste: umlaut over the a      judischen: umlaut over the u ______________________   PAGE REFERENCE INDEX This index is included strictly on the off-chance that an outside source would reference this text by page number. It lists some page numbers, and the first line that appears on that page. With the use of this index, readers will better be able to find the referenced materials. In t