RaYBaSH’s Ponderings of the Perkei Avot
Chapter 6:6
By: Yehudah ben Shomeyr
“Torah
is greater than the priesthood or sovereignty, for sovereignty is acquired with
thirty virtues, the priesthood with twenty-four, and Torah is acquired with
forty-eight qualities. These are: study, listening, verbalizing, comprehension
of the heart, awe, fear, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages,
companionship with one's contemporaries, debating with one's students, tranquility,
study of the scriptures, study of the Mishnah, minimizing engagement in
business, minimizing socialization, minimizing pleasure, minimizing sleep,
minimizing talk, minimizing gaiety, slowness to anger, good heartedness, faith
in the sages, acceptance of suffering, knowing one's place, satisfaction with
one's lot, qualifying one's words, not taking credit for oneself, likableness,
love of God, love of humanity, love of charity, love of justice, love of
rebuke, fleeing from honor, lack of arrogance in learning, reluctance to hand
down rulings, participating in the burden of one's fellow, judging him to the
side of merit, correcting him, bringing him to a peaceful resolution [of his
disputes], deliberation in study, asking and answering, listening and illuminating,
learning in order to teach, learning in order to observe, wising one's teacher,
exactness in conveying a teaching, and saying something in the name of its
speaker. Thus we have learned: One who says something in the name of its
speaker brings redemption to the world, as is stated (Esther
2:22 ), "And Esther
told the king in the name of Mordechai."”
“You
have heard it said, but I say unto you….” – Yeshua the Messiah
John 7:46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
Yeshua our redeeming
Messiah spoke on God’s behalf and no other, there for His words had Chiam
(Life)!
John 12:49 For I have not spoken of
myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should
say, and what I should speak.
John 10:10b …I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly.
Shalom,
-- Yehudah ben
Shomeyr
