Sage Advice: Pirkei Avot Translation and Commentary by Irving (Yitz) Greenberg; Maggid Books, New Milford, Connecticut; ISBN 978-1-59264-444-5 ©2016, $24.95, p. 336 plus index
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
WINCHESTER, California — Pirkei Avot, literally meaning “Chapters of the Fathers,” but often translated as “Ethics of the Fathers,” is part of the Talmud, the written form of Judaism’s oral law compiled and edited more than 1800 years ago. Composed of just six brief chapters, five in the original and one added at a later time, Pirkei Avot establishes that there is an unbroken chain of knowledge in Judaism’s oral tradition, beginning with Moses, who received it from God on Mt. Sinai. Moses conveyed the knowledge to Joshua, who passed it to the elders, they to the prophets, and so forth until finally reaching the first century CE rabbis, and subsequently their students. But just as important, Pirkei Avot is rabbinic testimony of appropriate Jewish moral and ethical behaviors, the bedrock of the modern Mussar (Jewish ethical) movement.
Dr. Irving Greenberg, author of Sage Advice and a graduate of the Novardok Yeshiva System, a powerful force in Mussar, believes the rabbis created Pirkei Avot as a means of portraying the synthesis of Judaism’s long-held traditions with the transforming environment in which they found themselves, shaped mostly by the twice defeated Jewish armies at the hands of the Roman Empire, the loss of the Temple, the resulting impoverishment of those remaining in Judea, and the ensuing Diaspora.
Pirkei Avot can be a confusing document because the collection of enumerated rabbis and their sayings is not along a linear timeline and several different rabbis with the same name are cited without explanation of who is who. Greenberg provides a clear description of Pirkei Avot’s contents, context, and authorship along with side-by-side Hebrew and a new English translation. Additionally, Greenberg adds bracketed words in the translation to clarify the rabbinic intent and often digresses from text interpretation to give a historical background of the times, events, and when necessary, the personality of the maxim’s author.
Such an example is found in Avot 2:10, a verse comparing a sage to searing coal, a biting fox, a stinging scorpion, and a fiery snake. The saying is attributed to Rabbi Eliezer, not an uncommon name. Greenberg explains that the author is the late first-century rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, excommunicated by his peers for being obstinate and failing to yield to the majority.
Greenberg also clarifies confusing sentences. For instance, he translates Avot 2:5 as “in a place where there are no men, you be the man.” Greenberg then explains that “man” means leader—in a place where leadership is not found, you have a responsibility to be a leader. Although brief, the structure and chapter linkages of Pirkei Avot can also be perplexing. Greenberg plainly describes the relationship between the chapters and why later rabbis felt the need to add a sixth chapter.
Sage Advice, a stimulating, informative, and concise introduction to Pirkei Avot, offers much fodder for rumination. Sage Advice is an enjoyable read and an excellent reference source.
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Dr. Fred Reiss is a retired public and Hebrew school teacher and administrator. He is the author of The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars; Public Education in Camden, NJ: From Inception to Integration; Ancient Secrets of Creation: Sepher Yetzira, the Book that Started Kabbalah, Revealed; and a fiction book, Reclaiming the Messiah. The author can be reached via fred.reiss@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below must be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the U.S.)