אבות א, ב - שלושת העמודים

(2) Shimon the Righteous was from the remnants of the Great Assembly. He would say, "On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on the service and on acts of lovingkindness."

(1) From the remnants: From those remaining, for after they had all died, the tradition remained in his possession. He was High Priest following Ezra.

(2) He would say: Which is to say that he was accustomed to say. And so too every (instance) of "Rabbi x says" (or) "He would say" which is in this tractate; their meaning is "He was accustomed to saying such a thing constantly."

(3) "The world stands": The world was only created for the sake of these three things.

(4) "on the Torah": Had Israel not received Torah, the heavens and the earth would not have been created, as is written (Jeremiah 33:25), "Were it not for my covenant day and night, also the laws of the heavens and the earth I would not have set." (Shabbat 88a)

(5) "on the [Temple] service": The service of the sacrifices. For such have we taught in tractate Taanit, "Were it not for the groupings [involved in the sacrifices] the heavens and the earth would not have endured (Taanit 27b)." And we have found that on account of the sacrifices that Noah brought, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that He would never bring a flood. So it is that the world stands upon the sacrifices.

(6) "and on acts of lovingkindness": As it is written (Ps. 89:3), “The world is built up by your kindness." And lovingkindness is to regale grooms and to comfort mourners, to visit the sick and inter the dead, and the like.

(23) At Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, (24) “Let Aaron be gathered to his kin: he is not to enter the land that I have assigned to the Israelite people, because you disobeyed my command about the waters of Meribah. (25) Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up on Mount Hor. (26) Strip Aaron of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar. There Aaron shall be gathered unto the dead.”

(2) הר ההר MOUNT HOR (more lit., the mount of the mount) — This was a mount on top of a mount, like a small apple on top of a large apple. — Although the cloud went before them and levelled the mountains (cf. Rashi on 10:34), yet three of them remained: Mount Sinai for the giving of the Torah, Mount Hor for Aaron’s burial place, and Mount Nebo for Moses’ burial place (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 14).

(2) Seven clouds: four on four sides, one above, one below, and one going before them, lifting what was low, and lowering what was high, as it is written (Isaiah 40:4) "Let every valley be raised, and every mountain and hill be lowered. Let the rugged ground become level and the ridges become a plain."