Shiurei HaRav: “Sacred and Profane”
There are some people who live in quantitative, dead time… the man, however, who lives in qualitative time has a different criterion of the experience of time than the quantitative experience. He measures time not by length-extension but by pure quality, creativity, and accomplishment.
Qualitative-time consciousness is comprised of two elements: First, the appreciation of the enormous implications inherent in the fleeting moments of the present. No fraction of time, however infinite, should slip through the fingers, left unexploited, for eternity may depend upon the brief moment...
(טז) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, הַכֹּל נָתוּן בְּעֵרָבוֹן, וּמְצוּדָה פְרוּסָה עַל כָּל הַחַיִּים. הַחֲנוּת פְּתוּחָה, וְהַחֶנְוָנִי מֵקִיף, וְהַפִּנְקָס פָּתוּחַ, וְהַיָּד כּוֹתֶבֶת, וְכָל הָרוֹצֶה לִלְווֹת יָבֹא וְיִלְוֶה, וְהַגַּבָּאִים מַחֲזִירִים תָּדִיר בְּכָל יוֹם, וְנִפְרָעִין מִן הָאָדָם מִדַּעְתּוֹ וְשֶׁלֹּא מִדַּעְתּוֹ, וְיֵשׁ לָהֶם עַל מַה שֶּׁיִּסְמֹכוּ, וְהַדִּין דִּין אֱמֶת, וְהַכֹּל מְתֻקָּן לַסְּעוּדָה:
(16) He used to say: everything is given against a pledge, and a net is spread out over all the living; the store is open and the storekeeper allows credit, but the ledger is open and the hand writes, and whoever wishes to borrow may come and borrow; but the collectors go round regularly every day and exact dues from man, either with his consent or without his consent, and they have that on which they [can] rely [in their claims], seeing that the judgment is a righteous judgment, and everything is prepared for the banquet.
Rabbi Lau on Pirkei Avot
When a person reads the Torah’s promised blessings and threatened curses, he is liable to grow despondent, because those verses begin conditionally… and so the mishnah states that “everything is given on collateral" : whatever we need to fulfill our obligations has been given to us in advance.
(יא) והכל מתוקן לסעודה. שכל תועלת הדברי' הללו אין סופן ואחריתם אלא להכשר סעודה כלומר לחיי העולם הבא:
(11) and everything is prepared for the feast: That the purpose of all of these things is in the end only to prepare the feast; meaning to say for life in the world to come.
מי שטרח בערב שבת יאכל בשבת מי שלא טרח בערב שבת מהיכן יאכל בשבת
One who takes pains on Shabbat eve will eat on Shabbat, but one who did not take pains on Shabbat eve, from where will he eat on Shabbat?
Step 1: Imbuing Gatherings With Torah
הרי זה מושב לצים. דאין ליצנות גדולה ממי שאומרים לו מנה זהובים שעה אחת. וכל שתמנה יהיה שלך. והוא בטל. הוא ודאי מתלוצץ מן הזהובים ומבזה אותם. כן הבטל מדברי תורה אחר שיודע השכר הגדול הזה אינו כי אם לץ.
THIS IS A GATHERING OF SCOFFERS. For there can be no greater scoffer than one who is told that as many gold coins as he can count out of a pile in an hour will be his and sits idly. He certainly scoffs at the gold coins and disdains them. So is one who idles instead of studying Torah. For since he knows the great reward for its study, he must simply be a scoffer.
(ג) רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה שֶׁאָכְלוּ עַל שֻׁלְחָן אֶחָד וְלֹא אָמְרוּ עָלָיו דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה, כְּאִלּוּ אָכְלוּ מִזִּבְחֵי מֵתִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כח) כִּי כָּל שֻׁלְחָנוֹת מָלְאוּ קִיא צֹאָה בְּלִי מָקוֹם. אֲבָל שְׁלשָׁה שֶׁאָכְלוּ עַל שֻׁלְחָן אֶחָד וְאָמְרוּ עָלָיו דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה, כְּאִלּוּ אָכְלוּ מִשֻּׁלְחָנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל מא) וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלַי זֶה הַשֻּׁלְחָן אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי ה':
(3) Rabbi Shimon said: if three have eaten at one table and have not spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten sacrifices [offered] to the dead, as it is said, “for all tables are full of filthy vomit, when the All-Present is absent” (Isaiah 28:8). But, if three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at the table of the All-Present, blessed be He, as it is said, “And He said unto me, ‘this is the table before the Lord’” (Ezekiel 41:22).
מדרש שמואל
שכיון שידוע ששנים שיושבין ויש ביניהם ד"ת שכינה שרויה ביניהם כמ"ש הכתוב אז נדברו וגו' ויקשב ה' וישמע וכ"ש שלשה וכיון שאמרו על השלחן ד"ת פשיטא א"כ שהקב"ה בא שם ויושב עמהם וא"כ הרי זה השלחן יקרא שולחנו של מקום והוא שולחן אשר לפני ה'... טעם דעת שלשה ולא אמר שנים ואולי כי השנים שעסקו בדברים בטלים יהיו נדונים כשוגגים אבל כשהם שלשה היה לו לג' להזכירו. ונ"ל כי כל שיגדל הקיבוץ נתחייבו יותר להזכיר שמו והשוכחים בעת ההיא מחללים השם
The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai
Rabbi Simeon valued the Torah above all else and he declared that “Three who have eaten at one table and have not said over it words of the Torah are as if they had eaten of the sacrifice of the dead.”18)אבות פרק ג׳ משנה ג׳. He further said that no scholar may partake of a feast the purpose of which is not to fulfill some commandment,19)פּסחים מ״ט א׳. and that people who do not engage in learning are to be punished.20)שבת ל״ג ב׳.
“Three valuable gifts God granted to the Jews”, he said, “and all three are bound up with suffering. These three gifts are: the Torah, the Land of Israel and the world to come.”21)ברכות ה׳ א׳.
“If I had been present on Mount Sinai when the Torah was given to the Jews”, he said, “I would have asked God to grant us two mouths, one for the study of the Torah and the other for all other purposes.” But he immediately added that two mouths might even be worse than one for if one mouth can cause so much trouble by carrying reports, how much worse might the world be if people possessed two mouths.22)ירושלמי ברכות פרק א׳ הלכה ב׳.
Being imbued with such a great love for the Torah Rabbi Simeon abhored all those who rebelled against its commandments and he said: “Whoever wishes to taunt a wicked man may do so without compunction”,23)ברכות ז׳ ב׳. for the gain of a wicked man is the loss of a just man.24)
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein; By His Light
Talmud Torah is not just a daily obligation, but a general direction in one’s life. “You shall meditate upon it day and night” (Yehoshua 1:8). Through God’s revealed word we can come to know Him, approach Him, relate to Him. This is a value, a goal to be maximized as far as one can...a person should strive to reach the kind of existence within which the Torah and direct Avodat Hashem are maximized and other things are minimized.
Step 2: Productivity and Prioritization
(ד) רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן חֲכִינַאי אוֹמֵר, הַנֵּעוֹר בַּלַּיְלָה וְהַמְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ יְחִידִי וְהַמְפַנֶּה לִבּוֹ לְבַטָּלָה, הֲרֵי זֶה מִתְחַיֵּב בְּנַפְשׁוֹ:
(4) Rabbi Hananiah ben Hakinai said: one who wakes up at night, or walks on the way alone and turns his heart to idle matters, behold, this man is mortally guilty.
The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, The Ten Martyrs 64-70
Another martyr was Hanina (or Hananiah) ben Hachinai, a disciple and a friend of the outstanding scholars of the time. It seems that he never received “Semicha” (ordination) to teach others in an academy of his own. His opinions, however, were held in great esteem and they were considered on numerous occasions when the laws were being determined...
His mode of thought is illustrated by a maxim which he frequently repeated: “He who wakes at night and he who walks alone by the way and he who makes his heart empty for idle thoughts is guilty against himself.”25)אבות פרק ג׳ משנה ד׳. Also interesting is his interpretation of the Biblical verse regarding a man who denies his friend. He said that a man who denies the words of his friend does so because he denies God.26)תוספתא שבועות פרק ג׳.
Hanina studied for some time, together with other scholars, in the academy of Rabbi Tarphon. Later he became a disciple of Rabbi Akiba who found him worthy to discuss with him the mysteries of the Torah.
רבינו יונה
מפני שהם שעות רצויות אין לו לחשב בהן כי אם דברים רצויים לפני המקום ב״ה. אלו הן דברי תורה. שאותן שעות כמה הם חשובות וראויות למחשבת התורה כי אין לו מלאכת לעשות ואיננו שומע קולות בני אדם
אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: כׇּל הָעוֹסֵק בְּתוֹרָה בַּלַּיְלָה — הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מוֹשֵׁךְ עָלָיו חוּט שֶׁל חֶסֶד בַּיּוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה ה׳ חַסְדּוֹ״. וּמָה טַעַם ״יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה ה׳ חַסְדּוֹ״ — מִשּׁוּם ״וּבַלַּיְלָה שִׁירֹה עִמִּי״. וְאִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי, אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: כׇּל הָעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא דּוֹמֶה לְלַיְלָה, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מוֹשֵׁךְ עָלָיו חוּט שֶׁל חֶסֶד לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא שֶׁהוּא דּוֹמֶה לְיוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה ה׳ חַסְדּוֹ וּבַלַּיְלָה שִׁירֹה עִמִּי״.
Rabbi Hirsch on Pirkei Avot
One who walks on his way alone has perfect, undisturbed leisure during those hours. He who, instead of utilizing those quiet moments for serious meditation and reflection, wastes them on frivolous and idle thoughts, sins against his own soul. For in this matter he has cheated his soul of spiritual and moral gains which it would have had the opportunity thus to acquire.
R’ Yitzchak of Skver
A person who walks upon a lone path is an individual who remains free from the marks of servitude and follows the path of the Torah throughout his life, serving as a model for others. If he looks at his life as empty, הַמְפַנֶּה לִבּוֹ לְבַטָּלָה, then he will grow discouraged and therefore discourage those around him.
(ז) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אִישׁ בַּרְתּוֹתָא אוֹמֵר, תֶּן לוֹ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ, שֶׁאַתָּה וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלּוֹ. וְכֵן בְּדָוִד הוּא אוֹמֵר (דברי הימים א כט) כִּי מִמְּךָ הַכֹּל וּמִיָּדְךָ נָתַנּוּ לָךְ. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הַמְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְשׁוֹנֶה, וּמַפְסִיק מִמִּשְׁנָתוֹ וְאוֹמֵר, מַה נָּאֶה אִילָן זֶה וּמַה נָּאֶה נִיר זֶה, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ מִתְחַיֵּב בְּנַפְשׁוֹ:
(7) Rabbi Elazar of Bartotha said: give to Him of that which is His, for you and that which is yours is His; and thus it says with regards to David: “for everything comes from You, and from Your own hand have we given you” (I Chronicles 29:14). Rabbi Jacob said: if one is studying while walking on the road and interrupts his study and says, “how fine is this tree!” [or] “how fine is this newly ploughed field!” scripture accounts it to him as if he was mortally guilty.
that we may obtain a wise heart.
מלבים
אחר שע''י קוצר ימינו אין אנו יודעים מאומה לא מאפך ולא מעברתך, ואנחנו מתים מבלי השגת השלמות אשר בעבורו נבראנו, הלא ראוי שתודיע לנו שנוכל למנות ימינו כן באופן זה אשר נוכל להביא בו לבב חכמה, נגד מ''ש ורהבם עמל ואון, תלמדנו שנביא בימי חיינו לבב חכמה, ולא יהיה ימינו לריק ולתהו :
וְהִזָּהֲרוּ שֶׁלֹּא יְקַפֵּחַ אֶתְכֶם בַּהֲלָכוֹת... אֲבָל מֵעִיד אֲנִי עָלַי שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ שֶׁעַל מְדוֹכָה זוֹ יָשַׁב חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא וְאָמַר שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים...
Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas added: And beware that he not batter you with halakhot in this matter...However, you need not worry about the issue itself, as I call as witnesses before me the heavens and the earth that on this very mortar, which was preserved in my house due to its historical importance, Haggai the prophet sat, and I have a tradition that he said three matters of halakha...
Rabbi Lau on Pirkei Avot
...It is fitting that a person who lived such an extraordinarily long life should offer counsel on how not to cast one’s life away.
Lev Simcha on Pirkei Avot (Summarized)
This mishna is referring to a negative sequence of events- one who sleeps late will be inclined to drink wine in the afternoon and then tend to engage in idle talk, which is a common translation of שִׂיחַת הַיְלָדִים. The danger that this mishna is referencing is allowing one's self to fall into bad habits, because as we know, aveirah goreret aveirah.
And the lazy man on his bed.
הדלת תסוב על צירה. הנה כמו שהדלת תסוב על צירה ואינה נפרדת ממנו כן דבק העצל אל מטתו לרוב אהבו השינה כי עצלה תפיל תרדמה
Rav Hirsch on Pirkei Avot
It is obvious that he who sleeps away the morning hours, who at noon dulls his mental clarity and alertness by indulging in strong drink, and who wastes his evenings with childish trifles or at the tavern, will not have much time left to devote to the earnest endeavor to fulfill the purpose for which he has been put into this world… a thoughtless squandering of time- that most precious gift that has been given man; time granted him for the dutiful and faithful completion of life’s task.