Puzzle of Rabbinic Identification at the End of Chapter Five in the Ladino Translations of Pirke Avot

Pirke Avot known as the “Ethics of the Fathers”, a Mishnaic compendium of rabbinic sayings, is comprised of six chapters, which Sephardic Jews read one chapter a week with the Ladino translation on the Sabbaths between Pesaḥ (Passover) and Shavu'ot (Pentecost). The end of chapter five and chapter six were appended to this Mishna after 200 CE. The final paragraphs of chapter five list either three or four sages by their names, while one is referred to by hu haya omer (‘he used to say’), translated as él era dizién. Because the order of the paragraphs varies in different Ladino editions, the identity of the Rabbi is unclear. The translation of Vienna 1857 adds to the confusion because the Hebrew text represents one order and the translation another. The article presents the paragraphs and the orders in which they occur in the various Ladino editions and concludes with the possible identity of the unnamed rabbi.