meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt_done/Mishnah/Commentary/Boaz/Seder Nezikin/Boaz on Pirkei Avot/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Boaz on Pirkei Avot
  בועז על משנה אבות
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Boaz on Pirkei Avot
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Says the commentator, "And since it has come to us, we will say something that it is a commandment (important) to publicize": From way back, I found this statement of the Sages, may their memory be blessed, in Yevamot 61a to be difficult. As we say over there,  "You (the Jewish people) are called men (<i>adam</i>) but gentiles are not called men." It is difficult. As would it enter our minds that the Sages, may their memory be blessed, would say about a gentile that has God's image - as we have explained - that he is considered only like an animal? Moreover - if so, what is this that the Holy One, blessed be He, said (Exodus 19:5), "And you shall be a treasure for Me among all the nations?" And if all of the nations are only like animals of the field, this statement would only be as if He was saying, "And you shall be a treasure for Me from all the animals and from all the monkeys that are similar in their appearance to men." Furthermore - if so, all of their actions are like the actions of animals, that are not subject to reward and punishment. But behold, this thing contradicts what we have established [to be true] - gentiles have a share in the world to come (Sanhedrin 105, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and Wars 8)! And see that even without the holy voice of the Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, who told us so - we would know this thing from the perspective of the intellect. For surely the Lord is just in all of His ways, and kind in all of His deeds. And we see how many of their pious ones - besides that they recognize the Author of creation, and believe that the holy Torah is divine - do kindnesses even to the Israelites. And some of them did great good to all of those that come to the world: Like the pious [Edward] Jenner, who invented the vaccine for smallpox, through which many myriads of people have been saved from disease, death and defects; and [Francis] Drake who brought the potato to Europe, which relieved famine several times; and [Johannes] Gutenberg who invented the printing press. And some of them were not rewarded at all in this world, like the pious [Johann] Reuchlin who exposed himself to death to save the Talmuds from burning, as had been commanded by [the Holy Roman] Emperor Maximilian in the year (5262) [5269] (1509) through the incitement of the apostate [Johannes] Pfefferkorn - may his bones be crushed - and the priests who joined together, in the way of the success of the wicked. And this Reuchlin that we mentioned threw himself against them and - through his arguments - convinced the emperor to take back his aforementioned commands. And because of that, he was mostly persecuted; and his enemies, the priests, embittered his life and pressed him - until he died from the pressure upon him, with a broken heart. And would it enter your mind that these great deeds would not be rewarded in the world to come behind the curtain, God forbid? For behold the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deprive any creature of its reward. And if you would find to say about even these pious men mentioned: That even though they kept the seven commandments of the Noahides (Sanhedrin 56b), their status is nevertheless not like that of resident aliens (<i>gerei toshav</i>) since they were not accepted in front of three Torah scholars (Avodah Zarah 64b) - and besides that, we only accept resident aliens at at time when we practice the jubilee (Arakhin 29a); since they have not done acts of Esau, they have a share in the world to come regardless (Avodah Zarah 10). In any event, it is difficult. As behold, it is simple [that the law is] that even the [dead body] of even their most pious one does not make a tent impure, because they are not called men (<i>adam</i>). And it is a good question - why not? Behold he has the image of God, and he was righteous and pious in his deeds, and he also has a share in the world to come. If so, why is he not called a man? If so, why are they not called <i>adam</i>? Indeed, something else that is difficult for me is about what was written by Tosafot mentioned above, that they are nevertheless called, the man. And this is a wonder - for if they are not included in men, how is it proper to call them, the man - with a definite object? And Amoraim (later scholars) in the Talmud likewise wrote (Gittin 47b) that gentiles are also included in, "and He gave the earth to the sons of man (Adam)" (Psalms 115:16). And this is a wonder! For if their ancestors were not included in, men, how could they be included in the sons of man? However God enlightened my eyes [to see] that the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said something great with this. For if we look at the condition of the Jews today and we look at the condition of the other nations today, we see that there are two big differences between them: For behold, when the Israelites were in Egypt, all who came to the world - both Israel and the other nations - were like orphans without a father; they all dwelt together in a thick darkness, and did not know God. And it was not only Pharaoh who said (Exodus 5:2), "I have not known the Lord." Rather even the Israelites did know their Father in heaven at all, to the point that our teacher, Moses, peace be upon him, needed to ask the Holy One, blessed be He (Exodus 3:13), "[when] they ask me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And even when they crossed the Red Sea, their faith was still weak with them, such that there was an idol in their bosom at that time, as it is written (Sanhedrin 103b) on the verse (Zechariah 10:11), "And he shall pass through the sea with affliction" - that the idol of Micha went through the sea. It is shown from here that they were [still] immersed in all of the filth of the extreme abominations, like the Egyptians and like their practices. And they did not at all know about their obligations to God, to their fellows and to themselves. And all the more so was it like this with the other nations. As the worship of even the most understanding of them - such as the Greeks and the like - was made up of extreme abominations; to the ox and the donkey together and to the other animals of the forests and the beasts of the thousand mountains. And they would pray to plants and to trees - to sticks and stones - and to mountains and rivers, as if they were gods. They would also sacrifice their sons and daughters to demons; and all of their mountains would bring up the smoke of the blood of man. So God remembered the whole world and His covenant with His servant, Abraham; and he chose his descendants after him to be like priests and teachers to the rest of those that come to the world. And God, as it were, descended from the heavens to within Egypt - the land of wisdom at that time - among the people of the redeemer and the disgusting one, and opened their sealed eyes with pincers, by striking Pharaoh and his land with great and awesome plagues before their eyes. And when he was placed beneath the rod, they heard that they yelled out to him from the Heavens (Exodus 8:18), "in order that you shall know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth" (providence); (Exodus 9:14) "so that you will know that there is none like Me in all of the earth" (omnipotence); (Exodus 9:29) "in order that you shall know that the earth is God's" (reward and punishment). Then the foolish children opened their eyes and saw who was the 'Ruler of the palace.' And what was still lacking in their knowledge of God, the more discerning were able to peek at with great power at the splitting of the Red Sea. Then they pointed with the finger upon Him, and said (Exodus 15:2), "This is my God, and I will embellish him." "And they trusted the Lord and Moses, His servant" (Exodus 14:31). But it was still not enough for them; until He revealed Himself with great fanfare and a wondrous and awesome display upon Mount Sinai. And among the flames of fire reaching to the heart of the skies, the darkness, the cloud and the mist, He broadcast His commandments, His statutes and His teachings - including all of the obligations of man. He also taught them afterwards the arrangements of proper conduct regarding the division of the camps, cleanliness, the groupings, the sounding of the horns, the holy vessels and that which is similar - in such a way that that the whole reason for their success in this world and in the world to come was not known to them from their own intellect, but only through the glorious Holy One, blessed be He, Himself. But it was not so with the other nations. That even though then throughout that whole time that the Holy One, blessed be He, drew Israel close, to perfect them, the vision of all [the others] that came into the world was one of laying down in a slumber of stupidity and in a chaos of awful abominations; nevertheless all that they grasped afterwards of the causes for success in this world and the next world, came to them by themselves - in such a way that we can say that they made themselves. For they have drawn and learned much from the Torah of God - the well of the Jews - in the long time from then until now; and they learned much about the obligations of man, and etiquette and ethics through the passage of time and from science. From the light of the intellect piercing through to them, little by little, a brightening light continues to grow brighter; to the point that if we look at the worst of the nations today, they are nevertheless superior to the most superior one of thousands of years ago, which does not reach the ankles of the former. And it was only in much time and with great effort that they made themselves. It comes out that the Israelites and the other nations each have one unique advantage. The advantage of the nations over Israel is that they made themselves from their own free choice and, literally, from their own efforts. And this is certainly an advantage over Israel, who were pulled up by the corners of their heads by the effort of God, in order to perfect them - so they cannot claim the credit for themselves. For in everything that God distinguished them, in order to perfect them - it was from the hand of God that was with them, and it was only in the merit of their forefathers. Yet there is nevertheless also a unique advantage to the Israelites: For everything that the nations grasped, they only grasped with their intellect. Hence there are many commandments of the Torah - which are much more elevated than the human intellect, such as the statutes of the Torah - that they still do not do, because they do not understand them [until the end of days, when God will pour forth His spirit upon all flesh]. Moreover because all that they have grasped has only been from the human intellect - therefore, whoever among them has been negligent from opening his eyes over the course of time, is still mired in the filth of the early abominations, like most of the residents of Africa. And in Asia and in America as well, there are many nations that still walk in darkness and worship mute idols and sacrifice their children to demons - like their ancestors from time immemorial. For they have not known the Lord and have not become familiar with His teachings. Not so Israel. They keep all of the statutes of the Torah, even those beyond human intellect. And also the whole people - from small to big - lives by its faith. Both the fool and the ignoramus will nurse from the breasts of the Torah of the Lord, and it will force him to open his eyes, to see the path of life. And this is [the meaning of] the verse (Isaiah 43:21), "I have created this nation for Me" - meaning, I made them, as it is written (Psalms 100:3), "He made us, and we are His." Therefore (Isaiah 43:21, cont.), "they will speak My praise" - it is fitting that they should praise Me - and not that they should boast about themselves from this. And it also states (Isaiah 60:21), "And all of your people are righteous" - that even the fools among them will "inherit the land" of the living; like an inheritance, without effort. And all of this is because they are "the shoot of My plantings" - that I created Myself, and I also made them - and "the work of My hands in which I glory." According to this - with regards to Israel's advantage and perfection, it is like the model of Adam (the first man). As when any person comes to the world, he is created with a lack of knowledge - until time, study and intellect open up the wrinkles [of his brain] to make him into a man. Not so the first man - he was created in his stature and his character (Rosh Hashanah 11a). And immediately when he had the breath of life breathed into him, he was a talking spirit with intellect and knowledge - knowing all of his obligations. And that is because he was also the same as the Israelites in his properties. As he was surely also the creation of the palms of the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself - like them. And behold that anytime the circumstances and actions of the son are similar to the circumstances and actions of his father, he is called by his father's name. As it is written (Leviticus 16:3), "Thus shall Aaron come to the holy" - which means to say any high priest from his descendants after him. And likewise is it written (Malakhi 2:4), "to have my covenant with Levi," which is meaning to say all of his descendants after him. And likewise is it written (Hosea 3:5), "and will seek the Lord, their God, and David, their king," which is meaning to say, the king that is from [David's] descendants. And likewise is it written (Ezekiel 37:24), "And My servant, David, shall be king over them," the intention of which is about the messianic king, who is from his descendants. And likewise is our holy nation called by the name, Israel, for the name of their forefather - not only because all of his offspring were intact, and no other nation came from him - but also because everything that happened to this old man, Israel, to suffer persecutions and bad events from his youth until the days of his old age; likewise, "Since my youth they have often assailed me, let Israel now declare" (indicating that the history of the Jews has been like the life experience of Israel). Therefore are they called by his name. And according to this, it is incorrect to call all those that come to the world by the name, men (<i>adam</i>) - for the first man was called like this because he was created from the dirt (<i>adamah</i>); but behold, all of his descendants were created from flesh and blood! But it is only fitting to call the Israelites this name - not for their [own] glory, but rather because their source and the perfection they reached was from the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, and not from their own efforts, like Adam. And therefore every place in the Torah where it is stated, men (<i>adam</i>), the intention is only to the Israelites - such as (Leviticus 1:2). "When men sacrifice," which is only speaking about Israelites. As we say (Chullin 13b), "'From you' and not all of you, to exclude an apostate; 'from you' - among you I distinguished, but not among the nations. And the Talmud required another verse of (Leviticus 22:18) "any man (<i>ish</i>)" to also accept [sacrifices from] vows and gifts from the gentiles. But the name, men (<i>adam</i>) is not fitting for them. For they made themselves with much effort; so, regarding this, they are not similar  to Adam at all. But any place where it is written, people (literally, the children of Adam), the nations of the world are also included - for all of them are the children and grandchildren of Adam, just like us. And likewise every time it is written, the man (<i>ha'adam</i>), with a definite article - it is certainly not Adam's name, in that Adam was actually his name. And surely no definite article ever comes before an actual name; such that we could not say, the Abraham, the Isaac or the Israel. Likewise can we not say that the man (<i>ha'adam</i>) is referring to Adam. But rather it is clear that in this way (with the definite article), its meaning is <i>mentsch</i> in the language of Ashkenaz (German). And [man] is called <i>adam</i> [only] as a borrowed [and not exact] term. And in this sense, the nations are certainly included - as they are all thinking creations with the image of God, like us. What comes out of our words is that that which only Israelites are called, men <i>adam</i>, is not such a great praise. It only testifies about them that it is not they, themselves, that removed the thick shell from [their] sealed heart; but rather it was only because they were like clay in the hand of the Craftsman, blessed be He.