Throughout history, creative people who have reflected on their experiences have summarized what they’ve learned through clever turns of phrase called maxims. Maxims might sound like quotations, but they are not. Instead, they are personal and keenly felt responses to experiences. For example, “Be of an exceedingly humble spirit, for the end of man is the worm.” The Wisdom of the Fathers (Pirke Abot) is a collection of maxims and one of the treatises of the Talmud. The Talmud is a record of the process by which Jewish law has been made clear. The key word here is process. The Talmud is not a codification of law. It is a record of the process of uncovering the law through analysis and discussion. The chief preoccupation of the compilers of the Talmud is with the content and direction of the discussion itself, not of people, places and things. Fundamentally, the Talmud is an interpretation of scripture.

The Jewish tradition was originally an oral one. In the second century CE, the oral tradition was written down in a book called the Mishna. The Mishna includes analysis and interpretation of rules, derived from the Scriptures. The role of the Talmud is to explain the Mishna. The Talmudic method is to take each statement from the Mishna and subject it to the closest scrutiny and analysis.

In this review, I will not be reviewing the content of the Wisdom of the Fathers. Instead, I’ll share the maxims and commentaries that resonated the most with me, either in a good way, or a bad way. The first example is from the introductory essay to the book by Judah Goldin. Goldin is the translator of this version of the Pirke Abot. Goldin comments that sometimes the high purpose of Talmudic law demands capacity for ingenious interpretation. He gives the example of the Palestinian Rabbi Johanan from the third century. He said that if a man could not come up with 100 arguments for declaring a reptile ritually clean, he would lack the skill needed to open capital case trials with reason for acquittal, which is an absolute requirement in capital judicial procedure. “Capital cases must begin with reasons for acquittal, and may not begin with reasons for conviction.”

*Acts of loving kindness are greater than charity. Charity is something people do with their wealth. Acts of loving kindness are carried out with wealth and by taking personal action. For example, if someone gives a poor person money (charity), the recipient inevitably feels some shame. If someone lends a poor person money (loving kindness), the recipient’s feelings are spared.

*The reason that our day of death is not known to us is because if we knew we were about to die, we wouldn’t engage in anything useful. However, if we knew that our day of death was far off, we wouldn’t engage in good works because we would keep saying, ‘there is still time.’

*During my quest to read the books that make up Bloom’s Western Canon, I’ve learned about the process by which oral traditions were gradually written down. This process took centuries and is discussed at length in Robert Fagel’s introduction to The Iliad. Therefore, I enjoyed this story about the difference between the oral and written tradition of the Torah. “A certain man once stood before Shammai, and said to him: “Master, how many Torahs have you?“ “Two,“ Shammai replied, “one written, and one oral.“ Said the man: “The written one I am prepared to accept, the oral one I am not prepared to accept.“ Shammai rebuked him and dismissed him in a huff. He came before Hillel and said to him: “Master, how many Torahs were given?“ “Two,” Hillel replied, “one written, and one oral.” Said the man: “The written one I am prepared to accept, the oral one I am not prepared to accept.“ “My son,” Hillel said to him, “sit down.” He wrote out the alphabet for him [and pointing to one of the letters] asked him: “what is this?“ “It is aleph,“ the man replied. Said Hillel: “this is not aleph, but bet. What is that?“ He continued. The man answered: “it is bet.“ “This is not bet,” said Hillel, “but gimmel.“ [In the end] Hillel said to him: “How dost thou know that this is aleph and this bet and this gimmel? Only because so our ancestors of old handed it down to us, that this is aleph and this bet and this gimmel. Even as thou hast taken this in good faith, so take the other in good faith.”

*I was pleasantly surprised that the Greek philosophers were referred to in a fairly respectful way. “If a person has not studied philosophy, and thereby acquired, to the best of his capacity, and understanding of the Creator, there could be no adequate piety in him – because he does not understand the nature of God…” “The Gentile philosophers say that even if a person were to know everything [as it were], if he does not want to increase his knowledge, he is not a wise man, but a fool… on the other hand, one who passionately loves to increase his wisdom, may be called a wise man, even if he were to know, nothing.“

*Be submissive in the presence of someone in authority, follow his orders, and his counsel – do not quarrel with him, nor resist him. These are words of advice I just gave to my daughter, who is learning to drive. I told her to act this way if she’s pulled over.

*The definition of tradition. Tradition is a reference to the mnemonic signs that a person devises for his study. These preserve his learning, so that it’s not forgotten. But the word tradition may be derived from the verb, that means “to bind together“. In other words, gathering and assembling. So the meaning is to organize subject matter properly, logically arrange it, and then classify all of one’s learning under general principles, so that the subject may be easy to learn, and then not be forgotten.

*Don’t speak when you’re in the presence of someone who has more wisdom than you do. For example, when you study in the presence of your teacher, and you think of some thing that you believe is correct, don’t think that this must be the true interpretation. Don’t blurt it out before your teacher has finished speaking because if you act impatiently, you’ll miss what your teacher is saying, and you won’t learn the views of tradition. Your own views can’t be clear until you have first heard what tradition has said, and then weigh in your own mind, which view is more correct.

*God made man in his very own image. By “image,” no physical likeness is intended. The term image refers to intelligence and understanding… And it is by this image that man is distinguished from the beasts and the fowl.

*Your relationship with others must not be based on your desire to triumph over them. This is the undoing of truth, because when a person thinks only about winning, he only considers his point of you, or his own desires. Regardless of whether they are true or not.

*Speak up when others are in a position to listen to you. Hold your peace when they are not in a position to listen to you. For example, when someone is angry, they are not in a position to hear you. Wait until they are in a better frame of mind, when they will be open to listening.

*When I was a young child, I recall my grandfather reprimanding me because I had taken the name of the Lord in vain. I didn’t understand why he was so upset. This passage, therefore, struck me. “The difference between human kind and beasts is in speech, and by the power of speech we roll over the animal kingdom. That is why he who does not take the necessary precaution with the honor due to his Creator, deserves to be trampled by the beasts…” I’m glad that all I suffered was a little of my grandfather’s disappointment, instead of being mowed down by a wild animal.

*There are four types of people:
A person who says what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours. This is the most common type. Then there’s the person who said what’s mine is yours and what yours is mine. This is the keeping up with the Joneses type. Then there’s the saint, who said what’s mine is yours, and yours is yours. And finally, there is the wicked, who says what is mine is mine and what is yours is mine.

*There are four types of temperament. The person who is easily angered, and easily appeased. The person who is difficult to anger and difficult to appease. The person who is difficult to anger and easy to appease. This is the saint. And finally, the wicked person is easy to anger, but difficult to appease.

*There is a difference between a person’s characteristics and his temperament. Characteristics are within a person’a power to control. A person’s temperament is something implanted in him, however it is possible for a person to control their temperament by gaining wisdom.

What I found most disappointing about the Wisdom of the Fathers, was its misogyny. I found the Bible itself to be misogynistic, however, there are passages where women are respected. I found little to no respect in the Wisdom of the Fathers. The most egregious example is this quote, “You will find no kind of love in the world that is evil except the love of women.” I know that some would argue that the statement was in reference to a certain type of women, and not one’s wife or mother per se. But it’s statements like these that make women, at times, feel disenfranchised.. Rightly or wrongly.

Despite this, I enjoyed reading the Wisdom of the Fathers. I choose to ignore what feels like misogyny to me and instead take from it the nuggets of wisdom that apply to me and my life. ( )

Tilmud, Hebrew

This is a large edition with a slipcase and illustrations and some letters in color. Much nicer than the small paperback I've owned for years.

NO OF PAGES: 247 SUB CAT I: Talmud SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: A rich and fascinating introduction to the world of the Talmud, the enormous archives of studies and debates conducted in the Palestinian and Babylonian academies for more than 700 years.NOTES: SUBTITLE: The Wisdom of the Fathers and its classical commentaries, selected and translated with an essay by Judah Goldin. The teachings of the Jewish sages on the conduct of human life and thought.

Pirke Abot with an essay by the translator