Who is Hillel? It sounds like a strange question, as we have already been introduced to Hillel in the first chapter of Pirkei Avot. Yet, there does in fact appear to be a disagreement as to whether the Hillel mentioned in Chapter 2 Mishnas 5-8 is in fact the same Hillel that was introduced previously or perhaps a different Hillel, most likely the son of Rabban Gamliel of the previous Mishna. At the crux of this disagreement is the placement of these Mishna vis-à-vis the Mishna before them and the next set of Mishnayot about Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. If the Mishnayot are chronological, than the Hillel of these Mishnayot must be Hillel the son of Rabban Gamliel. On the other hand, perhaps these Mishnayot were placed specifically here out of chronological order as a means of introduction to Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and his ‘tradition-altering’ teachings.
Either way, Hillel’s teachings in Chapter 2 are in need of serious clarification and explanation. In particular his first teaching, in Mishna 5 is incredibly strange in that Hillel teaches five seemingly unique and separate ideas:
- Al Tifrosh Min HaTzibur – Do not separate yourself from the community
- Al Taamin BiAtsmecha Ad Yom Motcha – Do not be sure of yourself until the day you die
- Al Tadin et Chavercha Ad Shetagia Limkomo – Do not judge your fellow until you are standing in his place
- Al Tomar Davar SheIy Efshar LiShmoa Shesofo LiHishama – Do not say anything that cannot be understood in the hope that it will eventually be understood
- Al Tomar Lichshefene Eshne, Shema Lo Tipane – Do not say that I will study when I have the time for you may never have the time
What is the theme of this Mishna, and how are Hillel’s teachings connected?
The best place to start in understanding the hidden truth of Hillel’s teaching is with his opening ‘thesis’ sentence, “Do not separate yourself from the Tzibur, the community.” The idea of ‘community’ certainly resonates strongly with many of us. We spend a lot of time thinking and talking about the importance of community. We say that there is, ‘strength in numbers.’ We know that building a community takes hard work and that it is a worthwhile endeavor. There are even many different ways that we can define ‘community.’ There are communities of place, interest, circumstance, purpose, and practice. For some, community is defined as people that live in close proximity to each other. For others, community is defined as people with shared values, interests, or practice. There are communities all around us. However, what does it really mean to be a part of one of these communities? As Jews what does it mean to be a part of the Jewish community?
For many Jews, communal prayer such as weekday and Shabbat services function as one of the vehicles of communal commitment and participation. The Gemara in tractate Brachot (8a) writes, “G-d does not reject the prayers of the community.” Praying together as a community the Gemara explains is more effective than praying as an individual. In fact, some of the most sacred prayers in Judaism are only recited in the presence of a Minyan. It is for this reason that our prayers are written in the plural form to emphasize the importance of communal prayer. For example, “Kadsheinu BiMitzvotecha” ; “Make us holy with your Mitzvot.” Unsurprisingly there are detailed Halachot and laws about communal prayer, or as we say in Hebrew, Tefillah BiTzibur.
Similarly, the Gemara in tractate Rosh Hashana (17b-18a) expands this notion of the power of community to relate to the power of communal repentance around the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, the 10 Days of Repentance of the High Holiday season. Through communal repentance and by praying together, a communal verdict can be torn up and erased. It is only in the context of a community and in the presence of a minyan that the recital of the 13 attributes of mercy can work as a means of doing Teshuva and repenting our sins to G-d.
For some of us, community is the place that we go to for support in times of sorrow and suffering. Being a part of a community means that as individuals we are obligated to join others and support them in their sorrow. Interestingly, this idea is learned from the story of the war against Amalek following the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah describes that so long as Moshe’s hands were raised, the Jewish people were victorious in battle. However, as one can imagine, Moshe’s hands became heavy, “Videi Moshe Kiveidim.” Trying to ease Moshe’s burden, Aharon (Moshe’s brother) and Chur (Moshe’s brother-in-law) took a stone, “Vayikchu Even VaYasimu Tachtav, VaYeishiv Aleha,” and placed it under Moshe and he sat on it. The Rabbis struggled to understand the actions of Aharon and Chur—Was there no pillow around? Was there nothing more comfortable than a stone for Moshe to sit on? The Vilna Gaon offers a novel interpretation to this question. The Gemara in tractate Taanit (11a) writes that “Kol Hamitzaer Atzmo Im HaTzibur Zocheh V’Roeh Binechemat HaTzibur” ; “Anyone that shares the distress of the community merits seeing the community being comforted.” In other words, being a part of a community is not just something we do physically, but also something we must do emotionally. Therefore, the Vilna Gaon explains that Moshe actually requested that a hard uncomfortable stone be brought to him to sit on. He wanted to be a part of the community during this difficult moment of war. He wanted to feel the suffering, pain, and loss of the broader community. In other words, Moshe wanted to be a part of the community.
Its clear how important a community is and can be. In fact there are entire categories of law created to uphold and support the community called ‘Tircha DiTzibura,’ literally translated to mean burdening the public and ‘Kavod HaTzibur,’ the respect of the congregation. The Gemara in tractate Brachot (12b) writes that initially the passages of the Torah that comprise the blessings of the prophet Bilaam were to be included as part of the Shema prayer. However, because it would be a burden to the public, because of ‘Tircha DiTzibura’ they were left out. Lest the community be burdened by the recitation of such a lengthy prayer, the Rabbis removed it from the Shema prayer. Similarly, it is forbidden to create any unnecessary delays in prayer services such as using a Torah that must be rolled to the appropriate place before it may be read. The honor and dignity of the Tzibur, the community, must be held at the highest regard and as such it is forbidden to make the Tzibur wait as the Torah is rolled. In fact, the Rambam, Maimonides (Hilchot Tefullah 12:23). as well as the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 144:3) codify this concept as law and write that a Torah scroll must be prepared and rolled to the appropriate place before services are to begin.
It would be easy to think that these laws that correspond to the honor and burden of a community are simply Rabbinic in nature. In fact, most people tend to think of these laws of “Tircha DiTzibura” as being ‘good practice’ or the ‘right thing to do.’ However, most Rabbis write that these laws are actually rooted in a very real Torah obligation. After all, the Torah in Vayikra (19:17) teaches us “Love your fellow as yourself.” The honor one must afford their community is certainly no less weighty than the honor one must afford an individual. Therefore, if the Torah obligates us to honor our fellow individuals, we can extrapolate that the same commandment applies to honoring the public. So serious are these laws, that the Chafetz Chaim in his Mishna Berura commentary on the Shulchan Aruch writes that they may even refer to the length of one’s speech in a public setting. In other words, maybe there is in fact a Torah obligation for the Rabbi to keep his sermon short!
These ideas help us better understand Hillel’s comments in Chapter 2 Mishna 5 of Pirkei Avot. “Al Tifrosh Min HaTzibur,” ; “It is forbidden to separate yourself from the community.” The Jewish community is at the epicenter of what it means to be a Jew. In fact, there is nothing, not even the study of Torah that allows a Jew to separate himself from the community. The Gemara in tractate in Makot (10a) quotes Rabbi Yossi ben Rabbi Chanina that Chachamim, scholars, that learn “Bad V’Bad” ; “individually,” deserve the sword and will ultimately forget all that they have learned. In other words, even great Torah scholars may not isolate themselves from the community even to improve their own capabilities.
From this perspective, perhaps we can suggest that the remainder of Hillel’s teachings in Mishna 5 are not unrelated, but rather serve as supports to his original ‘thesis’ about the importance of community. Hillel’s four remaining teachings are thus advice on how to build and maintain a Jewish community: Hillel continues, “Al Taamin BiAtsmecha Ad Yom Motcha” ; “Do not believe in yourself until the day you die.” In other words, don’t spend your entire life being self-reliant. You need a community of others to support you in being a successful Jew. To fulfill your potential in your prayers you need a community and others to pray with. Don’t believe that you alone are enough. There is great power in the numbers of a community.
“Al Tadin et Chavercha Ad Shetagia Limkomo” ; “Do not judge your fellow until you are standing in his place” as well as “Al Tomar Davar SheIy Efshar LiShmoa Shesofo LiHishama” ; “Do not say anything that cannot be understood in the hope that it will eventually be understood.” Judging others without the proper sensitivity and understanding of their unique situation is a recipe for tearing apart a community. Until one is standing in his fellow’s shoes, how else can they understand what makes them different? How can you truly support someone that you do not understand? Understanding of others starts with clear and honest dialogue. Do not be ambiguous about your intentions. Do not be ashamed of your opinions or needs. Be honest and respectful of each other so that you can see things from each other’s perspective and ultimately build and maintain a strong Jewish community,
Finally, “Al Tomar Lichshefene Eshne, Shema Lo Tipane” ; “Do not say that I will study when I have the time for you may never have the time.” While a basic Pshat understanding of this teaching refers to making Torah study a priority for today and not at some later date, perhaps we can suggest that Hillel had a deeper message to teach. When Moshe encounters G-d for the first time at the burning bush, G-d tells Moshe that, “the place upon which you stand is holy ground.” The Chafetz Chaim explains, that G-d was not only telling Moshe that the ground itself was holy, but the place in which you, Moshe, are currently at in your life is holy. G-d wants us to serve Him where we are today—even with the many deficiencies and areas for improvement that we may have. The same is certainly true in regards to a community. The community is perfect today where it is. There is always room for improvement, and we must always strive to make the community better. However, we must embrace and support the community for where it is at today and not where we hope it to be. If we wait for the community to be perfect, than we may never involve ourselves in it. In fact more than that, Hillel is teaching us that building, supporting, and maintaining a Jewish community needs to be an active priority for every single Jew. The needs of the community cannot be pushed off for a later date lest they never be met.
Interestingly, one of the Hebrew words for community is ‘Tzibur.’ Many Rabbis and commentaries on Mishna 5 (for example – the Artscroll Pirkei Avos Treasury) explain the word Tzibur to be an acronym for: Tzadikim (righteous people), Beinonim (average people), and Rishaim (wicked people). Whether we like it or not, a true Jewish community is diverse and is made up of all different types of people—righteous, average, and even wicked people. Each and every Jew is critical to a community’s success. A Jewish community, a Tzibur, is not something that is exclusive but rather is vast and varied and as such serves as a spiritual home at the core of Jewish life. Such a community is certainly worthy of the Kavod HaTzibur, the honor and respect due to a community. As Hillel teaches, “Do not separate yourself from such a Tzibur or community.” Be a part of the community such that you may add your own personal and unique fabric to it diverse tapestry. May we each learn from Hillel and merit to contribute to and be a part of such a wonderful Tzibur, a wonderful community.