Sayings of the Jewish Fathers; Comprising Pirqe Aboth and Pereq R. Meir in Hebrew and English, with Critical and Illustrative Notes and Specimen Pages of the the Cambridge University Manuscript of the Mishnah Jerushalmith from Which the Text of Aboth Is Ta (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 Excerpt: ...the faultlessly righteous stand not," for it is said (Is. lvii. 19), Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near: to the far off first, and afterwards to the near (Berakoth, 34 b). 3 It is a characteristic of Talmudic exegesis that, as far as possible, every expression of Holy Scripture is regarded as having a separate significance. In such texts as the above the darshan allows no mere cumulation of phrases for the sake of symmetry or emphasis, but he sees distinct allusions in -pet, and-(? 2H3 to the present and future worlds. Such twofold allusions are continually being pointed out in the Talmud and Midrash. In the text we may perhaps suppose a play upon the words, ashreka, thy happiness, and 'oshreka, thy wealth. With this saying compare 1 Tim. vi. 6: ?rri Se iropHTfiios fi4yas T) eiW/3eta p.eri. avrapnetas. The three sayings may be taken as a commentary on Jer. ix. 23: "Let not the Wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the Mighty man glory in his might, let not the Rich man glory in his riches." It is said in Berakoth ix. 5, that all the benedictions in the Temple used to end simply with A Seculo; but from the time when the Epicureans (S5 reads, ha-minim) cavilled and said, There is but one world, it was ordered to conclude with A Seculo In BECCLUM. 4. Who is honoured? He that honours mankind; for it is said, For them that honour me41 will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Sam. ii. 30). 5. Ben 'Azzai5 said, Hasten to a slight precept, and flee from transgression; for precept induces precept, and transgression induces transgression"; for the reward of precept is precept, and the reward of transgression is transgression 4 In the original context the speaker is God; but the verse is h...