He also used to say: Despise no man and deem nothing impossible; for there is no man who does not have his day and there is no thing that does not have its place. Rabbi Levitas of Yavneh used to say: Be exceeding lowly of spirit, for the hope of man is with worms.
Rabbi Yochanan ben Baroka said: Whoever profanes the name of Heaven in secret will pay the penalty in public, whether it be done accidentally or intentionally. Rabbi Yishmael his son used to say: He who learns in order to teach will be enabled both to learn and to teach. But he who learns in order to practice will be enabled to learn, to teach, to observe, and to practice.
Rabbi Tzadok used to say: Do not make the Torah a crown with which to aggrandize yourself, nor use it as a spade with which to dig. As Hillel used to say: He who makes worldly use of the crown of the Torah shall perish.
Thus you may infer that any one who exploits the words of the Torah removes himself from the world of life. Rabbi Yosi used to say: He who honors the Torah is himself honored by mankind. He who dishonors the Torah shall himself be dishonored by mankind. Rabbi Yishmael his son said: He who shuns the office of judge rids himself of enmity, theft, and false swearing.
He who presumptuously rules in Torah matters is foolish, wicked, and arrogant. He used to say: Judge not alone, for none may judge alone except One. Rabbi Yonatan said: He who fulfills the Torah in poverty shall in the end fulfill it in wealth.
He who disregards the Torah in wealth shall in the end disregard it in poverty. Rabbi Meir said: Engage little in business but occupy yourself with Torah. Be humble in spirit before all men.
If you neglect Torah many causes for neglecting it will present themselves to you; but if you labor in Torah then God has abundant reward to give you. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob used to say: He who performs one commandment acquires for himself one advocate, while he who commits one transgression has gotten for himself one accuser.
Penitence and good deeds are as a shield against punishment. One who honors all of mankind. Each one of these question and answer items has an accompanying passuk to validate it. Additionally, while the concepts he puts forward are familiar to us, there is nevertheless something novel and unique in his approach.
Stepping back from Ben-Zoma's approach for a moment will allow us to examine what we would have thought to be the definitions of the aforementioned. While doing so let us contrast and compare the way most people would define these concepts versus how Ben-Zoma does.
Usually one would define a wise person as someone who knows a lot, not someone who needs to learn from others. Ben-Zoma's approach seems almost the opposite of how "most people" would define it. When one thinks of someone being strong, the image usually is that of a tyrant or a big-boss figure — in other words, someone who can do as he wishes without necessarily exercising self-control. This, again, is in essence contradictory to Ben-Zoma's view. If we think about someone who is rich we think about someone who can indulge in whatever he wants.
Ben-Zoma by contrast is saying that this is inaccurate, arguing instead that it is someone who finds his lot sufficient and is content with it as is. When one imagines an honorable person one thinks of someone worthy of respect — i.
Such people are sometimes seen as paying little attention to those "lesser" than they. Rabbi Zadok said: do not make them a crown for self-exaltation, nor a spade with which to dig. Be of humble spirit before all men. If you have neglected the Torah, you shall have many who bring you to neglect it, but if you have labored at the study of Torah, there is much reward to give unto you.
Repentance and good deeds are a shield against punishment. Rabbi Yochanan Hasandlar said: every assembly which is for the sake of heaven, will in the end endure; and every assembly which is not for the sake of heaven, will not endure in the end. Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.
Rabbi Mathia ben Harash said: Upon meeting people, be the first to extend greetings; And be a tail unto lions, and not a head unto foxes. To ink written upon a new writing sheet.
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