Pirke Avot: The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers — Context and Discussion

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Authors: Gorfinkle, Joseph I. (Joseph Isaac), 1880- [Translator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2005 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Mishnah. Avot; Mishnah. Avot -- Commentaries Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 28,545

Reading time 125 min

Text sections 4

For Pirke Avot: The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers — Context and Discussion, the stored edition analysis reports 28,545 words, 2 hr 5 min estimated reading time, and 4 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 17.5 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Mishnah. Avot,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #8547

This editorial note examines how the opening, middle, and later excerpts of Joseph I. Gorfinkle's 1920 translation of Pirke Avot guide a first reading, focusing on the work's structure, the translator's method, and the density of its commentary.

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1. Moses received the _Torah_ (4) from Sinai (5), and handed it down to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders (6), and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets delivered it to the men of the Great Synagogue (7). They said three things, "Be deliberate in judgment; raise up many disciples; and make a fence about the _Torah_" (8).

(4) The word _Torah_ is usually translated by "law," but it means rather "teaching," "instruction" of any kind, or "doctrine." This term is generally used to designate the _Five Books of Moses_ or the _Pentateuch_, called the "written law" ([torah shebichtav]), but it is also employed as a designation of the whole of the Old Testament. Besides the "written law," according to tradition, there was also communicated to Moses, on Mt. Sinai, the "oral law" ([torah she'b'al peh]), supplementing the former and other laws and maxims, and explaining it. This "oral law" was handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, but subsequently, after the destruction of the second Temple, it was committed to writing, and constitutes the _Mishnah_, the _Talmud_, and the _Midrashim_. The "oral law" develops, illuminates, and comments upon the "written law." Here, _Torah_ means the "oral law," which Moses communicated to Joshua, Joshua, in turn, to the elders, and so on. See Taylor, _Sayings of the Jewish Fathers_, p. 105 _et seq._, and 134-135; Friedlander, _The Jewish Religion_, p. 136 _et seq._; _Jewish Encyclopedia_, arts. _Law and Oral Law;_ Schechter, _Some Aspects of Rabbinic Theology_, Chapter VIII; Strack, _Einleitung_, pp. 9-10, and Herford, _Pharisaism_, chapter on "the Theory of Torah," p. 57 _et seq._

(5) _I.e._, from God. Compare the expression [halacha l'moshe misinai], "the law to Moses from Sinai (God)," _Peah_, II, 6, _Eduyot_, VIII, 7, etc.

(6) The elders were the wise men who were the members of the supreme national tribunal. See Joshua XXIV, 31.

(7) The Great Synagogue, whose establishment, after the return from Babylonian captivity, tradition attributes to Ezra the Scribe, consisted of 120 men, who comprised the highest judicial tribunal, and who occupied a position in the early days of the Temple similar to that of the later _Sanhedrin_. The historical foundation of this tradition is Nehemiah VIII-X, in which is recounted the solemn acceptance of the Law by a great assembly of the people. The men of the Great Synagogue appear here in _Abot_ as the depositaries of the tradition of the _Torah_, coming in the chain between the last prophets and the earliest scribes. From this chapter and other Rabbinical sources, we gather that the men of the Great Synagogue constituted a sort of college of teachers, one of the last survivors being Simon, the Just (Chapter I, 2). Their work was to interpret, teach, and develop the _Torah_, and to them were ascribed all kinds of legal enactments. They instituted the _Shemoneh Esrah_ (the Eighteen Benedictions) and other prayers, and cast the entire ritual into definite shape. They admitted _Proverbs_, the _Song of Songs_, and _Ecclesiastes_ into the Old Testament canon. A number of modern scholars, notably Kuenen, are of the opinion that this body never existed in the form represented by Jewish tradition (see Schurer, _History_, I, ii, pp. 354-355). On the controversy regarding the existence of the Great Synagogue see Schechter, _Studies_, II, 105-106. Consult Taylor, _ibid._, pp. 110-111; Graetz, _History of the Jews_, vol. I, p. 381, 394, vol. II, p. 19. For further bibliography, see Strack, _Spruche_, p. 11. See especially Herford, _Pharisaism_. pp. 18-28.

(8) Take measures to prevent the breaking of any of the divine precepts. Thereby, certain things which are in themselves lawful are prohibited in order to enforce the observance of things the doing of which is unlawful. Compare Leviticus XVIII, 30, "make a _mishmeret_ to my _mishmeret_" (_Yabamot_, 21a), and _Abot_, III, 17, "the _Massorah_ is a fence to the _Torah_."

2. Simon, the Just (9), was of the last survivors of the Great Synagogue. He used to say, "Upon three things the world rests: upon the _Torah_, upon the Temple service (10), and upon the doing of acts of kindness" (11).

(9) Simon, the Just, son of Onias, was high-priest about 300 B.C.E. See Josephus, _Antiquities_, XII, ii, 5. Consult Sammter, _Mischnaioth Ordnung Zeraim_ (Berlin, 1887), _Introduction_, pp. 10-22; Meilziner, _Introduction to the Talmud_, pp. 22-39; the _Jewish Encyclopedia_, and Strack, _Einleitung_, p. 82 _et seq._, for the lives of the authorities mentioned in _Abot_ and for bibliographies.

(10) Cf. _Nedarim_, 32b, "Great is the _Torah_, for if it did not exist, the heaven and the earth would have no permanence." _Abodah_ is the service and sacrifice of the Temple which was then standing. After the destruction of the Temple, this word was used to designate the service of prayer. It is used in one of the benedictions after the reading of the _Haftarah_: _al ha-torah we-al ha-abodah_, "for the law and for the divine service," see _Prayer-book_, ed. Singer, p. 149. See Friedlander, _ibid._, p. 413 _et seq._

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Joseph I. Gorfinkle's 1920 translation of Pirke Avot (the “Sayings of the Jewish Fathers”) opens with a preface that positions the work as a “classical bit of that ancient Jewish classic, the Mishnah.” The translator states that his version is “based largely upon that of Taylor” and “the excellent version of Singer,” and that it is “intended mainly for popular reading” yet amplified with “bibliographical references” to serve teaching purposes. This dual aim—accessibility alongside scholarly apparatus—shapes the entire edition. A first reader encounters not only the translated maxims but also extensive footnotes that often run longer than the sayings themselves, creating a layered reading experience where the commentary becomes as central as the source text.

The Opening: A Chain of Transmission

The first chapter begins with a famous chain: “Moses received the Torah on Sinai, and handed it down to Joshua; Joshua to the elders; the elders to the prophets.” This opening immediately establishes the work’s core concern—the transmission of authority and tradition. The note on “Massorah” (from the root masar, “to hand over”) explains that this chain is not merely historical but defines the very concept of tradition in Judaism. The reader is thus primed to see each subsequent saying as a link in a deliberate, authoritative sequence. The translator’s footnote on R. Akiba, for instance, details how he “compiled and systematized the traditional law” and was a “forerunner of R. Judah ha-Nasi,” whose Mishnah is the source of this text. This framing encourages the reader to view the sayings not as isolated aphorisms but as nodes in a living, developing tradition.

The Middle: Commentary as Counterpoint

As the reader progresses, the footnotes increasingly dominate the page. For example, a note on tithes cites a Talmudic play on words: “give tithes in order that thou mayest become rich” (from Shabbat 119a and Taanit 9a). Another note, on the phrase “make a fence around the Torah,” links it to the concept of Massorah and traditional interpretation. The translator frequently cross-references other chapters (e.g., “Cf. chapter I, 1” and “Cf. chapter I, 17”), creating an internal web that rewards sequential reading but can also be consulted piecemeal. The density of these notes—some running to several paragraphs—means that the middle sections feel less like a collection of sayings and more like a scholarly dialogue between the text and its interpreters. A first-time reader may find it helpful to read a saying first, then the note, and then return to the saying to see how the commentary reframes it.

The Later Excerpts: Ethical Maxims and Practical Wisdom

Later chapters contain pithy ethical directives: “The world is compared to the office of a merchant” (note 58), and “do many small deeds of charity rather than one great deed of goodness” (note 57, citing Maimonides). The translator’s notes here draw on biblical proof texts (e.g., Ecclesiastes 9:12, “for man also knoweth not his time”) and rabbinic sources, grounding the maxims in a broader scriptural and legal framework. One note discusses the tension between divine omniscience and free will, referencing Maimonides’ Shemonah Perakim. These later sections thus shift from the chain-of-transmission theme to applied ethics, but the commentary remains thick. The reader is never allowed to forget that these sayings are part of a larger system of thought. The presence of a “PAGE REFERENCE INDEX” at the end further signals that the edition is designed for study and cross-reference, not just casual browsing.

The Translator’s Voice and the Reader’s Path

Gorfinkle’s preface and notes reveal a translator who is both a scholar and a pedagogue. He acknowledges his debts to Taylor and Singer, but his own voice emerges in the selection and framing of notes. For instance, his note on R. Akiba is a mini-biography that includes Akiba’s role in “fixing the canon of the Old Testament” and his death “with the Shema upon his lips.” This is not neutral annotation; it shapes the reader’s perception of Akiba as a heroic figure. Similarly, the note on “ger tzedek” (righteous proselyte) and the explanation of “kabbalah” as correlative with “Massorah” show a concern with defining key terms. A first reader should be aware that the translator is not merely transmitting a text but also curating a tradition. The edition’s structure—with the Hebrew text relegated to an appendix—further emphasizes the English translation and commentary as the primary experience for the reader.

For a first reading, consider approaching this edition as a guided tour rather than a straightforward anthology. Read each saying, then immediately consult the footnote; the commentary often contains the interpretive key. The cross-references and index invite you to follow threads across chapters, but the work can also be opened at random. The density of the notes means that the book rewards slow, deliberate reading. Pay attention to the translator’s choices in vocabulary and his biographical sketches—they reveal the values he sees in the text. Above all, remember that this is a translation from 1920, and its scholarly apparatus reflects the concerns of its time, not necessarily the original context of the Mishnah.

There is a peculiar patience in the old rabbis' measured sayings, a trust that wisdom arrives slowly. I recall feeling that same unhurried breath while shelving Pirke Avot's commentary. It reminded me of another quiet, skeptical companion—Cock Lane and Common-Sense — Reading Notes—where common sense itself becomes a kind of ancient, whispering text.