Translation:Mishnah/Seder Nezikin/Tractate Avot/Chapter 3/2

Introduction

This Mishnah presents sayings of Rabbi Chanina the Deputy High Priest and Rabbi Chanania ben Tradyon.

Hebrew Text

רַבִּי חֲנִינָא סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים אוֹמֵר:
הֱוֵי מִתְפַּלֵּל בִשְׁלוֹמָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת ,
שֶׁאִלְמָלֵא מוֹרָאָהּ,
אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ חַיִּים בְּלָעוֹ.

רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָא בֶּן תְּרַדְיוֹן אוֹמֵר:
שְׁנַיִם שֶׁיּוֹשְׁבִין וְאֵין בֵּינֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה,
הֲרֵי זֶה מוֹשַׁב לֵצִים ,
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים א,):
"וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב."

אֲבָל שְׁנַיִם שֶׁיּוֹשְׁבִין וְיֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶם דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה,
שְׁכִינָה שְׁרוּיָה בֵּינֵיהֶם ,
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג,):
"אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי יְיָ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁב יְיָ וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי יְיָ וּלְחֹשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ."

אֵין לִי אֶלָּא שְׁנַיִם.
מִנַּיִן שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אֶחָד שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה , שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קוֹבֵעַ לוֹ שָׂכָר?
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איכה ג,):
"יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד וְיִדֹּם כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו."

English Translation

Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, said:
Pray for the welfare of the government,
For were it not for the fear of it,
One person would eat the other alive.

Rabbi Chanania ben Tradyon said:
[When] two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them,
This is a session of scorners,
As it is said (in Psalm 1:1):
“[Happy is the man who has] not . . . sat in the seat of the scornful.”

But [when] two sit together and there are words of Torah [spoken] between them,
The Divine Presence rests with them,
As it is said (in Malachi 3:16):
“Then they who feared the Lord spoke one with another, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them who feared the Lord and who thought upon His Name.”

[The Mishnah asks:] I have no [Scriptural support for the proposition that the Divine Presence rests with them] except [with] two.
From where [is there proof that] even [when there is only] one [person studying Torah],
The Holy One, Blessed be He, determines a reward for him?
As it is said (in Lamentations 3:28):
“Though he sits alone and [meditates] in silence, yet he takes [a reward] to himself.”

Explanation

For commentary on Mishnah Avot 3:2, see, for example:

• The Maharal
• Rabbi Menachem Schneerson
• Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld