Analysis Of Rabbi Shimon's Pirkei Avot
In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Shimon son of Gamaliel declared: “All my days I grew up among the sages and I have found nothing better for a person than silence. Study is not the most important thing; rather the deed is most important. Too much talking leads a person to sin”
In the bove mishnah, Rabbi Shimon states his observations from the time which he has “grown up among the wise.” In this he states that true wisdom is found in two main principles: holding the tongue, that is silence, doing action. One might ask when is it a good idea to keep silent? Do most people talk too much? How does a person learn to listen? We think of rabbis as people who study all the time. But Rabbi Shimon says there is something more important than study. What “deed”
does he have in mind? Why is this more important than learning? How is doing a deed a way of learning? In this paper we will examine the value of silence not only for the study of the Torah but also in wisdom tradition. Why is the most important for a person, that is what makes it greater than human others possession?
In the bove mishnah, Rabbi Shimon states his observations from the time which he has “grown up among the wise.” In this he states that true wisdom is found in two main principles: holding the tongue, that is silence, doing action. One might ask when is it a good idea to keep silent? Do most people talk too much? How does a person learn to listen? We think of rabbis as people who study all the time. But Rabbi Shimon says there is something more important than study. What “deed”
does he have in mind? Why is this more important than learning? How is doing a deed a way of learning? In this paper we will examine the value of silence not only for the study of the Torah but also in wisdom tradition. Why is the most important for a person, that is what makes it greater than human others possession?