DWD eTexts

Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgement; and raise up many disciples, and make a fence for the Torah.

During the time from Pesach to Shavuot it is traditional to study a chapter a week from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), a portion of the Mishnah which focuses on ethical conduct and practical steps for living. As we have been re-studying this as a family this week, it has been interesting to see all of the connections and parallels to teachings from the Apostolic Scriptures. In the next few posts I'll be sharing some basic insights into these mishnayot. Let's begin with the very first one.

Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly.

Many times this is used to try and authoritatively prove the divine origin of the Oral Law. However, if we examine the text itself, this is not the point of the text. The purpose of the text is to show how the teachings of the Torah were transmitted from Moses down through the ages, where people were entrusted to learn and teach Torah. And then from these different people in this long line we have sayings that provide methods of living out the Torah, and protect oneself from being ensnared by sin. The first of which is:

Be deliberate in judgement; and raise up many disciples, and make a fence for the Torah.

"Be deliberate in judgement" - In every matter we must be diligent in seeking truth. In judging any situation we must be sure to receive all of the information necessary to make an educated decision. This is especially important when others are involved. We must not discount information that others may bring into the picture in order that we may make an honest, rather than a biased decision. (After reading this article, we might just want to revisit our judgements against the Pharisees as a whole.) Raise up many disciples - Isn't this also what Yeshua taught us to do, saying

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

In order to accomplish this we need to know what it means to make disciples. But in order to make disciples, we must ask the question of "what is a disciple?" In the time of Yeshua, a disciple (or talmidim) was someone who first had a teacher (or rabbi). He had someone from which to learn. He wasn't just a renegade trying to interpret the Scriptures on his own, by his own means. He had a person who was trained in the Scriptures to guide him through his studies, keeping him from the pitfalls of shallow understandings, going beyond (but not neglecting) the mere literal interpretation of the text, to the fuller, richer meanings. A classic example of this is Yeshua's mini-discourse on the laws of Torah from the context of what many call the "Sermon on the Mount." In this teaching he puts forth a literal interpretation of a passage, and then puts forth a more rich, deeper understanding of it. And, if we do our homework, we find that his "deeper" understandings of these passages are actually common teaching among the rabbis of his time. Yeshua was not teaching anything new, but teaching them "with authority," declaring his halachah as binding (Matthew 7:24-27). These are the types of things that would be passed from teacher to disciple, in order that they would not be lost along the way.

Unfortunately, many in Yeshua's day (and many in our day) had lost these deeper understandings because they did not have a teacher. Although some will argue the point, I sincerely believe that even Yeshua had this mentoring relationship with a teacher. Many believe that since he was the son of the Almighty, his wisdom was simply imparted unto him. However, I believe we see a glimpse into his early years when he visits the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) during one of the feasts. During this time he is engaged with the rabbis in Torah discussion, and they are amazed at his grasp of the Scriptures. Although his mentorship is not recorded, the great sage Hillel lived during the days of Yeshua, and if we look at the positions of Yeshua on the various matters of Torah, he agrees with Hillel in all but two: Divorce and the Prosbul (which we will have to leave for another discussion). This at least gives the indication that Yeshua could have belonged to the school of Hillel, whether by direct tutelage or extension. We will discuss this more in a future mishnah. Ultimately, a disciple was a miniature copy of his rabbi. He was the recipient of all that the rabbi had learned, and should be nearly a carbon copy of his rabbi. He should have an ability to render judgements and decisions on matters of Torah with the same precision (or better) of his rabbi. His life should model that of his teacher in nearly every manner. And for his true discipleship to be "complete," he must take on his own disciples and pass down the wealth of wisdom he received. Because when the river is dammed, the water becomes stagnant.

Make a fence for the Torah - This is the statement that raises the blood pressure of all Christians, and causes heart failure in most Kara'ites (the self-proclaimed "modern day Sadducees"). For anyone who has a negative outlook on the Pharisees as a whole (because of either tradition, or a one-sided reading of Scripture) this causes real problems. "The problem with fences," they say, "is that not only do they keep some people in, but they keep others out." This is definitely true, and with this we need to exercise caution. However, just as the old adage goes, we don't need to "throw the baby out with the bath water." While some fences are built to the extreme (you don't need a 20 ft fence to keep your dogs in the yard... unless you have my dogs...), a properly built fence keeps in the children and pets, keeps out the unwanted solicitors, and maintains a healthy relationship with the neighbors. It's the same with Torah. The fence must be built properly in order to merit it's usefulness. We see this modeled by Yeshua, again, in the Sermon on the Mount. In his series of "you have heard it said...but I say..." he models the institution of making fences around Torah. The letter of Torah says, "Do not commit adultery." The spirit of the Torah says, "Do not look at a woman lustfully." In making this declaration, Yeshua is making a fence around Torah to ensure that his disciples do not violate Torah by merely obeying the literal understanding of the commandments.

Simon the Just was of the remnants of the Great Assembly. He used to say: On three things the world stands: on the Torah (תורה), on the (Temple?) Service (עבודה), and on Deeds of Loving-Kindness (גמילות חסדים).

I've read these words many times over the last few years, and each time I read them something new comes to mind. Most recently, my thoughts were turned to the words of the Master when he was asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" His answer actually included three commandments:

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these."

From my perspective, this has the same melody as "On three things the world stands..." We have the same basic components. Let's examine them.

On the Torah / Shema Israel

Although these phrases don't sound anything alike, they both put forth the same premise: the Torah and the principles contained therein are the foundations of everything. How else would we know about the monotheistic pillar of our faith that there is only one God? It is through the Torah. Shema Israel! We must hear the Torah in order to be obedient to the voice of Hashem. Devarim 5:1 tells us:

Hear¹, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn² them and be sure to follow³ them.

We must first 1) hear Torah (i.e. study) in order to 2) learn the ways of Hashem, and thus 3) follow them. But from there, what are we required?

On the Service / And You Shall Love the Lord Your God

As is commonly known, there are two categories into which all of the commandments fall. There are commandments that have their root in the relationship between the Almighty and mankind (what we might term as our "vertical" relationship), and then those which have their root in the relationship of mankind with mankind (what we might term as our "horizontal" relationship). Both of these statements deal with our "horizontal" relationship. The world cannot stand without its connection to the Almighty. In Simon the Just's comment, he merely names avodah (service) as the second item on which the world "stands". But what is our "service" to Hashem?

Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD'S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? (Devarim 10:12-13)

And again in the Apostolic Scriptures we have this instruction:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. (Romans 12:1)

We are not only to say we love Hashem, or even feel we love Him. We are to love Him with our entire lives, which is displayed by our avodah--service (i.e...works... doh!).

On Acts of Loving-Kindness / Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

This is the third principle in both accounts: To love and serve others. When we invest our time and our stuff into others, rather than ourselves we will find that Hashem is glorified, we are changed, and others are blessed. How is your world holding up?

Antignos of Socho received the tradition from Shimon the Righteous. He would say: Do not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master not for the sake of reward. And the fear of Heaven should be upon you.

Although we know that everything we do for Hashem should be not for the sake of reward (i.e. "heaven", unlike popular theology teaches us), but for the sake of our love for Hashem alone—many doctrines are formed around the antithesis of this statement. Preachers are peddling either "tickets to eternity" or "fire insurance". They leave out the part about a covenantal relationship with the Creator & King of the Universe. Their doctrine only is concerned about one thing: where a person will spend eternity—in the blissful euphoria of a heavenly realm, or the burning pits of hell. I'm afraid neither of these is what salvation is all about. Salvation, in its purist sense, is about having Hashem as your ally in the battles of life, your friend in times of trouble. It's about not having Him as your enemy, because there is no defense against His wrath. It's about living in covenantal relationship with the Almighty, and having no regrets when He says "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Salvation is now. Salvation is a process (of self-transformation). Salvation is not necessarily a destination.

I don't have time to elaborate on this much, but this is also a classic example of how something can be said, misunderstood, and entirely new doctrines formed around the misunderstanding. It is taught that after Antignos made this statement, his disciples after him began to teach that since we do not serve Hashem for reward, there must not be a reward, and thus began to teach that there was no resurrection. This is traditionally how the heretical sects of the Sadducees and Beothusians got started. This is why it is so important that those of us who are teachers are teaching as much truth as possible, and making sure we are understood properly. We will touch on this more in Mishnah 11.

Joshua the son of Perachia and Nitai the Arbelite received from them. Joshua the son of Perachia would say: Provide yourself with a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend, and judge every man on the scale of merit.

This has to be one of my favorite sayings from Pirkei Avot. These three things are three areas in which I would imagine most people fall short (with my name being at the top of the list). Let’s touch on these briefly.

Provide yourself with a teacher

Being nearly two thousand years removed from the faith of Yeshua and his talmidim (disciples), we honestly do not have an idea of what it means to be a disciple or student. In modern times, a student is a single person in a sea of classmates; a teacher is a distant authoritarian to guide you through a textbook. We just don’t have the concept of a student-teacher relationship like in the Biblical period. During these times, especially within the Jewish cutlure, a rabbi would take on a few students and spend a great deal of time with them. He would pour into them his great wealth of knowledge. From those students there would be those who would excel and shine a little brighter than the rest. Like the fat from milk, the cream would rise to the top—not to dominate, but to be proven as a candidate to take the mantel from the rabbi and pass it to the next generation. From there the student-teacher relationship was further bonded, and all that the rabbi could pour out was lapped up by his student. We have massive gaps in the wisdom of one generation to the next. We have arrogance and pride as the chasm between the younger and the older. We are "wise in our own eyes" according to Scripture, in that we literally believe we cannot be taught. We are self-made, self-taught, and self-destructive. We need the counsel and instruction of our elders, specifically a teacher who is wise in the ways of Adonai that can pour into us the wisdom that only comes through experience—not theory. Yeshua gives us a great example of this student-teacher relationship. He has literally thousands of disciples, but he has only twelve that he is with day in and day out. Within those twelve, he has three with whom he is closest. He revealed his soul to these three only. He took them to the mountain of Transfiguration (Matthew 17) where his mission was sanctioned by his Father in the presence of these three witnesses. They were close enough to Yeshua to share in his most wonderful and most painful experiences of life.

Acquire for yourself a friend

In the west, we truly do not have an understanding of camaraderie. We are a lonely people, an isolated people. We have a shallow definition of friendship, and are threatened by the thought of needing another person—especially that of the same sex. We take pride in the fact that we don’t ‘need’ anyone. We are an island to our own. But Scripture teaches us that "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). You see, without others, we cannot be sharp. We can never be the scalpel in the hand of HASHEM. We will always be the butterknife in the wound. Without others who are close enough to us to smooth out our roughness, we will always be "rough around the edges." We will always be abrasive with those to whom we come in contact. We will always be the "diamond in the rough", so to speak—never being polished to our potential radiance and beauty. If I didn’t have others in my life, I would be a Scripture-sniper. What do I mean by that? I mean, I would be using the Scriptures to knock off people left and right, without ever a care for them, and without them really ever seeing me (for who I am). I would destroy them with my doctrine, rather than encourage their spiritual metamorphosis with my love. The old adage is definitely true that people "don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care." By ignoring the command to "acquire for yourself a friend" as a study partner and a true confidant, we not only deprive others from what we have to offer, but deprive ourselves from our full potential.

Judge every man on the scale of merit

And lastly, we have the statement that ties these two together. We are to "judge all men (yes, women as well) on the scale of merit." But what does this mean? I understand it to mean something similar to what Yeshua said in his sermon on the Mount:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:1-6, NIV)

In this passage, we hear Yeshua admonishing his disciples on the subject of judgement & correction. Too often we hear "Do not judge!" But we don’t understand the application. We must realize that not only are we supposed to judge (1 Corinthians 5 is a good example of this), but we must do so accurately and for the benefit of the other person. When Yeshuah instructs us not to judge, he is not telling us that we shouldn’t discern that the deeds of others are either righteous or wicked, but rather that we should not be quick to jump to conclusions to condemn the person without a fair and thorough investigation. This is why he tells us "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." If we are quick to condemn others, we will quickly be condemned. If we judge people with fairness and optimism, the same will be shown to us. This is why we must first "remove the plank" in our own eye (i.e. make sure we don’t have four fingers pointing back at us in the same area of sin!) before we come to our brother in correction. This is the point of our mishnah. To judge a person "on the scale of merit" means that we judge with love, just as the Apostle Paul reminds us:

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:6,7)

If we truly love a person, we will not delight in knowing they have done evil, nor will we assume the worst regarding them. We will protect them and their integrity by not listening to gossip without getting the facts directly from the one accused. We will trust that Hashem is doing a work in their lives, rather than forsaking them at a moment’s notice. We will realize that we are all growing, maturing, learning and that somehow this circumstance is possibly a misunderstanding of the facts. We will persevere in loving the accused (even if it is ’tough love’ that has to distance them for a season) through their accusation until their restoration. Lastly, I have never heard the last section of Yeshua’s teaching on judging (regarding dogs, pearls and pigs) associated with the previous two sections. It has always been taught as a separate thought or idea. However, as I was looking at this, it seemed clear that this was indeed a continuation of the instructions regarding judgement. In the same way we must be cautious to accuse someone of wrong doing, we must also be cautious of bringing a word of correction to someone who is not ready to receive it. Proverbs tell us:

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:7-8, NIV)

If the person truly has a heart for Hashem, your (gentle)rebuke will only draw him to t’shuva (repentance). If he is bent on going his own way, your rebuke will only receive criticism. Proverbs puts this another way by saying,

"Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom" (Proverbs 17:16)

Isn’t this exactly what Yeshua is saying? This is indeed casting our pearls before swine. Therefore, let us judge all men in love, and use wisdom in our correction.

Avtalyon would say: Scholars, be careful with your words. For you may be exiled to a place inhabited by evil elements [who will distort your words to suit their negative purposes]. The disciples who come after you will then drink of these evil waters¹ and be destroyed, and the Name of Heaven will be desecrated.

There is an ancient restatement of and commentary on Pirkei Avot calle d "Abot de'Rabbi Natan" (ARN). It is a minor tractate of the Talmud of which I have discussed previously. ARN states our mishnah in this manner:

Abtalyon says: Sages, watch your words lest ye decide something not in accord with the teaching of the Torah, and incur the penalty of exile and be carried off to a place of evil waters; and your disciples also who come after you decide in your name something not in accord with the teaching of the Torah, and they incur the penalty of exile and be carried off to a place of evil waters.

I really like the way ARN states this portion of the mishnah: "Watch your words lest ye decide something not in accord with the teaching of the Torah." Isn't this the heart of any matter of teaching? If we are teaching something that contradicts the Torah, we are in danger of becoming a false prophet and leading others astray (Deuteronomy 13). This mishnah also brings to mind the words of Ja'acov (James), brother of the Master, who said: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 1:1, NIV) We must add caution to caution in this regard. Let's take a little deeper look at the various aspects of this mishnah. My commentary is based on the synthesis of these two texts.

Be careful with your words

Those who teach others must take it as serious business. The Master spent his entire earthly ministry correcting bad teaching. Let's make sure we are not undoing his work. We must be careful with our words in a few regards. First, we must be extremely careful as to their accuracy. Second, we must consider how they might affect others. We never know how our words might be interpreted, and therefore must make a thorough effort to clearly present our points to those who are receiving instruction. I take this seriously, but I also know that I have a target audience for my method of teaching. If someone from outside my target audience were to pick up one of my teachings on a particular topic, the chances of it being misinterpreted are near one hundred percent. The reason for this is that they do not possess the needed knowledge base to properly filter many of the subjects discussed.

For instance, when I speak of ‘the Law,’ different people have different understandings on the subject. My previous understanding, having been raised in an evangelical church, was that the Law was some sort of twisted plot by God to show man his worthlessness, holding the proverbial carrot in front of him. For close to the last decade, however, my understanding of this has shifted to understand the Law from its intended purpose and perspective—a means of transforming us into the image of our Creator. If someone having the paradigm from which I previously came were to read my commentaries on the various laws in the Torah, such as Sabbath restrictions, they could and would easily be distorted. The same is true with any subject. Some very good advise I heard towards this was, "Explain, explain and clarify your explanation." ²

Not in accord with the teaching of the Torah

When Yeshua was teaching, he was under constant scrutiny from those who were in places of teaching authority. He responded many ways at many times. However, his ultimate response (in my opinion) was this: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." ³ This was the foundation of his teaching. Others had stepped into evil waters. Yeshua, however, had come to establish proper halachic teaching authority as one whose words upheld Torah.

We often get into a debate over this passage in regard to whether he set aside the Torah (e.g. through the traditional interpretation of "fulfilling" it) or he "filled it up"⁴. Christendom has traditionally interpreted this passages via the previous method, saying that since Yeshua "fulfilled" the Torah, it is no longer necessary—it has become obsolete. On the other hand, there are others who say he "filled it up," therefore our obedience to the specifics of Torah is not necessary, merely our proper application of its principles; somehow Yeshua "spiritualized" the Torah.

However, neither of these are the case. The problem with both of these interpretations is that they fail to consider the cultural milieu in which Yeshua's words were cast. Both of these interpretations are based solely upon the guesswork of the interpreters, rather than the context in which they were given. Here is a brief explanation of the proper understanding of this passage:

“In rabbinic literature, the Greek words from the Gospel which are translated “abolish” and “fulfill” possess dynamic equivalents. The word “abolish” means to “interpret incorrectly.” In Greek, the word kataluo means “abolish,” and its dynamic Hebrew equivalent batel also means “cancel, abolish, destroy,” but batel is often used in contexts that deal with interpreting Scripture. One cancels Torah when it is misunderstood. The word “fulfill,” moreover, refers to interpreting a passage correctly. In Greek the word pleroo means “fulfill.” Its Hebrew equivalent kiyem is derived from a root, that means “cause to stand” and possesses the sense, “to uphold, to observe, to fulfill, or to place on a firmer footing.” It too is used in contexts that deal with interpreting Scripture. When one misunderstands the proper meaning of Torah, one many not obey the Lord’s will and therefore will cancel the law. Hence a person may abolish Torah by misunderstanding the divine revelation. On the other hand, when one understands the proper meaning, one is able to obey God’s will and therefore fulfill Torah.”⁵

Ironically, by misappropriating the words of Yeshua, we are doing exactly the opposite of his example. We are abolishing the very words of the Master, rather than fulfilling them. This the downfall of Antignos of Socho. From his one misunderstood statement regarding eternal rewards for works done in this life, his disciples constructed an entirely new doctrine that actually was in opposition to his original statement. Unfortunately, this is what has been done with the words of our Master as well.

Incur the penalty of exile…and evil waters

Unfortunately, I have a good example of this. I have a friend who believes he is a divinely appointed teacher of the Scriptures. He has been prolifically writing article after article on various subjects and unsolicitedly sending them out to a slew of people. These "teachings," however, are nothing more than lies and slander, mixed in with half-truths in order to add a bit of credibility to his arguments. With a blind determination to vociferously attack the Jews and anything Jewish, he has neglected to accurately represent his opponents. Therefore, his arguments are all straw men. They just don't hold any weight, because they are all based on fabrications which have been created to support his animosity. They are not necessarily fabrications that have been created deliberately (G-d forbid), but primarily out of a desire to accept information that supports with his false assumptions. His words are not only inaccurate, but they are distorting reality and possibly leading uneducated people into a false perception of the truth. Unfortunately, I can see the "exile" and "evil waters" clearly in such a person.

In the case where someone is teaching untruth repeatedly, they will eventually not know truth from fiction. They will have gone to a place of no return, especially having fallen prey to the "evil elements" (i.e. those who would perpetuate the false teachings). The Apostolic Scriptures warn us of such, by saying:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3, 4, NIV)

This is a luring trap that we in which must be careful not to fall, and it is running rampant within Christianity, as well as the Torah movement. We are pulled to teachers that have the talk, rather than the walk; the gnosis, rather than the da'at⁶. As teachers of the Word of the Almighty, we must not fall into such traps. May we break this curse and have our eyes opened to this deception, and be disciples of those who walk the walk (rather than merely talk the talk) and teach others to do the same.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:13-18, NIV)

And be destroyed

This is the final result of those who perpetuate and "drink" false teachings. Outside of the grace of the Almighty, destruction is the payment for such labors.

Footnotes

1 "Evil waters" = heresy 2 Verbal quote from Boaz Michael at the Wooden Podium conference, Fall 2005. 3 Matthew 5:17, NIV 4 Ironically, David Stern's Complete Jewish New Testament Commentary argues that Yeshua "filled up" the Torah and the Prophets, not taking into consideration the Semitic nature of this phrase. 5 Young, Brad H., Jesus the Jewish Theologian, p. 265. 6 Both gnosis (Greek) and da'at (Hebrew) mean "knowledge." However, gnosis implies only the knowing aspect of information, while da'at implies the application of information.

Hillel would say: Be of the disciples of Aaron — a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures and draws them close to Torah. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

Everyone wants it; few are willing to pay the purchase price. We live in an age of consumerism. Mass production, tantalizing marketing and effortless credit have created a generation who is a slave to our impulses, aiding our impetuousness and undermining self-restraint and long-term security. We are perfectly content with accumulating many years of painful debt for a moment of credit bliss. When something breaks, it is easier to just purchase a new one on credit, than to scrape up the cash in order to fix the one we already own.

This mentality has directly affected our relationships with others. When we are offended by another person, it is easier to discard them and acquire a new relationship than to fix the "old, outdated" one into which we have already invested. Unfortunately, repairing the "old" relationship appears to be too costly and outweighs the payoff in the eyes of the consumer. Thus we leave a trail of broken relationships and broken people in our wake.

Being a peacemaker doesn't mean picket signs and protest rallies. It means rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty.

The Hebrew behind Yeshua's statement is "אַשְׁרֵי עֹשֵׂי שָׁלוֹם כִּי–הֵם יִקָּרְאוּ בְּנֵי–אֱלֹהִים". An oseh shalom (עשי שלום) is one who makes or creates peace. Herein lies the truth of being a peacemaker. If, indeed, a peacemaker is one who makes peace, it stands to reason that being that peacemaker requires action. If we are making peace, then we are in the process of creating. Creating is an action verb. Being a peacemaker doesn't mean picket signs and protest rallies. It doesn't mean burying your head in the sand. It means rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty. It requires getting out of your comfort zone. It requires affecting those around us. It requires time, skill, effort, and expense. It requires effort, and lots of it. It requires us to be active, rather than passive in our approach to making peace, not only between us and another person, but between others even when we are not directly involved. It requires sacrifice.

Just as our mishnah states, a wonderful example this is Aaron, the brother of Moshe. It is said of Aaron that the way he would make peace between a man and his fellow would be as follows:

So, too, when two men had quarreled with each other, Aaron would go and sit down with one of them and say to him: "My son, mark what thy fellow is saying! He beats his breast and tears his clothing, saying, 'Woe unto me! how shall I lift my eyes and look upon m y fellow! I am ashamed before him, for I it is who treated him foully.' "

He would sit with him until he had removed all rancor from his heart, and then Aaron would go and sit with the other one and say to him: "My son, mark what thy fellow is saying! He beats his breast and tears his clothing, saying, 'Woe unto me! how shall I lift my eyes and look upon my fellow! I am ashamed before him, for I it is who treated him foully.' " He would sit with him until he had removed all rancor from his heart. And when the two men met each other, they would embrace and kiss each other. That is why (of Aaron's death) it is said, They wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel (Num. 20:29) ¹

This is why we are to be disciples of Aaron. He both knew how to make peace and put it into practice. Therefore peace was made between one man and another. It took Aaron getting involved, rather than merely praying for them. It required him to be vulnerable to being the brunt of his brother's anger.

For those familiar with the Chofetz Chaim (which translates to "Desire of Life"), you know that the hallmark of his namesake is found in Psalm 34:12-14, which states "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." He spent his entire life dedicated to learning and putting into practice the laws of proper speech and ethical conduct. He both sought peace and pursued it with his entire being.

Psalm 34:10 says, "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." An alternate version of ARN comments on this passage through the following teaching. "Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar says: If a man sits in his own place and is inactive, how can he pursue peace in Israel between man and man? Let him therefore go forth from his place and move around in the world and pursue peace in Israel, as it is said, Seek peace and pursue it." ²

Boaz Michael has aptly noted that being a peacemaker should be inherent for disciples of the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace), Yeshua HaMashiach. We should be the first to bring peace to others, rather than sitting by idly while strife manifests between brothers. A voidance should not be our method of dealing with conflict.

The Apostolic Writings are full of such instruction. In his epistles, Rav Sha'ul speaks on peace at length. He encourages us to "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace," (Ephesians 4:3). In Romans 8:6 he also reminds us that "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." He also tells us "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone," (Romans 12:18). He says we should "make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification," (Rom 14:19).

James, the brother of the Master, tells us, "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness," (James 3:18). The seed we sow determines the harvest we reap. Are we sowing in strife or peace? When harvest time approaches, what crop will we reap? It's not too late to begin planting a fresh crop of seed for the harvest…

Footnotes

1. Goldin, Judah. The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan. Yale University Press, New York, 1955, p. 64. 2. Ibid. p. 67.