with a select treasury of commentaries on all levels of Torah interpretation
Chapter 4 Mishna 1
with select commentaries
Commentaries used in this translation:
Rashi Commentary (1040-1105)
Rambam Commentary (1135-1204)
Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura Commentary (1445-1515)
Tiferet Yisrael commentary (1782–1860)
Rabeinu Yonah (1180-1263)
Derech Chaim - Maharal of Prague (1525-1609) (hebrewbooks.org/14193)
Biur HaGra of Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna - (1720-1797)
Rabbi Avraham Azoulai commentary - (1570-1643)
Rabbi Chayim Yosef David Azoulai (Chida) commentary - (1724-1806)
Chatam Sofer commentary - (1762-1839), along with Ktav Sofer, and others
Ben Ish Chai commentary - (1835-1909)
and many more..
Commentary Level:
- Min - (level 1) for basic commentaries as relating to the plain meaning (Pshat).
- Med - (level 2) elaborates more into the theme.
- Max - (level 3) deeper in, Maharal of Prague.
- Max+ - (level 4) more themes in the text.
- ShortMix - (recommended) short version of level 4.
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Chapter 4 Mishna 1פרק ד משנה א
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Ben Zomah says: who is wise? He who learns from every man, as written: 'from all who taught me I have gained wisdom, for Your testimonies are my conversation' (Tehilim 119:99). Who is mighty? He who conquers his [evil] inclination, as written: 'he who is slow to anger is better than a strong man, and he that rules over his spirit [is mightier] than one who conquers a city'" (Mishlei 16:32) who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his lot, as written: "you shall eat of the toil of your hands, fortunate are you and it is good for you" (Tehilim 128:2) - 'fortunate are you' - in this world, and 'it is good for you' - in the World-to-Come. Who is honorable? He who honors his fellow human beings, as written: "those who honor Me, I shall honor, while those who dishonor Me shall be dishonored" (Shmuel I 2:30). |
בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א ב) כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלּוּ: |
Bartenura - i.e. who is a wise man who is praiseworthy for his wisdom? He who learns from every man, even if the other person is smaller than him. For since he is not concerned for his own honor and learns from the small, it demonstrates that his wisdom is l'Shem Shamayim (for the sake of heaven) and not for his own pride and glory (and thus he is praiseworthy for his wisdom).
"from all my teachers" - i.e. I learned torah from all my teachers, even those inferior to me and I was not concerned for my own honor.
Rashi - "who is wise?" - even if the person is not bigger in wisdom than himself, nevertheless, he goes and learns and pushes to enter in every place where there are bnei torah (scholars) and is not embarrassed.
"from all my teachers, I grew wise" - whoever came to teach me, I would think and listen to his words and not be embarrassed.
Rabeinu Yonah - "he who learns from every man?.." - the wise men of the nations said that even if one knows all the wisdoms, nevertheless, if he does not love wisdom, he is not a wise man but a fool..
But one who loves wisdom and lusts for it, even if he knows nothing, nevertheless, he is called a wise man. For he will attain wisdom since his desire and will is in this...
So too here, one who so much loves and desires wisdom that he asks every person. And even one who knows only a single thing, he learns from him - then he will succeed and become wise..
Daat Zekenim on Pirkei Avot (Saba of Kelm) - "who is wise? He who learns from every man" - just like one who is hungry is not satiated by a bit of food he eats, so too the wise man is hungry for wisdom. The little knowledge he has does not satiate him. Rather, he is still hungry and low in his eyes. His great longing and likewise his lowliness and hunger for wisdom brings him to not be ashamed to learn even from one smaller than him.
Yachel Yisrael - "he who learns from every man" - for wisdom is endless. No man can claim that he has mastered wisdom. There is always more to learn and from whom to learn. Thus, the highest title of a Jew is "talmid chacham", which means "a wise student". For all remain students. Even for a rabbi who teaches the masses, though his position is rabbi, but his title is "talmid chacham"..
He who does not know that he does not know will never know. But he who knows that he does not know, there is hope that he will know.
Ketav Sofer Hachadash, Avot - "he who learns from every man" - from a G-d fearing person, he can learn good things. And even from one who does not have fear (of G-d), one can see and contemplate what will be his end. Namely, in his old age he regrets wasting his years on vanity and the useless. This is "he who learns from every man".
Chida - chedrei beten emor, ot 17 - "who is wise? he who learns from every man" - the wise man learns from the righteous, the wicked, the craftsman, and all other people. From a righteous or rich person, one can learn from his righteousness or generosity. If some suffering befalls another person, one can study how this loss or suffering occurred to him and guard oneself from it. From this he can learn of the punishments in Gehinom. If a human king exacts justice on a criminal, one can contemplate on the future judgment. And if the person is wicked and runs after lusts, from early morning till late night, one can learn from this regarding the service of G-d, etc...
Rabbi Avraham Azoulai - Ahava b'Taanugim - "he who learns from every man?.." - this is the opposite of what reason obligates. According to reason, one would think that he who learns from every person would be called a talmid (disciple), not a chacham (wise man). This teaches it is not so. Rather, who is a wise man that deserves the title "chacham"? - he who learns from every person. He always feels he is lacking and still needs to learn from others. But for one who thinks he already reached the level of wisdom, he will not exert himself to attain more and will recede backwards over time (becoming less wise).
Chatam Sofer, Emor - "from all who taught me I have gained wisdom, for Your testimonies are my conversation" - he brought the verse "for Your testimonies are my conversation (sicha)". For the torah is compared to a "sichim", i.e. a vast tree with many branches, 600 thousand branches. And every branch by itself is one offshoot (yenika) of an individual of the nation of G-d. Therefore, everyone is obligated to learn from each other without exception so that each can suckle from all the branches. For without this, a sefer torah which lacks even one letter is invalid. Therefore, "from all who taught me I have gained wisdom, for Your testimonies are my conversation (sicha)". Sicha is a word which means a tree from the words "siach v'ilan".
Daat Zekenim on Pirkei Avot - for one who loves wisdom "seeks" (mevakesh) it due to his great hunger for wisdom. For "the soul is never filled" (Kohelet 6:7), and thus he is never satiated. This is the secret of eternity (yesod hanetzach)..
We observe the world and everything in it. For a single individual, all this is worth nothing to him except what he needs for himself. For that which he does not need for himself, what joy does he have in it? But if they belong to him, he has very great joy in them. So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices very much in all the worlds. For they are His handiwork, and He did not create them for nothing.
Thus, a man who contemplates that the purpose of man is to attain the will of G-d (ratzon H'). Namely, that which G-d wants - this becomes his own will. If so, all that exists in the world which is the will of G-d - they are also his own will. Hence, he rejoices in them very very much and this is a tremendous pleasure.
We can fit this in "who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his lot" - i.e. the portion of the Holy One, blessed be He, which He alotted to His creations.
Maharal - you should know that "wisdom" is separate from man. Man "carries" (nosseh) the wisdom. We explained this matter a few times already. For man is of physical body and wisdom is separate from him.
The title "wise man" applies on the man himself. Thus, it is not proper to call him a "wise man" because of the wisdom he has. For what does man of physical body have connection with wisdom?
But when he longs to receive wisdom, then the carrier, namely man, materializes/integrates (mitatzem) with the wisdom which he receives. This is similar to how the physical, which is the carrier, materializes with the "form" (tzura) it receives..
But if the carrier, namely, the physical, did not long to receive this form, it is completely as if there was no receiving of the form. For there must exist a desire to receive the form.
The torah hints to this in the verse: "your desire shall be to your husband" (Gen.3:16), and our sages who know wisdom said: "more than a man desires to marry, a woman desires to become married" (Yevamot 113a).
All this is due to the longing of the physical to receive form and materialize through it.
This is what was said here. Who is wise? He who learns from every man. For when he has a longing for wisdom, then it is proper to call himself by the title "chacham" (wise). (see there for more)
Bartenura - "who is mighty?" - i.e. who is praiseworthy for his might? - one who conquers his evil inclination, as written: "he who is slow to anger is better than a strong man"..
Likewise, for one who "rules over his spirit" when it pushes him - [he is mightier] than one who conquers a city..
Rashi - "he who conquers his [evil] inclination" - and does not go after it.
"he who is slow to anger is better than a strong man" - who is not easily angered. Rather, he overcomes his yetzer. He is better than a warrior.
Binyan Avot - "[he who conquers] his yetzer" - i.e. his spirit, his will, as in: "wherever would be the spirit to go, they would go" (Yechezkel 1:12), which refers to "will" (Rashi). He is greater than the conqueror of a city.. For he rules over something non-physical. But the conqueror of a city fights only physical things..
Michtav M'Eliyahu chelek 1 - "who is mighty" - not this person who built an empire and submitted millions of people, exiled and destroyed, and changed the planet. But rather, this person who fights the daily battle with himself. He who every day conquers a new world of his [inner] worlds, who trips the feet of the yetzer and conquers him.
Igrot R.Yisrael Salanter - "he who conquers his inclination" - this has two levels. One to restrain one's nature from doing evil. Two, to change one's nature to do good. The latter is more difficult than the former. For it is harder to change one's nature than to merely restrain it. A person needs to go gradually in stages. At first to refrain from evil. This is the first level. And afterwards to do good which is the second level.
Yachel Yisrael - "he who conquers his inclination (yitzro)" - the word yetzer is from the word "yetzira" (formation). For it is the power which pushes a person to form, advance, move. In order to "form" in this world, a man needs a power which pushes him. This is the yetzer hara - the moving power which pushes through physical, corporeal drives.
Without this power, the world would not be formed and built up. It pushes man to marry, procreate, build homes, cultivate the world, engage in business, etc.
Thus, man's job is not to annul the yetzer. For then the world could not endure. Rather, man's job is to muzzle it and conquer it and use it for positive things.
Yachel Yisrael - "he who is slow to anger is better than a strong man" - why did Shlomo use the trait of anger as an example of a true mighty man? The commentaries explain that he used this trait because during a time of anger, it is most apparent to everyone present just how much a man is not in control of himself.
Rather, then he is under the dominion of the yetzer hara. The angry person himself also senses during his anger that he sometimes acts without clear mindedness. His reactions are different and inappropriate. Thus, as an example of a person who submitted his yetzer hara, he brought this case of one who rules over his anger. For such a person, the yetzer does not have dominion over him. Rather, he rules over his yetzer.
Another reason why Shlomo chose the trait of "slow to anger" is because anger is an extremely difficult trait to rule over. It is very hard to forgive someone who hurt [you] intentionally, or slandered you, etc. He who nevertheless succeeds in overpowering his grudge towards his enemy and makes peace with him - he is the mightiest of the mighty.
And in Avot d'Rebbi Natan "who is the mightiest of the mighty.. and some say: 'he who transforms his enemy into a friend" - dominion over anger, overcoming hatred - this is the most noble might.
Ketav Sofer Hachadash on the torah, Avot - "he who conquers his inclination" - he did not say "one who defeats" but rather "one who conquers".
For in warfare between two kingdoms, one can overpower the enemy in two ways.
Either one army sees most of its soldiers have been killed and he must abandon the battlefield and flee from the enemy. The other sides chases after the retreating army. In this way, the war is over and the pursuers defeated the other army.
But nevertheless, the victorious army must fear always that in the coming days [or years] the defeated army will regroup and increase soldiers, and come back for a second round. And who knows if he will succeed again in overpowering the enemy?
But if he overpowered his enemy in such a way that he succeeded in placing fear in his heart and the enemy is completely in his hand, then he can rest assured. For his enemy is in his hand.
So too for the war against the evil inclination who wages war against man always. If a man succeeds in defeating it and chasing it away, nevertheless, he is always in danger and fear lest the war renew and the yetzer defeats him another time. This is as our sages said: "every day, a man's evil inclination strengthens and renews over him.." (Kidushin 30b). But one whose yetzer is in his hand, as our sages said that the tzadikim (righteous) have the yetzer in their hands. This is as king David said: "my heart is empty within me" (Tehilim 109:12). For he did not feel any lust. And when the yetzer is in his hand and he has no tendency to anything of this world, he can rest assured without fear and worry at all.
This is the meaning of "who is mighty? He who conquers his yetzer", i.e conquers him under his hand..
Bartenura - "who is wealthy?" - i.e. praiseworthy for his wealth - he who rejoices in his lot.
Rashi - "he who rejoices in his lot" - with the portion G-d provides him. He takes everything with a good eye. Alternatively, he has tranquility of spirit and good heartedness on the portion G-d provides him, whether it is good or bad, whether much or little. And he is not pained to chase and pursue more than his portion. For if he does not rejoice from the sustenance of the work of his hands, what praiseworthiness is there? Even the richest of the rich who worries and is sad on his portion - he is the poorest of the poor. Rather, certainly the verse refers to one who eats with contentment. And since scripture praises him, therefore he is called rich.
Chidushei Haflah Ketuvot - "he who rejoices in his lot" - i.e. he does not place his trust in his money (eino boteach al mamono). For it is human nature to rejoice when he makes a new profit but after he is used to it, he no longer rejoices. But for the intelligent person who realizes that what he has is not his own, for every second it is a gift from G-d - thus he rejoices at all times.
Michtav M'Eliyahu chelek 1 - "who is wealthy" - the view of our sages is the exact opposite of the view of the rich people. "Who is wealthy? He who is happy with his lot". For only annulment of material aspirations and satisfaction with one's necessary needs - this is what brings to wealth. True wealth is to develop joy in the little that G-d granted him and to realize that it is certainly not worth it for him to have more than what G-d gave him.
Chida - Devarim Achadim, derush 27 - "who is wealthy.." - it is obvious that the matter does not depend on wealth. For if he has a bad soul and is anxious to amass wealth, all that he has appears to his eyes as if it is nothing. This is as scripture states "he who loves silver will not be satiated by silver" (Kohelet 5:9).
He cannot be quiet and at rest due to his great lust and longing for money. And he is a tremendous miser. A little expenditure appears great. Thus even in his great wealth, he is considered a destitute pauper. This is not a rich man.
The true rich man which it is proper to call him rich is one who is satisfied with the minimum and it appears in his eyes that his table is greater than the table of kings. This is the meaning of "who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his portion". Even though in truth he does not possess wealth, but nevertheless, he is called rich...
Through this, he will be saved from baseless hatred, and will not be jealous of his fellow's imaginary wealth and come to hate him out of jealousy. These are tremendous sins. For the temple was destroyed because of them and "jealousy, lust, and honor remove a person from the world" (Avot 4:21). And the ancients were punished only because of jealousy. Furthermore, hatred is in the heart always and is worse than other sins. For in other sins one transgresses them only at the time he commits the sin. But hatred is always. Every second he transgresses "do not hate your brother" (Vayikra 19:17) and he nullifies the positive commandment "love your fellow as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18) which is the "general principle of the torah".
And when he is happy with his portion and the little he has appears much - he is saved from all this and is saved from lust [for money] which is the father of tumah (spiritual impurity). For it brings to theft, false oaths, hatred and jealousy. And he denies G-d's providence and does not believe that G-d brings poverty or wealth.
One who is happy with his portion is saved from this and he is promised by prophecy (ruach hakodesh): "you shall eat of the toil of your hands, fortunate are you and it is good for you.."
Rabeinu Chaim Vital already explained at length what was said on the traits of jealousy and hatred in his book Shaarei Kedusha.
You can see that the pillar of the service [of G-d] is to be happy with one's portion. This is the rich man we mentioned and through this he will be free to toil in torah and mitzvot, and will trust in G-d. In truth this is a large portion and on this depends torah, avodah (divine service) and acts of kindness, as we wrote.
Ketav Sofer, parsha re-eh - "who is wealthy? he who rejoices in his portion" - this is not in man's nature. For he who loves money will not be satisfied by money. If he has 100, he lusts for 200, and he is never content with his portion.
Such a person is not really "wealthy". He merely has what to live on, namely, his sustenance.
Rather, "wealthy" depends on one's merit. He who has merits and is worthy, G-d gives him a life of contentment, namely, that he lives in tranquility and does not constantly lust for more and more.
In this way we can explain the verse "You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with will" (Tehilim 145:16). Namely, G-d grants will to a man, i.e. to be satisfied and content with what he has. This is the greatest blessing.
This kind of wealth depends on merit. But through mazal (nature/fate) it is impossible to be wealthy of this kind. One may have lots of properties and be successful in business, but nevertheless, his heart aches within and he seeks more and more. Such a person is considered a poor man.
Mussar Hatorah Rabbi Whitkind - "who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his lot" - for material wealth cannot satiate the soul which longs for the material pleasures of this world, as our sages said: "he who has 100 wants 200, and he who has 200 wants 400" (Kohelet Rabba 3:13). And our sages said: "this world is as one who drinks saltwater, it appears to him that he has quenched his thirst, but afterwards he is even more thirsty" (Vilna Gaon, Alim Letrufa).
On this our sages said: "who is wealthy? He who is happy with his lot". For real joy will not come to man's [higher] soul, which comes from above (the spiritual realm), through fulfilling the lusts of his [lower] animal soul (nefesh behamit) in physical matters of this world. Only from the side of his inner divine soul will he find satisfaction and joy in his portion.
Binyan Avot - "who is wealthy? he who rejoices in his lot" - he is not frantic to amass wealth (nivhal l'hon) and he is satisfied with what he has. This leads him to several good qualities. One, he does not come to jealousy and hatred of others. Furthermore, this draws him to torah study. And likewise, he does not come to steal and to covet the money of his fellow.
Rabeinu Yosef ben Shushan - "who is wealthy?.." - all physical lusts have a known limit and were given for a necessary purpose by the Creator of man. And when the purpose is attained, the lust vanishes. I will mention two general lusts, namely, lust for food and lust for [marital] relations. Lust for food is for the purpose of survival of the person while lust for relations is for the survival of the human race.
When a man is satiated, the lust for food vanishes. Likewise, when a man has relations with a woman and finishes the act, his lust vanishes.
But the lust for money has no known limit to make it vanish when a man attains a certain amount of money... It is necessary for the maintenance of the world but its lust has no limit. (and thus man is never satisfied).
Since we are creatures of clay, immersed in a sea of imaginations due to our makeup, thus there is no limit to this lust. But from the aspect of knowledge and understanding which G-d has graced us and also from His torah, we can contemplate and know that G-d has given us this world in our hearts only so that we are satisfied in taking only the amount of our basic needs.
Since it is so, then it is clear to the understanding person that wealth and poverty do not have a measure except by a man's mindset.
If he loves money beyond his need, he will be pained on the extra (he lacks) and is thus a poor man.
On the other hand, if he does not love money and is satisfied with what G-d has provided him and rejoices in this, he does not lack anything. This is the purpose of wealth. Thus, he said: "who is wealthy? he who rejoices in his portion"...
He set these four titles, wise, mighty, rich, and honorable in proper order. First is wisdom. For wisdom helps the wise man to conquer his inclination, and one who conquers his inclination will be disgusted by the superfluous and will rejoice in his portion. And one who rejoices in his portion becomes clean from jealousy, lust and honor of the masses and will receive everyone with joy and a pleasant countenance. This is honoring the public...
Chasdei Avot (Ben Ish Chai) - (Kabalistic) "He who rejoices in his portion" - on the verse: "And the faith of your times shall be the strength of salvations, wisdom and knowledge (Daat); the fear of the L-ord is his treasure" (Isaiah 33:6), "daat" refers to Seder Taharot as known. Thus, one who studies Seder Taharot, it is proper for him to receive Shefah (spiritual flow) from the Sefirah of Daat. And it is known that wealth is drawn and stems from Daat, as written: "With knowledge (daat), the rooms are filled with all riches.." (Mishlei 24:4).
It is also so that wealth can come through one's mazel (fate), but as known, this kind of wealth is not attributed to the man himself but rather to his mazel. On the other hand, wealth that comes through the merit of torah - this kind of wealth is attributed to the man himself. For he merits this through what he learned.
Thus "who is wealthy", i.e. that the wealth is his, not his mazel - "he who rejoices in his portion (chelko)", i.e. chelek-vav, the sixth part which is Seder Taharot, which corresponds to "Daat", as before. Through Daat a person receives Shefah of wealth from Daat, as written: "With knowledge (daat), the rooms are filled with all riches" (Mishlei 24:4).
Alternatively, as before "chelko" refers to Seder Taharot which is the sixth part (of the mishna). It is known that wealth comes as reward for simcha (joy) a man has in torah and mitzvot, as written: "go eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine in gladness" (Kohelet 9:7).
If a man rejoices in the practical torah which is relevant to him in fulfilling the mitzvot in this world, then it is not a proof that he rejoices in the honor of torah. Rather, perhaps he rejoices in his learning because it will lead him to be a Rabbi in Yisrael and people will honor him for his wisdom.
But if he rejoices in Seder Taharot which is not relevant in our times and has no practical application and people do not ask halachic questions for - this is a proof that his joy is l'shem shamayim, out of love of torah. Therefore, it is proper to bestow on him wealth in the merit of his joy in torah study, as written: "I rejoice in Your word, as one who finds great treasure" (Tehilim 119:162), and the torah makes him rich as written: "on its left is wealth and honor" and "honor and wealth are by me..", which refers to torah. This is what he said: "who is wealthy", who merits wealth and it is attributed to him? This is he who rejoices in Chelko, Seder Vav, Seder Taharot which has no practical application in our times. For then certainly his joy is due to the torah and it bestows wealth on him.
Maharal - "benefits from the work of his hands" - for one who benefits from the work of his hands is divested of the physical (nivdal min hachomer). For the physical is always lacking and thus it receives from another, as we explained many times.. Hence he who rejoices in his portion and is not lacking - this is the level of being completely divested of the physical and thus he said "fortunate are you in this world". For in this world he is divested of the physical. Therefore "fortunate are you in this world", and it will be completely good for you in the next world since there is complete divestment from the physical. This is certainly a lofty level. We explained similar to this earlier regarding "love work". This explanation is completely clear without a doubt.
Yachel Yisrael - "who is wealthy?.." - there is nothing which occupies human beings more than the desire to become wealthy. What is wealth? Amassing more possessions in order to merit a life of tranquility. To fulfill one's dreams of tranquility and plenty, vacations all over the big world, a beautiful mansion, a nice car, etc.
Most human beings invest all their time and energy in attaining hoped for wealth.
Ben Zoma comes and rouses us. Stop for a moment from the great race to wealth! Think for a moment! "Who is wealthy? He who is happy with his portion" - this person who is satisfied with what he has. He lives life without the incessant race after money, without wasting all his strength and energy on a dream which will never materialize.
People will say: "correct. we agree that a person who is satisfied with what he has is a happy person. But to call him "wealthy"?! A rich man is one who has, not one who does not have. It seems the sage mixed up "wealthy" with "happy"!
But after some contemplation, we will understand that we are fundamentally mistaken in our definition of wealth.
Like wisdom, wealth is measured according to how much a person has. It does not matter how much wealth a person has amassed for himself.
The true wealthy person is he who does not lack anything.
If we asked every person: "why do you want to become wealthy?"
His answer will probably be: "so that I will not lack anything', or "so that I can have everything I want".
If so, the true wealthy person is he who has already reached the goal. Namely, he who does not desire anything more than what he already has and has all that he needs.
Furthermore, our sages said: "a person does not leave this world with [even] half of what he lusts for. If he has 100, he lusts for 200. If he has 200, he wants 400. The more his assets grow, the more his lust for money grows. And the greater the level, the more intense is the lust. One who lacks a peruta (small coin), lacks only a loaf of bread. One who has food, wants a bigger home. As for a very wealthy person - he lacks many millions!
Thus, a man who has amassed much money feels much lacking, and the more his money increases, the poorer he becomes.
"he who rejoices in his lot" - how can one attain this noble trait to become "happy with his portion"?
The Chafetz Chaim says that the answer lies in the words of the mishna. It says: "happy with his portion" and not "happy with what he has" nor "happy with little". Why?
In order to teach us how we can rejoice with basic bread and water. If one realizes that every person has exactly the portion fitting for him - then he will be happy with his lot.
Every person has a unique purpose. Each person receives all the tools he needs to fulfill his purpose in this world.
If he receives wealth which does not help him to fulfill his purpose in this world, it is in the category of: "riches kept by their owner for his harm" (Kohelet 5:12).
For example, a carpenter needs a large thick saw to cut beams in order to make various furniture. If a man were to come and offer him: "listen, I have a delicate and very expensive saw for cutting precious stones. Let us make an exchange. You give me the big inexpensive saw and I give you my delicate expensive saw".
The carpenter will mock this offer saying: "what use do I have for your expensive saw? I will not be able to do my work with it. Your saw is made for precious stones not wood!"
So too, every person receives his portion, the amount of money he needs for his unique purpose in this world.
"who is honorable?.." - we are used to seeing an honorable person as one who holds an important position or possesses much wealth. Everyone wants to become close to him and strives to please him and flatter him. This "honorable" person himself also acts in a manner befitting his elevated position. He does not befriend everyone. His position obligates him to guard his high status as is proper for one in a high position.
Ben Zoma tells him - Sir! the honor you are granted is imaginary! The honor is not to you but to the power in your hand. The proof is that if tomorrow you were to lose your chair (position) or lose your wealth - all your honor would completely disappear.
Do you want to be truly honorable? "who is honorable? He who honors others".
Only the humble person.. who relates to others with full honor (respect) - he is the truly honorable...
For only he who knows how to honor others merits honor. Only he who recognizes the special qualities of each and every person around him - he will merit that others will recognize his qualities and honor him...
Bartenura - "who is honorable?.." - for in these three good things mentioned earlier, namely, wisdom, might, and wealth, one who merits them is intrinsically honorable in the eyes of G-d and men, even if people do not actually honor him.
"He who honors his fellow human beings" - thus, the sage added this teaching and said one who possesses these three traits and is thus intrinsically honorable, what should he do to become honorable by other human beings? - "honor his fellow human beings".
"those who honor Me, I shall honor" - it is a logical inference (kal v'chomer) - if the Holy One, blessed be He, who is the King of Honor and "all He created is for His glory" (Mishlei 16:4), and nevertheless, He honors those who honor Him, how much more so for flesh and blood.
"those who dishonor Me shall be disgraced" - we see from here the humility of G-d. For He did not say those who disgrace Me, I will disgrace. Rather, He said "will be disgraced", i.e. on their own. We also find G-d is more stringent on the honor of the righteous, as written: "those who curse you, I will curse" (Gen.12).
Rabeinu Yonah - "honor" - one who honors his fellow - this honor is for himself, not his fellow. For what benefit does one gain when honored by others? If he is honorable, nothing was added to his level and honor due to being honored by others. And if he is lowly, the honor granted him will not make him honorable.. Thus, one who honors his fellow honors himself. For he causes them to honor him perforce, out of obligation. This is true honor.
Binyan Avot - "who is honorable? he who honors others" - even if he has all the good qualities - wisdom, might, and wealth. But nevertheless, if he does not honor others, they will not honor him. Alternatively, one who has these three qualities is intrinsically honorable in the eyes of G-d and men. Thus, certainly they honor him before he honors them. But nevertheless the intent is that if he wants the honor to continue, he should honor them since they honor him.
Maharal Tzantz - "Who is honorable? He who honors others" - for certainly the honor of a man is in that which people feel honored by his honor. People do not feel honored by [the honor of] a lowly person. But they feel honored by the honor of a great man.
"those who honor Me I will honor" - I Myself. For no one else can honor them like Me.
Ruach Chaim - "who is honorable.. those who honor Me I will honor" - if he honors every person and does not investigate whether they are inferior to him. For he tells himself: "they are created in the image of G-d (tzelem Elokim) and are G-d's creations, and 'all that G-d created, He created for His glory'. Thus, when I honor them, I am honoring their Creator".
Thus, in this honor he honors G-d. This is the meaning of "those who honor the public", i.e. in such a way that there is honor of G-d, in this "those who honor Me, I will honor".
Daat Zekenim on Pirkei Avot (daat chochma umussar II 14) - "Who is honorable? He who honors his fellow" - the primary formation and root of the nefesh (soul) is an existence of "honor" (ikar yetzirata v'shorsha hi metziut shel kavod). "honor" (kavod)is the essence name (shem haetzem) of the nefesh (soul), as written: "So that my honor (soul) will sing praises to You" (Tehilim 30:13). The commentaries explain that honor refers to the soul. For from the aspect of the soul itself, all its purpose is to honor, praise, and extol. This is so whether between man and his fellow man or between man and G-d. Similar to what scripture says: "they always recall the praise of G-d (tamid mesaprim kavod Kel)". And likewise between man and his fellow, to honor the public and recognize the image of G-d. The matter of dishonor has no existence at all.
This is what the mishna says: "Who is honorable? He who honors his fellow". For in this that he honors the public, and the way he honors, this is a true measure of a man's connection to the matters of soul and he is the truly honorable.
Yachel Yisrael - why did the sage choose these four things? There are many other noble traits which he could have asked similar questions. For example "who is humble?", "who is righteous?", "who is pious?", etc. What is special about these four things?
The answer is that human beings long all of their lives for these four things. All human beings dedicate all of their time to attaining these things.
One person may dedicate proportionately more time to attaining wisdom. Another person to gaining might or wealth. A third person may aspire all his days to attain honor.
In any case, all human beings aspire to one or more of these four things.
The prophet Jeremiah also refers to these things as fundamentals in saying: "the wise man should not praise himself on his wisdom, nor the mighty man on his might, nor the wealthy on his wealth, nor the honorable on his honor" (Yirmiyah 9:22-23)...
Thus, every man aspires to these four things either by nature or by intent, therefore, the sage comes to explain what is their correct form.
This is so human beings will not squander their lives chasing after imaginary things and instead dedicate their time in the true way to attain these four things - in this world and the next.
Tiferet Yisrael - "who is wise?.." - for every person longs very much after four things. Namely, wisdom, might, wealth, and honor. Thus, there is not one second where a person does not strive to attain one of these four things.
However, in all four of them, his efforts accomplish the opposite of his intended purpose.
He wants to be considered WISE. Thus, he does not want to learn from any person thinking that in truth he is the wisest of all. Or he thinks that if he admits (that he is not the wisest) and learns from his inferior, he will no longer be considered wise. Thus, he remains lacking in knowledge (daat).
Likewise, for one who wants to become WEALTHY in order to attain enjoyments. Thus, he toils day and night shortening his life and putting himself in dangers in order to amass wealth. Where then are the enjoyments that he should have attained with his wealth?
So too for one who wants to be considered MIGHTY. He wants to be feared by every person. Therefore, when one of his enemies falls in his hands, he will crush him into dust and trample him under his feet. But his enemies will lie in ambush for his blood, waiting for the day his foot slips. Then those who lay on the ground will all sing in joy and gladness together, to topple him and chase him to utter destruction. Where then is his might?
Likewise for one who wants that everyone honors him. Therefore, he will blow through his nostrils a cheekful of the wind of his arrogance. He will raise his feathers like a bird. But even those who flatter him to his face laugh at him behind his back and pour disgrace on him. Where then is his honor?
Therefore, the sage advised how to strive to attain the desired purpose in each of these four areas.
WISDOM is attained through two ways:
One, through much learning which one receives from the early ones (elders).
Two, through one's own thinking. Namely, to think and understand on those things he learned. However for this thinking to oneself, if it is not preceded by reasoning the logic out with other people, then most of the time it is weak and thin (unclear)...
Even a very sharp person should not rely only on his own view. And the deeper the matter, the more likely he will err in it. One who blocks his ears from hearing words against his view, on him Shlomo said: "the way of the fool is straight in his eyes but he who listens to advice is wise" (Mishlei 15:12).
And even if the person who disagrees with him is of lower knowledge, but sometimes this small person with his weak eye cannot gaze properly with the tiny crack of wisdom opened to him, but the wise man who hears his words will "hear and increase wisdom".
For due to his broad mind and sharp intellect, he will find proofs for the small person's words and find them correct. Thus, the torah was compared to fire. Just like by fire, small twigs ignite a big log fire, so too by torah the small sharpen the big..
So too for other wisdoms. It is proper to listen and examine the words of one who disagrees with him.
MIGHT - for if we praise a gibor (mighty man), it is not because he has the power in his hands to strangle and slaughter thousands of people like pigeons and doves. For if so, why should he be more praiseworthy than wild animals, lions and leopards?
Rather, his praise is in that he is not of weak heart and he uses his might for a noble purpose and is not concerned for physical harm and risks his life, but only for the noble purpose he wishes to attain. And there is no nobler and higher purpose than to don our souls with a generous spirit as this. Namely, that the soul not be tied and subjugated to a life of physicality and lusts of the yetzer (evil inclination).
And all the more so when his yetzer entices him to take revenge and bear a grudge against his enemy. If he listens to the voice of his yetzer, he conquers only the external of his enemy, namely, his body.
But when he acts benevolently towards his enemy, he conquers the internal of his enemy. For now, even the enemy himself will recognize just what kind of generous person he wants to fight against. He will be ashamed and embarrassed of himself and will become his slave for life.
HONOR - this is human nature, like cause and effect. For since he honors every person, they will love him and honor him also. But it is also in the way of reward fom G-d. For since he honors even every lowly person, certainly he is doing this because "in the image of G-d, He created man", and "the crown of his G-d is on his head". Therefore, G-d will cause that they will also honor him (as a reward)..
Siftei Daat on Avot (R.Yerucham Levovitz) - the mishna is teaching that it is good for a person to seek that all his fortune (osher) comes only from himself, and that it does not depend on other people. For this is the true wealth.
The secret of the matter is that man has all the qualities within himself and they do not depend on other people. On the contrary, the perfection of the qualities is specifically when they stem from his own essence. But when they depend on others, "the wise man should not praise himself on his wisdom, nor the mighty man on his might, nor the wealthy on his wealth, nor the honorable on his honor" (Yirmiyahu 9:23).
This is what he said: "who is wise? He who learns from every man". For this is a sign that he loves and longs for wisdom itself and this quality is in himself..
Llikewise, "who is mighty, he who conquers his yetzer". For the quality of might is not measured by victories over other people. Rather, his might is from his own self. One who conquers his yetzer - this is true might.
For it will stay by him and not disappear forever. He has acquired the quality of might wholly.
Likewise, "who is wealthy? He who rejoices with his portion". This is the true and whole quality of wealth. Fortunate is he in this world and it is good for him in the next world.
Likewise, "who is honorable? He who honors others". For one who honors others acquires the trait of honor in his soul.
Thus, he has everything within himself. It does not depend on other people at all.
Reishit Chachma shaar anava ch.6 - the beginning of acquiring humility is to habituate oneself in the four traits mentioned by Ben Zoma in Avot.
Who is wise.. who is mighty.. who is wealthy.. who is honorable, etc. These four traits correspond to the four letters of G-d's Name. With a bit of study, one who is familiar with the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai will see how each trait corresponds to the right place.
Regarding humility, without a doubt, one who learns from every person is certainly humble. For in his great humility, he is not concerned from learning torah even from the smallest of the small. For he is only concerned for the honor of the torah..
Who is mighty? He who conquers his inclination. For if they mock him and anger him, he witholds wrath and conquers his inclination and keeps quiet.. This is a branch of humility..
Who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his lot. For it is a branch of humility to be content with little.. But for one who runs after luxuries, his heart will become proud, as written: "lest you eat and be sated, and build good houses and dwell therein, and your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold increase, and all that you have increases - and your heart grows haughty, and you forget the L-ord, Your G-d" (Devarim 8:12-14).
"Who is honorable? He who honors the public" - this too is a branch of humility, to honor everyone, the poor and the rich. For since all of them were made in the divine image, one who honors them also honors their Maker who made them and if he dishonors them, he dishonors their Maker..
But the arrogant person acts as if he deserves honor and that other people are inferior to him in his eyes and he does not honor them..