[Avodah] Our Debt to Previous Generations

[Cantor Wolberg]

Deeper meaning of the striking Mishnah in Avos 2:10,13,14), which adds  
yet another dimension to our interpretation: “Rabban Yohanan ben  
Zakkai had five disciples… He said to them, ‘Go out and see what is  
the best characteristic to which an individual ought cleave.    R.  
Eliezer says, a good eye;     R. Yehoshua says, a good friend;     R.  
Yose says, a good neighbor;     R. Shimon says,"ha’ro’eh et ha’nolad”  
to see that which will be born.  R. Elazar says, a good heart.  He  
then said to them, ‘Go out and see which is the worst characteristic  
from which an individual ought flee?'      R. Eliezer says, an evil  
eye;     R. Yehoshua says, an evil friend;     R. Yose says, an evil  
neighbor;     R. Shimon says, to borrow and not repay;     R. Eliezer  
says, an evil heart.

One of the fascinating aspects of this Mishnah is that only R. Shimon  
seems to have bypassed the parallel structure of the two halves of the  
Mishnah: according to him, the good characteristic towards which one  
must aspire is the ability to see what is yet to be born, the outcome  
of events and experiences, the opposite of which he defines as to  
borrow and not repay rather than as not to see that which will be  
born, not to be aware of the outcome of events (which we could expect  
to find). It could very well be that his intent is precisely the  
parallel structure; after all, one who borrows and doesn’t repay was  
generally not sufficiently aware when he borrowed the money that pay- 
day will soon arrive, and that he’d better be prepared for that day  
with sources from which to repay his debt. Be that as it may, R.  
Shimon’s unique formulation within the Mishnah cries out for further  
commentary.

I saw the following beautiful vort:  Rav Shalom Gold of Har Nof,  
Jerusalem once suggested another interpretation for ‘ha’ro’eh es  
ha’nolad:” not one who sees that which will be born (which in Hebrew  
would be yivaled) but rather one who sees from whom he was born, one  
who understands that he did not emerge from an empty vacuum and  
realizes that he has a certain debt to pay to the previous generations  
which formed him.

Once we realized our debt to pay to the previous generations (which  
formed us), we would possess a good eye, choose good friends and  
neighbors, and contain a good heart.  It's all about remembering the  
past, applying it to the present and recognizing the consequences to  
our future.

ri
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