[Avodah] avot (mishna? as binding??)

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 05:09:50PM -0700, Harvey Benton wrote:
: is the pirkei avot considered a mishna?...

The first 5 peraqim are mishnah, compiled by Rebbe just like the other
mesechtos of mishnah.

The difference is that pirqei avos are avos in the sense of avos malakhah.
(The Bartenura's translation, not mine.) IOW, they aren't rules of
behavior, they are values and rules of what you should be which interact
with the situations you face to produce those rules of behavior codified
in the other mesechtos -- as well as telling you which way you're pulled
when acting lifnim mishuras hadin.

So, aspiring for its goals is obligatory, but the specific behaviors used
to exemplify those goals may not be obligatory in every situation and
context.

: 2:. when the gemarra (judges,
: like reuben or david hamelech [l'kav schut??] did "they" get to their place?? 

They aren't judging, they are drawing lessons for us. And for that
matter, they aren't drawing lessons from the lives of Reuvein or David,
but from how they appear in Tanakh, how HQBH or the navi wants us to see
them. Which may emphasize details that were different than those central
to their actual lives. And to the extent that judgment is implied,
the permission to do so is inherent in the story being allowed to be
included in a book of instruction.

GCT!
-Micha

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