from Rav Lau on Pirkei Avos (translator and editor).
Chapter 4, Mishnah 1
Ben Zoma said,
Who is wise? One who learns from everyone. As the verse states, “I have grown wise from [all people; they have] all been my teachers, because I [have only wanted to] talk about Your testimonies” (Tehillim 119:99).
“Ben Zoma Said”
The authors of the first two mishnayos of Chapter Four have the distinction of being referred to exclusively by their fathers’ names—i.e., Ben (“son of”) Zoma and Ben (“son of”) Azzai.
A simple hypothesis is that since they share the name Shimon they are called after their fathers in order to avoid confusion. (Similarly, another Tanna named Shimon is referred to as Shimon Hateimoni [Shimon of Yemen].) However, this argument is vitiated by the fact that elsewhere we find explicit reference to Ben Zoma as Rebbe Shimon ben Zoma (Chullin 83a).
There is another peculiarity as well, which is that neither man is given the title, “rebbe.”
Rashi explains that both men died young before having the opportunity to obtain rabbinical ordination (Kiddushin 59b). But the fact that Ben Zoma and Ben Azzai belonged to both the pre- and post-Destruction eras indicates that they did not die young at all.
Therefore, Maharal asserts that Ben Zoma and Ben Azzai began to learn from a very early age, at which time they were referred to by their father’s names. Later, even after they grew older and were ordained, they retained these youthful appellations.
Ben Zoma was an exemplar of wisdom—so much so that our sages aver that “whoever sees Ben Zoma in a dream may anticipate wisdom” (Berachos 57b).
Once, when Ben Zoma saw the Jews coming to the Temple for a holiday, he exclaimed, “Blessed be He Who created all of these people to serve me!” (Berachos 58a)—because, Rambam explains, Ben Zoma was so great, “unique in his generation,” that he deserved to have all the Jews serve him (introduction to his commentary on the mishnah).
Ben Zoma excelled in the ability to find a written source for every halachah. Characteristically, in this mishnah, he cites a verse to support his every assertion. Indeed, “with the death of Ben Zoma,” our sages state, “those who make homiletic allusions ceased” (Sotah 49a).
Four Universal Desires
In Derech Hachaim (beginning of Chapter 2), Maharal states that the first mishnah of each chapter of Pirkei Avos has an especially inclusive cast.
The mishnah that opens this chapter deals with four qualities that people universally crave: wisdom, power, wealth and honor.
Most people seek the superficial, unfulfilling and often warped aspects of these qualities. Here, Ben Zoma discloses the positive, inner nature of each quality, so that rather than engage in vain and unyielding pursuit of seductive phantasms, people will instead seek worthy and attainable goals.
We generally assume that a wise person is a teacher upon whom others rely. Ben Zoma teaches that a wise person is someone who learns from others.
We generally measure strength by the extent of a person’s ability to bend others to his will. Ben Zoma teaches that a man of power conquers himself and subjugates himself to the will of others in that he forgives those who insult him.
We think of a wealthy person as someone who possesses much money and the ability to amass more. Ben Zoma teaches that a truly wealthy person is someone satisfied with his lot.
Finally, we think of an honored person as someone whom others wish to associate with. Ben Zoma teaches that an honored person is someone who honors others.
“Who Is Wise? One Who Learns From Everyone; As The Verse States, ‘I Have Grown Wise From [All People; They Have] All Been My Teachers, Because I [Have Only Wanted To] Talk About Your Testimonies’”
The mishnah asks, “Who is wise?” But its answer—”one who learns from everyone”--addresses not wisdom but its acquisition. The question should apparently have been, “Who will attain wisdom?”
Indeed, Meiri writes that this mishnah is asking, “What kind of person seeks the correct path to wisdom?” Because a genuine seeker is assured of eventually attaining wisdom, the mishnah refers to him even now as wise.
However, most commentators disagree, and state that the mishnah is discussing a person who has already attained wisdom.
In Rabbeinu Yonah’s view, a wise man is a person so thirsty for wisdom that he is willing to learn from everyone.
R. Ovadia of Bertinoro adds that knowledge in general--and that of the Torah in particular--is “broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9). Although one may know considerably more than others, compared to the actual amount of knowledge in the universe one knows infinitesimally little. Thus, at the time of his death, R. Eliezer Hagadol said, “Although I learned much Torah, what I learned from my teachers was comparable to what a dog laps from the sea” (Sanhedrin 68a).
A wise man gathers knowledge not for its own sake but in order to attain a meaningful goal; he utilizes his wisdom for the sake of heaven, for the purpose of internalizing Torah and performing the commandments.
And the identifying sign of such a person is that in order to attain these ends he is willing to learn from everyone.
The Truly Wise Man Is Always a Student
The highest accolade accorded a Jewish scholar is the honorific talmid chacham—a “student of a sage.”
There is no end to wisdom; no one can say, “I have reached perfection.” There is always more to learn and someone else to learn from.
Therefore, one must always see oneself as a student—one must always desire the constant acquisition of wisdom.
We find this idea expressed in the Passover Haggadah’s description of the wise and wicked sons.
The Haggadah tells us that the biblical source for the wicked son is, “Your sons will say to you, ‘What is this service to you?’” (Shemos 12:26). Because they dissociate themselves from the community by stressing to you--and not to them—they are considered wicked.
However, many commentators point out that the same complaint could be lodged against the wise son. In the verse that identifies him, he asks, “What are the testimonies that Hashem our G-d has commanded you?” (Devarim 7:20).
So what indeed differentiates the wise son from the wicked son?
We can find an answer to this question by looking at the broader context of both verses.
The verse describing the wicked son states, “Your sons will say to you.” In other words, the wicked son doesn’t ask—he states.He is sure that he already knows the answer. But the wise son is described as querying: “Your son will ask you tomorrow…” The wise son approaches every matter with an openness to learn from everyone and everything.
How is it Possible to Learn from Everyone?
The Talmud divides mankind into four categories: righteous people who suffer, righteous people who are well-off, evil people who suffer and evil people who are well-off (Berachos 7a).
Clearly, we will do best by learning from a righteous person who is well-off: we will be enlightened by his deeds and inspired by the reward that he receives.
Alternatively, we can learn from a wicked person who suffers that it is not worthwhile to engage in evil.
It is more difficult to learn from a righteous person who suffers, because the question naturally arises: “Is this Torah and its reward?” Nevertheless, we can at least learn from his actions and model his character.
But what can we learn from a wicked person who is well-off? We are faced with the challenge: “Why does the path of the wicked prosper?”
The answer to this question may be found in a midrash that describes the execution of Yose ben Yoezer, the nasi of the Sanhedrin in the days of the second Temple, prior to the Chashmonaic rebellion. (He and Yose ben Yochanan, the av beis din, were the first of the famous zugos.)
One Shabbos day, as Yose ben Yoezer was delivering a discourse, Greek soldiers burst into the synagogue and arrested him for teaching Torah. He was imprisoned, found guilty, and sentenced to die.
On the day of his death, as he rode a horse to the place of execution, his nephew, Yakum of Tzaruros--a man who had left the path of Torah—rode up to him.
Yakum taunted his uncle, “Both of us are riding horses. But look at the difference between us—you are being led in chains to your death, whereas I sit upright and no one bothers me.”
Yose ben Yoezer replied, “Is your life truly that good?Are you content? So consider: if Hashem allows someone like you to enjoy your existence, how much greater will be the reward of those who do His will.” (Indeed, our sages teach that G-d’s reward outweighs His punishment by 500 to 1 [Tosefta Sotah 4:1].)
Yakum replied, “Who has done G-d’s will more than you? And yet look at your miserable state. How can you say that your reward will be greater than mine?”
Yose ben Yoezer answered him, “If this is how Hashem punishes the slightest sins of those who serve Him, how much more harshly will He judge those who rebel against Him.”
Yose ben Yoezer’s words pierced Yakum’s heart. He immediately repented and in his remorse subjected himself to the four types of execution meted out by a Jewish court (the midrash describes exactly how he was able to inflict their equivalent on himself), so that he died even before Yose ben Yoezer reached the execution place.
Yose ben Yoezer exclaimed, “Yakum has preceded me to the Garden of Eden!” And Yakum attained a greater portion of the Garden of Eden than did Yose ben Yoezer—for “where penitents stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand” (Berachos 34b; Bereishis Rabbah 65:22).
Thus, we can even learn that from a wicked person who is well-off, for by seeing him we may infer how great will be the reward of the righteous.
The Entirety Of A Person
R. Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (the Ben Ish Chai) takes another approach in explaining how it is possible to learn from everyone. He quotes the Talmud, “Rabbi Yochanan said, ‘The word Adam--man--is an acronym for afar, dam, marah—ash, blood, liver” (Sotah 5a). In other words, Rashi explains, this is the summation of a man—therefore, he should not grow proud.
The commentators see in this statement of R. Yochanan a parallel to the words of Akavia ben Mehalel, “Gaze upon three things and you will not come to sin: know where you came from, where you are going to, and before Whom you will have to give an account of yourself” (Pirkei Avos 3:1).
“Know where you came from” corresponds to “blood.” When a person contemplates his basic physical makeup, he automatically recognizes his insignificance.
“Where you are going to” corresponds to “ashes,” which are the equivalent of dust (as in Avraham Avinu’s statement, “I am dust and ashes” [Bereishis 18:27].)
“And before Whom you will have to give an account of yourself” corresponds to the “liver,” which is called marah--literally, “bitterness.” For sinners, the day of judgment is the most bitter day of all.
It would seem that considering any one of these fact should suffice to inhibit us from sinning. But R. Yosef Chaim states that in order to avoid sin, we must contemplate all three together.
If a person only looks at where he came from or where he is destined to go, he may arrive at the erroneous conclusion that he is no more than a physical creature—coming from dust and returning to dust—and as such, he lacks the strength to overcome his physical desires.
Therefore, we must always remember before Whom we will have to give an account of ourselves. We must remember that our end will be bitter indeed if we do not overcome our evil urge. Every sin will increase our punishment and pain.
But it is not enough to contemplate only that day of judgment—for if we do not recognize our insignificance (from where we come and to where we are going) we are liable to attain the foolish self-assurance that we will easily endure the day of judgment.
Therefore, we must always remember that we are physical creatures drawn to physical pleasures. We must take care not to be dogged by our desires. We must check repeatedly that we are not being drawn after the physical within ourselves.
Therefore, Ben Zoma states, “Who is wise? One who learns from everyone.” We can read this statement as “One who learns from the entirety of adam--from each element of the acronym, afar, dam, marah.”
This is also why Shlomo Hamelech states that “the pride of a person casts him down” (Mishlei (29:23). The word for “pride,” gei’us, can be read as gimel os—three letters. Only a person who contemplates the three letters that compose the word adam and what they stand for can attain the humility appropriate to a mortal. This person will be saved from the judgment of Gehinnom.