The Sayings of the Patriarchs

1:16. Rabban Gamaliel used to say: Appoint for yourself a teacher, avoid doubt, and do not make a habit of tithing by guesswork.

17. Simeon, his son, used to say: All my days I grew up among the sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence. Study is not the most important thing, but actions; whoever indulges in too many words brings about sin. [ . . . ]

2:1. Rabbi said: Which is the straight path that a man should choose for himself? One which is an honor to the person adopting it and [on account of which] honor [accrues] to him from others. And be careful with a light commandment as with a grave one, for you did know not the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments. Also, reckon the loss [that may be sustained through the fulfillment] of a commandment against the reward [accrued] thereby, and the gain [that may be obtained through the committing] of a transgression against the loss [entailed] thereby. Apply your mind to three things and you will not come into the clutches of sin. Know what there is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are written in a book.

2. Rabban Gamaliel the son of R. Judah the Prince said: Excellent is the study of the Torah when combined with a worldly occupation, for toil in them both keeps sin out of one’s mind; but [study of the] Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation comes to be neglected in the end and becomes the cause of sin. And all who labor with the community should labor with them for the sake of heaven, for the merit of their forefathers sustains them [the community], and their [the forefathers’] righteousness endures forever. And as for you, [God in such case says]: I credit you with a rich reward, as if you [yourselves] had [actually] accomplished [it all].

3. Be careful [in your dealings] with the ruling authorities, for they do not befriend a person except for their own needs; they seem like friends when it is in their own interest, but they do not stand by a man in the hour of his distress.

4. He used to say: Do His will as though it were your will, so that He will do your will as though it were His. Set aside your will in the face of His will, so that he may set aside the will of others for the sake of your will. Hillel said: Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death. Do not judge your fellow man until you have reached his place. Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood. Say not, “When I shall have leisure I shall study”; perhaps you will not have leisure.

Adapted from the translation ofJoshua Kulp.