Pirkei Avot: If Not Now, When?

The road to sin is often filled with good intentions. Too many great leaders of countries and institutions fall into the lethal trap of conflating their personal interests with those they are leading. Hillel urges us that while we study Torah and pursue spirituality, we must make sure we are doing so for the right interests and not for self-serving purposes.

“He [Hillel] used to say: one who makes his name great causes his name to be destroyed; one who does not add [to his knowledge] causes [it] to cease; one who does not study [the Torah] deserves death; one who makes [unworthy] use of the crown [of learning] shall pass away.” (Avot 1:13)

In many ways, this Mishna is a very sharp break with the Hillel we knew in the previous Mishna. In contrast to the gentle sentiment of the last Mishna, Hillel’s statements in this Mishna are sharp and uncompromising. Why? Because a leadership of humility and modesty is not the product of an absence of standards—it is the product of ironclad discipline. Loving-kindness, pursuing peace, loving everyone, humility, and other character traits of a good leader are not the human default. They require development, grit, and very hard work. 

Hillel teaches us that seeking to overextend one’s own name for the sake of fame will lead to self-destruction. How many times in history have we seen leaders who did not know when to stop? How often do we see people who built great companies, held high offices, and garnered the respect of millions, then go on to destroy it all because they wanted more power and more fame? Hillel’s lesson does not rule out the possibility of one achieving great things or going far in life. Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura and Maimonides translate the first phrase in this Mishna, “Negid Shemeh,” as extending one’s name too far. 

It is important to note that while we are used to the Mishna being written in impeccable Hebrew and the Talmud in Aramaic, this Mishna is written in Aramaic. Some suggest that the lessons in Pirkei Avot that were commonly preached by the person to their Aramaic-speaking audience are recorded in Aramaic as well since it was a lesson Hillel would teach often in Aramaic. 

“One who does not add [to his knowledge] causes [it] to cease”– while physicians and multiple medical studies do say about the human mind that we “use it or lose it”, and that it is important to stimulate our mind even after we master a certain subject, this statement is not just a physical one. True. If you would like your mind to retain its sharpness or if you would like to retain information that you thought is safely stored in your memory, you cannot afford to sit idly. As humans, we must use our minds and review our knowledge in order to keep it up. That is not the only thing Hillel is here to teach us. Hillel is here to teach this lesson from a religious and spiritual perspective. When it comes to our spirituality, there is no such thing as a status quo. If we are not growing our knowledge of Torah, we are losing it. 

Some commentaries see this Mishna as a lesson about the importance of retaining our past achievements, while others see it as an urge to be ambitious and grow our knowledge. Both are true. Hillel urges us to be ambitious because if we are not, we will lose what we have gained already. 

“One who does not study [the Torah] deserves death.”– While Rabbenu Yonah and other commentaries understand this Mishna as referring to someone who refuses to learn even one thing their entire life, others take a different and more literal interpretation of it. The word for study here also means to learn. When we say to learn something, it can refer to external learning and internal learning. External learning is learning in the classical sense: taking a text or a form of knowledge that is outside of us and committing it to memory. Yet there is a different kind of learning, one that comes from the inside. It is on this kind of learning that we might say: “he learned his lesson.” Both forms of learning are necessary, and if we do not constantly improve both, we are doomed to the worst of consequences. 

“One who makes [unworthy] use of the crown [of learning] shall pass away”- avoiding making personal gain from the study and knowledge of Torah is directly related to the impact of Torah on the broader Jewish community. When people see rabbis, judges in Beit Din, and others using the Torah for personal gain, they lose faith in its integrity and abandon its observance. While this imperative applies most to judges and Torah scholars, it applies to each and every one of us as well in two different ways. On the one hand, we cannot do anything that uses the Torah for our own self-serving purpose. On the other hand, we should also make sure we do not assist others in committing such a heinous crime. Sadly, in every generation, there are those who seek to use the Torah for very selfish reasons. From people like the false Messiah Shabbat Zvi to those who charge a great deal of money for blessings and claim spiritual powers, every generation sees such cynics. It is imperative upon the community to make sure something like this does not happen. If you see someone using the Torah for personal gain or self-enrichment, do not take part in that. Do not support such an effort in any way. The crown of Torah is not for personal gain. Letting someone use it for personal undermines the Torah and undermines the perpetrator. 

The Talmud (Nedarim 37a) teaches: Moses said to the people: “And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and laws” (Deuteronomy 4:14), and also that which is written: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and laws, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the midst of the land where you go in to possess it” (Deuteronomy 4:5), God said: Just as I teach you for free, without payment, so too you also shall teach for free.”

While the Talmud goes on to explain how it is even permitted for school teachers to collect a salary, excusing it as given for watching the children or other reasons, the fundamental idea is that we each must do everything we can to teach Torah for no cost. We also must do everything we can to avert making any personal gain from our knowledge of Torah and closeness to Hashem. 

“He [also] used to say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? And if not now, when?” (Avot 1:13)

If I am not for myself, who is for me?-a beautiful commentary on this Mishna, in the book Machshevet Avot, explains that the Mishna does not say that no one else will ever be there to help you. It is rather saying that one has to want to help oneself for others to be able to help them. 

Another fascinating lesson of this Mishna that is not found in many places is that it is not made in the form of a statement but rather as a question. Some might say a rhetorical question—but it is still a question. The form of a question in this Mishna leaves the answer open-ended. Does it mean that if you do not help yourself, no one will help you? No. But who will?

The great Iberian Jewish scholar Rabbenu Yonah Ibn Jannah sees this Mishna as a very powerful spiritual statement. There are people who focus on their own spirituality, while others make sure to try and uplift others. To those who spend their time teaching, preaching, and inspiring others, Hillel’s statement provides an urgent reminder not to forget themselves. If you keep focusing on the spirituality of others, who will focus on yours. Too often, rabbis, teachers, and spiritual leaders focus so much time on others, forgetting about their own learning and spirituality. Teaching and inspiring others is important, but not if doing so makes one hollow of internal virtue and inspiration. “If I am not for myself, who is?”

“But if I am for my own self [only], what am I?”

Following the above line of thinking, Rabbenu Yonah Ibn Janah argues that while being filled with Torah knowledge and spiritual virtue is highly important if that knowledge is not imparted to anyone else, it loses much of its meaning. While other religions or creeds might argue in favor of isolation, asceticism, and lonely self-righteousness, Judaism strongly disagrees with this approach. Judaism encourages us time and again to share other knowledge with others, to inspire, connect, and be there for others. Even if one will end up being the most righteous and learned individual there can be, Hillel turns to them and asks: “If I am for my own self only, what am I?”

“And if not now, when? I remember studying in Yeshiva with some great Torah scholars who were very passionate about teaching, shedding the light of Judaism on others, and spreading their knowledge of the Torah.” Many of them believed that one day, they would go out there and do a great deal of Jewish outreach and teaching. Sadly, most often, they did not end up doing so. If you are passionate about teaching Torah, inspiring others, and improving yourself, the best time to begin is now. That is not to say people should not prepare, study, and immerse themselves in Torah before going out to do the work that they want to do, but it does mean that delays often have the effect of making sure something does not happen. If there is something you believe in, now is the time to do it.