Loading…

Pirke Avot: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Life is unavailable, but you can change that!

In this edition of the well-known Jewish classic, Berkson helps us see that Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) is more than just a fundamental religious text; it is also a compelling, contemporary ethical guide. Berkson looks at the individual sayings, or mishnayot, through the interpretations of the great Jewish commentators and also within the broader context of Western thought—through views...

In the generation after Hillel, Jesus of Nazareth took Hillel’s message of love and peace a step further, saying in the Sermon on the Mount, “Resist not evil … If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and offer him your left … If a man in authority asks you to go one mile, go with him two … Love your enemies.” W. H. Hudson, 19th-century naturalist and novelist, argued the contrary, that we have a moral obligation to strike back against the powerful who wrong us, because it is only the fear that
Page 38