Introduction Shemaiah and Abtalion, the fourth pair, lived at the end of the period of Hasmonean rule and towards the beginning of Herod’s reign. According to the Talmud both were converts. Mishnah nine contains Shemaiah’s teachings.
Shemaiah and Abtalion received [the oral tradition] from them. Shemaiah used to say: love work, hate acting the superior, and do not attempt to draw near to the ruling authority. In many places we see that the rabbis considered work to be important to proper moral behavior. This is learned from Exodus 20:9, “six days shall you work… and on the seventh day you shall rest.” Just as on the seventh day it is a commandment not to work, so too on the first six days it is a commandment to work. Even the wealthy should work, for idleness may lead a person into depression and perhaps even into licentiousness. A person should not seek positions of superiority over others. Although society does need leaders, such leadership can take its toll on a person. It is also dangerous to the person’s own proper behavior, for often times people in leadership abuse their positions. This statement also connects to the previous statement. No person should consider himself so important as not to engage in work. Shemaiah certainly lived at a time when avoiding close contact with the government was good advice. Although one may be able to gain some benefit from having good contacts with powerful people, in the end rulers do only what is good for themselves. Furthermore, when the tides turn, those who were too close to the ruling parties are often the first to suffer. This is has been demonstrated throughout history in dictatorships and other tyrannical forms of government. A person who is closely identified with one ruler, is often killed or jailed when the next ruler takes power.