Introduction Again, this mishnah is really two mishnayoth and we will treat each separately. Rabbi Yannai is probably the father of Rabbi Dostai who was mentioned above in mishnah 3:8. This is his only statement in the mishnah
Rabbi Yannai said: it is not in our hands [to explain the reason] either of the security of the wicked, or even of the afflictions of the righteous. Rabbi Mathia ben Harash said: Upon meeting people, be the first to extend greetings; And be a tail unto lions, and not a head unto foxes. Although we have seen that on several occasions tractate Avoth attempts to answer the question why do the wicked sometimes prosper and the righteous suffer, Rabbi Yannai admits that humans do not truly know the answer to this question. Usually the rabbis say that the wicked receive whatever reward is due to them in this world, so that in the world to come they will only suffer, whereas the opposite is true of the righteous. However, Rabbi Yannai evidently finds this answer, or others of its nature, not to be satisfactory. We should note that the translation above reflects one explanation of this mishnah. The words “to explain the reason” do not actually appear in the mishnah itself. Without them, others explain that Rabbi Yannai is making a statement about life without a Temple in Jerusalem. In this time, we don’t have the security that the wicked often enjoy, nor do we have the afflictions that the righteous suffer. In other words, Rabbi Yannai considers his generation to be neither fully wicked, nor totally righteous. Upon meeting people, be the first to extend greetings: When relating to others we should always try to be the first to wish them well, even, and perhaps especially, to those that we consider to be below our social status. One of the praises that was told of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was that no one ever greeted him before he greeted them. And be a tail unto lions, and not a head unto foxes: It is better to attach oneself to a group of people who are above you, in wisdom and goodness and to be accounted the least among them, then to be the head of a group of people who are below you in wisdom or goodness, and to be the first among them. A person should not measure himself against a lower group of people and thereby make himself feel better about his standing. Rather he should strive to join a higher group, one where he can grow more. We could apply this saying to many situations. For example an athlete will grow more when he plays with other players better than he, than if he were to play with those of lesser talent. Midrash Shmuel makes an interesting note on this saying. A lion waves its tail above his head whereas a fox puts it between his legs. So too honorable people honor those who are lesser than them and are not concerned that their own honor will be thereby impinged; whereas dishonorable people belittle those lesser in order to (seemingly) increase their own import.