בנו של רבי יהודה הנשיא. הוא רבי שבתחלת הפרק. THE SON OF RABBI YEHUDA HANASSI. This is the tanna called simply “Rabbi” at the beginning of this chapter.
יפה תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ. פי' בדרך חיים לפי שהדרך ארץ קודם בזמן לתלמוד תורה להכי טופל תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ במלת עם. ע"כ. ואני מצאתי להר"ש שפי' במשנה ד' פ"ז דטהרות שהוא כמו ראה חיים עם אשה. דחיים הוא עיקר והכי נמי תורה עיקר. THE STUDY OF TORAH WITH A TRADE [Heb. talmud torah `im derech eretz]. Maharal explains in Derech Chaim that the mishna uses the language talmud torah `im derech eretz, implying that trade comes first, because the learning of a trade usually chronologically precedes the study of Torah.64And not because it is primary in importance, as it’s placement before the word `im would seem to imply. I found that Rash, in his commentary to the mishna in Taharot 4:7, compares this usage to re’eh chaim `im isha, “enjoy life with the wife that you love” (Ecclesiastes 9:9), in which “life” is certainly primary in importance—accordingly, “the study of Torah” in our phrase would be primary.
וכל העוסקים עם הצבור כו'. נראה דלפי' אחר שכתב הר"ב. שמכריחים הצבור וכו' שיכריחו לשם שמים. דר"ל ואל יחושו על הצבור שלא יוכלו לשאת המשא הכבד הזה שזכות אבותם מסייעתם לתת וכו' ואפילו ממון הרבה. ובלבד שיהיה העסק הזה שמכריחים כו' לשם שמים. ולא לשום צד פנייה אחרת בעולם. ועוד נ"ל לפרש דשזכות אבותם וכו' נמשך למטה לו אתם מעלה וכו' והכי קאמר הוו עמלים. ולשם שמים. כשתכריחו הצבור לצדקה ולפדיון שבויים ואני מעלה עליכם וכו' שהרי הצבור הנותנים. זכות אבות היא שמסייעתן לתת. ואפי' הכי צדקתם של הצבור שנתנו עומדת לעד. כך גם אתם אע"פ שלא נתתם אלא שכפיתם והכרחתם לצבור גם אני מעלה וכו' כמו שצדקת הצבור עומדת לעד. אע"פ שזכות אבותם היא מסיעתם. ובהכי אתי שפיר דלא תנן בלשון נסתר כמו שהתחיל וכל העמלים וכו'. ועוד שהיה לשון קצרה ואני מעלה עליהם וכו' אלא דאי הכי הוה משמע דקאי נמי על הצבור כמו וצדקתם וכו'. ולאידך פירושא יש לפרש דהא דקאמר ואתם וכו' כמ"ש בדרך חיים: דאי לאו הכי הוה משמע שהיה חוזר על האבות שזכר: AND ALL THOSE WHO DEAL WITH THE PEOPLE. According to Rav’s second explanation, in which “dealing with the people” means forcing them to perform some commandment, such as giving charity or redeeming captives, and that this should be done for the sake of heaven, the mishna reads as follows. “All those that deal with the people” should not worry that perhaps the people will be unable to shoulder this heavy burden, for “the merit of their ancestors aids them,” and this is on condition that they are only forcing the people to perform this commandment “for the sake of heaven,” and not for any other reason or personal benefit whatsoever.
Alternatively, the phrase “for the merit of their ancestors aids them” can be read as explaining “and you, I consider you,” and the mishna reads as follows. Work with the people for the sake of heaven when you force them to give charity or redeem captives. “And as for you, I will consider you, etc.” now means to say: just as in the case of the people, who only give to charity because the merit of their ancestors aids them, the mishna still says that their righteousness in that they gave will stand them in good stead forever, so, too, in your case. Even though you yourselves did not give the money and merely forced the people to do so, I will consider it as if you had done it, just as the people are considered righteous despite the fact that it is the merit of their ancestors that aids them.
According to this explanation, in which “the merit of their ancestors aids them” is referring to the people, and not their leaders, we can well understand the mishna’s switch to the second person, “and you…”, from the third person “all those…” with which it started, and which would also have been more concise, in that it could have left out the words “and you.” For had the mishna continued in the third person, the antecedent of the phrase “and I consider them” would have been understood to be “the people,” just as they are the antecedent of “their” and “them” in “the merit of their ancestors aids them.”
According to Rav’s other explanation, in which “the merit of their ancestords aids them” refers to the leaders, we can explain the switch to the second person as Maharal does in Derech Chaim: had the mishna stayed in the third person, the phrase “I consider them” would have been understood as referring to the ancestors just mentioned.65I.e., the souls of the departed ancestors are rewarded for the commandments their children do.
מעלה אני עליכם. נמצא כך בלשון חכמים. כמו ואני ועקיבא בן יוסף ערב בדבר. ובמד"ש כתב שמפרשים שבעבור הקב"ה. אומר אני שזוכרו למעלה לש"ש. ע"כ. והוא דוחק. I CONSIDER YOU. We find that the Sages use the first person even when speaking in the name of G-d, as in “and Akiva son of Yosef and I are guarantors in this.”66The full passage, quoted by Ibn Ezra in his commentary to Exodus 33:21, says, in the name of R. Yishma`el, that whoever knows the dimensions of the Creator is assured a place in the world to come, “and I and Akiva ben Yosef are guarantors in this.” The author assumes that the true guarantor is G-d, but R. Yishmael says “I” because he is the one relating this point, just as in our mishna.
Midrash Shmuel writes that the word “I” actually refers back to G-d, to whom the word “heaven” in the earlier phrase “for the sake of heaven” refers, but this is forced.
שכר הרבה. לשון ד"ח בי"ס גרסינן שכר הרבה. ופירושו ששכר הרבה מאד יש לכם לפי שאתם עוסקים בצרכי צבור שהם רבים. ומאחר שהם רבים הרבה שכר יש לכם כאילו עשיתם הרבה. ע"כ. MUCH REWARD. Maharal in Derech Chaim: in other versions67Maharal there had earlier quoted a different version of the text, so he proceeds to say that “other versions”, i.e. our version, have “much reward”. the text reads “much reward.” The idea is that much reward awaits you because you attend to the needs of the people, who are many, and since they are many, there is much reward for you as if you had done much.