No community start suggestion yet.
Why does Avos 5:10 debate whether 'mine is mine, yours is yours' reflects average behavior or Sedom's philosophy? Building on Rav Yeshaya Greenberg's analysis, Sedom's selfishness stemmed from denying divine chesed (חסד) in creation itself. Without recognizing Hashem (ה׳)'s kindness, they rejected all obligations to help others, while the am ha'aretz represents the opposite extreme of undeserved collectivism.
This shiur examines a Mishna in Pirkei Avos that categorizes four types of people based on their attitudes toward personal property and helping others. The main focus is understanding the dispute over whether 'mine is mine, yours is yours' represents average behavior (midas beinonis) or the trait of Sedom (midas Sedom). The Meiri explains that midas beinonis refers to someone willing to help others only when it doesn't cost them anything, while midas Sedom describes someone unwilling to help even when it costs nothing. Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L explores why anyone would refuse to help when there's no personal cost, especially since helping others creates obligations of gratitude that could benefit the helper later. The answer lies in Sedom's fundamental philosophy: they believed people must justify their own existence independently, without relying on others. This approach, while seemingly promoting self-reliance, actually stems from ingratitude (kafiyat tov) toward Hashem (ה׳). Since all existence is a divine chesed (חסד), denying the value of helping others requires first denying Hashem's beneficence in creation. Sedom's inhabitants convinced themselves that Hashem created the world for His own benefit, not as a kindness to humanity, allowing them to reject any obligation of gratitude or mutual assistance. The shiur contrasts this with the opposite extreme - the am ha'aretz approach of 'mine is yours, yours is mine,' which Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L likens to communism. This philosophy emerges from the opposite problem: without Torah (תורה) knowledge, a person cannot develop any sense of deservingness or entitlement, leading to the belief that no one deserves anything individually. Torah study is what allows a person to justifiably feel entitled to their existence while maintaining proper gratitude to Hashem. The analysis demonstrates how both extremes - Sedom's hyper-individualism and the am ha'aretz's collectivism - stem from theological errors about humanity's relationship with the Divine.
Pirkei Avos 5:10
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Pirkei Avos
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
Up Next in this Series
How was Yitzchok comforted after Sarah's death through marrying Rivka? The Hebrew 'vayinachem' means both comfort and change of direction, revealing that healing comes through shifting focus outward. Depression and mourning are self-absorbed states; true comfort emerges when we channel our pain into caring for others.
How could Avrohom keep the entire Torah before it was given, including rabbinical laws? The key insight is that mitzvos represent eternal spiritual realities, not just historical commemorations, so Avrohom could access these truths through his genuine search. His entire 172-year journey—even his early idolatry—retroactively became service of God once he reached ultimate truth.
Why does the Gemara say Avrohom knew God from age three while the Rambam says forty, after describing his idolatrous past? The principle that baalei teshuvah transform past sins into merits explains how Avrohom's early struggles became retroactive mitzvos once he used that experience to reach other idol worshippers. Unlike Shem and Ever who lacked such background, Avrohom's difficult past became his greatest qualification for helping others.
Why is silence called a "fence for wisdom" in Avos 3:13, and why is a healthy body found only in silence? The shiur develops the principle that speech can emanate from either the intellect or the body's physical drives. When speech expresses physical impulses rather than refined thought, the body gains independent momentum and man deteriorates from "adam" (person) into "basar" (flesh)—the transformation that occurred at the flood.
Why does the Mishna say there are three crowns when it lists four, and why is Kesser Shem Tov superior to the crowns of Torah, Kehunah, and Malchus? The shiur explains that Shem Tov means becoming the living definition of what's humanly possible—like Hillel, Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum, and Yosef HaTzaddik—so others see in you the true standard of halacha and mesirus nefesh. Chanukah celebrates this middah, as the Chashmonaim became the model of devotion, and the Menorah represents the Kesser Shem Tov that rises above all others.
Why does one Mishna say treat your friend like yourself while another says treat him like your rebbe? The shiur distinguishes two levels of friendship: one where a friend helps you be yourself comfortably, requiring kavod ke'shelcha, and a higher level where friends grow together in Torah, requiring kavod ke'mora'acha. The chavrusa system embodies this second level—not just sharing experiences but achieving genuine spiritual growth through mutual criticism and learning.
Why do two Mishnayot in Avos give different formulas for avoiding sin? One emphasizes awareness of divine observation, the other focuses on recognizing our humble origins and destiny. The shiur explores how these represent two levels of change — behavioral modification versus fundamental transformation of thought and self-understanding.
