No community start suggestion yet.
Why does Avos 3:5 promise that accepting Torah (תורה)'s yoke removes the yoke of government and earning a living? The shiur develops a chiddush from the ten pre-Shabbos (שבת) miracles that shows how nature can elevate itself to serve higher purposes. A person fully devoted to Torah becomes so spiritually elevated that the natural world and even human society instinctively recognize and support their superiority.
Rabbi Zweig delivers a profound analysis of Pirkei Avos 3:5: 'Whoever takes upon himself the yoke of Torah (תורה), we remove from him the yoke of government and the yoke of earning a living.' He addresses three fundamental questions: why the plural language 'we remove,' why these specific rewards, and why Maimonides rejects the interpretation about denying Torah from heaven. The shiur explores the ten miraculous items created on Friday afternoon before the first Shabbos (שבת), explaining how they represent the union between Shabbos and the Jewish people - the missing 'air sign' in creation's marriage pattern. These miracles, including Korach's earth opening, Miriam's well, and Balaam's talking donkey, demonstrate nature achieving higher levels of existence - jumping from inanimate to animate, from animal to human-like intelligence. Rabbi Zweig explains that the well of Miriam represents the animated Land of Israel, where nature responds to Jewish needs rather than being dominated by force. This is why Moshe's hitting the rock instead of speaking to it was problematic - it showed control rather than nature's willing response. The shiur connects this to the tablets where words were 'engraved upon' (not into) the stone, showing freedom (cheirus) rather than invasion. A person fully dedicated to Torah becomes so elevated that the natural world serves them and even governments recognize their superiority, similar to how nations preserve great art and don't destroy human genius. The plural 'we remove' refers to all of nature and society naturally supporting such elevated individuals. However, this only applies to those who accept Torah as divine truth, not merely as wise philosophy - which explains Maimonides' rejected interpretation about denying Torah from heaven.
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
Why does Avos 3:6 describe shechinah differently for Torah study than the Gemara does for prayer? The shiur develops a yesod distinguishing external versus internal relationship with God - prayer accesses external divine presence, while Torah study awakens the godliness within our souls. This explains why Torah study creates unique holiness and offers a path for bringing kedushah into our homes today.
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.
Pirkei Avos 3:5
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!
How can we truly own our possessions while recognizing that everything belongs to God? The shiur develops a yesod from the Akedah that we genuinely own what God gives us, but only for our lifetime unless we use it to serve Him. When we utilize our resources for mitzvos and divine service, we eternalize them beyond death.
