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How can Pirkei Avos teach both to honor your friend as yourself and to honor your friend as your teacher? The Rambam (רמב"ם)'s three levels of friendship resolve this: relationships based on mutual benefit and acceptance follow "love your neighbor as yourself," while learning partnerships require honoring friends as teachers who foster growth.
Rabbi Zweig begins by presenting an apparent contradiction between two Mishnahs in Pirkei Avos. Perek Beis teaches "Yehi kovod chavercha alecha k'shelcha" (honor your friend as yourself), while Perek Daled states "Yehi kovod chavercha k'morah rabcha" (honor your friend as your teacher). He questions how these can coexist without being a machloket, noting that the Mishna's redaction typically juxtaposes disagreeing opinions rather than separating them across chapters. The resolution comes through examining the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s commentary on "Aseh lecha rav ukneh lecha chaver," where the Rambam defines 'chaver' as one who loves you and quotes Aristotle's three categories of love. The first level is "ohev toeles" - love based on mutual benefit, like business partners who complement each other's skills. This relationship embodies v'ahavta l'reicha kamocha through reciprocal advantage.
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Pirkei Avos 2:10, 4:12
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