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Moshe received the Torah at Sinai
20 min
The text
מֹשֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה.
Moshe received the Torah at Sinai and passed it on to Yehoshua; Yehoshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets passed it on to the men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: be deliberate in judgement, raise up many students, and make a fence around the Torah. (Avot 1:1)
What it teaches
The tractate does not open with advice but with a chain: the Torah we study today has passed from teacher to student, generation after generation, since Mount Sinai. Every class we give or receive is part of that same chain.
The three teachings of the Great Assembly are about responsibility:
- Be deliberate in judgement: do not decide in haste; listen and review before concluding.
- Raise up many students: Torah grows when it is taught.
- Make a fence around the Torah: add safeguards that keep us far from transgression.
Your lesson notebook
To think about
- Who taught you what you know of Torah? Whom are you teaching?
- In which decision this week would “being deliberate in judgement” have helped you?
Write your answers below, in your notes.
In your centre, students write their question here and the teacher receives it together with this lesson. The answer reaches them by email.
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