Chapter 3

Akavya ben Mahalalel said, “Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: 1. Know from where you came 2. Know where you are going 3. And before whom you are destined to give an accounting for you actions.

Rabbi Chanina the deputy High-Priest taught “Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear of it, men would swallow one another alive”.

Rabbi Chanina the son of Chachinaey taught “One who is awake at night of travels alone on the road, and turns his heart to idleness, indeed he endangers his life”

Rabbi Chalafta ben Dosa of Kfar Chananya explained “If ten people sit together and occupy themselves with Torah, the Divine Presence rests among them”

Rabbi Chanina the son of Dosa would say: One whose fear of sin takes precedence to his wisdom, his wisdom endures. But one whose wisdom takes precedence to his fear of sin, his wisdom does not endure.

One who is pleasing to his fellow men, is pleasing to G-d. But one who is not pleasing to his fellow men, is not pleasing to G-d.

One, who profanes the kodoshim, degrades the Festivals, humiliates his friend in public, abrogates the covenant of our father Abraham, or who interprets the Torah contrary to its true intent… has no share in the World to Come.

Rabbi Akiva would say: Jesting and frivolity accustom a person to promiscuity. Tradition is a safety fence to Torah, tithing a safety fence to wealth, vows a safety fence for abstinence; a safety fence for wisdom is silence.