Avos are the Principles for the rest of the Mishna – The Tragic dilemma behind “Ethics from Sinai”

Iyun Lemachshava English · Oct 15, 2026 · 1m

This lecture examines the organizational structure and purpose of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) within the Mishnah, arguing that "Avot" means "principles" or "categories" rather than "fathers" in a genealogical sense. The discussion challenges Maimonides' interpretation that Pirkei Avot primarily establishes the chain of tradition for the Oral Torah, proposing instead that its generational organization serves as a practical editorial framework for ethical aphorisms that resist thematic categorization. The lecture concludes by addressing a fundamental tension in Jewish thought: the…