Mishnayos Avos Perek 6 Mishnah 11
Change text layout:
אבות פרק ו׳ משנה י"א
Whatever the Holy Blessed One created in His world, he created only for His glory, as it is said: “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created, formed and made for My glory” (Isaiah 43:7), And it says: “The Lord shall reign for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:18).
Said Rabbi Hananiah ben Akashya: It pleased the Holy Blessed One to grant merit to Israel, that is why He gave them Torah and commandments in abundance, as it is said, “The Lord was pleased for His righteousness, to make Torah great and glorious” (Isaiah 42:21).
כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ, לֹא בְרָאוֹ אֶלָּא לִכְבוֹדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מג), כֹּל הַנִּקְרָא בִשְׁמִי וְלִכְבוֹדִי בְּרָאתִיו יְצַרְתִּיו אַף עֲשִׂיתִיו, וְאוֹמֵר (שמות טו), יְהֹוָה יִמְלֹךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד.
רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָא בֶּן עֲקַשְׁיָא אוֹמֵר, רָצָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ הִרְבָּה לָהֶם תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מב) ה' חָפֵץ לְמַעַן צִדְקוֹ יַגְדִּיל תּוֹרָה וְיַאְדִּיר:
Rashi
Only for His honor: [meaning,] for his praise.
Rabbi Chananya ben Akashia says, etc.: He did not say his statement concerning Tractate Avot, but rather in Tractate Makkot in [the chapter entitled] Ellu hen HaLokin. And since there is a nice ending to it, all the people are accustomed to say it at the end of each and every chapter, since we do not say Kaddish over mishnah but rather over aggadah (homiletical teachings). As the master said (Sotah 49a), ("Upon what does the world survive? Upon the Kedushah of the order) and upon the [declaration in Kaddish,] 'May His name be exalted' of aggadah." And these [chapters] were called The Chapters of the Fathers because they are the words that were arranged of the first fathers - that received the Torah one from another. For example, Moshe and Yehoshua and the elders [received it] one from the other, up until the men of the Great Assembly and Shammai and Hillel and Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and their students. And Rebbi [who redacted the Mishnah] let us know how their actions were correct and that they would caution the people of their generations and guide them in the straight path. So too is it fitting for each sage to caution the people of his generation and to let them know of the straight path.
אֶלָּא לִכְבוֹדוֹ. לְשִׁבְחוֹ:
רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָא בֶּן עֲקַשְׁיָא אוֹמֵר וְכוּ'. לֹא אָמַר לְמִלְּתֵיהּ גַּבֵּי מַסֶּכֶת אָבוֹת, אֶלָּא בְּמַסֶּכֶת מַכּוֹת בְּאֵלּוּ הֵן הַלּוֹקִין, וּלְפִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ סִיּוּם נָאֶה נָהֲגוּ כָּל הָעָם לְאָמְרוֹ בְּסוֹף כָּל פֶּרֶק וּפֶרֶק, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין אוֹמְרִים קַדִּישׁ עַל הַמִּשְׁנָה אֶלָּא עַל הָאַגָּדָה, דְּאָמַר מַר [סוֹטָה מט.] וִיהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא דְּאַגַּדְתָּא. וְנִקְרְאוּ אֵלּוּ פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּסְדְּרוּ הֵנָּה דִּבְרֵי אָבוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה זֶה מִזֶּה, כְּגוֹן מֹשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וְהַזְּקֵנִים זֶה מִזֶּה עַד אַנְשֵׁי כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה וְשַׁמַּאי וְהִלֵּל רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי וְתַלְמִידָיו, וְהוֹדִיעָנוּ רַבִּי אֵיךְ הָיוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם נְכוֹנִים וְהָיוּ מַזְהִירִים לְאַנְשֵׁי דּוֹרָם וּמַדְרִיכִים אוֹתָם בְּדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה, כְּמוֹ כֵן רָאוּי לְכָל חָכָם לְהַזְהִיר אֶת בְּנֵי דּוֹרוֹ וּלְהוֹדִיעָם דֶּרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה: