Pirke Avot: Interdependent Pairs

(יז) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין חָכְמָה, אֵין יִרְאָה. אִם אֵין יִרְאָה, אֵין חָכְמָה. אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה. אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח.

Pirkei Avot 3:17

(17) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no derech eretz; if there is derech eretz, there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour.

Interdependent pairs are energy systems within which we live and work. Technically, we are born into an interdepndent pair––inhaling and exhaling. Organizations come into existence struggling with another interdependent pair––vision and reality. While interdependent pairs need each other over time to create positive and sustainable results, it is the nature of being interdependent that results in conflict. The ongoing interplay of the pairs produces benefits––and weaknesses if mismanaged. Since we cannot manage what we cannot see, as these polarities are seen as problems we will try to solve something that cannot be solved. ––Jean Ertel Davidson, "The Infinite Power of Polarities"

ויקרא רבה ט׳:ג׳

(ג) מעשה ברבי ינאי, שהיה מהלך בדרך וראה אדם אחד שהיה משופע ביותר. א"ל: משגח רבי מתקבלא גבן? אמר לו: אין. הכניסו לביתו האכילו והשקהו. בדקו במקרא ולא מצאו, במשנה ולא מצאו, באגדה ולא מצאו, בתלמוד ולא מצאו. א"ל: סב בריך. א"ל: יברך ינאי בביתיה. א"ל: אית בך אמר מה דאנא אמר לך? א"ל: אין. א"ל: אמור אכול כלבא פיסתיא דינאי, קם תפסיה. א"ל: ירותתי גבך דאת מונע לי. א"ל ומה ירתותך גבי? א"ל: חד זמן הוינא עבר קמי בית ספרא, ושמעית קלהון דמניקיא אמרין (דברים לב): תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב, מורשה קהלת ינאי אין כתיב כאן, אלא קהלת יעקב?! א"ל: למה זכיתה למיכלא על פתורי? אמר לו: מיומי לא שמעית מילא בישא וחזרתי למרה, ולא חמית תרין דמתכתשין דין עם דין, ולא יהבית שלמא ביניהון. א"ל: כל הדא דרך ארץ גבך וקריתך כלבא?! .... דאמר רבי ישמעאל בר רב נחמן: עשרים וששה דורות קדמה דרך ארץ את התורה, הדא הוא דכתיב (בראשית ג): לשמור את דרך עץ החיים. דרך זו דרך ארץ ואח"כ עץ החיים, זו תורה.

Vayikra Rabbah 9:3

(3) Rabbi Yannai was once walking along the road, and saw a man who was extremely well dressed. Rabbi Yannai said to him: Would you like to come over to my house? The man replied: Yes. Rabbi Yannai brought him into his home, and gave him food and drink. As they were eating and drinking together, he examined him in his knowledge of Bible, and found out that he had none; examined his knowledge of Mishnah, and realized that he had none; his knowledge of legends, and saw that he had none; his knowledge of Talmud and saw he had none. Rabbi Yannai then told him: Wash and recite grace. Said the guest: Let Yannai recite grace in his own home. Seeing that he could not even recite a blessing, Yannai told him: Can you at least repeat what I say? Said he: Yes. Said Rabbi Yannai: repeat the following: 'A dog has eaten Yannai's bread.' Offended, the man stood up, and grabbed Rabbi Yannai by the coat! He then said: My inheritance is with you, and you are withholding it from me! Said Rabbi Yannai with puzzlement: What legacy of yours is there with me? He replied: Once I passed by a school, and I heard the voices of the little children saying: 'Moses gave us the Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.' They did not say 'the inheritance of the congregation of Yannai,' but the 'congregation of Jacob.' Rabbi Yannai asked, “How then are you worthy to eat at my table?” The guest replied, “Never have I heard an evil word spoken against me and returned to argue with the person who spoke it. Never have I seen two people arguing without making peace between them.” Rabbi Yannai then said, “you have so much Derech Eretz and I called you a dog.” ... Rabbi Ishmael son of rav Nachman said: Derech eretz precedes Torah by 26 generations, since it is written “and to guard the way to the Tree of Life” (Genesis 3). “Way” is the derech eretz, and only after that comes “Tree of Life” which is Torah.

משנה אבות ב׳:ב׳

(ב) רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא אוֹמֵר, יָפֶה תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה עִם דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, שֶׁיְּגִיעַת שְׁנֵיהֶם מְשַׁכַּחַת עָוֹן. וְכָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין עִמָּהּ מְלָאכָה, סוֹפָהּ בְּטֵלָה וְגוֹרֶרֶת עָוֹן. וְכָל הָעֲמֵלִים עִם הַצִּבּוּר, יִהְיוּ עֲמֵלִים עִמָּהֶם לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁזְּכוּת אֲבוֹתָם מְסַיַּעְתָּן וְצִדְקָתָם עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד. וְאַתֶּם, מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה כְּאִלּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם:

Pirkei Avot 2:2

(2) Rabban Gamliel the son of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi said: Excellent is the study of the Torah together with derech eretz; for the exertion [expended] in both of them causes sin to be forgotten. And all [study of the] Torah in the absence of a derech eretz mean to nothing in the end and leads to sin. And all who work for the community, let them work for the [sake of the] name of Heaven; for the merit of their ancestors sustains them, And their righteousness (tsidkatam) will endure forever. And as for you [who work for the community, God says:] I credit you with a great reward, as if you [yourselves] had done it [on your own].

משנה אבות ג׳:ט׳

(ט) רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן דּוֹסָא אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁיִּרְאַת חֶטְאוֹ קוֹדֶמֶת לְחָכְמָתוֹ, חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. וְכָל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ קוֹדֶמֶת לְיִרְאַת חֶטְאוֹ, אֵין חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. וְכָל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, אֵין חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת:

Pirkei Avot 3:9

(9) Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa says: Anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom endures. And anyone whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom does not endure. He would [also] say: Anyone whose actions are more plentiful than his wisdom, his wisdom endures. And anyone whose wisdom is more plentiful than his actions, his wisdom does not endure.

Derech Eretz:
What is "Derech Eretz" and How Does it Relate to Ethics? You may have heard derech eretz as a term related to the way in which a Jew should behave. The Hebrew term derech eretz (literally "the way of the land") is a difficult one to define with precision. It has been defined as decency, decorum, etiquette, proper manners, common courtesy, and even savoirfaire. But the Hebrew term definitely has its ethical implications. As a whole, derech eretz refers to a code of proper behavior towards people ––– Ronald Isaacs

A bemused poet once sought out to discover the origin of poetry. He first thought that poetry came from sleep. But one night, he didn't sleep at all, and in the morning he wrote a spectacular poem. He then thought it came from meditation in solitude. But one evening he attended a huge gathering, and in the midst of the throng he was inspired all at once to write some inspired verse. Finally he tried fasting. And lo and behold, without food he found that his faculties would not function properly: his powers of concentration were gone. At last the poet was certain: Good poetry comes from the stomach!

משנה אבות א׳:י״ד

(יד) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי:

Pirkei Avot 1:14

(14) He [Rabbi Hillel] used to say: If I am not for me, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?