Pirkei Avot Study (Congregation Shalom Rav)

Pirkei Avot is a tractate in the Mishnah. From at least the time of Saadia Gaon (10th century), it has been customary to study one chapter a week between Passover and Shavuot; we will follow that tradition from 20 April – 1 June, 2025. Weekly, Sundays 9:30 – 10:30 am. Led by Ya’akov Love. Via Zoom.
Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of Our Fathers”) contains almost no laws, consisting instead of short statements of advice, ethics, and wisdom. The first chapter outlines the stages of the transmission of the Oral Torah, beginning with Moses at Mount Sinai and continuing through the prophets and sages. The next four chapters contain statements of rabbinic sages, largely in chronological order. The last chapter focuses on the merits of Torah study.  We will use Sefaria as our primary source text, supplemented by traditional and modern commentaries – including excerpts from The Baal Shem Tov on Pirkey Avoth.  An Introduction doc and Brief Biographies of the Sages with chronological timeline is provided for reference.