The mishna that we read now resembles a mishna we read just a short while ago. This mishna says:
"Rabban Gamliel said, make for yourself a rabbi, remove yourself from doubt, and do not frequently give tithes by estimation."
The previous mishna was in the beginning of this first chapter of Avos:
Yehoshua Ben Perachyah And Nittai Of Arbel Received [The Oral Tradition] From Them. Yehoshua Ben Perachyah Said: "make for yourself a rabbi, acquire for yourself a friend and judge every person favorably".
We explained thtat saying of R. Yeshoshua ben Perachia as follows:
"Make for yourself a Rav":
Now that the descendents of Hasmoneans are making a mockery and perversion of Shimon Hatsadik's vision of a religious polity based on Torah, Temple Service and interpersonal knidness, the pious ones must separate into a distinct community headed by a learned leader who is a repository of the tradition;
and "acquire for yourself a friend" - create a religious fellowship of like minded individuals who subject themselves to the same religious vision and its disciplinen;
but, do not become so inbred that you begin to view all those outside of your narrow group as heretics and evil-doers. Rather, "judge each person favorably".
Extending this thought, we approach our current mishna as also signifying a turn in the unfoldng of the Masorah. This might sound like a novel approach but it really is not, for a classic commentator has aready preceded us in it.
"Some say that from this point onward that the term "kabbola ( reception)" is no longer used because the early authorities, the title Rav or Rabbon is not used by them, that is why they are described in terms of them receiving traditions all the way back to Moshe Rabbeinu for the Almighty. Perhaps form now on , now that the (leaders) are described by titles of Rabbi and Rabbon, this is no longer needed ( Midrash Shmuel in the name of Lev Avos ad loc.)."
As background: R. Sherira wrote in his Iggeres that, "godol me'rav -- :rabbi, godol me'rabbi -- rabbon, godol me'rabbon -- sh'mo" ( see here). What this means that the earleist authorities were called simply by their names, Hillel, Shamai and the like. Later the tile Rabbon came into use and even later the terms rabbi began to be used. (Parenthetically the term "abba" was used for a short time as well, as in Abba Shaul or Abba Chilkiah, but it was dropped by Jews after Christians began to call their priests "Father" ( the term abott and abbey come from this same root).
What Lev Avos is suggesting that when the possession of tradition was the sole basis for religious leadership, there were no titles. You either knew the traditions or you did not. If you did, you transmitted them to others and that was authority enough. Unfortunately at some point this was no longer sufficient since many disagreements arose in Israel. There were many doubts. Once personal interpetation began to be more widely employed, titles became necessary to grant legitimacy and authority to those who interpreted, and these people were now called "Rabbis".
If so, we can understand why it was Rabbon Gamliel who enunciated the need "to make a Rav". Gamaliel the Elder was the grandson of the great Hillel, and died twenty years before the destruction of the Temple. Seven leaders of Hillel's school of thought, of which Gamaliel was the first, are given the title Rabban. What he is saying is that in his day, a Jew needed to attach himslef to an individual who had a title of "Rav" and was able to interpret the traditions and the Biblical texts. Once you do this, you remove yourself from doubts because you will be able tor rely on a "Rav". This general attitude infomrs also the third piece of advice, "do not frequently give tithes by estimation." This is an expression of the same attitude that one should seek certainty and conclusiveness in the performance of mitzvos, even in situations in which estimation appears to be praiseworthy.
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