10. Rabban Jochanan, the son of Zakkai, had five disciples, and these are they: Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Hyrcanus; Rabbi Joshua, the son of Hananiah; Rabbi Jose, the Priest; Rabbi Simeon, the son of Nataniel; and Rabbi Eleazar, the son of Arach. 11. He used thus to recount their praise: "Eliezer, the son of Hyrcanus, is a cemented cistern, which loses not a drop; Joshua, the son of Hananiah, happy is she that bare him; Jose, the Priest, is a pious man; Simeon, the son of Nataniel, is a fearer of sin; Eleazar, the son of Arach, is like a spring flowing with ever-sustained vigor." 12. He used to say, "If all the sages of Israel were in one scale of the balance, and Eliezer, the son of Hyrcanus, in the other, he would outweigh them all." Abba Saul said in his name, "If all the sages of Israel were in one scale of the balance, and Eliezer, the son of Hyrcanus, also with them, and Eleazar, the son of Arach, in the other scale, he would outweigh them all." 13. He said to them, "Go forth and see which is the good way to which a man should cleave." R. Eliezer said, "A good eye"; R. Joshua said, "A good friend"; R. Jose said, "A good neighbor"; R. Simeon said, "One who foresees the fruit of an action"; R. Eleazar said, "A good heart." Thereupon he said to them, "I approve of the words of Eleazar, the son of Arach, rather than your words, for in his words yours are included." 14. He said to them, "Go forth and see which is the evil way that a man should shun." R. Eliezer said, "An evil eye"; R. Joshua said, "A bad friend"; R. Jose said, "A bad neighbor"; R. Simeon said, "One who borrows and does not repay—it is the same whether one borrows from man or the Omnipresent; as it is said, 'The wicked borroweth and payeth not again, but the righteous dealeth graciously and giveth'"; R. Eleazar said, "A bad heart." Thereupon he said to them, "I approve of the words of Eleazar, the son of Arach, rather then your words, for in his words yours are included."
15. They each said three things. R. Eliezer said, "Let thy friend's honor be as dear to thee as thine own; be not easily excited to anger; and repent one day before thy death." And (he further said), "Warm thyself by the fire of the wise, but beware of their glowing coals, lest thou be burnt, for their bite is the bite of the fox, and their sting is the scorpion's sting, and their hiss is the serpent's hiss, and all their words are like coals of fire." 16. R. Joshua said, "The evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of his fellow-creatures, put a man out of the world." 17. R. Jose said, "Let the property of thy friend be as dear to thee as thine own; prepare thyself for the study of Torah, since the knowledge of it is not an inheritance of thine, and let all thy deeds be done in the name of God." 18. R. Simeon said, "Be careful in reading the Shema and the Amidah; and when thou prayest, consider not thy prayer as a fixed (mechanical) task, but as (an appeal for) mercy and grace before the All-present, as it is said, 'For he is gracious and full of mercy, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness, and repenteth him of the evil'; and be not wicked in thine own esteem." 19. R. Eleazar said, "Be diligent in studying Torah, and know what answer to give to the unbeliever; know also before whom thou toilest, and who thy Employer is, who will pay thee the reward of thy labor."
20. Rabbi Tafron said, "The day is short, the task is great, the laborers are sluggish, the reward is much, and the Master of the house is urgent." 21. He also used to say, "It is not thy duty to complete the work, but neither art thou free to desist from it; if thou hast studied much Torah, much reward will be given thee; and faithful is thy Employer to pay thee the reward of thy labor; and know that the grant of reward unto the righteous will be in the time to come."
Rabbi Chanania, the son of Akashia, said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, was pleased to make Israel worthy; wherefore He gave them a copious Torah and many commandments, as it is said, 'It pleased the Lord, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify the Torah and make it honorable'".
CHAPTER III
All Israel have a portion in the world to come, and it is said, "And thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified".
1. Akabia, the son of Mahalalel, said, "Consider three things, and thou wilt not come within the power of sin: know whence thou camest, and whither thou art going, and before whom thou wilt in the future have to give an account and reckoning. Whence thou camest: from a fetid drop; whether thou art going: to a place of dust, worms, and maggots; and before whom thou wilt in the future have to give an account and reckoning: before the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He."
2. R. Chanina, the Vice-High-Priest, said, "Pray for the welfare of the government, since but for the fear thereof men would swallow each other alive."
3. R. Chananiah, the son of Teradion, said, "If two sit together and interchange no words of Torah, they are a meeting of scorners, concerning whom it is said, 'The godly man sitteth not in the seat of the scorners'; but if two sit together and interchange words of Torah, the Divine Presence abides among them; as it is said, 'Then they that feared the Lord spake one with the other; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.' Now the Scripture enables me to draw this inference in respect to two persons; whence can it be deduced that if even one person sedulously occupies himself with the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, appoints unto him a reward? Because it is said, 'though he sit alone, and meditate in stillness, yet he taketh it (the reward) upon him.'"
4. R. Simeon said, "If three have eaten at a table and have spoken there no words of Torah, it is as if they had eaten of sacrifices to dead idols, of whom it is said, 'For all their tables are full of vomit and filthiness; the All-present is not (in their thoughts).' But if three have eaten at a table and have spoken there words of Torah, it is as if they had eaten at the table of the All-present, for Scripture says, 'And he said unto me, This is the table that is before the Lord.'"