The Essential Agus. Steven T. Katz

“saints sitting with their crowns upon their heads, enjoying the radiance of the Shechinah.”¹⁴ But, in this world, the Disciple of the Wise must resist the temptation to withdraw from the community and to contemplate Divine truths in splendid isolation. For, like Moses, he is a “servant of the Lord,” entrusted with His work. It is his task to build up the philanthropic and educational institutions of the community and to supervise their operation. Wherever he settles, “the problems of the city become his problems.”¹⁵ Like the prophet, he knows that his task is in this world, here and now. “More beautiful is one hour of Torah and good deeds in this world than all the delights of the world to come.”¹⁶ But like the pietist, he conceives of Perfection as subsisting beyond the boundaries of “this world”: “Better is one hour in the World to Come than all the glories of this world.”¹⁷ Like the philosopher, the Disciple of the Wise seeks to achieve a harmony and an equilibrium in which no endeavor is carried to excess. But, like the saint, he dares to scale the heights and storm the heavens, seeking the “nearness of the Lord,” with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might. Yet, he knows that to love God is “to be occupied in the upbuilding of the world,” not to nurture in serene isolation a glowing ember in the soul, but to labor in the community so that the Name shall be beloved by all.¹⁸

Unlike the saint, he never forgets the claims of humanity—of family, of work, of innocent delights. He is aware of the “Evil Desire” and of the many ways in which it corrupts man’s best intentions, but, like the philosopher, he reveres the regenerative and intellectual qualities of human nature. “I have created the Evil Desire, but man need not be enslaved by it, if he will be guided by Torah.”¹⁹ The good life is possible, virtue is attainable, “the Lord created man straight” and “the soul which Thou hast given me is pure”;²⁰ “a person commits a sin only when the spirit of folly enters in to him.”²¹ The varied pleasures in life are not evil in themselves, but only when they are abused. Happiness is not only possible, it is mandatory: “And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.” ²² The Shechinah rests upon a man only when he is joyous, and a person will have to render an account for the pleasures that came his way, and he did not enjoy.²³

The ideal, we recall, is not of an intellectual elite, but of all the people: “Every person should try to imitate the ways of a Disciple of the Wise.”²⁴ In practice, only a few will qualify for this distinction: “Who is a Disciple of the Wise?—He who is worthy of being nominated as a leader of the community.” ²⁵

Aristotle speaks of the high-minded man “who is first of all a good citizen,” and “who can rule and be ruled.” The Romans enlarged the virtue of citizenship into the ideal of patriotism. Cicero wrote: “But, when with a rational spirit you have surveyed the whole field, there is no social relation among them all more close, none more dear than that which links each one of us with our country. Parents are dear; dear are children, relatives, friends; but one native land embraces all our loves.”²⁶

Since the Sages did not belong to the governing elite of an independent state, the ideal of citizenship or patriotism assumed among them a different aspect—that of voluntary leadership in behalf of communal needs. They acknowledged the validity of the laws of the imperial government—at least, the later Babylonian rabbis did—“the Law of the government is Law.”²⁷ But they shied away from any close association with the political and military authorities.²⁸ Their patriotism took the form of organizing philanthropic organizations, primarily for the Jews, but by extension also to the entire community.

We are to feed the Gentile poor along with the Jewish poor, to visit the Gentiles who are sick along with the Jewish sick, to bury their dead together with the dead Israelites—in order to multiply the ways of peace.²⁹

As an heir of the prophets, the true disciple is likely to be the storm-center of society. With the vision of Perfection glowing in his mind, he will not be content to submit tamely to entrenched evils: “A Disciple of the Wise who is liked by all the people of the community—it can only be because he does not rebuke them in respect of their duties toward heaven.” ³⁰

While humility is the highest virtue, the leader must be proud of his work and aware of the high worth of his task; hence, in a way, also proud. “A Disciple of the Wise must have one-eighth of one-eighth of pride.”³¹

The Disciples of the Wise supported themselves by their own labors, in order to be independent and unbiased: “Rabban Gamaliel, the son of Rabbi Judah the Prince, used to say: ‘It is good to combine the learning of Torah with the acquisition of worldly skills, for sin is overcome when one labors in both directions. Torah without a craft leads to frustration and sin.’”³² They were to combine the refinement of feeling, the training of the intellect, and the rigors of practical leadership.

      Rabbi Hanina, the son of Dosa, used to say: “He whose fear of sin is prior to his wisdom, his wisdom will endure. But if his wisdom is prior to his fear of sin, his wisdom will not endure.

      “If his deeds are more than his wisdom, his wisdom will endure, but if his wisdom exceeds his deeds, his wisdom will not endure.

“If one is liked by his fellow men, he is liked by the All-Present; if one is disliked by his fellow men, he is disliked by the All-Present.” ³³

      Following are some of the guidelines of the ideal disciple.

      Ben Zoma used to say:

“Who is the Wise Man?—He who learns from all . . . Who is the wealthy man?—He who rejoices with his portion . . . Who is the mighty man?—He who conquers his own desire . . . Who is the truly honored man?—He who honors his fellow men. . . .”³⁴

      Rabbi Zadok used to say:

“Do not separate yourself from the community and do not make yourself into a pleader of private causes, and do not make your learning a crown in which to glory or an axe with which to dig.” So too Hillel would say, “He who utilizes the garment of a scholar for private purposes is doomed.” Hence, you learn that he who makes personal profit from the words of Torah takes his life from the world.³⁵

      Yehudah ben Tema used to say:

      “Be fierce as a tiger, light as an eagle, swift as a deer and heroic like a lion to do the will of your father in heaven.