1 Rabbi said: What straight path should a person choose? One that honors the person who adopts it and [as a result] brings him honor from others. And be as careful with a minor commandment as with a major one,⁠a for you do not know the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments.⁠b Also, weigh the loss [that may result from fulfilling] a commandment against the reward [that comes] from it, and the gain [that may result from committing] a transgression against the loss [that comes] from it.⁠c Keep three things in mind and you will not fall into sin: Know what is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are written in a book.⁠d 2 Rabban Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah Hanasi said: studying the Torah is excellent when combined with an occupation, for working hard at both keeps sin out of one’s mind;⁠e but [study of the] Torah which is not combined with an occupation is eventually neglected and causes sin. And all who work for the community should work for it for the sake of Heaven, for the merit of their ancestors sustains them (the community), and their (the ancestors’) righteousness endures forever; and as for you, [God says in such a case] I credit you with a rich reward, as if you [yourselves] had [actually] accomplished [it all]. 3 Be careful [in your dealings] with the ruling authorities for they do not befriend a person unless it serves their own needs; they seem like friends when it is in their own interest, but they do not stand by a person in distress. 4 He used to say: do His will as though it were your will, so that He will do your will as though it were His. Set aside your will for His will, so that He may set aside the will of others for the sake of your will. Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community. Do not trust yourself until the day of your death.⁠f Do not judge another person until you have been in his position.⁠g Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood. Do not say: ‘when I have free time, I will study;’ perhaps you will not have free time. 5 He used to say: An uncultivated person does not fear sin, and an ignorant person is not pious; a timid person cannot learn, and an impatient person cannot teach; nor will someone who engages too much in business become wise. In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man. 6 He also saw a skull floating on the water. He said to it: because you drowned others, they drowned you. And in the end, those who drowned you will be drowned. 7 He used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; The more property, the more anxiety; The more wives, the more witchcraft; The more female slaves, the more sexual misconduct; The more slaves, the more robbery; [But] the more Torah, the more life; The more time spent [in the company of scholars], the more wisdom; The more counsel, the more understanding; The more charity, the more peace. If someone gains a good name, he has gained something for himself; If someone gains knowledge of Torah, he has acquired life in the world to come. 8 Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai received [the oral tradition] from Hillel and Shammai. He used to say: if you have learned much Torah, do not claim credit for yourself, because you were created for this purpose. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai had five disciples and they were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, Rabbi Yose, the priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nethaneel, and Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach. He [Rabbi Yohanan] used to list their outstanding virtues: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus is a plastered cistern that does not lose a drop; Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah: happy is the woman who gave birth to him; Rabbi Yose, the priest, is a pious man; Rabbi Shimon ben Nethaneel fears sin, and Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach is like a spring that [always] grows stronger. He [Rabbi Yohanan] used to say: if all the sages of Israel were on one scale of the balance and Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus on the other scale, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul said in his name: if all the sages of Israel were on one scale of the balance, and Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus also with them, and Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach on the other scale, he would outweigh them all. 9 He [Rabban Yohanan] said to them: go and see: what is the right way for a person to hold to? Rabbi Eliezer said, a good eye; Rabbi Joshua said, a good companion; Rabbi Yose said, a good neighbor; Rabbi Shimon said, foresight. Rabbi Elazar said, a good heart. He [Rabban Yohanan] said to them: I prefer the words of Elazar ben Arach, for his words include yours.⁠h He [Rabban Yohanan] said to them: go and see: what is the evil way that a person should avoid? Rabbi Eliezer said, an evil eye; Rabbi Joshua said, an evil companion; Rabbi Yose said, an evil neighbor; Rabbi Shimon said, one who borrows and does not repay, for someone who borrows from another person is like someone who borrows from God, blessed be He, as it is said, “the wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously” (Psalms 37:21). Rabbi Elazar said, an evil heart. He [Rabban Yohanan] said to them: I prefer the words of Elazar ben Arach, for his words include yours. 10 They [each] said three things: Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your friend be as dear to you as your own;⁠i and do not be easily provoked to anger; and repent one day before your death. And [he also said:] warm yourself before the fire of the wise, but beware of being singed by their glowing coals, for their bite is the bite of a fox, and their sting is the sting of a scorpion, and their hiss is the hiss of a snake, and all their words are like coals of fire. 11 Rabbi Joshua said: an evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred for humankind drive a person out of the world.⁠j 12 Rabbi Yose said: Let the property of your neighbor be as precious to you as your own; Prepare yourself to study Torah for it will not be yours by inheritance; and let all your actions be for [the sake of] the name of heaven.⁠k 13 Rabbi Shimon said: Be careful to recite the Shema and the prayer, and when you pray, do not make your prayer something automatic, but a plea for compassion before God, for it is said: “for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and renouncing punishment” (Joel 2:13); and do not regard yourself as wicked. 14 Rabbi Elazar said: Be diligent in the study of the Torah; and know how to answer an epicuros (a heretic), and know for whom you work, and that your employer is faithful, for He will pay you the reward of your labor.⁠l 15 Rabbi Tarfon said: the day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the laborers are lazy, and the reward is great, and the master of the house is insistent.⁠m 16 He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say: It is not your duty to finish the work, but you are not free to neglect it either; If you have studied much Torah, you shall be given much reward. Your employer is faithful and will pay you the reward of your labor; and know that the righteous receive their reward in the age to come.