Pirkei Avot

Pirkei Avot is a really famous text in Rabbinic Judaism. According to Rashi, a well-known commentator from 11th-century France, it's called Pirkei Avot because it has the wise words of the early leaders of Judaism. At first, it was just known as Avot, which means "fathers" or "ancestors." It's part of the Mishnah, which is a big book of Jewish laws made in the early 3rd century C.E.

Pirkei Avot is different from other parts of the Mishnah because it tells stories and shares wise sayings, known as Aggadah. It doesn't have any binding legal rules (Halachah), but it's super important because it supports the authority of the rabbis, something the Bible doesn't do. The first two chapters follow the path of Jewish tradition from the time of the revelation at Sinai to the leading rabbis after the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. This unbroken line of tradition is a key reason why the Mishnah is considered important.

In Jewish history, various communities had different ways of reading and studying Pirkei Avot. Some studied it all year round, in both winter and summer. Others focused on it from Passover to Sukkot. Some communities only studied it when the Book of Exodus was being read, specifically from the Sabbath with Parashat Yitro (which includes the Ten Commandments) to the Sabbath with the last part of Exodus.

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Pirke-Avot-Wisdom-Jewish-English/dp/0881255955

Link to read: https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot