Pirke Avot

Questions for Further Study

• 1. Compare this document with the Sefer Yetzirah. The date attached to both is 200 CE, yet the two documents and the motivations behind them differ widely. Explain how. Specifically, explain how the two documents represent divergent strands in Jewish thought.
• 2. A considerable amount of religious literature consists of wisdom passed down from seminal thinkers to followers throughout the ages. Locate another document that consists of such wisdom; an example might be the “Instructions of Ptahhotep.” How does each document represent a different set of cultural traditions?
• 3. What was significant about the so-called Rabbinic Period? What historical circumstances gave rise to the Rabbinic Period?
• 4. Why would a non-Jew show any particular interest in the Pirke Avot?
• 5. What is the fundamental difference between the Oral Torah and the Written Torah, other than the obvious difference suggested by the names? How did the distinction between the two play out in Jewish history and in the development of a uniquely Jewish culture and set of traditions?