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What Is Pirkei Avot?
Ethics of the Fathers — an introduction
A Unique Tractate
Pirkei Avot — literally 'Chapters of the Fathers' — is a tractate of the Mishnah unlike any other. While most of the Mishnah deals with Jewish law, Pirkei Avot is devoted entirely to ethics, wisdom, and moral instruction. It is a collection of teachings from the great sages of the Mishnaic era, spanning roughly five centuries from the Men of the Great Assembly to the Tannaim of the second century CE.
The text opens with a chain of transmission — the mesorah — tracing the Torah from Moses at Sinai through Joshua, the Elders, the Prophets, and the Men of the Great Assembly. This chain is not merely historical; it is the foundation of the entire enterprise. As Rabbi Dunner explores in his commentary, the concept of mesorah — faithful transmission from teacher to student — is central to everything Pirkei Avot teaches about how wisdom is acquired and passed on.
Why It Is Studied
Pirkei Avot is traditionally studied on Shabbat afternoons between Passover and Rosh Hashana — one chapter each week. This custom has made it one of the most widely studied texts in the Jewish world, familiar to observant Jews across all communities and traditions. Its teachings are pithy, memorable, and endlessly applicable: 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?' (Hillel, Avot 1:14).
Rabbi Dunner's commentary approaches each mishnah as a living teaching — not a historical artifact but a direct address to the reader. Drawing on classical commentators including Rashi, Rambam, Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura, and the Maharal of Prague, as well as Chasidic masters and modern thinkers, each lesson opens up layers of meaning that a surface reading cannot reveal.
The Complete Commentary
Rabbi Dunner's Pirkei Avot series comprises thirty-five lessons covering every mishnah in the tractate. Each lesson is available to read, watch on video, and listen as a podcast. The series is designed to be followed from beginning to end — or dipped into at any point — and is suitable for readers at every level of Jewish knowledge.
Explore the Complete Series
Thirty-five lessons on every mishnah in Pirkei Avot — available to read, watch, and listen.