אבות ב׳:ד׳ - ב׳:ה׳

"Make His [God's] will like your will": Spread your money on 'things of Heaven' "like your will," [meaning] as if you were spreading them for your [own] things. As if you will do this, "He will make His will like your will," meaning to say that He will give you the good with 'a generous eye.'

"so that He will nullify the will of others": He will undo the counsel of all those that come towards you to [do you] bad. And I have heard that this is only a respectful euphemism towards the Higher One. And behold, it is as if it was written, "so that He nullify His will to your will; like that which they said in the chapter [entitled] Bemeh Eesha (Shabbat 63a), "Anyone who does a commandment as it is established (properly), even a decree of seventy years is nullified before him."

"Do not separate yourself from the congregation": but rather share in their troubles. As anyone who separates from the congregation will not [live to] see the consolation of the congregation (Taanit 11a).

"Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death": As behold, Yonatan the High Priest served in the high priesthood eighty years and in the end he became a Sadducee (Berakhot 29a).

"Do not judge your fellow until you come to his place": If you see your fellow come to a test and fail, do not judge him unfavorably until a test like it comes to you and you overcome [it].

"Do not say something that cannot be heard, for in the end it will be heard": That is to say, do not let your words be unclear, such that it is impossible to understand them immediately and at first perusal; and [do not] rely on that if the listener wants to look into them, in the end, he will understand them. As this will bring people to err from your words, lest they err and come to heresy because of you. Another explanation: Do not reveal your secret, even [saying it aloud] only to yourself, as in the end it will be heard, "since the birds of the sky make the voice travel." And the [correct] textual variant according to this explanation is, "for in the end it will be heard." But Rashi had the variant, "Do not say, 'something that can be heard, in the end it will be heard.'" And [according to this,] it is speaking about the words of Torah: Do not say about a Torah teaching that you can hear now, that you will hear it in the end (later), but rather extend your ears and hear it immediately.

"'When I will be available'": from my business, I will involve [myself] in Torah [study].

"A boor (bur)": is empty of everything, and does not even know the nature of buying and selling; and he is worse than an ignorant person. The [Aramaic] translation of (Genesis 47:19) "and the land will not become destroyed" is vearaa la tevur.

"An ignorant person cannot be pious": But it is possible for him to fear sin, as behold, he is an expert in the nature of buying and selling.

"A person prone to being ashamed cannot learn": Since one who is embarrassed to ask, lest they will make fun of him, will always remain with his questions.

"An impatient (exacting) person": A teacher who is impatient with his students when they ask him [questions] cannot teach properly; but rather he needs to cheerfully explain the Halakha (law) to his students.

"Not all who engage in a lot of business become wise": As it is written (Deuteronomy 30:13), "And it is not across the sea" - the Torah is not found among those that travel across the sea (Eruvin 55a).

"In a place where there is no man": to sit at the head and to issue decisions.