אבות ב׳:ו׳ - ב׳:ז׳

"Since you drowned [others, others] drowned you": You were an evildoer and you robbed the creatures and drowned them in the river. And with that same measure (treatment), you were measured (treated).

"And in the end, those that drowned you will be drowned": As the matter was not given to their hands to kill you, but rather to the court. And the Holy One, blessed be He, give you over to their hands, 'as guilt is passed on to the guilty,' and [so] He will afterwards require [the punishment for] your death from them.

"The more flesh, the more worms": One who engages in much eating and drinking to the point that he becomes fat and fleshy, increases the worms upon himself in the grave; and worms are as hard for the dead as a needle is for living flesh. And this teacher let us understand that all increase is difficult for a man except for the increase of Torah, wisdom and charity.

"the more worry": Lest they rob him on behalf of the king's estate or lest bandits come upon him and kill him. And a certain pious man would pray, "May the Ominpresent save me from the spreading of the soul." And they inquired from him, "What is the spreading of the soul?" He said [back] to them that it [means] that his possessions should be numerous and spread out in many places, and [so] he would have to spread his soul to think in [this direction and that direction].

"The more wives, the more witchcraft": He went and mentioned it in order: At first, a man adorns himself and eats and drinks and engages in eating much meat; and afterwards he seeks to acquire much property; and after he has acquired much property and he sees that he has enough in his hand to support many wives, he [marries] many wives; and after he [marries] many wives, each one needs a maidservant to serve her - behold, this is "the more maidservants;" and since he has so many members of his household, he needs fields and vineyards to supply wine and food to the members of his household, and [so] acquires many slaves to work the fields and vineyards. Hence, they are learned in this order.

The more Torah, the more life": As it is written (Deuteronomy 30:20), "for it is your life and the length of your days."

"the more wisdom": As he gives reasons for his words and his reasoning sits well with the heart of the listeners.

"The more sitting [and studying]": Many students gather and come to hear his analyses. And some have the textual variant, "the more sitting, the more wisdom" - one who [teaches] many students [has] the students sharpen him and add and increase to his wisdom.

"The more counsel": One who frequently takes counsel, increases understanding - he understands one thing from another, from the counsels that his advisers have given him.

"The more charity (tsedekah)": as it is stated (Isaiah 32:17), "And the act of righteousness (tsedekah) will be peace."