Avos 3:6 - 3:7

"Ten who are sitting in judgement": is the textual variant we [follow].

:"'in the congregation of God'”: And there is no 'congregation' (edah) that is less than ten. As it is stated with the [twelve] scouts (Numbers 14:27), "Until when will this evil congregation": subtracting Yehoshua and Calev, behold, ten.

"And from where [is there proof that this is true] even [when there are only] five? As it is said (Psalms 82:1), 'In the midst of judges He judges'”: Three judges and two litigants.

"And from where even three? As it is said, 'And He has founded His band upon the earth'”: Fire and air and water - which are three - "He has founded upon the earth;" [as they] surround the fundamental element of earth. Behold to you, three are called a "band." And also (another explanation is) we have found that three are called a band [with] a "band of hyssop," which are three stalks. And some books have written in them, "From where [is there proof that this is true] even [when there are only] five? As it is said (Amos 9:6), 'and He has founded His band upon the earth'”; as a man bands together [things] into his one hand, which has five fingers; and [so] the group of fingers in the hand is called a band. And in the beginning of the verse it states, "He Who builds His upper chambers in the heavens," which is to say [that] the Divine Presence - which is in the heavens - comes down to the earth when there is a band there, that is involved with Torah. [And the continuation of this textual variant is:] "From where even three? As it is said (Psalms 82:1), 'In the midst of judges He judges.'”

"'since he takes (natal) for it'”: [It is] an expression of covering: the [Aramaic] translation of (Exodus 40:3) "and you will cover" is 'vetatel;' which is to say the Divine Presence hovers upon him.

"Give Him from what is His": Do not prevent yourself from being involved in matters of Heaven, whether with your body or whether with your money (as you are not giving from yours, not from your body and not form your money), as you and your money are His.

"'How lovely is this tree! And how lovely is this newly plowed field'": This is true of all idle talk, but it is speaking according to what is common; as it is the way of wayfarers to speak about what they see with their eyes. And some say that it comes to make us understand a novelty: that even though through this, he will make the blessing, 'Blessed is He, Who it is like this in His world;' nonetheless, Scripture considers it as if he was liable for his life, because he interrupted his study.

"'nir (newly plowed field)'": The furrow of a plow, as in (Jeremiah 4:3), "plow for yourselves a furrow."