Books

Midrash David is a fresh take on Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers, written by the grandson of the esteemed Rambam. As the inheritor of the “Nagid” title from his father, Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam, Rabbenu David HaNagid provides readers with the historical context of the lives of the Sages who compiled Pirke Avot. Like his grandfather, he codifies topics elegantly; his clear, accessible ideas and life lessons provide a practical guide for readers seeking not only to understand Pirke Avot’s simplistic beauty but to apply its wisdom to their everyday lives.

Now available in English in a newly edited and meticulously researched translation, this magnificent work, written by a hacham from the ancient Andalusian-Spanish tradition, offers modern readers with a brand-new perspective on ancient wisdom steeped in timeless mesorah.

About the author:

Rabbi Yehoshua Berdugo was born in Miami, Florida, and studied under Rabbi Zweig at Yeshiva Ve Kollel Bet Moshe Haim. He received his semichah from the Av Bet Din, HaGeon Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim, and the Chief Rabbi of Montreal, Rabbi David Sabbah. He is currently pursuing his dayanut through Eretz Hemdah while translating and commenting on sefarim and bringing forgotten texts to the masses. He lives in Hollywood, Florida, with his wife and three children, and he works as the head of Theme Park and Experiential Development for Nickelodeon Universe and Dreamworks Waterpark. Learn More

It's Your Life. Live It Well. Let "Avos" Show You How.

• Shidduch not working out and you are SO upset. Take a hint how to behave from Rav Chaim Volozhin, who learned it from Rabban Gamliel -- in Pirkei Avos.
• It's just one of those days when nothing goes right for you. Time to read about the cheder rebbe who lost the $10,000 he’d borrowed for his child’s wedding, but who did not lose his temper or composure, because of something he'd learned from Ben Azai - in Pirkei Avos.
• You try and you try and you try ... and you don't succeed in learning. See what the Steipler had to say to a struggling bachur and how Rabbi Chalafta ben Dosa solved the problem - in Pirkei Avos.

For more than 1000 years , Jews have spent long summer Shabbos afternoons studying the holy words of Pirkei Avos. Amazingly, the wisdom the Tannaim shared with us two millennia ago is still relevant, still contemporary - still guiding us to live the best lives we can.

In The Eternal Wisdom of Pirkei Avos master teacher and storyteller Rabbi Yechiel Spero shares with us an insight, a story, and a takeaway for every mishnah in Pirkei Avos. By combining the brilliant understanding of the Tannaim with stories as contemporary as today, Rabbi Spero offers us a powerful way to bring the messages of Pirkei Avos into our daily challenges and experiences, enhancing our relationships and bringing new, joyful meaning to our lives. Learn More

Now this masterpiece is available in clear, fluid English, with fully-vowelized Hebrew text, illuminating explanatory notes, and an extensive introduction for historical context and overall perspective.

The Meiri on Pirkei Avos offers a unique synthesis that illuminates the essence of living a life of Torah. This year, discover Avos anew through the wondrous words of this outstanding and original thinker. Learn More

“Like stars in the sky, the words of Chazal sometimes appear to be mere dots of light. It is only with a (mental) telescope that we begin to see how great they truly are.”

Rav Yisroel Salanter

Pirkei Avos is a treasure house of wisdom and insight, waiting for its doors to be unlocked and its messages understood. With a novel approach to examining the Mishnahs — one that is thoughtful yet leavened with humor — this slim volume offers the reader the opportunity to access those eternal lessons and to internalize them.

Enter the world of Pirkei Avos through these pages and discover the greatness of the “stars” and the brilliance of the “light”!

An alumnus of Lakewood’s Beth Medrash Govoha, Rabbi Yisroel Miller served thirty-four years in the rabbinate before his retirement in 2019. He is the author of six books. Learn More

We need wisdom and life lessons and ethical teachings.

Today, more than ever, we need Pirkei Avos.

Pirkei Avos, the Ethics of our Fathers, is the tractate in Mishnah that has helped build untold generations of "mentchen," of fine, balanced, humble and caring Jews. In this fascinating commentary, Rabbi Nosson Muller, menahel of Yeshivas Tiferes Tzvi/Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov in Chicago, author of The Generation to Generation Haggadah, and a much-respected mechanech and public speaker, shows us how to tap into the incredible transformative power of Pirkei Avos to enhance and improve our lives, and the lives of our children.

Rabbi Muller draws upon a large and varied range of sources and stories to bring the wisdom of our Sages into a contemporary focus. He shows us how the words of Pirkei Avos, and the insights of the many commentaries that have been written on it, are amazingly relevant to today's challenges. We see how what can seem to be simple, common sense advice is filled with profound understanding of our humanity --- and of our mission in this world. And we gain vital perspectives on chinuch in an increasingly complex environment.

Even if you have learned Maseches Avos many times, Pirkei Avos: Generation to Generation will unlock the vast treasures waiting to be discovered in the eternally relevant words of our Sages. Learn More

Rabbi Sholom Reuven Feinstein, the Rosh Yeshivah of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem / Yeshiva of Staten Island, has undertaken the challenge of producing a commentary on Pirkei Avos that speaks to our generation. With his immense breadth of Torah knowledge, along with his signature warmth and straightforward style, he makes the words of Pirkei Avos speak to our lives, and shows us how we can utilize them to become more effective servants of Hashem Yisborach.

This work, translated and adapted from the Hebrew by his grandson and talmid, Rabbi Moshe Weiss, will surely become a favorite resource for those who study and teach Pirkei Avos, and take a worthy place in the library of sefarim on this essential tractate. Learn More

In his classic work Ruach Chaim, Rav Chaim of Volozhin, preeminent student of the Vilna Gaon and founder of the yeshivah system as we know it today, gives us a profound and multifaceted commentary on Pirkei Avos, blending mystical insights, depth of thought, and fascinating chiddushim. This new English translation captures the spirit of the original while remaining accessible to the reader. Ruach Chaim gives readers an important new way to understand the ancient wisdom of our Sages, and offers scholar and layman alike a serious introduction to Rav Chaim's eternal wisdom. Learn More