Short Tractate on Correct Behavior (Derekh erets zuta)

Chapter 5

One who is a Torah scholar should not eat standing, lick his finger, or burp in front of another person. He should minimize conversation, laughter, sleep, pleasure, and an overemphasis of “yes” or “no, no.”

A person should always know who he is sitting with, who he is standing with, who he is dining with, who he is conversing with, and who he is signing documents with.

Torah scholars are recognizable by four things: through their pockets [kisan], their goblets [kosan], their anger [ka‘asan], and their apparel. Some say: Also, their speech.

The glory of Torah is wisdom; the glory of wisdom is humility; the glory of humility is fear; the glory of fear is a commandment; the glory of a commandment is modesty.

A person should not be awake among the sleeping, nor asleep among those who are awake, nor weeping among the laughing, nor laughing among the weeping, nor sitting among the standing, nor standing among the sitting, nor reading the Bible among those who are studying the Mishnah, nor studying the Mishnah among those who are reading the Bible. The general rule is that a person should not depart from the common custom.

Chapter 6

Four things are unsuitable for students: a person should not begin a journey at night; he should not go out perfumed; he should not be the last to enter the synagogue; and he should not spend much time in the company of ignoramuses.

When it comes to entering, the elder person takes precedence; when it comes to exiting, the younger takes precedence. When climbing up a ladder, the elder person takes precedence; when climbing down a ladder, the younger takes precedence. In a meeting place, the elder takes precedence; in a prison, the younger takes precedence. For a blessing, the elder takes precedence. The one passing by should ask about the welfare of the one sitting.

A person should not sit to dine in the presence of someone greater than him. When he comes to slice the loaf, he should break it from the crust. If he wants to eat a leek or onion, he should start to eat it from the leaves. He should not pick up a loaf, rip [a piece off], and put it back on the table. If he wants to drink something in public, he should turn his face aside and then drink.

A person should not be a quibbler, a charlatan, or a glutton. He should ignore insults and not aggrandize himself through the degradation of another. The beginning of sin is the musing of the heart. Second to it is mockery; third is haughtiness; fourth is cruelty; fifth is idleness; sixth is baseless hatred; seventh is the evil eye. This is the meaning of Solomon’s statement: When he speaks fair, do not believe him, [for there are seven abominations in his heart] (Proverbs 26:25).

Chapter 7

There are seven traits in a boor, and seven in a wise person. A wise person does not speak in front of one who is greater than he in wisdom or age; he does not interrupt when another is speaking; he is not hasty to respond; he asks relevant questions and responds in accordance with the law; he addresses the first issue first and the last one last; regarding something that he has not heard, he says, “I have not heard”; and he admits the truth. The opposite of these are found in a boor.

A Torah scholar must be modest in eating, drinking, washing, anointing, wearing shoes, in his manner of walking, his apparel, his voice, his spittle, and his good deeds. It is as with the case of a bride, who as long as she is in her father’s house acts modestly, and when she ventures forth, proclaims her virtue, saying, “Whoever knows testimony about me should come and testify.” So too a Torah scholar must be modest in his behavior and renowned for his ways. He should pursue peace and not falsehood, faith and not thievery, humility and not haughtiness, peace and not war, the counsel of elders and not the counsel of children—like a lion rather than a woman.

How does one honor [another]? He gives him food and drink, dresses him and puts on his shoes, brings him in and leads him out, and this applies both to a teacher and a scholar. How does one demean? One may not sit or speak in his place, not contradict his statements.

[R. Hiyya said:] Silence is becoming for the wise, all the more so for the foolish. And Solomon similarly said: Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is considered wise (Proverbs 17:28), and it is not necessary to say that this is true of a wise person who holds his peace.

Chapter 8

You should be as pliant as a reed, which the wind blows from any direction it wishes. For the Torah endures only in one whose spirit is lowly within him. Why is the Torah compared to water? To tell you: Just as water will naturally not flow to a high place but to a low place, so too the Torah endures only in one whose spirit is lowly within him.

Keep away from ugliness and from anything similar to it and draw near to acceptable things and all that is similar [to them]. Be careful of one who advises you in his own interest.

Whoever relinquishes his rights [to punish], all his transgressions will be relinquished, as it is stated: Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and relinquishes transgression (Micah 7:18)—for whom does He pardon iniquity? For one who relinquishes transgression.

Whoever demeans himself for words of Torah will ultimately be uplifted through it, as it is stated: If you have demeaned in lifting yourself up (Proverbs 30:32). If you were demeaned through words of Torah, you are lifting yourself up.

For whoever demeans himself for words of Torah will have his wisdom increased, as it is stated: Give to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser (Proverbs 9:9).

Whenever a person sins, the fear of other people is upon him, and whenever he does not sin, the fear of him is upon others.

Whoever disparages a single matter of Torah is liable to excision, as it is stated: Because he has despised the word of the Lord (Numbers 15:31).

Whoever is not shame-faced will be quick to sin, as it is stated: The display of their faces testifies against them (Isaiah 3:9). But whoever is shame-faced will not be quick to sin, as it is stated: And in order that His fear will be upon your faces, so that you will not sin (Exodus 20:17).

[Any Torah scholar who disparages the ritual washing of the hands is repulsive. More repulsive is] one who eats in front of a guest. More repulsive is a guest who brings another guest. More repulsive yet is one who eats in front of a Torah scholar. A guest who bothers a guest is more repulsive than all three. R. Meir says: One who takes from the portion before him and gives to the host’s son. An incident occurred in which the host killed his son.

Whoever humbles himself will comprehend his studies; whoever violates the words of the sages is liable to excision; and whoever disqualifies another is himself disqualified. R. Akiva said: The start of my attendance upon the sages was as follows. Once, I was walking along the way and I found an unattended corpse. I carried it for about four mil¹ until I brought it to the place of a cemetery and buried it. When I came and reported this to R. Eliezer and R. Joshua, they said to me, “It is considered as though you were shedding blood for each and every step you took.” He said to them, “If, on an occasion where I intended to do the right thing, I was condemned as a wicked man, how much more so when I have no such intention! From that hour, I did not budge from attending the sages.” He would say: One who does not attend upon the sages is liable to death.

One who enters a bathhouse should first remove his cloak, next the shoes, next the trousers, and then take off the robe.

One who enters a bathhouse should give respect to one who is leaving. One who leaves a lavatory should give respect to one who is entering.