Musar su Deuteronomio 28:10

When Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi edited tractate Avot, the only tractate in the Mishnah that deals with ethical rather than halachic matters, he prefaced it with the words משה קבל תורה מסיני, that "Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai." At first glance this sounds like an insult to our intelligence. Every pupil in any Jewish elementary school is aware of that. Rabbi Yehudah, however, did so because the Jewish people are not the only people who possess a book of ethics. Aristotle's book of ethics was well known, presumably also in the land of Israel long before the tractate Avot was completed. Rabbi Yehudah wanted to remind us that it is their origin which distinguishes our ethics from the "ethics" of the Gentiles. Our ethics are not man-made. They originate in Sinai, and therefore the meaning of these teachings is not exhausted by what is written down, but there are also hidden aspects to it, aspects which directly link us to a higher domain of spiritual regions. The Talmud does not tire of reminding us that human attributes cannot serve as a yardstick in our efforts to understand G–d. On the contrary, because His attributes are different, we have to learn from what He has revealed about His attributes when we attempt to become model human beings. All this is what Rabbi Yehudah wants to remind us of when he tells us that everything in Torah, including מדות, is of Sinaitic origin, is Divine. Now we understand that every accomplishment, be it material or spiritual, if it originates with man, is called חיי שעה, a transient value, just like a transient life, whereas every accomplishment which originates in Torah is called חיי עולם, an enduring value, eternal life. Hence in the benediction we recite after having read from the Torah we thank G–d for having implanted in us חיי עולם. When we conclude the benediction with the words ברוך אתה ידוד נותן התורה, we include both the hidden and the revealed aspects of the commandments and ethical lessons in Torah.

The word אורה is understood to refer to the spiritual illumination provided by Torah; the word שמחה to יום טוב, a holiday; the word ששון to circumcision, whereas the word ויקר is a reference to the phylacteries. The scriptural proof for the latter statement is derived from Deut. 28,10: "All mankind will see that the name of the Lord is on you and they will be in awe of you." Rabbi Eliezer the Great said that this is a reference to the phylacteries worn on the head.

The two hundred and fifty men died because of their craving for personal honor. Theirs had been a well-intentioned craving for the kind of honor only scholars inherit at the end of their lives. They had meant to adorn themselves in phylacteries, the symbol of the Jewish people's glory. It is said of the תפילין של ראש, the phylacteries worn on the head, וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך "and all the nations of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is proclaimed over you" (Deut. 28,10). This is what they had in mind when they said that "the whole community is holy." They had erred, however. They violated the principle not to aspire to what was to remained concealed from them, i.e. "מופלא ממך אל תדרוש, ובמכוסה ממך אל תחקור." This is why they died during their quest.