The First Pair (Yose ben Yoezer and Yose Ben Yohanan) or the Home of a Pharisee

• Published in: AJS review 1980-04, Vol.5, p.41-62
• Main Author: Goldin, Judah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Charity; Conversation; Homes; Hospitality; Judaism; Priests; Rabbis; Talmud; Torah; Warnings
• ISSN: 0364-0094; 1475-4541
• DOI: 10.1017/S0364009400000064

In Pirqei 'Avot sayings attributed to the First Pair (zug) of Pharisaic Sages, Yose ben Yoezer and Yose ben Yohanan, three things are to be noted: First, that like the sayings attributed to teachers before and during the period of the five zugot and afterward to the five famous disciples of Yohanan ben Zakkai, the sayings of the two Yoses are presented in stylized form, in three clauses or phrases or items—which suggests that they are components of essentially one chief emphasis, rather than three separate, independent exhortations. Second, that beginning with the First Pair down through Yohanan ben Zakkai's disciples, all (with one puzzling exception) formulate their statements as address in terms of second person singular—suggestive of a master's address to his disciples or to those who are his followers. Third, that to both members of the First Pair there is attributed a concern with the home, the kind of home their disciples or followers should create; but the home advocated by the former Yose differs from the home advocated by the latter Yose. Thus different expectations are reflected by the respective authors of the two sayings. The insistence that the home of those accepting rabbinic authority must combine the features of home both Yoses plead for, comes to us from the tannaite period, from the days of Simeon ben Yohai, though it may be a bit earlier too. The analysis presented in the paper here is intended as continuation of the studies of PA teachings in Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Vol. 27, Studies and Texts III, ed. A. Altmann, and the Harry A. Wolfson Jubilee [Hebrew] Volume.