Yehoshua ben perachyah venitta ha'arbeli kibbelu mehem. Yehoshua ben perachyah omer. Aseh lecha rav, ukeneh lecha chaver, vehevei dan et chol ha'adam lechaf zechut.
Chapter 1 / Mishnah 6 - Pirkei Avot translated into english
Joshua ben Perahiah and Nittai the Arbelite received [the oral tradition] from them. Joshua ben Perahiah used to say: appoint for thyself a teacher, and acquire for thyself a companion and judge all men with the scale weighted in his favor.
Yehoshuah ben Prachya and Nitai Ha'arbeli received it from them. Yehoshua ben Prachya says: Make a teacher for yourself. [Rambam explains: Even if he is not fit to be your teacher, still make him your teacher, and do not learn by yourself. And I have heard: "Make a teacher for yourself" that you learn from constantly, and do not learn today from one and tomorrow from another. And even though they said (Avodah Zarah 19a): "If one learns Torah from only one master, he never sees a sign of blessing," they have already explained: That is true of svara (sharpening in dialectics after the "substance" has been acquired), it being beneficial for one to hear the svara of the many; but in gemara (acquiring the "substance" itself), one master is preferable, to avoid differences in formulations of the same (oral learnings)], and acquire a friend for yourself, [even if it is very costly for you to do so, and you must spend much to acquire his love. But it cannot be stated "Acquire a teacher for yourself," a teacher being obliged to teach gratis], and judge each man in the scales of merit. [This is so when the act is in the balance, it not being discernible from his deeds whether he is righteous or wicked and he performs a deed which permits of judging him in the scales of merit or in those of guilt; it is the way of lovingkindness to judge him in the scales of merit. But if one is confirmed in evil, it is permitted to judge him in the scales of guilt, their having stated only (Shabbath 97a): "If one suspects the innocent he is smitten in his body," implying that if he suspects the wicked he is not smitten.]
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