Mishnah 17 - Chapter 3 - Pirkei Avot

Rabbi el'azar ben azaryah omer. Im ein torah, ein derech eretz. Im ein derech eretz, ein torah. Im ein chochmah, ein yir'ah. Im ein yir'ah, ein chochmah. Im ein binah, ein da'at. Im ein da'at, ein binah. Im ein kemach, ein torah. Im ein torah, ein kemach. Hu hayah omer. Kol shechachemato merubbah mimma'asav, lemah hu domeh, le'ilan she'anafav merubbin vesharashav mu'atin, veharuach ba'ah ve'okarto vehofecheto al panav, shenne'emar (rmh, z), vehayah ke'ar'ar ba'aravah velo yir'eh ki yavo tov veshachan charerim bammidbar eretz melechah velo teshev. Aval kol shemma'asav merubbin mechachemato, lemah hu domeh, le'ilan she'anafav mu'atin vesharashav merubbin, she'afillu kol haruchot shebba'olam ba'ot venoshevot bo ein mizzizin oto mimmekomo, shenne'emar (shm), vehayah ke'etz shatul al mayim ve'al yuval yishlach sharashav velo yir'eh ki yavo chom, vehayah alehu ra'anan, uvishnat batzoret lo yid'ag, velo yamish me'asot peri.

...Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no worldly occupation, if there is no worldly occupation, there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear of God; if there is no fear of God, there is no wisdom. If there is no knowledge, there is no understanding; if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge. If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour. He used to say: Anyone whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, to what is he compared? To a tree who branches are many but whose roots are few; then the winds comes and uproots it and turns it upside down; as it is said; "And he shall be like a lonely juniper tree in the wasteland and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places of the wilderness, a salt filled land which is uninhabitable." [Jeremiah 17:6]. But one whose deeds exceed one's wisdom, what is that person like? Like a tree whose branches are few, but whose roots are many; even if all the winds of the world were to come and blow upon it, they would not move it from its place, as it is said; "He shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not perceive when heat comes, but its leaf shall remain fresh; and it will not be troubled in the year of drought, nor will it cease to bear fruit." [Jeremiah 17:8].

R. Elazar b. Azaryah says: If there is no Torah, there is no derech eretz. [(He does not get on well with people)]; if there is no derech eretz, there is no Torah. [(It will eventually be forgotten.)] If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, [understanding one thing from another (but not giving a reason for it)], there is no knowledge [i.e., giving a reason for the thing]; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. [If he cannot give a reason for the thing, it is as if he does not know it; but, in any event, understanding comes first, wherefore "if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge."] If there is no flour, there is no Torah. [If one has nothing to eat, how can he study Torah?] If there is no Torah, there is no flour. [What will his flour avail him? Since he has no Torah, it would be better if he had no flour and died of hunger!] He was wont to say: One whose wisdom is more than his deeds — to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are many and its roots few. The wind comes and uproots it and turns it over on its face, as it is written (Jeremiah 17:6): "And he [the man who trusts in men] will be like a tamarisk in the desert and he will not see when goodness comes. It dwells in parched lands in the wilderness, in a salty, uninhabited land." But one whose deeds are more than his wisdom — to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are few but whose roots are many. Even if all the winds in the world come and blow against it, they cannot move it from its place, as it is written (Ibid. 8): "He [the man who trusts in G-d] will be like a tree planted near water, which spreads out its roots along a brook and does not see when the heat comes, whose foliage is always fresh. It will not worry in a year of drought and will not stop producing fruit."