The Crown of a Good Name

Avot (4:13) | Yisrael Bankier | a day ago

R' Shimon teaches (4:13) that there are three "crowns": the crown of Torah, the crown of kehunah (priesthood) and the crown of kingship. He however adds that crown of a good name rises above them all. We shall try to understand this Mishnah.

The Bartenura explains that the three crowns refer to the three crowns mentioned in the Torah that demand respect. The extra crown of having a good name, which is earnt through good deeds, is not mentioned in the Torah as requiring respect. Nevertheless, it "rises above the other crowns" for it is a prerequisite for all the other crowns. For example, he explains that one is allowed to degrade a talmid chacham who behaves inappropriately.

The Tiferet Yisrael explains that these crowns refer to different areas of authority in am yisrael. He adds that they each stem from different attributes granted to a person by Hashem. Excellence in Torah is an indication of one's chochmah (wisdom). One who wears the crown of kehunah does so because of the family in which they were born. The Tifferet Yisrael finally adds that the crown of malchut is certainly associated with great wealth. All that said, despite being blessed with these attributes, they do not warrant being called a crown if one does not utilise these gifts for good. For these attributes are G-d given, attained without much effort. If they are not used for good, the individual's position is worse, and it is instead compared to a golden nose ring worn by a hog.

Interestingly, Rashi takes the opposite approach. The the crown of a good name is acquired through the other crowns. If one learns diligently, or a kohen serves faithfully, or a king rules justly -- these are means of acquiring a good name. Rashi rejects those that explain that this crown is better than the others. If that were the case, then the Mishnah should have mentioned that there were four crown. Instead, there are only three. The extra crown one can only attain through the three.

Till now we have seen that the crown of a good name is either earned by way of good deeds or a result of faithfully wearing one of the other three crowns. The Ruach Chaim however understands that a good name is yirat Hashem. It is necessary for all three as a "storehouse" to preserve them. Importantly, it is not an enabler, but a preservative. It is not solely a prerequisite or a byproduct, but rather necessary alongside the other crowns.

This understanding appears to echo an earlier Mishnah (3:17), if there is no chochmah there is no yirah, if there is not yirah there is no chochmah. While there are many understandings of this Mishnah, the simple reading is that the two are interdependent on one another. The same may also apply in this Mishnah as well. There is an interdependency between the crown of a good name and the other three important crowns in Am Yisrael. They are necessary for one another and enhance one another.

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