Pirke Aboth: Sayings of the Fathers

Pirke Aboth consists of paragraphs on ethical maxims attributed to 65 teachers, Tannaim, covering a period of about two centuries B.C.E. and two centuries C.E. The form and sentiment of these sayings are of such charm and force, that they found their way to the Jewish heart, as no other writing ever has. It is now included in the prayer book, and has been so since the eleventh century. It became a custom to read a chapter on Sabbath afternoons, after the Minhah service, during the summer months. Saul Raskin's beautiful works of art accompany the Hebrew and Yiddish with the English translations.