Pirkei Avot (“Chapters of the Fathers”): what it is, structure and how it is studied

October 18, 2026

Pirkei Avot (פרקי אבות), “Chapters of the Fathers,” is the tractate of the Mishnah that gathers ethical teachings and maxims of wisdom of the rabbinic sages. It is also known as “Ethics of the Fathers.” It is the only tractate of the Mishnah that deals almost exclusively with ethical and moral principles, with very few laws.

Quick facts

The title

Pirkei means “chapters of,” and avot is usually read as “fathers,” although in the Mishnah it also often means “fundamentals” or “principal categories.” Wikipedia says the double meaning may have been intentional, and presents the reading “Chapters of Fundamental Principles” as a possibility, not an established translation.

Structure

• First chapter: it sets out the stages of transmission of the Oral Torah. Moshe received the Torah at Sinai and passed it to Yehoshua, to the elders and to the prophets, down to the Great Assembly (1:1).
• Chapters 1 and 2: follow a roughly chronological order. The second centers on the disciples of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai: see his biography.
• Chapters 3 and 4: are thematic, with attributed sayings in no explicit order.
• Chapter 5: contains mostly anonymous sayings built around numerical lists, several of them not directly ethical. Its last paragraphs return to attributed moral maxims.
• Chapter 6: Kinyan Torah (“The Acquisition of the Torah”). It was not part of the original tractate and comes from the eighth chapter of the minor tractate Kallah (Vilna edition). It is added because of its similarity in content and style, and because one chapter is read each Shabbat of the Omer period.

The only saying that Wikipedia flags as disputed is 5:21 (“the five-year-old…”), which tradition reads as Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima’s; some modern scholars believe it was written by Shmuel HaKatan and added later.

Sages and sayings

The sayings are attributed to sages ranging from Shimon the Righteous (c. 200 BCE) to shortly after Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (c. 200 CE): among others, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and his disciples, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Yose HaKohen, Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Tarfon and Hillel (1:14). Some of the best known:

• “Make a fence for the Torah” (1:1).
• “The main thing is not study, but doing” (1:17).
• “Be careful when reciting the Shema and in prayer” (2:18).

How it is studied

Since at least Saadia Gaon (10th century) it has been customary to study one chapter each Shabbat between Passover and Shavuot. Today it is generally studied on the Shabbatot from Passover until Rosh Hashanah, and many prayer books include it after the Shabbat afternoon prayer. Each chapter usually begins with the Mishnah of Sanhedrin 10:1 and ends with the saying of Makkot 3:16. It has no Gemara: tradition explains this by saying that its concepts can never be treated completely, but the article notes that this explanation lacks a source.

Commentaries and translations

• Maimonides’ introduction to Avot, the Eight Chapters: see the biography of Maimonides.
• The commentary of Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona: see his biography.
• Derech Chaim, by the Maharal: see his biography.
• The commentary of Samson Raphael Hirsch.
• A bibliography lists more than 1,500 Hebrew commentaries.
• Translations: into Yiddish, by Yehoash (1912), and into Chinese, by Ping Zhang (1996), with an introduction by Adin Steinsaltz.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote Pirkei Avot?

It gathers sayings of many sages, from Shimon the Righteous to shortly after Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the editor of the Mishnah.

How many chapters does it have?

Five in the Mishnah. The sixth, Kinyan Torah, comes from Kallah and is added in liturgical editions.

When is it read?

Traditionally, one chapter per Shabbat from Passover, today until Rosh Hashanah.