Derekh Erets

(lit. "the way of the world"). A mode of conduct which the rabbis interpreted to denote practices commendable in themselves, though not mandatory. According to the Mishnah, "he in whom other men are pleased, God also is pleased" (Avot 3:13), because he knows how to behave and creates a spirit of harmony around him. Derekh erets therefore signifies courtesy (Ber. 6b; Ket. 40a; BK 33a), cleanliness and attention to one's appearance (Av. Zar. 20b; Shab. 113a-114b), avoidance of coarse expressions (Pes. 3a), consideration for women (Shab. 10b), and the respect due to parents and teachers (San. 100b). Above all, it means good manners (Yoma 4b), for one possessing neither Torah nor derekh erets is an uncivilized boor (Kid. 1:10). The Mishnah also records a teaching of Rabban Gamaliel, that "it is admirable to combine Torah study with derekh erets" (Avot 2:2); from the context, one sees that he was alluding to "a worldy occupation," such gainful employment as would enable a scholar or student to maintain his self-respect and prevent him from becoming a burden on the community. This wider sense of derekh erets was extended still further by Samson Raphael Hirsch, a founder of Neo-Orthodoxy, when he advocated a life style combining traditional Judaism and secular culture through the principle of "Torah and derekh erets." Two minor tractates of the Talmud, Derekh Erets Rabbah and Derekh Erets Zuta, provide ethical guidance and rules of conduct; they normally appear at the end of the order Nezikin.

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