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Tract Aboth Chapter 6 Tosephtha – Aboth of Rabbi Nathan. “‘One who causes many to be righteous, no sin prevails upon him.’ In order that he might not go to Gehenna [or Hell], while his disciples will enjoy the world to come, as it is written [Psalms 16:10]: ‘For thou will not abandon my soul to the grave.’ On the other hand, ‘One who causes others to sin is never afforded the faculty to repent’ - also for the reason that the reverse of the above shall not be the case, as it is written [Proverbs 28;17]: ‘A man oppressed by the load of having shed human blood will flee even to the pit.’ One who says, ‘I will sin and then do repentance,’ is not afforded the opportunity to repent; ‘I will sin, and the Day of Atonement will atone for it,’ or, ‘I will sin, and the day of death will wipe it out’ – it does not do so. […] ‘There are four characters among men,’ etcetera. There are four characters among disciples: one who desires to teach and that others shall do likewise, he is of a good disposition; if he desires to teach, but does not like to see others do the same thing, he is of bad disposition. That others shall teach, and not he - this is medium. […] If, however, he wishes that neither he nor others shall teach, he is decidedly wicked. There are four characters among those who sit in the house of learning. One who becomes friendly (with the sages who study there) and studies with them has a share (with the sages); one who befriends himself but does not study with them has no share; one who estranges himself (from the sages) but studies himself has a share; and the one who both estranges himself and does not study has no share. […]As to disciples, Rabban Gamaliel the elder compares them to the following four kinds of fish: an unclean, a clean fish, a fish found in the Jordan, and one found in the Ocean. By an unclean fish is meant a disciple of poor intellect, who, notwithstanding his study of Scripture, Mishna, Halakhoth, and Agadoth, remains poor-minded. By a clean fish is meant a disciple of rich intellect, who studies Scripture, Mishna, Halakhoth, and Agadoth, and develops his mind. By a fish from the Jordan is meant a scholar who has studied all the mentioned subjects, but has not acquired the faculty of answering questions put to him. And by a fish found in the Ocean is meant a scholar who studied all the above subjects and has the ability to answer the questions put to him.”
