Commentary for Berakhot 33:8
מרגלא בפומייהו דרבנן דיבנה אני בריה וחברי בריה אני מלאכתי בעיר והוא מלאכתו בשדה אני משכים למלאכתי והוא משכים למלאכתו כשם שהוא אינו מתגדר במלאכתי כך אני איני מתגדר במלאכתו ושמא תאמר אני מרבה והוא ממעיט שנינו אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים.
It was a favourite saying of the Rabbis of Jabneh : I am a creature [of God] and my neighbour is also His creature ; my work is in the city and his in the field ; I rise early to my work and he rises early to his. As he cannot excel in my work, so I cannot excel in his work. But perhaps thou sayest, "I do great things and he small things"! We have learnt that [it matters not whether] one does much or little, if only he direct his heart to Heaven.
Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
Jabneh (in Greek, Jamnia) is identical with Jabneel (Josh. xv. 11), and is situated in S. Palestine, near the coast. After the destruction of the Second Temple, the town sprang into great prominence, inasmuch as the Great Sanhedrin transferred its sittings there from Jerusalem ; and Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai founded a School which became famous. See Neubauer, pp. 73ff., J. E. vn. p. 18.
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