One of the phrases most famous and important of Rabbi Tarfon, cited in Pirké Avot (Ethics of the Fathers, 2:16), says:

“You're not obligated to finish the work, but neither are you free to desentenderte of it.”

1) historical Context and profile

Rabbi Tarfon was a kohén (priest) and a prominent figure in the second/third generation of tanaítas, active between destruction of the Second Temple (70 ce. C.) and the uprisings of jews from the beginning of the second century. Out of Yavne, center activity rabbinic was Lod (Lydda)where he exercised authority halachic. Testimonials show, recalling and describing the priestly services made in his youth, when the Temple was still standing.

2) - Life and personal traits

• Lineage and priestly service: Of the priestly race by both lines; in his youth he participated in the priestly blessing, and I knew the details of the Temple service.
• Residence and activity: Lived in Lod and went frequently to the deliberations of the Sanhedrin in Yavne.
• Character and charity: Sources describe great modesty and generosity: to renounce benefits priestly in certain cases, concern for the poor brides and humble, and stories (character agadico) that underscore its philanthropy.
• Kibbud av va'js em (honour to parents): The classic tale of Kiddushin 31b tells that, stooping down to his mother to go up and down out of bed stepping on him; despite this, the Wise men told him that she had not even met “the half” of the precept, emphasizing that the honor filio-parental is more demanding than gestures eye-catching.

3) Teacher, colleagues, and disciples

Tarfon appears as colleague and, at times, a mentor and a counterpart to dialectic of Rabbi Akiva; their disputes halájicas are a-axis of the Mishnah and the Tosefta. He was a member of the constellation of the wise Yavne along with Rabban Gamliel II, R. r. joshua, and others. The tradition quotes dozens of times in the Mishnah.

4) Work halachic (with examples)

Although he did not let a “book” itself, his “work” is in opinions (halachot), discussions and decrees preserved in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Talmud. Among the areas where its voice is sharp:

4.1. Shema according to Beit Shammai vs. Beit Hillel (standard and unnecessary risk)
In Mishnah Berachot 1:3, Tarfon says that he leaned on the road to recite the Shema “according to Beit Shammai” and put in danger; the Wise criticized for departing from the pattern of Beit Hillel. The passage has become paradigmatic about don't search stringencias that compromise the safety when the halachah follows another school.

4.2. Purity/impurity and prerogatives priestly (terumá, tithes)
As kohén, Tarfon held positions in respect of terumá (offering of priests), and other regimes of purity; the Tosefta Jagigá 3 quotes invoking tradition received (attributed to Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai) to claim rights to the priesthood even after the destruction, a point discussed at the time tanaíta on the scope of santidades post-Temple.

4.3. Local regulations in Lod
Historical studies on Lod collect cases decided by Tarfon and place it as regarding halachic regionalwith the capacity to enact and establish practice in matters of tithes and social distribution.

5) ethical Teachings and theological

His legacy is most well-known is in Pirké Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)where maximum condensed with lasting impact:

• “The day is short, the work is much, the workers lazy, the reward great, and the Master is pressing.” (Avot 2:15). Maximum stresses moral urgency and personal responsibility.
• “You're not obligated to finish the work, but neither are you free to desentenderte of it.” (Avot 2:16, in continuity with 2:15). Became aphorism central on moral duty persistent even in the face of tasks generational dimension.

These statements, read together, articulate ethics of duty: sustained commitment, clarity about human limitations and rejection of the “all or nothing”. At the reception later, they have been linked to a spirituality of the record compared to collective enterprises (social justice, study, national reconstruction).

6) Anecdotes sobering (aggadot)

• Danger by rigorismos: The episode of the Shema (above) reads as warning against extremism ritual when the law already accepted trace a safe route.
• Honor to the mother: The story of Kiddushin 31b it serves to teach that honor implies no shame even in extreme situations; acts colorful does not deplete the mitzvah.

7) Legacy and influence

Tarfon embodies the transition from the worship of the knights templar to the normative rabbinical: a kohén that, without a Temple, contributes to reconfigure the jewish life around to study, practice, and social justice. Your voice halachic nuanced and your work ethics are endless left footprint in schools and later in the jewish culture, general (their maximum Avot are quoted transversely to the present).