derech eretz

The phrase דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ derekh eretz appears hundreds of times in rabbinic literature. Literally meaning "the way of the world," it has multiple meanings. Generally, they are divided into these three categories:accepted manners, etiquette, and customswork, occupation, livelihooda euphemism for sexual relationsShmuel Safrai in his essay The Term Derekh Ereẕ / מובנו של המונח 'דרך-ארץ' and David Flusser in his 'Which is the Right Way that a Man Should Choose for Himself?' (Sayings of the Fathers, 2:1) / 'איזוהי דרך ישרה שיבור לו האדם?' (אבות ב, א) (both in Tarbiz 60, 1991), add another meaning: morally right behavior, not merely "good manners." Safrai supports this by the frequent pairing of derech eretz with Torah, and argues that this pairing fits ethical behavior better than the other definitions. Flusser finds parallels to this broader ideal of morality in the ancient Jewish doctrine of "the two ways" that a human must choose - between the way of life and the way of death. This…