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There is the Pirkei Avot that contains 5 chapters that are part of the Mishnah in the order of Nezikin. This is the version that is typically studied on Shabbat afternoons between end of Pesach to just before Rosh Hashanna (the 6th chapter is from elsewhere.)

There is another version - Avot Derav Nattan, and a 3rd version that I know of Pirkei Derav Eliezer.

Are there any others?

I'd also like a brief description of what the differences in these versions are and why these different versions were created, if there was some motive historically or otherwise for these authors to create these. I'm assuming that from the name of the work (Avot or Pirkei) there might have been some motive they had to add or explain something that wasn't in the "original" Mishnaic version.

DanF
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    Why do you think these are different versions of the same thing? – Double AA Nov 01 '16 at 15:34
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    May be that Avot deRabbi Nathan are very linked to mishna avot but avot deRabbi Eliezer are very different – kouty Nov 01 '16 at 15:35
  • @kouty this is true, as Avot Derav Nattan frequently cites from the other one. – DanF Nov 01 '16 at 15:48
  • @DoubleAA See ^^^. AdR"N frequently begins with the "standard" version but adds additional explanations. On the other hand, it contains many items that are not in the other version. I don't know much about Pirkei D'Rav Eliezer. – DanF Nov 01 '16 at 15:50
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    You should note that the translation of the word Pirkei just means "chapters. Thus, Pirkei Derav Eliezer just means [assorted] chapters [authored] by Rav Eliezer. It does not have to necessarily be connected to the Pirkei Avot which are [assorted] chapters of the predecessors. – sabbahillel Nov 01 '16 at 17:49
  • Ch 6 is not park of avos but a collection of braisos. If you look at the first one there is a hint that it's not a Mishnah when it says it's taught in the language of the Mishnah. If it were Mishnah this wouldn't make any sense as a description – Dude Jun 11 '23 at 15:59

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(Leaving Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer to one side as I know little about it, but I believe, as other commenters have noted, that it is not related to Pirkei Avot.)

The first 5 chapters of Pirkei Avot are indeed, as you noted, identical to the mishnaic Masechet Avot.

Avot deRabbi Natan is essentially the tosefta to Masechet Avot, i.e. a collection of beratitot supplementing the misnayot, as we find for many (all?) other masechtot in Shas.

The one slight complication is that the version of Masechet Avot to which Avot deRabbi Natan is a supplement is not the final version we possess today, but a different (older?) version, in a different order to the one we now have and with some omissions, additions and changes.

Source: R. David Zvi Hoffman, HaMishnah HaRishonah uFelugta deTannai, in particular here.

Joel K
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What I know of the topic:

Avos was originally a five chapter masechta, but a sixth chapter, which is taken from Kallah Rabbati in the Masechtos Ketanos (with some textual variation), was added on later so that there should be six chapters, one for each Shabbos between Pesach and Shavuos. Though the sixth chapter is technically not part of Maseches Avos, it is generally treated as thought it was: MishnaYomis programs always include it and it's included in all standard version of the Mishna and Talmud Bavli.

There are two versions Pirkei Avos, the one that appears in the standard Shas (in the last volume of Seder Nezikin) and the one that appears in the standard siddur (usually near Shabbos Mincha). For the most part the differences are just the way the Mishnayos are broken up (which often leads to confusion when citations in Pirkei Avos appear to be erroneous because they are from the other version than the one being used) but there are also a few differences in the text itself.

Avos d'Rabbi Nasan, which is usually printed along with the Masechtos Ketanos (though my understanding is that historically it was written long before the others) is a midrash that is closely related to Avos and seems to be the closest we have to a "Gemara" on Avos (which otherwise is the only Masechta that does not have a Bavli, Yerushalmi, or Tosefta). However, scholars are unsure if Avos d'Rabbi Nasan is a commentary on Avos or if Avos is actually a summary of Avos d'Rabbi Nasan (or perhaps they both indpendantly stem from an original lost work or tradition).

There are two versions of Avos d'Rabbi Nasan: the one that appears in the standard Shas and one that was published from manuscripts by Solomon Schechter (I know the Artscroll Rashi sometimes quotes the second version as a source for midrashim/interpretations that don't appear in the standard version of Avos d'Rabbi Nassan).

[Pirkei d'Rabbi Elazar is unrelated]

YSR
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