Who is Wise?

Along with so many others, I was one of those who joined in starting the new cycle of Daf Yomi, the daily reading of a page of Talmud. I made it all the way through Berachot, but have fallen away during the tractate Shabbat. I haven't completely let go - the fine thread that still connects me is the daily e-mail from My Jewish Learning, a distillation of the teachings made by colleagues in the Jewish world. In today's e-mail on Shabbat 48, Rabbi Avi Strausberg, director of national learning initiatives at Hadar, writes:

In "Tamid 32a, Alexander the Great asks the rabbis, "Who is wise?" And, they answer:  "One who anticipates the outcome of an action." ... "Wisdom includes the ability to look at a situation, to see a few steps down the line, and to anticipate the outcome. When I see my two children ecstatically roughhousing, I know that they are happy in that moment, but experience has taught me that inevitably, in just a few moments, one of them will be in tears."

For me, understanding that each choice we make has a consequence, is at the heart of Judaism. Torah makes us aware of what the choices are, and we demonstrate our commitment to the Covenantal relationship first by studying the tradition and finding the best way to apply it to our lives. Then we act upon what we have learned. That is something that can and should be within reach of every single person.

Can we all also be wise? Why not? Ability is something that can be achieved through practice. We learn through experience, as Rabbi Strausberg did with his children. We know at the start that there will be consequences of some kind - we just need to consider the possibilities, and factor that information into what we decide to do. R. Strausberg ends his message wishing for us all:

"...the ability to look at any situation and have the wisdom to see where it might lead us, and the insight to adjust our actions accordingly."

Wise words.

Stay safe and well!

A Perennial Problem for People, but Kindness is the Answer

I hope you can listen to this clip from Laura Whitmore's BBC Radio 5 Live show today. If not, she was speaking about the death and life of her friend Caroline Flack, who is believed to have taken her own life yesterday at the age of 40. 

Whitmore, and others today, are trying to open our eyes to the power that mean people have on social media and in several forms of journalism. Several people feel strongly that, while Caroline Flack may have had mental health issues and other pressures about which none of us know, the various media posts and articles highlighting her problems were unkind, unnecessary, and might have contributed to her desperation. It is certainly true that there are many cowards who hide behind their keyboards spewing vitriol anonymously at public and private people. There is also the tabloid mentality, that preys on our weakness for gossip, for which we too need to take some responsibility.

It so happens that while catching up on my Daf Yomi today, I came across the following statement by the rabbis of the Talmud in yesterday's section:

“it is preferable for one to throw oneself into a fiery furnace rather than humiliate another in public.” (Berachot 43b)

It stands out for me today for two reasons:  first of all, it is not new that humans seek to humiliate each other in public. It is only the medium that may have changed. And if our ancestors thought it necessary to teach such a teaching, that suggests it was getting out of hand for them also.

Secondly, when will we learn? If public humiliation has been a perennial problem for people, and humans have always suffered and inflicted suffering in this way, when is it going to stop? Could it be that WE are the ones who finally sort it out? 

Be kind. Be kind. Be kind. And if you are already a kind person, thank you, and is it possible to be even kinder? 

Thoughts on the Death of Osama Bin Laden

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Also, most quoted by my Jewish friends and colleagues, the words of God to the excited angels who wanted to celebrate the drowned Egyptians, who had died in order that the Children of Israel might escape to freedom: "The works of my hands are drowning in the sea and you want to sing" (Talmud Megillah 10b).

An enemy is dead. This is not an occasion for singing and dancing.