RaYBaSH’s Ponderings of the Perkei Avot
Chapter 3:17
By: Yehudah ben Shomeyr
“Rabbi Akiva
would say: Jesting and frivolity accustom a person to promiscuity. Tradition is
a safety fence to Torah, tithing a safety fence to wealth, vows a safety fence
for abstinence; a safety fence for wisdom is silence.”
Eph. 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Not saying you
have to be serious all the time, but even our joking around should be of a holy
nature.
Now the Brit
Chadasha New Testament/Renewed Covenant) doesn’t say this anywhere, but I can
just see Kefa (Peter) bent over the fishing boat, dragging in the nets as
Yeshua walks by and shoved Kefa in the water! That sure would be a funny sight.
Now I’m not much into Christian art or their renditions of Yeshua, but I do
like the picture of him laughing. That is a side I feel the world needs to see
of Messiah.
Secondly,
Tradition is not always a bad thing. A fence around the Torah isn’t always a
bad thing either unless it is revered as a Torah command itself. But it is fine
to abide by, “Thou shalt not steal.” But if you have kleptomaniac tendencies,
then you may need a “fence” around that Torah command. In other words you never
go shopping alone; that would be your fence around that Torah command so you
are almost assured not to break that commandments.
Fences are good,
but remember, do not build it so high that if it were to fall it would crush
what you were trying to protect.
Lastly, as it has
been said, better to be a fool and keep silent and be thought wise than to open
your mouth and remove all doubt. God gave us two ears and one mouth. Obviously
He wants us to listen more than we speak. That is why silence is seen as
wisdom.
Shalom,
-- Yehudah ben
Shomeyr
