RaYBaSH’s Ponderings of the Perkei Avot
Chapter 6:5
By: Yehudah ben Shomeyr
“Do not seek
greatness for yourself, and do not lust for honor. More than you study, do.
Desire not the table of kings, for your table is greater than theirs, and your
crown is greater than theirs, and faithful is your Employer to pay you the
rewards of your work.”
As the saying
goes, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” And to go with this passage,
“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” As
well as, “Actions speak louder than words.
In other words we
study in order to do. We study to practice what we learn.
Prov. 25:6-7 Put not forth thyself
in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men]: For better [it is] that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than
that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes
have seen.
Yeshua our Messiah
had this to say:
Matthew 20:1-16 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire
labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a
penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third
hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go
ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they
went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did
likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing
idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto
him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the
vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was
come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and
give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they
came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and
they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they
murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but
one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden
and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee
no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go
thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me
to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the
last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
John 4:34-48 Jesus saith unto them, My
meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye,
There are yet four months, and [then] cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you,
Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to
harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I
sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye
are entered into their labours.
Matthew 9:37-38 Then saith he unto his
disciples, The harvest truly [is] plenteous, but the labourers [are] few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth
labourers into his harvest.
Shalom,
-- Yehudah ben
Shomeyr
