RaYBaSH’s Ponderings of the Perkei Avot
Chapter 1:15
By: Yehudah ben Shomeyr
“Shammai would say: Make
your Torah study a permanent fixture of your life. Say little and do much. And
receive every man with a pleasant countenance.”
“Make your Torah
study a permanent fixture of your life.”
Routine is so
important! Not to be a slave to it, because sometimes things come up and you
have to tweak it and just go with the flow. But if you do not make time for
Torah study it will never come or happen on its own. Something will just keep
coming up, or you’ll find yourself too busy and other lame excuses that hold no
water such as these.
“Say little and do
much.”
As the saying we
all know goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” And “No one cares to hear how
much you care and until they see and know how much you care.”
“And receive every
man with a pleasant countenance.”
Not to say your
feelings are not important, but at the same time we should do our best not to
wear them on our sleeve, especially if they are negative feelings. Being
obsessed with one’s own feelings is a form of selfishness and idolatry.
Honestly, do you know what a difference a smile, even from a stranger, makes?
This is a virtual effortless way of blessing someone else from afar and helping
them to have a little bit of a brighter day. As a result it is a small way we
can continue to “Tikkun Olam” fix our world, assist God in its maintenance and
repair.
The commentary to
the texts calls these three things, “Three Spiritual Goals” we all need to strive
to adhere to.
Shalom,
-- Yehudah ben
Shomeyr
