Day 48: Saying things in the name of those who said them

Day 48: אוֹמֵר דָּבָר בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרוֹ / Saying things in the name of those who said them

Today we have reached the final item in our Mishnah. We have taken 48 days to list the 48 items listen in Pirkei Avot 6:6. Today's final value in many ways revisits, highlights, and encapsulates the themes that have been mentioned and reinforced throughout this project. Here are some that come to mind:

• We are all students and we are all teachers - Show deference and appreciation to your teachers, and fill your students with their wisdom.
• Have humility - Acquiring and transiting Torah is not actually about us. It is about building community, upholding a Tradition, and contributing to a timeless discussion. The second we make it about us, we lose our ability to be productive students and effective teachers.
• Be original - We should quote and cite our teachers, and we should also feel invited to add our own insight to the pool of wisdom.
• Show deference to tradition - We are part of something much bigger. We have inherited something beautiful, but it is not something that passively transfers to us. It is something we must work towards and earn.

Pirkei Avot counsels us, "Know from where you came, and where you are going" (Pirkei Avot 3:1). I think that this message captures not only the essence of today, but of our whole journey. Acquiring Torah is ongoing. It is a way of being in this world. We come from a long line of thinkers and dreamers, and we shoulder all of their immense contributions and collective wisdom. We are also the progenitors of all who come after us, shaping, inspiring, and guiding them. We come from Torah, and we are in constant motion towards Torah. 

Reflection:
Our Mishnah finishes with the following postscript: "Everyone who says a thing in the name of the one who said it brings geulah (deliverance/redemption) into the world" (Pirkei Avot 6:6). 
What does redemption mean to you? How would saying things in the name of those who said them help us get there?

Lived practice:
Learn Torah this Shavuot! 
This could mean reading an article or a book, talking with a friend about faith and identity, studying traditional texts, and much more! Torah is a way of being in this world, so use this holiday of זמן מתן תורתינו ('the time of the giving of our Torah') to demonstrate your commitment to learning and living these traits of Torah that we have explored together.

Day 47: Citing others with precision

Day 47: מְכַוֵּן אֶת שְׁמוּעָתוֹ / Citing others with precision

Having described the bidirectional, intergenerational exchange of ideas between teachers and students, today we make sure that the composite voices still retain their unique claim to authenticity. While we are encouraged to contribute our own insight to the chorus of voices that came before us, we do not supplant those voices. We owe it to our progenitors of the past generations to transmit their wisdom accurately and wholly.

A fine line exists between precision and interpretation. We have a right and a responsibility to add to our teachers wisdom. That being said, we don't come from a tradition that submits to an intellectual recency bias, whereby the newest generation always has the final word. In precisely transferring the wisdom from generations prior, we give our students the same access to the full tradition that precedes them, not just our own distillation.

Reflection:
Why is it important to precisely cite others when our right as teachers is to distill and refract information for our students?

Lived practice:
My high school English teacher (who taught me about citations) had us memorize portions of the literature that we encountered. It was a way of showing deference to those texts, and making sure that we embraced them on the author's own terms, so to speak. 
Choose some piece of wisdom (a Jewish text, a poem, a speech, etc) and work on memorizing it with precision and affect.

Day 46: Adding to one's teacher's wisdom

Day 46: מַּחְכִּים אֶת רַבּוֹ / Adding to one's teacher's wisdom

After affirming our intellectual independence and our obligations towards our students, we turn back today to our teachers. We introduced the special relationship between student and teacher towards the start of this project, and just a few days ago we framed adding to their teachings as a form of thoughtful innovation. 

The Talmud shares, "A wise person is a student who makes their teacher wiser" (Chaggigah 14a). While we affirm the importance of innovation so that we can teach forward our insights, we must also remember to teach back that wisdom to our precious teachers themselves.

Just like a parent who cares for a child only to be cared for in turn in their old age, we offer wisdom right back to the source that first fed our thirst for knowledge. In doing so, we assert not only our commitment and affection for our teachers, but also the profound symbiosis that forms, whereby values, lessons, and wisdom passes between teacher and student for all time.

Reflection:
Is there a correct way to share wisdom with a teacher? What if they respond defensively or pompously?

Lived practice:
Reach out to a teacher or mentor and share with them a thought, insight, or project of yours that contains your own piece of wisdom.

Day 45: Learning in order to do

Day 45: לּוֹמֵד עַל מְנָת לַעֲשׂוֹת / Learning in order to do

Abraham Joshua Heschel received criticism for spending time marching with Dr. King in the Deep South, when he could have been back in New York researching and teaching. He famously dismissed those critiques by saying that when he marched in Selma, "I felt my legs were praying." 

In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Ishmael states, "The one who learns in order to teach, it is granted to them to study and to teach; But the one who learns in order to practice, it is granted to them to learn and to teach and to practice (Pirkei Avot 4:5). Some have the misimpression that life gets in the way of learning. On the contrary, the project of acquiring Torah only succeeds once activated as a lived practice. (It is for that reason that each post concludes with a suggestion for how to practice that day's value).

Practice does not replace learning. Heschel did not mean to dismiss the importance of his scholarship. He simply meant that his work in the academy and the beit midrash would have been hollow and even sanctimonious had he only learned and taught but not also lived Torah.

Reflection:
With only a finite amount of hours to work with, how do you balance learning, teaching, and doing? 
Do you think there is a hierarchy between learning, teaching, and doing?

Lived practice:
Look through past posts, and see how many you think you generally live out in. Choose 3 that you will make an effort to embody in the next few days.

Day 44: Learning in order to teach

Day 44: לּוֹמֵד עַל מְנָת לְלַמֵּד / Learning in order to teach

Interestingly, our entire list does not mention the concept of תורה לשמה, what we often translate as learning for its own sake. I won't defend the omission, but I'll note that our project has consistently rejected learning in a vacuum, instead pushing us to experience our growth and learning in partnership and in community. Perhaps we need that push now more than ever.

Our growth is measured both in how we conduct ourselves in the world, but also in the growth we inspire and facilitate in others. Today we remember that no matter how much we have been shaped and guided by our teachers and mentors, our growth is not complete until we teach it forward. 

The Talmud teaches, "When a Torah scholar spreads their knowledge, matters that are generally hidden from them are revealed to them" (Avodah Zarah 35b). Not only do we cheat others when we don't teach forward our wisdom, we also cheapen our own learning by ignoring the Rabbinic maxim, "From my students I have learned the most" (Taanit 7a). 

Reflection:
What role should תורה לשמה play in our journey of growth?
How do we focus on our learning when we're already thinking ahead to passing the information on?

Lived practice:
Reach out to someone and share with them something you learned this past week. Ask them what they think about it.

Day 43: Hearing and then adding

Day 43: שׁוֹמֵעַ וּמוֹסִיף / Hearing what has been said and then adding

In some sense, today we come full circle to our early foundation of first listening (day 2) and only then speaking (day 3). But recent days have explored the importance and limits of our authority, so we must think more carefully about hearing and speaking through that lens. 

Towards the end of the Torah, God instructs the Israelites, "Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 13:1). Does this enjoinder leave no space for dynamism? Of course not. The Torah has always evolved and adapted. So what are the parameter of our ability to add to what we've heard?

At its core, today delineates between invention and innovation. Invention unseats the past, replacing the old with the new. Innovation, on the other hand, shows deference to the past, protecting its essence but tailoring it to new circumstances. The latter is our work, and is the vision of our tradition: Teachers mentoring students who then become teachers themselves.

Reflection:
Does invention play any role in personal development and religious life?
What do you think is at the core of Judaism that remains unchanged through the generations?

Lived practice:
Heading into Shabbat, read something about the parasha. It could be from your shul, from a book, online, etc. After reading it, write your main takeaway in 2 sentences. Then in 2 more sentences, write your own addition to that message.

Day 42: Asking and answering questions

Day 42: שׁוֹאֵל וּמֵשִׁיב / Asking and answering questions

While we inch towards Shavuot in just over a week, today's topic of questions and answers reminds us of this project's launch holiday: Passover. The rabbis outline the ways that questioning and answering feature prominently in the night's ritual choreography. The go so far as to say, "Even if two Torah scholars who [already] know the laws of Passover are sitting together and there is no one else present to pose the questions, they should ask each other" (Pesachim 116a).

Questions and answers open a channel for transferring content from one mind to another, but they also build trust, vulnerability, humility, and relationship, some of the core features of a life of Torah. 

Nobody is only an asker or an answerer. Whether we are functioning as teacher or as student, we all have opportunities to model inquiry and curiosity, as well as expertise and proficiency. 

Reflection:
Do you feel more intuitively like an asker or an answerer?

Lived practice:
Think of a mentor of yours. Write down three questions you want to ask that person. Now answer those questions yourself.

Day 41: Fully inhabiting one's learning

Day 41: מִתְיַשֵּׁב לִבּוֹ בְתַלְמוּד / Fully inhabiting one's learning

As we near the final week of this project, we encounter a summons meant to ensure that our learning endures far beyond the confines of this multi-week project. Why and how do we fully immerse in the work of acquiring Torah?

Many conjecture that with the destruction of the Temple, Judaism shifted away from a model of an imminent God that dwells amongst us. The shift away from centralized worship towards a diffuse model of study, pioneered by the early rabbis, actually kept God here with us. The Talmud (Brachot 6a) confirms that two who study Torah together find God (Shechinah) dwelling amongst them. 

When we inhabit our learning, God joins. Our encounters with our learning and with the peers and mentors who help shape our growth is in fact an encounter with the Divine. ״Listen, my beloved knocks!״ (Song of Songs 5:2). It is time to open the door.

Reflection:
Is inhabiting one's learning a process or a state of being? In other words, is it an end or a means? 

Lived practice:Chazarah (diligent review) is one way of demonstrating our commitment to our learning and ingraining it in our lives. Look through the past posts, and pick a day that you want to reread and work towards integrating into your life. Commit to it. Inhabit it.

Day 40: Drawing another to peace

Day 40: מַעֲמִידוֹ עַל הַשָּׁלוֹם / Drawing another to peace

Yesterday I argued that everyone has their own truth, and the teacher must shepherd the student on that unique path. Today our focus shifts to peace, begging the same question as yesterday: Are we all chasing some higher Peace, or do we each have our own path of peace? I would argue the latter, and I would call it peace of mind.

After the tremendous work we've put in towards learning and growth, we are cautioned against conceit, but not against feeling whole and fulfilled.

Our great sage Hillel counsels, "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving mankind and drawing them close to the Torah (Pirkei Avot 1:12). His threefold challenge intertwines peace and Torah, as peace is both the the gift and the goal of the pursuit of Torah.

When we extol our beloved Tree of Life and say "And all her paths are peace״ (Proverbs 3:17), we again entwine Torah and peace, and acknowledge her myriad of paths. Each of us, with our same Torah, walks our own path of peace, and together we are Shalom.

Reflection:
How do we reconcile the value of peace with the constant drive forward?
Is peace only a state of mind? How does it manifest in our world?

Lived practice:
Check in with someone else and ask them what kinds of goals they've aspired towards in the last few weeks and months. Feel their sense of peace, and praise them for it.  

Day 39: Drawing another to truth

Day 39: מַעֲמִידוֹ עַל הָאֱמֶת / Drawing another to truth

Truth bears a deep spiritual and intellectual legacy, entrancing mystics and philosophers alike. The Jewish wisdom and prophetic traditions preach Truth, and Kabbalah, Hassidut, and modern Jewish philosophy have continued that Truth infatuation. 

When we are instructed to draw others to truth, should we assume that we have somehow ascertained some high form of Truth that we must now pass on?

I don't believe so. Each of us has our own Truth, although it may be buried or concealed. Proverbs famously instructs, "Teach a youth according to their own path" (Proverbs 22:6). The teacher's role is to help the student pine and uncover their inner Truth. 

How do we know that each teacher must push each student on their own specialized path towards Truth? Because this entire project has followed that model, and trusted in the wisdom of our tradition to push us on our own path. A life of Torah, that is a life of growth and learning, does not have one obvious, shared destination. Our obligation to ourselves, with the support of our mentors, is to constantly strive for Truth.

Reflection:
Is there a point at which someone can say they have finally reached and understood the Truth?
How can it be that we all share the same Torah yet each have our own Truth?

Lived practice:
Trust your gut. 

Day 38: Giving another the benefit of the doubt

Day 38: מַכְרִיעוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת / Giving another the benefit of the doubt

Early in Pirkei Avot, Joshua ben Perahiah teaches, "Appoint for thyself a teacher, and acquire for thyself a companion and judge all men with the scale weighted in his favor (ie give them the benefit of the doubt)" Pirkei Avot 1:6). Some commentators suggest that this counsel is intended for ambiguous cases. When insufficient information suspends someone between guilt and innocence, we are told to judge them favorably. Even when meeting someone new, try and assume best intentions and withhold making quick judgments.

I think we need to push this idea even further. Even when we have preconceived opinions about someone or have had a bad experience with them, we need to treat each meeting like a fresh start and give them the benefit of the doubt. 

It may feel disingenuous or counter-productive to always favorably upon others, but the experience of doing so is emotionally liberating and helps build trust and empathy. 

Reflection:
What setbacks do you see in always giving people the benefit of the doubt?

Lived practice:
When you find yourself frustrated with someone, list three reasons that in any way defend that person's behavior.

Day 37: Sharing another's burdens

Day 37: נוֹשֵׂא בְעֹל עִם חֲבֵרוֹ / Sharing another's burdens

In the sports world, a common saying is that the team is only as strong as its weakest player. This aphorism aims to humble the elite players, and instill teamwork and lifting up of others as core features of not only the team dynamic, but of the path towards success.

How does this adage translate into our project? We have established that our relationships and interactions shape our personal development journey, thereby establishing self-growth as an inherently social and interactive endeavor. 

Today we push that idea further, asserting that our journey of growth is not only about raising ourselves higher and higher, but actually about building partnership and community that holds mutual accountability and support as its highest value. 

Reflection:
What types of burdens do you think today's value is trying to sensitize us to?
Are we allowed to sever relationships that we feel weigh us down?

Lived practice:
We are living in a time when the burdens and struggles of others are particularly acute and exposed. How are you showing up for others? Think of what you have to give and how you can give it.

Day 36: Not taking pleasure in judgement

Day 36: אֵינוֹ שָׂמֵחַ בְּהוֹרָאָה / Not taking pleasure in judgment

Continuing on our theme of tempering power with humility, we reach today's warning against taking pleasure in delivering rulings and judgments. The power to make decisions that directly impact other people must never be taken lightly. When making those rulings, we function merely as vessels meant to convey compassion, truth, and justice. 

Pirkei Avot teaches, "The one whose heart is presumptuous in giving a judicial decision, is foolish, wicked, and arrogant" Pirkei Avot 4:7). These character blemishes corrupt not only ourselves, but they bring down the integrity of the positions and institutions that we represent. 

Reflection:
How often do you find yourself in a position of making judgment?
Is one still obligated to follow a ruling made my a presumptuous leader?

Lived practice:
Think of a decision you made that impacted someone else. Write down 3 sentences from that person's perspective on how you acted.

Day 35: Not being arrogant about one's learning

Day 35: לֹא מֵגִיס לִבּוֹ בְתַלְמוּדוֹ / Not being arrogant about one's learning

As we ascend towards the final weeks of this project, we find ourselves receiving frequent reminders to remain humble, even in the face of our immense learning and growth.

Yesterday we learned that losing humility means shedding our integrity, and today we add to that warning by suggesting that arrogance leads to complacency. In other words, arrogance not only negates all of our learning and progress up to this point, but it also causes us to lose the drive to keep pushing forward. 

The Talmud cautions even its sages from the stumbling block of hubris, offering, "Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: 'Even a Torah scholar should not have any arrogance'" (BT Sotah 5a)". While we are now attuned to the logic of this point, it is actually quite radical that our tradition's exemplars of wisdom established checks to contain their own prestige. We have come too far to let ourselves stumble, and we must resist the temptations of comfort and self-adulation.

Reflection:
Jewish tradition encourages emphatic debate. What does substantive debate look like that is firm but also unsullied by ego?
When do we cross the line from pride in our accomplishments to arrogance? 

Lived practice:
We are now 5 weeks into this project, but we must keep our eyes forward-looking. As school years end and the transition to summer commences, set for yourself a new learning goal to accomplish in the next few weeks. What is a book you want to read or a class you want to attend? Keep pushing!

Day 34: Distancing oneself from honor

Day 34: מִתְרַחֵק מִן הַכָּבוֹד / Distancing oneself from honor

We have been cultivating a practice to make us worthy and capable of acquiring Torah, yet the method often preaches restraint and contraction. Why/How do we maintain this balancing act between trending towards leadership and hiding out of the spotlight? 

Pirkei Avot builds a case for leadership that effects great change but literally crumbles the moment self-interest surfaces. Of course, our climb towards acquiring Torah is meant for our benefit and betterment, but our orientation must somehow still remain constantly outwards-facing.

Numerous examples build this case, such as Ben Zoma proposing, "Who is honored? The one who honors others" (Pirkei Avot 4:1) or Hillel offering, "Those who makes their name great cause their name to be destroyed" (Pirkei Avot 1:13). Our growth is ultimately in service of God and the people in our life, and today helps us never lose that focus.

Reflection:
How is distancing from honor different from advocating humility?
Honor is often considered a coveted virtue in Western thought. Does Jewish tradition disagree or does it understand honor differently?

Lived practice:
As Ben Zoma says, our practice should focus on honoring others. Call a relative, especially a parent or a grandparent, and show them honor by asking them questions, complimenting them, and thanking them for their impact on you. 

Day 33: Loving [principled] rebuke

Day 33: אוֹהֵב אֶת הַתּוֹכָחוֹת / Loving [principled] rebuke

Accepting rebuke and feedback isn't something we always do well. In a world that values expediency and self-image, we don't appreciate a setback that demands evaluation and reform, not necessarily even on our own terms. While I don't condone some blanket "No pain, no gain" philosophy, I do believe that openness to rebuke presents an important tool for growth that actually has the capacity to bring out the best qualities in both parties.

Our wisdom tradition offers, "Do not rebuke a scoffer, for they will hate you; Reprove a wise person, and they will love you" (Proverbs 9:8). Rebuke is a fragile art that relies on the empathy and emotional intelligence of the deliverer, the humility, openness, and security of the recipient, and the strength of the relationship that exists between them. Wise people, those of us on this journey towards acquiring Torah, find trusted colleagues and mentors and cultivate a disposition towards seeking. 

With the proper foundation in place, rebuke can not only further us in our quest for growth and learning, but even add more love and strength to the relationships that we lean on for that growth. 

Reflection:

How does power factor into your thinking about rebuke? 

How much of effective rebuke is on the deliverer and how much is on the receiver?

Lived practice:

If you find yourself in a position where you are receiving any sort of feedback, thank the other person, no matter what they say. Fight the impulse to deflect, and think what lessons and advice the other person is trying to convey, even if you don't agree at first instinct. 

Day 32: Loving deceny

Day 32: אוֹהֵב אֶת הַמֵּישָׁרִים / Loving decency

Today we are urged to love מישרים, a word with no exact translation, but that comes from the root ישר that means 'straight' and implies that which is proper or correct. 

Sources speak of seeing (with) מישרים (Psalms 17:2), speaking מישרים (Proverbs 23:16), hearing מישרים (Proverbs 8:6), and judging with מישרים (Psalms 75:2). The connotations range from equity to uprightness, smoothness to truth. 

The three wise monkeys warn against improper sight, speech, and hearing, but our sources turn the pursuit into the positive. When we love that which is upright, we do not merely stumble along the path of growth or learning; instead, we march proudly towards those goals with a sense of direction and with good judgment as our compass. As our prophets profess, "The path is מישרים for the righteous one" (Isaiah 26:7).

Reflection:
How do we reconcile the notion of the straight path with the values of creativity and exploration?
Why is today framed in terms of love? Is there a difference between practicing decency and loving it?

Lived practice:
Even though uprightness is obviously metaphoric language, take today to focus on posture. This is especially important these days. Make sure your body conveys confidence and also approachability.

Day 31: Loving other people

Day 31: אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת / Loving other people

Having established the values of love of self and love of God, we close the loop by extending the inalienable right of love to all people. The arc of the past few days asserts that the former two loves will naturally overflow into love of the Other, owing to our shared humanity as well as our shared divinity.

Pirkei Avot offers the real power of loving others: "Hillel used to say: be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving other people and bringing them close to the Torah" (Pirkei Avot 1:12). Notice the progression. Real peace comes from and leads to a deep love of others. From that place of love, both parties land in the depths of Torah, and can learn and grow together.

On an earlier day, we established the wisdom that emerges from discussions with our colleagues and with our students, and today we learn that the genesis of those fruitful relationships begins with peace and love. 

Reflection:
Jewish tradition, especially the Talmud, is filled with stories of arguments and debates. Must we LOVE our interlocutors and peers?
Is there anyone who doesn't deserve love?

Lived practice:
There are many ways to demonstrate love. Forgive those towards whom you are holding onto anger. Give without expecting anything in return. Actively listen with your full attention. Offer positive feedback in the form of "I appreciate when you ___ because it makes me feel ___".

Day 30: Loving the Omnipresent

Day 30: אוֹהֵב אֶת הַמָּקוֹם Loving the Omnipresent

Interestingly, our central Mishnah rarely talks about God explicitly, even as we find God constantly present in our engagement with Torah, with ourselves, and with other people. Today, we finally bring up the Divine, and we do so through the framework of love.

 The V'ahavta prayer entreats us to love God, before smoothly flowing into the many ways and places that we bring Torah into the world. Judaism's central prayer places the connection between loving God and a life of Torah at its core.

Yesterday, we established that we all deserve love because we are all made in God's image. Today we thank that Source of love, and infuse the feeling into our learning.

Reflection:
How do you understand God? How do you relate to that understanding of God? Is there room there for love?

Lived practice:
I believe that saying brachot serve many incredible spiritual purposes, one of which being the expression of love to God. Choose a bracha that you don't typically say, and say it over this Shabbat. 

Day 29: Being loved

Day 29: אָהוּב / Being loved

Yesterday was a day that hinted at self-negation, urging us to forgo pride and always defer credit to others. Today, we pivot back and make space for self-love. As my mindfulness-oriented sister always preaches, "Today is another day to love and be loved."

Rabbi Akiva suggests, "Beloved is man for he was created in the image [of God]" (Pirkei Avot 3:14). Lest we overcompensate on the side of humility and come to forget our self-worth, today we are reminded that each and every one of us is worthy of love because we are all reflections and manifestations of the Divine. 

Of course we should find and honor that holy spark in others, but we must first find it in ourselves. In fact, I believe that the commandment to "Honor your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) infers that our capacity to love others grows out of our sense of self-worth and self-respect.

Reflection:
Why did we only arrive at this value after speaking repeatedly about the values of humility and rejecting pride? In what order are we supposed to cultivate our sense of self-love vs. deference to others? 

Lived practice:
Show yourself love today. Eat a healthy meal, and thank yourself for that nourishment. Move around and be grateful for your body. Forgive yourself if there is anything you are holding onto or regretting. 

Day 28: Forgoing pride in oneself

Day 28: אֵינוֹ מַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְעַצְמוֹ / Forgoing pride in oneself

We have already addressed the value of humility. We framed humility as something generative, something that fuels our ongoing pursuit of knowledge. Today we acknowledge that while really do achieve real, tangible growth, we must never reflect back on that progress with ego and self-adulation.

Various days of this project have revealed that we gain wisdom by building relationships and opening ourselves to the brilliance all around us. Without our teachers, colleagues, and students, not to mention our broad network of family and friends, and of course God, none of our growth or learning could have been possible. 

Since this is graduation season, recall the common tendency for graduates to turn to those who supported and nurtured them on their journey. We put in lots of hard work, but we must channel our pride and satisfaction into gratitude. 

Reflection:
Is pride necessarily a vice? How does the notion of self-love factor in to the equation?

Lived practice:
For every accomplishment today, even the small ones, think of those who deserve credit for your ability to do that thing.

Day 27: Making a fence around one's words

Day 27: עוֹשֶׂה סְיָג לִדְבָרָיו / Making a fence around one's words

Like all borders and boundaries, fences serve dual purposes: they keep the bad out and keep the good in. Despite the political shadow cast over this model of selective permeability, the abstract value of boundaries should not be lost on us. 

In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Akiva suggets, "Tradition is a fence to the Torah; Tithes a fence to wealth, Vows a fence to abstinence; A fence to wisdom is silence." (Pirkei Avot 3:13). 

Rather than focus on the things he lists, let's instead understand the dynamic he describes. Each of the fences he mentions serves as a figurative gateway to the value within. It is within our power to decide on which side of the threshold we fall.

Making a fence around our own words means knowing all the good within us, and making sure it's kept from perversion. When we lose our sense of boundaries, we risk slipping into impious habits. 

Reflection:
How do we learn from mistakes and grow if we hide behind fences?

Lived practice:
Try this: Write "Are you sure?" on a post it and place it on your laptop. Does this cautionary 'fence' help you better monitor (pun intended?) your thoughts and behaviors?

Day 26: Being content with one's lot

Day 26: שָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ / Being content with one's lot

Positive psychology, also known as the psychology of happiness, teaches that no matter their level of material wealth, people always find discontent and desire more. The richest people are not happier than the other classes, because there is always more to be desired. Therefore, it actually appears impossible to ever achieve happiness.

Pirkei Avot famously claims, "Who is rich? The one who is happy with their lot" (Pirkei Avot 4:1).
This statement clearly makes a value-statement about happiness, but it also describes an actual psychological phenomenon. 

Taking stock of whatever we are blessed with helps cultivate a sense of gratitude and satisfaction that blossoms into happiness. We can now abandon the Sisyphean pursuit of some elusive 'happiness,' once we understand that happiness is not to found in external acquisitions, but in internal reflections. Once liberated from the empty pursuit of wealth, we actually find more time for the deeper pursuits of learning and growth. 

Reflection:
Is it fair to assume that truly everyone can find happiness in whatever they have?
Is today just a way of advocating for material minimalism? 

Lived practice:
Try out a gratitude practice. One common practice is keeping a gratitude journal. Take a couple minutes to write a short list of what you are grateful for today. 

Day 25: Knowing one's place

Day 25: מַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ / Knowing one's place

The notion of one's place is peculiar, because place can connote both the static and the dynamic. 

Knowing my place might gesture to the essential qualities and mission that are unique to me. My place is my unique role in this world.

Knowing my place might also mean understanding the journey that I am on. Pirkei Avot instructs, "Know from where you come, and where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning" (Pirkei Avot 3:3). Knowing my place means tracking my growth and investing in that process.

Crucially, the above quote continues with the mention of knowing before whom you stand. One of God's names is המקום, literally 'the Place.' Both understandings of knowing our place described above should be in the service of connecting to God. What is God's charge to each of us, and what is the path to get there?

Reflection:
How can we know our place, if it is theoretically both stable and evolving at the same time?
Do you believe that you have some unique role to play in this world? 

Lived practice:
Find a moment today when you can think to yourself "I'm really supposed to be doing this." 

Day 24: Acceptance of suffering

Day 24: קַבָּלַת הַיִּסּוּרִין / Acceptance of suffering

Have you ever heard the expression "I love you so much it hurts!"? The implication is twofold: It means both feeling totally consumed by passion, and it means a willingness to do anything for the other.

Our Mishnah does not explicitly mention 'vulnerability,' but today is a day that hints at that experience. The work of acquiring Torah, the project of learning and growth that we are undertaking, is truly a labor of love. For those most invested, it become an all-consuming commitment. Like any commitment, we open ourselves to the whims of powers beyond our control. "Am I good enough?" "Is this working?" "What's the point of any of this?" We love the work, but it can indeed hurt.

Our challenge is to stay motivated because of and in spite of these setbacks. Suffering is both something to overcome, and something to use to our advantage. Sometimes, the ability to accept and overcome suffering testifies to our commitment to learning and growth, affirming that no distraction can derail our efforts. On another level, suffering can actually help fuel our learning and growth, because we become wiser through the experience of encountering and working through those challenges.

Reflection:
Must all growth come from suffering?
According to your theology, what is the purposes of suffering?

Lived practice:
I don't recommend doing this regularly, but for today, relish in the experience of suffering and frustration that comes. Appreciate the ways that it makes you human. 

Day 23: Faith in teachers

Day 23: אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים / Faith in sages/teachers/wise ones

A meta-reflection that I've had throughout this project is the challenge of inheriting each item in this Mishnah without protest or revision. I often feel like I might have constructed this Mishnah differently if I had held the ancient quill. It has humbled me to realize that this Mishnah is a part of my tradition, compelling me to feel deferential to it and to engage with its message directly.

Pirkei Avot opens with a condensed history of the transmission of the Torah:
"Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in [the administration of] justice, raise many disciples and make a fence round the Torah" (Pirkei Avot 1:1).

To perpetuate this chain of transference, we need to place full faith not only in the tradition itself, but also in those responsible for passing it on. 

We often value a critical eye over complacency, and individualism over hierarchy. While I do not promote blind faith, I do believe in the work of cultivating qualities of restraint and humility. Learning should push us and sometimes make us uncomfortable. Growth emerges from that tension and how we engage with it. We learned earlier about the value of listening, and today is a reminder to make ourselves into receptors, placing faith and trust and hope in the tradition that we inherit, and in those dedicated to its perpetuation. 

Reflection:

Do you feel like you default to trusting teachers and authority figures, or do you feel like that needs to be earned?

What does it mean to hold on to a received tradition in a postmodern reality?

What does it mean to listen to tradition, when our tradition is far from monolithic?

Is there a limit to how much faith we put in the tradition?

Lived practice:

This is the post for Day 23, which corresponds to Shabbat. Print out some Shabbat learning from the voices of wisdom you most trust. Take their words in, and think about why you trust them as bearers of wisdom and tradition.

Day 22: Goodheartedness

Day 22: לֵב טוֹב / Goodheartedness

Yesterday we professed the value of patience, which serves as the filter between thought and action. We have talked a lot about action, because that is a visible demonstration of our character. But today we turn inward to the source and generator of every behavior that ultimately manifests. Today we turn to the heart. 

Pirkei Avot earnestly promotes the prime value of a good heart:

He [Rabban Yohanan] said unto them: go forth and observe which is the right way to which a person should cleave? Rabbi Eliezer said, a good eye; Rabbi Joshua said, a good companion; Rabbi Yose said, a good neighbor; Rabbi Shimon said, foresight. Rabbi Elazar said, a good heart. He [Rabban Yohanan] said to them: I prefer the words of Elazar ben Arach, for in his words your words are included. (Pirkei Avot 2:9)

The heart is the most essential part of our identity, because it is the foundation upon which the rest of our Self rests. The quality of our heart determines the quality of how we show up in this world. It is the primordial source of our very being. But the heart is not actually about us; a good heart shows kindness and compassion to others. The deeper we pine into ourselves, the more we find the urge to connect with others. 

Reflection:

Is a good heart something we are born with, or something we achieve? Can all people have a good heart?

Can people live decent lives without having the foundation of a good heart?

Lived practice

Judaism teaches that our hearts contain a battle between the יצר הטוב and יצר הרע. Today, try to notice the times that you follow the good inclination, even if it seems small or subtle. Think about the impact that can come of that decision.

Day 21: Patience

Day 21: אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם / Patience

Think of a student-teacher relationship. Both need to exercise patience in order to succeed in their roles, but it means a very different thing for each. For the teacher to be patient, it means showing restraint, compassion, and the will to empower. For the student to have patience, it means having anticipation, focus, and discipline.

One of God's core 13 attributes is ארך אפים, often translated as 'slow to anger.' Rashi comments that God gives ample opportunity to repent, because God believes in empowering learning and growth. This model of outward-facing patience serves as counsel to the teacher.

In Proverbs, the tradition teaches, "Patience results in much understanding; impatience get folly as its portion" (Proverbs 14:29). We crave instant gratification, but wisdom only comes with discipline and effort. This model of inward-facing patience serves as counsel to the student.

Ultimately, patience allows for growth and learning for all parties involved, given that they see the best in the other and in themselves and commit to growing together.

Reflection:
Do you find yourself resonating more with the teacher or with the student above?
How are you able to exercise patience when others do not? Is it a fair expectation to do so?

Lived practice:
The first moment of impatience can lead you to spiral. You might even grow impatient with your impatience. Take a moment and acknowledge the impatience when it occurs, without any judgment. Take at least 30 seconds (count it!) to just let your mind settle. Nobody is too busy to do this. The ability to slow down will build up a capacity for patience.

Day 20: Minimizing sexual activity

Day 20: מִעוּט דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ / Minimizing sexual activity

One brief post couldn't possibly encapsulate the complexities and sensitivities of the Jewish sexual ethic. In our context, it comes as the final item in a sub-series on restraint and balance. Perhaps sexuality should not be framed as a virtue or a vice, but as a facet of life with immense potential to elevate and sanctify our lives, but also to distract and damage us and others. 

For the ancient rabbis, their concern with sexuality was that it disrupted and distracted from their focus on Torah study. To me, this misses the point of Torah study. According to the rabbis themselves, we spend time learning Torah so that we can show up in this world ready to act with compassion and righteousness. Sex is and should be a part of life, and Judaism fully condones this fact. Our task is to bridge the world of Torah learning with our conduct in all relationships, but especially in those most intimate.

There is really no margin for error here because of the delicate balance between sanctity and damage described above. Therefore, minimizing sexual activity is a bold warning to take great care and never for a moment lose sight of the great responsibility we must bring to any such encounter.

Reflection:
What does this post evoke for you? 
Does this characterization of a Jewish sexual ethic resonate with you?
How do you think sexuality should be taught and discussed in Jewish settings?

Lived practice:
We are in strange times of enforced physical distance. Think about what forms of physical touch are no longer possible. Do those various types of contact bring people closer together, or do they introduce discomfort or distraction? In what ways has the absence of touch felt like a burden or a relief?