Daily Reading
The Talmud (Sotah 14a) instructs us in the Mitzvah of imitating God in all His ways. Just as God clothes the naked, visits the sick, comforts mourners and buries the dead,...
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Appoint for yourself a teacher, and acquire for yourself a companion and judge all men with the scale weighted in his favor.
– Pirkei Avot 1:6
Oil and incense gladden the heart, And the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel. Do not desert your friend and your father’s friend;
– Proverbs 27: 10-11
Your friend and your father’s friend The Holy One, blessed be He, Who is called a friend to Israel, and your father’s friend, for He endeared your forefathers.
-Rashi on Proverbs 27:10
Love your fellow as yourself: I am Hashem.
– Leviticus 19:18
Do not reveal your private matters except only to a very select few among them, as Ben Sira said: “let many be your friends, but reveal your secrets to only one in a thousand” (Ben Sira 6:6)
– Duties of the Heart, Eighth Treatise on Examining the Soul 3:177
Daily Quotes
“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.”
– George Washington
“But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
“Rejoicing in our joy, not suffering over our suffering, makes someone a friend.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
Daily Goals
Many people think they have friends, and some people think they have many friends. However, let’s reflect: “Is there anyone with whom I am so close and whom I would trust so completely that I would confide in him or her and tell everything and anything that is on my mind?” Many of us would find that such friends are few in number, and some of us may totally lack this type of relationship.
In his work on Ethics of the Fathers, Rabbeinu Yonah states that if a person tries to achieve perfection in all character traits at one time, he or she is likely to achieve nothing, but if the effort is concentrated upon improving one trait, success in that one area will facilitate improving many other traits. Similarly, trying to achieve a great number of friendships at once will likely create superficial friends. However, if a person will cultivate one friendship and so achieve the desired intimacy and trust, he or she may thereafter find it much easier to develop more profound and meaningful relationships with many people.
The teaching of the above Talmudical passage is now evident. Just like there are certain things in life that are an “acquired taste”, and may take time and determination to develop, Acquire a friend, i.e. try to develop a single relationship that grows beyond a superficial skin-deep level. Not only is that friendship important in its own right, but it will also enhance the quality of all the other relationships.
Dr. Abraham J. Twerski
Daily Videos
The High Holy Days provide all members of the Jewish community the opportunity to gain a blank slate and recommit ourselves to bettering our lives. It allows us to build better relationships and work to make our lives more successful, pleasurable, and happy
The High Holy Days provide all members of the Jewish community the opportunity to gain a blank slate and recommit ourselves to bettering our lives. It allows us to build better relationships and work to make our lives more successful, pleasurable, and happy.
