VALUES
Ben Zoma said, “Who is wise? The one who learns from everyone! Who is mighty? The one who rules over themselves! Who is rich? The one who is happy with what they’ve got! Who is honored? The one who shows honor to others!” -Pirke Avot 4:1
Ben Zoma’s advice reinforces the idea that this world is NOT as it seems. Sometimes the world seems like a confusing messy place. Sometimes the world seems like it makes no sense. Sometimes it seems as if the world is filled with pain, or sadness, or ugliness. But, as ben Zoma hints, this is only a matter of perception. If we choose to approach life and the world differently, it can be what we want it to be. The world can be what we make it to be.
If we wish to learn and grow wiser, we can.
If we want to be mighty, we already are; we need only exercise the power that is already at hand. Wealth? That comes in recognizing the difference between needs and wants. And honor? We get what we give. So much of life comes down to the choices that we make, and the way in which we choose to measure success and failure.
“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” -Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Questions for Reflection:
1. What in your life can make you feel wealthy?
2. What types of things do we learn from others to help us be wise?
3. What power do we personally have at hand that makes us mighty?
4. How can you show contentment on a regular basis and incorporate this value in the classroom?
Find the good things in your life and let those things make you feel happy.