Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Pirke Avos Chapter 1 Mishna 4: Be Connected to Great People
11:05 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
"Yosi ben Yoezer of Tzeredah and Yosi ben Yochanana of Jerusalem, received the oral tradition from the preceding ones. Yosi ben Yoezer of Tzeredah said, Let your house be a meeting place for scholars; sit at their feet in the dust, and drink in their words thirstily"
The company that a person keeps with shows a lot. This means if we open our homes to people that may have a negative influence on us, then we will most likely learn from them and go in their corrupt ways. On the other hand, if we decide to associate with people of stellar character traits, they will most likely have a positive influence on us.
The Mishna here tells us that our homes should be a meeting place for Torah scholars. As the Talmud tells us, we can learn a lot of our Torah leaders even by their "mundane" talk. The reason for this is that these Torah giants have spent their lives immersed in learning Torah and developing themselves into great people.
The more contact we have with them, the more we learn and gain from their wisdom and insights. It is not enough to just learn from them but we should drink their words thirstily. The contact alone with such a person has the ability to transform them!
My family and I have been very fortunate to have had a connection with some of these great people. It is an opportunity to learn and hear from the Torah giants who have had their own special connection to their rabbis and mentors of the previous generation! These stories and inspiration can instill tremendous pride in a person as they are part of that great link of Jewish history.
My life has been forever changed and no amount of gratitude will ever be enough for these great people who allowed me to have a connection and witness such greatness. Whether it be seeing them in "action" giving Torah lectures or answering people's questions, I had the unique experience to see how the Torah can be internalized and lived on a high spiritual level.
The more we have interaction with such people and allow them in our homes and families can have a lasting effect for future generations. When my rebbe, HaRav HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch, Shlita came two years ago to my neighborhood to be sandak (the one who holds the baby at the bris), I told people they should come just to see his face and witness spiritual greatness. May we grow to emulate such people!
The company that a person keeps with shows a lot. This means if we open our homes to people that may have a negative influence on us, then we will most likely learn from them and go in their corrupt ways. On the other hand, if we decide to associate with people of stellar character traits, they will most likely have a positive influence on us.
The Mishna here tells us that our homes should be a meeting place for Torah scholars. As the Talmud tells us, we can learn a lot of our Torah leaders even by their "mundane" talk. The reason for this is that these Torah giants have spent their lives immersed in learning Torah and developing themselves into great people.
The more contact we have with them, the more we learn and gain from their wisdom and insights. It is not enough to just learn from them but we should drink their words thirstily. The contact alone with such a person has the ability to transform them!
My family and I have been very fortunate to have had a connection with some of these great people. It is an opportunity to learn and hear from the Torah giants who have had their own special connection to their rabbis and mentors of the previous generation! These stories and inspiration can instill tremendous pride in a person as they are part of that great link of Jewish history.
My life has been forever changed and no amount of gratitude will ever be enough for these great people who allowed me to have a connection and witness such greatness. Whether it be seeing them in "action" giving Torah lectures or answering people's questions, I had the unique experience to see how the Torah can be internalized and lived on a high spiritual level.
The more we have interaction with such people and allow them in our homes and families can have a lasting effect for future generations. When my rebbe, HaRav HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch, Shlita came two years ago to my neighborhood to be sandak (the one who holds the baby at the bris), I told people they should come just to see his face and witness spiritual greatness. May we grow to emulate such people!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment