WORD ON THE STREET

 What’s Your Favorite Life Lesson from Pirkei Avos?

My parents always instilled in me this lesson from Rabbi Shimon: “There are three crowns — the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship; but the crown of a good name surpasses them all.” Whenever I made poor choices, they would ask me if this action was in line with my good name. My parents have a good name in the community and my father has a good name in his business.  I saw growing up how your good name is everything. 

C.S.

Every time my wife complains that we don’t communicate enough, I joke to her that it says in Pirkei Avos not to engage in too much conversation with women. Sometimes it gets me off the hook.

Anonymous for my Own Protection

“The more possessions, the more anxiety.” I know so many people who thought they’d be happy once they got that promotion or bigger house, but in the end, they were still left feeling dissatisfied. Sometimes, our lives are better when they are simpler. The more money we have, the more stuff we buy, but then we are just continuing to run on the hamster wheel of materialism. This line teaches me to just keep it simple.

Avigdor Goldman

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says, “Do not assuage the anger of your friend at the time of his anger; do not console him at the time when his deceased lies before him.” As a social worker, I use this line in counseling. When someone is in grief or pain, let them be. I often tell wives not to barrage a husband as soon as he comes home. Let him sit down and relax for a while and have his dinner, then you can approach him with whatever issues need to be addressed. 

Esty Klein

I love the line “Do not despise any man, and do not discriminate against anything, for there is no man that has not his hour, and there is no thing that has not its place.” It’s a great life lesson because sometimes we see people and we are envious of their easy life, but every person has his own pekalah and everyone gets what they are due. Everything is as it should be.

P.B.

 “If your enemy falls, do not exult; if he trips, let your heart not rejoice, lest the L-rd see it and be

displeased, and avert his wrath from you.” I like this line because it implies that we should focus

on our own self-growth and not seek pleasure watching others trip and fall. It’s just bad karma

and in the end it will come back to you.

Beila S.

 Every time I get nervous before a big speech or event, I remind myself the line from Pirkei Avos that “At the end of man is worms.”  It often calms me down.

Eli Lichtman

Rabbi Yannai said, “It is not in our hands to explain either of the tranquility of the wicked or the suffering of the righteous.” Hashem has his own cheshbonos. It may seem like the good suffer and the bad have it easy, but that is not the ultimate case. I try to remind myself this when I hear about tragedies. 

Aviva Katz