Beit Midrash Reflection Page

(א) אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃ (ב) כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃ (ג) וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃ (ד) לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲ‍ֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃ (ה) עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃ (ו) כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃

Psalms 1

(1) Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent; (2) rather, the teaching of the LORD is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night. (3) He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives. (4) Not so the wicked; rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away. (5) Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners, in the assembly of the righteous. (6) For the LORD cherishes the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.

Throughout the course of this year, in Inquiry Beit Midrash, we have been discussing the topic of natural morality and whether the Torah believes in its existing within humanity. We studied several biblical texts, including the psalm below, and compared them to Western literature. The psalm’s main purpose, as I see it, is to draw a line between those “good” and those “bad.” The writers, as is evident through this psalm and many others, believe that those who worship God are righteous and those who do not are wicked, and to illustrate this idea, nature is implemented in the context of the psalm, with its metaphor of trees being planted beside streams of water and other such descriptions. The source has become personally meaningful to me - I have even included it in my Inquiry Beit Midrash artwork for the final exhibition. It speaks to me not merely with its poetical beauty, but also with its meaning. It has shown me that there are, at the end of the day, two ways of life; that which is wise and that which is foolish. I have now taken this into account and proceeded with a newfound knowledge and understanding of life and what I should be doing with mine.

משנה אבות ב׳:ה׳

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אֵין בּוּר יְרֵא חֵטְא, וְלֹא עַם הָאָרֶץ חָסִיד, וְלֹא הַבַּיְשָׁן לָמֵד, וְלֹא הַקַּפְּדָן מְלַמֵּד, וְלֹא כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה בִסְחוֹרָה מַחְכִּים. וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ:

Pirkei Avot 2:5

He used to say: A brute is not sin-fearing, nor is an ignorant person pious; nor can a timid person learn, nor can an impatient person teach; nor will someone who engages too much in business become wise. In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.

During the second trimester of school, in Tefilla Talks, we had many conversations about Pirkei Avot. Pirkei Avot, or Ethics of our Fathers, is one of the best-known and most-cited Jewish texts. Even those who claim to know little about Jewish literature are familiar with maxims such as “If am only for myself, who am I?,” “Say little and do much,” and “You are not obligated to do the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” When discussing those verses, as well as the source above, we typically circled back to the subject of education. We considered the notion that an uneducated person cannot be a righteous one - that righteous actions require knowledge and people lacking knowledge often cannot behave properly, and therefore, studying is key. The source reads, “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” This, I personally found meaningful. I have taken it to mean that when other people around me are acting in an indifferent or cowardly fashion, I should be the one to rise to the occasion and be mature and responsible. I have implemented this in my life both inside and outside of school and have even noticed myself being more positive and optimistic in general.