Words Of Wisdom
In the spirit of Kohelet, which is a feature of Sukkot, I share with you some of my favorite words of Halachic and Talmudic wisdom. For a daily dose of Torah wisdom be sure to check out (and ‘Like’!) the “Torah Wisdom” page on Facebook.
The Book
The walls have ears. – Vayikra Rabba 32:2.
Seeing is believing. – Mechilta, Shemot 19:9.
No one has a pain-free life. – Yalkut, Ekev.
One who has only a single shirt is not living properly. – Sefer Chassidim 171.
A person cannot evade his debts indefinitely. – Yerushalmi Gittin 5:4.
A person only dies from boredom. – Avot D’Rabbi Natan 11:1.
Every day there is an innovation in halacha in the heavenly court. – Bereishit Rabba 49:2
Do not innovate stringencies in halacha. – Radbaz 163.
Either friendship or death. – Ta’anit 23a.
One cannot be more righteous than God. – Bamidbar Rabba 12:2.
A person is not permitted to do something that would injure himself. – Bava Kama 91b.
Don’t drink from a cup without first inspecting it. – Ketubot 75b.
There is no profession that doesn’t include those who are rich and those who are poor. – Kiddushin 82a.
The worst offense is lying. – Mechilta, Mishpatim 21:8.
Don’t charge for giving advice. – Sefer Chassidim 295.
A conceited person is a blemished person. – Megilla 29a.
The worst sin is to violate the trust of a friend. – Yerushalmi Sota 9:1.
There is no academy that does not produce new insights. – Chagiga 3a.
Poverty is the worst form of suffering. – Shemot Rabba 31:11.
A person should be more careful not to harm others than not to be harmed by others. – Tosafot, Bava Kama 23a.
People don’t even realize the miracles that are performed for them. – Nidda 31a.
The honor of a person can be ascertained by his clothes. – Derech Eretz Zuta 10.
If you want to know what is on a person’s mind, take a look at what he reads. – Sefer Chassidim 291.
There is always room for dessert. – Megilla 7b.
There is no book that does not contain some mistakes. – Bechinat Hakabbala 269.
The one who completes the mitzva gets the credit for it. – Sota 13b.
The reward for performing mitzvot is incomprehensible. – Midrash Tanchuma, Tavo 3.
Don’t forbid for others that which you permit for yourself. – Hapitgam Hashinon, p. 14.
The wise man said: if you want your friend to hate you – be sure to visit him often. – Orchot Tzaddikim, Sinah.
By: Rabbi Ari Enkin