TALMUD: DON'T SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: DEREK ERETZ
July 2012 Bluffton Sun. (SC) EDITOR LYNNE COPE HUMMELL
Shalom and Peace:
Today we continue with a bit more of Jewish Ethics (Derek Eretz) from the Talmud.
"…Do not hold much discourse with a confederacy of dunces.''
The rabbis were very concerned about speech and how things could be taken out of context. They taught "to say little but to do much" in the way of kind acts. They warn us of idle talk, especially with those who would only argue with us. They told us not to argue with Sadducees who did not believe in Talmudic Rabbinic Judaism. In the middle ages we were warned not to engage in debates, disputations, with the Church, as win or lose, the results were deadly. In this case we are being warned not to have ''much'' discourse with a confederacy of dunces.
The rabbis always tell us to greet every person with a smile and a sincere shalom. The rabbis are not telling us to ignore uneducated people. The sages don't want us to explain things to folks who are too thick to understand, or who won't allow their minds to be open to new concepts. We anger these closed minded people. Bertrand Russell wrote: "Most people would rather die than think, and most do.''
Solomon's Proverbs gives us a few examples of how we should relate to narrow minded people. ''Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.'' [23:9]; ''The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.'' [1:7]; "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself." [26:4].
The above adages are very important to keep in mind during emotional times of elections, be they national, local, or even in a church or synagogue. ''A learned rabbi'', states Talmud Sanhedrin, '' is first likened by the Jewish dunce to a vase of gold; if he converses with him, he is looked upon as a vase of silver; and if he accepts a service from him, he is regarded as a vase of earth." By wasting time with those whose minds are closed, we are depriving another of our time who wants to learn.
Rabbi Arthur Segal is an international lecturer, author, and teacher. Visit him at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org . Follow him on FaceBook at 'Arthur L Segal', on Twitter at RabbiASegal, or his blog at http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com . Email at RabbiSegal@JewishSpiritualRenewal.net.
Jewish Renewal www.jewishrenewal.info
Jewish Spiritual Renewal http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spirituality
Eco Judaism
facebook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal
Hilton Head Island, SC, Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
