TEXT STUDY FOOD FOR THOUGHT Another way to add to your Shabbat table is by bringing a piece of Torah for your guests to learn together. We have included discussion questions along with the text in order to help get the conversation flowing. This piece of text may or may not seem familiar to you. Hillel was one of the most influential Jewish religious leaders in Jewish history. One of the sayings he is most well known for is the one below.
Pirkei Avot, Chapter 1, Mishnayot 14 . Hu haya omer: Im ayn ani li, mi li? Ookh’she’ani l’ahtzme, mah li? V’im lo akhashav, aimatai? Rabbi Hillel used to say: If I am not for me, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?
These words arguably give us all the information that we need to know in order to create a balanced life and a balanced world. Many other spiritual teachings advise us to give up our ego and rise above the earthly concerns, to give to others without thinking about ourselves. Through this text, Hillel says do it all! Make sure we get what we need. Make sure others get what they need. And make sure it happens now. When are you there for yourself? When do you put others first? When do you find it difficult to be for yourself and for others simultaneously? What have you been putting off? What are you putting it off for? Which of the three statements resonates most with you? Do you have this balance in your life? If so, how did you accomplish that? If not, what is stopping you from being able to? How can you increase the amount of time and energy you spend on finding this balance?
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