Learning Relationships
Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua said: let the honor of your student be as dear to you as your own, and the honor of your colleague as the...
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PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 29
- 3 min
The Culture Code
Rabbi Yochanan HaSandlar said: every assembly which is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure; and every assembly which is not...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 15
- 3 min
Advocates and Accusers
Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said: he who performs one commandment acquires for himself one advocate, and he who commits one transgression...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 8
- 3 min
Prioritizing Learning
Rabbi Meir said: Engage but little in business, and busy yourself (asok)with the Torah. Be of humble spirit before all people. If you...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 1
- 3 min
Wealth & Poverty
Rabbi Jonathan said: whoever fulfills the Torah out of a state of poverty, his end will be to fulfill it out of a state of wealth; And...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 25
- 4 min
Judging and Character
In two juxtaposed mishnayot, Rabbi Ishmael the son of Rabbi Yose communicates four related ethical exhortations primarily intended for...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 11
- 3 min
Revering Torah
Rabbi Yose said: whoever honors the Torah is himself honored by others, and whoever dishonors the Torah is himself dishonored by others....
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 5
- 3 min
Motivation to Learn
Rabbi Ishmael his son said: He who learns in order to teach, it is granted to him to study and to teach; And he who learns in order to...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 25
- 3 min
PROFANING THE NAME OF HEAVEN
Rabbi Yohanan ben Berokah said: whoever profanes the name of Heaven in secret, they exact punishment from him in public. Unwittingly or...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 21
- 4 min
Very, Very Humble - Avot 4:4
Rabbi Levitas a man of Yavneh said: be exceeding humble spirit” – me’od me’od hevei shefal ruach – for the end of man is the worm. To...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 14
- 3 min
Healthy Concern
He used to say: ‘Do not disparage anyone, and do not discriminate against anything, for there is no man that has not his hour, and there...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 6
- 3 min
The Power of Habit
Ben Azzai said: Be quick in performing a minor commandment as in the case of a major one, and flee from transgression; For one...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 30
- 6 min
Virtue Redefined
Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 23
- 3 min
Math & Doubt
Rabbi Elazar ben Hisma said: the laws of mixed bird offerings (kinnim) and the key to the calculations of menstruation days (pitchei...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 16
- 4 min
Rooted in Action (Avot 3:17)
1. He used to say: one whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 9
- 3 min
Balancing Values
Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah is known in rabbinic tradition for his wisdom, maturity, and leadership at a young age. In this Mishnah, he...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Feb 29
- 3 min
Mixed Metaphors
In the previous Mishna (Avot 3:15), Rabbi Akiva offered a succinct aphorism synthesizing the apparent contradiction between the concepts...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Feb 22
- 5 min
The Challenge of Free Will
“Hakol tzafui, vehareshut netunah” – “Everything is foreseen yet freedom of choice is granted.” After emphasizing the belovedness of...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jan 25
- 4 min
THE IMAGE OF GOD
The second of Rabbi Akiva’s four teachings consists of a repeated pattern of three ideas, each with three elements. The three-by-three...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jan 4
- 3 min
Good Fences
Rabbi Akiva says: Mocking and frivolity lead to immorality; tradition is a fence for Torah; tithes are a fence for protecting wealth;...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Dec 21, 2023
- 3 min
Agreeableness
In personality psychology, agreeableness, and its opposite, disagreeableness, is one of the main traits used to describe people. People...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Nov 9, 2023
- 3 min
Sacred Rituals
Rabbi Elazar of Modiin said: one who desecrates sacred things, and one who despises the festivals, and one who shames his fellow in...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Oct 27, 2023
- 4 min
Escapism
The importance of being productive is a cherished theme in Pirkei Avot. We have already analyzed related messages in Psyched for Avot on...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Oct 19, 2023
- 3 min
Wisdom and Character
Two central themes of Pirkei Avot are the importance of developing proper character traits and the centrality of Torah learning. In a...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Sep 28, 2023
- 4 min
Don't Forget
There are several theories in psychology about the mechanisms of forgetting. One, developed by Edward Thorndike in the early 20thcentury,...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Sep 21, 2023
- 4 min
The Power of Nature
Environmental psychologists study the interplay between people and their surroundings. One interesting question that they explore is how...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Sep 14, 2023
- 3 min
Spiritualize Your Strengths
One of the signature features of the field of positive psychology is the classification of character strengths. Basing themselves on...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Sep 7, 2023
- 6 min
Time Management Matrix
In his bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey describes a powerful productivity framework, which he...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 31, 2023
- 4 min
Wasted Opportunities
Rabbi Chananiah ben Chachinai said: one who stays awake at night, one who travels alone on the road, and one who turns his heart to...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 17, 2023
- 6 min
Social Learning
If we were to extract two broad messages from the first two chapters of Pirkei Avot, they would likely be related to: (1) the importance...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 10, 2023
- 4 min
Born to be Wild
Are human beings naturally good or naturally bad? Writing about mankind, 18th century Genevan philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Aug 3, 2023
- 4 min
The Power of Negative Emotions
Despite their prevalence, most people don’t enjoy negative emotions. We want to be happy, upbeat, and positive. Sadness, worry, and...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 25, 2023
- 5 min
Procrastination & Productivity
Rabbi Tarfon said: the day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the laborers are lazy, and the reward is great, and the master of the...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 20, 2023
- 5 min
How to Succeed in Learning
Rabbi Elazar said: Be diligent in the study of the Torah; And know how to answer an Apikores, And know before whom you toil, and that...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 13, 2023
- 4 min
Self-Compassion
Rabbi Shimon said: Be careful with the reading of Shema and with prayer; and when you pray, do not make your prayers routine, but...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jul 6, 2023
- 5 min
PERSISTENT PIETY
Rabbi Yose said: Let the property of your fellow be as precious unto you as your own; Make yourself fit to study Torah for it will not be...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 30, 2023
- 5 min
The Dangers of Envy, Desire, & Hate
Rabbi Yehoshua said: an evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred for humankind put a person out of the world. Rabbi Yehoshua cautions...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 23, 2023
- 7 min
Anger Management
They [each] said three things: Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your friend be as dear to you as your own; And be not easily provoked...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 16, 2023
- 6 min
WHAT IS A GOOD HEART?
As we have explored in the previous Psyched for Avot articles, in Avot 2:9 Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai asks his students to “go forth and...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 8, 2023
- 4 min
Moral Knowledge
How do we acquire moral knowledge? How do we know the correct traits to inculcate and which to avoid? How do we know the best path...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Jun 2, 2023
- 3 min
Nature or Nurture?
If we take a moment to reflect on our personalities, we may begin to wonder how we came to be who we are today. What were the...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 25, 2023
- 4 min
Intelligence or Character?
Throughout the 20th century, the predominant view in psychology was that the most essential factor for success in school was intellectual...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 18, 2023
- 6 min
THE POWER OF PRASIE
Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai had five disciples and they were these: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah, Rabbi Yose...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 11, 2023
- 5 min
Self-Praise
Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai received [the oral tradition] from Hillel and Shammai. He used to say: if you have learned much Torah, do not...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- May 7, 2023
- 5 min
JUST WORLD HYPOTHESIS
Moreover he saw a skull floating on the face of the water. He said to it: because you drowned others, they drowned you. And in the end,...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Apr 27, 2023
- 7 min
Taking Responsibility
He used to say: A brute (bur) is not sin-fearing, nor is an ignorant person (am ha-aretz) pious; nor can a timid person (bayshan) learn,...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Apr 20, 2023
- 5 min
THE NEED TO BELONG
Hillel said: do not separate from the community; And do not trust in yourself until the day of your death; And do not judge your fellow...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Mar 30, 2023
- 4 min
Self-Transcendence (Avot 2:4)
“Human existence is not authentic unless it is lived in terms of self-transcendence.” - Viktor Frankl, 1966, p. 104 One of Viktor...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Mar 23, 2023
- 5 min
TRUST IN GOVERNMENT
In his bestselling book, Bowling Alone (2000), Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam noted a seismic shift from the 1960s to the...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
- Mar 16, 2023
- 4 min
BUSY MINDSET
How often do you feel that there is too much to do but not enough time to get everything done? Feeling time pressure can induce anxiety...
PSYCHED FOR AVOT
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