EMOTIONAL HIJACKING
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Do not try to appease your friend during his hour of anger; Nor comfort him at the hour while his dead...
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PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Nov 84 min read
The Power of Moments
Rabbi Jacob said: this world is like a vestibule before the world to come; prepare yourself in the vestibule, so that you may enter the...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Nov 13 min read
Greet Everyone
Rabbi Yannai said: It is not in our hands [to explain the reason for] either the security of the wicked or even of the afflictions of the...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Sep 263 min read
Studying Abroad
Rabbi Nehorai said: exile yourself to a place of Torah and do not assume that it will come after you, for your fellow students will...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Sep 194 min read
The Crown
Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Sep 123 min read
Learn Responsibly
Rabbi Judah said: be careful in study (talmud), for an error in study counts as deliberate sin. Memory is fragile. Cognitive...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Sep 54 min read
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...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Aug 293 min read
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 153 min read
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 83 min read
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 13 min read
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 254 min read
Judging and Character
In two juxtaposed mishnayot, Rabbi Ishmael the son of Rabbi Yose communicates four related ethical exhortations primarily intended for...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Jul 113 min read
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 53 min read
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 253 min read
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 214 min read
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 143 min read
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 63 min read
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 306 min read
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 233 min read
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 164 min read
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 93 min read
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 293 min read
Mixed Metaphors
In the previous Mishna (Avot 3:15), Rabbi Akiva offered a succinct aphorism synthesizing the apparent contradiction between the concepts...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Feb 225 min read
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 254 min read
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 43 min read
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, 20233 min read
Agreeableness
In personality psychology, agreeableness, and its opposite, disagreeableness, is one of the main traits used to describe people. People...
PSYCHEDFORTORAH
Nov 9, 20233 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20235 min read
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, 20237 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20234 min read
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, 20236 min read
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, 20235 min read
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...
PSYCHED FOR AVOT
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