Sadly, after today, there are only 4 more days in our journey together…it’s time to start getting ready for what’s coming.
The Talmud tells us (Tamid 32a), “איזהו חכם? הרואה את הנולד – Who is wise? One who see what’s coming.” but elsewhere (Pirkei Avot 4:1) we are told, “איזה הוא חכם? הלמד מכל אדם – Who is wise? One who learns from everyone.” Which is it? Listening to others or seeing what’s coming?
I think the answer is very simply, both. When we confront a new situation, we need to be ready and to be able to see what’s coming, we need to be realistic about what positive and negative experiences may be coming down the road. When we are realistic about what’s coming and we can objectively see it, we know that we can learn from every person – sometime we learn what to do and sometime we learn what not to do, but we are prepared to interact with and learn from everyone. The key is being real about what is coming and knowing what to expect.
So, as we get ready to leave our amazing journey of growth and start the year again, let’s take a moment to be real and see what’s coming – reflect on the potential good stuff and not-so-good stuff coming down the road – and come up with a gameplan. Let’s figure out what we will learn from who.
Today’s Jewish mission is to see what’s coming and get ready to learn from everyone, remembering that the key to learning from everyone is figuring what to learn and having a plan in advance. Get ready!