Our duties to ourselves are to a great extent included in our duties
towards God and towards our fellow-men, because these likewise tend to
promote our own well-being.
The fundamental principle of our duties towards ourselves is to make
the best use of the gifts which the kindness of God has bestowed upon
us.
1. Life and health are precious gifts received by us at the hands of
Divine Providence. We must therefore guard them as valuable treasures,
and must not endanger them without absolute necessity. On the contrary,
as much as lies in our power, we must improve our health and preserve
our life. Food and bodily enjoyment, however pleasant for the moment,
must be let alone if they are injurious to health. If we find ourselves
inclined to exceed the right measure in the enjoyment of a thing, it is
advisable to turn, for a while at least, to the other extreme and avoid
that enjoyment altogether. Thus persons that are easily misled to
excess in drink should become total abstainers from drink. But in
ordinary cases the golden mean is preferable, especially for us Jews
who are trained by the Dietary Laws, and by other precepts, to have
control over our appetites. We are not commanded to be ascetics and to
lead a gloomy, miserable life. On the contrary, we are frequently told
in the Pentateuch, “And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God.” The
Psalmist exhorts us to “serve the Lord with gladness; to come before
his presence with singing” (Ps. c. 2). “He who doeth good to his own
soul is a man of love; and he who troubleth his own flesh is a cruel
man” (Prov. xi. 17); i.e., he who does good to himself is of a cheerful
disposition, and is likely to do good to others; but he who deprives
himself of enjoyments is often also cruel to his fellow-creatures. The
Nazirite had to bring a sin-offering after the expiration of the period
of his vow. “What sin has he committed?” was asked. The answer is given
in the Talmud by Samuel: “Because he deprived himself of wine;” and the
Rabbi further infers from this, that it is prohibited to impose a
voluntary fast upon oneself. Rabbi Eleazar, however, thinks that the
vow of a Nazirite is a praiseworthy act, and his view found many
followers, especially in the Middle Ages. Abraham Ibn Ezra, e.g.,
explains that the sin of the Nazirite consists in not prolonging the
state of Naziritism. But, however different their opinions may be
theoretically, all agree that no voluntary fast should be undertaken,
if it endangers the health of the faster, changes cheerfulness into
sadness, and disables him from doing necessary or useful work.
2. Wealth, if acquired in an honest manner, by hard work, is conducive
to our well-being. But in our search for wealth we must bear in mind
that it is not an end in itself, but serves only as a means of securing
our well-being. Koheleth tells us, what experience endorses, that there
are “riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt” (Eccles. v. 12).
It is true we must struggle for the means of our existence. But in the
struggle for wealth we must not entirely suppress the claims of our
moral and intellectual wants, and if we were to suppress them, we
should only work for our own ruin. “Two things have I required of thee;
deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies; give
me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be
poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Prov. xxx. 7–9).
To this golden mean we should adhere. It is our duty to seek an honest
livelihood, but we are told, “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine
own wisdom” (Prov. xxiii. 4). One of the various duties of parents
towards their children is to take good care that they learn a trade,
and “he who does not teach his son a trade,” say our Sages, “is as
guilty as if he directly taught him to rob” (Babyl. Talm. Kiddushin, p.
29a).
There is an erroneous opinion abroad, that commerce is more congenial
to Judaism than handicraft. In our Law no trace of such preference is
noticeable; on the contrary, agriculture was the principal occupation
of the Israelites. “When thou eatest the labour of thine hands, happy
art thou, and it is well with thee” (Ps. cxxviii. 2). “Love work, and
hate lordship” is a well-known lesson of the sayings of the Fathers
(Aboth i. 10). Bible and post-Biblical literature equally teach us the
lesson that our comfort and happiness do not depend on the amount of
wealth we have amassed, but on the degree of contentment our heart has
acquired. “Sweet is the sleep of the labourer, whether he eat little or
much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep”
(Eccles. v. 11).
Industry is one of the sources of human happiness; but the blessing of
industry is easily lost, if it is not combined with thrift and
temperance. In days of prosperity we must bear in mind that days of
misfortune may come; we must, so far as we can, provide for them, so
that we may be able to hold out “till the storm has passed.” Temperance
is inseparable from thrift and industry. Intemperance not only consumes
the products of thrift and industry, but in course of time destroys
these very sources of our prosperity. Even with regard to Sabbath, in
honour of which some degree of comfort and even of luxury may be
indulged in, the principle is laid down: “Treat thy Sabbath like an
ordinary day, if additional expense is likely to make thee dependent on
charity” (Babyl. Talm. Shabbath 118a).
3. Knowledge.—God has made man “a little lower than the angels, and has
crowned him with glory and honour” (Ps. viii. 6); He has endowed him
with the faculty of acquiring knowledge: “There is a spirit in man, and
an inspiration of the Almighty, that gives him understanding” (Job
xxxii. 8). It is our duty to cultivate this faculty, to nurse it with
all possible care, that it may grow, produce beautiful blossoms, and
bear goodly fruit. The training must begin very early, at an age in
which we are entirely dependent on the assistance and guidance of
others. Parents, to whom the Almighty has entrusted the care of their
children, are therefore commanded to provide for their education; and
as parents are not always capable of doing this, the duty devolves on
the community or on the State. Every civilised country has its schools,
colleges, and seminaries for the development of the intellectual and
moral faculties of its inhabitants, and as these institutions increase
in number and efficiency, the prosperity of the nation grows in like
proportion. But the success of these educational institutions, however
well provided they may be with an excellent teaching staff and the best
appliances, depends on the regular and punctual attendance of the
children, their attention, and their industry. It is the duty of
parents to see, as far as it is in their power, that these conditions
be fulfilled. Among the various branches of knowledge we seek to
acquire, there is one branch of paramount importance, the absence of
which would make all other knowledge valueless: it is—
4. Moral and Religious Training.—“The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and correction” (חכמה ומוסר Prov.
i. 7). The author of the Book of Proverbs teaches that knowledge must
be combined with יראת השם “fear of God;” and that it is a perverse
idea to separate wisdom (חכמה) from moral training (מוסר), and to
seek knowledge (דעת) without the fear of the Lord (יראת ה׳). Our
Sages teach us that our training should include both fear of God and
wisdom. “If there is no wisdom, there is no fear of God; and in the
absence of the latter there is no wisdom” (Aboth iii. 17). Fear of the
Lord, however, and fear of sin must have precedence. Rabbi Chanina, son
of Dosa, says: “If a man’s wisdom is preceded by fear of sin, his
wisdom is well established; if the fear of sin is preceded by wisdom,
his wisdom is not well established” (ibid. 9).
The result of our training must be the acquisition of good manners and
noble principles. Avoid extremes, and hold to the golden mean, is an
excellent rule that leads us safely through the various conditions of
life and wards off many troubles and dangers. The following examples
may serve as an illustration of this rule: Do not ignore your own self;
let self-love and self-respect influence your conduct; but these must
not be allowed to develop into selfishness and arrogance. Look after
your own interests, but do not consider them as the supreme rulers of
your actions. Be self-reliant, and keep equally far from self-conceit
and self-distrust. Haughtiness and self-contempt are extremes to be
avoided: be modest. When wronged or insulted by your neighbour, be
neither callous nor over-sensitive; ignore insult and wrong in most
cases, forgive them readily in others, and resent them only when forced
to do so. In disputes and discussions be neither weak nor obstinate: be
firm. Be neither passionate nor indifferent: be calm. Do not trust
every one, lest your credulity mislead you; do not suspect every one,
lest you become misanthropic: be discreet. Do not seek danger, nor fear
it; but be prepared to meet it with courage. Be temperate in eating and
drinking, and avoid both excess and needless privation. In spending
your earnings show neither niggardliness nor recklessness: be
economical. Work, but not in such a manner as to ruin your health. As
to your future, be neither too sanguine in your hopes, nor despondent:
do your duty, and trust in God.
There are, however, exceptions from this rule; for in certain cases
there is only the choice between two extremes. Such is Truthfulness. It
is our duty to approach nearer and nearer the extreme of this virtue,
and to consider the least deviation from it as vice. From our earliest
youth we should train ourselves in the practice of this virtue. Every
word that we desire to utter should be well examined before it passes
our lips. We must be on our guard that nothing should escape our lips
that is not in harmony with what we feel or think. In small matters as
well as in important things truthfulness must be the principle which
guides us in our utterances. “The lips of truth shall be established
for ever, but for a moment only the tongue of falsehood” (Prov. xii.
19). “Keep thee far from a word of falsehood” (Exod. xxiii. 7).
“Falsehood,” say our Sages, “has no legs to stand upon; whilst ‘truth’
is declared to be the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He” (אמת חותמו
של הקב״ה).
Our moral and religious training is based on the Word of God, on the
Torah, and the study of the Torah, חלמוד תורה, is an essential
element in Jewish education. The term Torah is to be understood in no
narrow sense, but as including the written and the oral Law, all the
books of the Holy Writings, and such works as have from time to time
been composed for the purpose of facilitating and promoting the study
of the Torah. The importance of this duty has been recognised from
ancient times, and Jewish congregations, before building a synagogue,
made provision for the religious education of the young and for the
study of the Law, by establishing schools and colleges (בית ספר or
בי רב and בית המדרש).
Talmud-torah is one of those duties to which no measure was fixed (אשר
אין להם שיעור Mishnah Peah i. 1). Whenever we can find time and
leisure, we ought to turn to the Word of God, every one according to
his capacity and his opportunities. The readings from the Torah, both
the written and the oral, which form part of our Service, have been
introduced for the purpose of facilitating for the general public the
fulfilment of the duty of Talmud-torah.
The study of the Law and the regular and punctual attendance at the
Beth-hammidrash belong to those religious acts which “bear fruit here
on earth and procure bliss in the future life” (ibid.). Our Sages
exhort us in various sayings to devote ourselves earnestly to the study
of the Torah. The object of this study is, in the first instance, to
enable us to live in accordance with His Commandments; secondly, to
purify our thoughts by turning them from common, ordinary things to
higher and loftier subjects; for while we are reading the Divine
messages and reflecting on them, we move in a purer atmosphere and must
be inspired with holy and noble thoughts.
The book which is expected to produce these results must be approached
“with awe, with meekness, with cheerfulness, and with purity” (Aboth
vi. 6). Our intention must be to be instructed and guided by what we
read. We must not presume to criticise the Divine decrees therein
recorded. If we meet with passages that strike us as strange or
objectionable, we may be sure that we have not yet comprehended the
true sense of the Divine words. Modesty must cause us rather to assume
shortcomings on our part than to find fault with the Holy Writings.
“Turn it over, and read it again and again; for all is in it, and
behold everything through it; and even when old and weak, cleave to it,
and do not move away from it; for there is no better guide for thee
than this one” (Aboth v. 22). There is one great advantage in the study
of the Torah; it constantly supplies us with one of the best means of
promoting our moral training, viz., with good company.
The society in which we move and the persons with whom we associate are
an important factor in the formation of our character. Bad companions
corrupt us, and lead us to ruin; good companions improve our moral
conduct by their example and not rarely by their words. “If one joins
mockers, he will be a mocker; if he joins the lowly, he will show
grace” (Prov. iii. 34). “Keep away from a bad neighbour; do not
associate with the wicked, and do not believe thyself safe from evil”
(Aboth i. 7). In our daily prayers we ask God for His assistance in our
endeavour to act according to this principle.
The aim and end of all our moral training must be to keep our mind pure
from evil thoughts, to make our heart the seat of noble and lofty
desires; to accustom our tongue to the utterance of that which is good
and true, and to lead a pure, honourable, and godly life. If we
succeed, we establish our well-being during our life on earth, and
secure Divine blessing for our soul in the future world.