Sunday 2 August 2020

Avot in retrospect: a summary of last month's blogposts

In case you missed them, here's a list of items posted on Avot Today in July 2020:

Sunday, 5 July 2020: Collective behaviour: the need to stick together. In praise of collaboration and cooperation.

Tuesday, 7 July 2020: Making man in God's image: a choice of supporting verses. Why does Rabbi Akiva pick one supporting verse over another when reminding us that man is made in God's image?

Wednesday, 8 July 2020: Chasing after peace -- or chasing peace away? Can one achieve peace by driving it away?

Sunday, 12 July 2020: The police: defund or defend? Reflections arising from the George Floyd tragedy.

Monday, 13 July 2020: Dogged pursuit of a rabbi. When can the choice of a teacher be like getting a guide dog for the blind?

Thursday, 16 July 2020: Committing spiritual suicide: a gloomy perspective.  When do words of moral chastisement enthuse a Torah scholar, and when might they deter him from his studies?

Friday, 17 July 2020: Anger: felt first, shown last.It is impossible for a normal person to feel no anger at all, but there are ways of processing it.

Sunday, 19 July 2020: Types of fear, Daniel Deronda and fear of oneself. Fear-related themes are frequently discussed in Pirkei Avot -- but whom is one supposed to fear?

Monday, 20 July 2020: The positive side of reaching 50. Advancing years are not all bad news.

Tuesday, 21 July 2020: The Chafetz Chaim, Avot and Hi-Tech. Search for a source for an appreciation of a mishnah that was taught two thousand years ago but has immediate relevance to modern technology.

Thursday, 23 July 2020: Lots of Avot, not so many ISBNs. Many commentaries on Avot are self-published. What does this mean?

Friday, 24 July 2020: Learning Avot in yeshivot -- a rewarding experience? Praise for an initiative that seeks to encourage more and better learning of Pirkei Avot.

Monday, 27 July 2020: Doing what is right and proper. Reflection on the "right path" and the "good path". Do they diverge?

Friday, 31 July 2020: Who is wise? It depends who you ask. Pirkei Avot offers one answer -- but Alexander of Macedon received a different one.

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You can check Avot Today posts for June here
You can check Avot Today posts for May here

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