When values shine through: Pirkei Avot from an unexpected source

At Beit Knesset Hanassi (Rechavia, Jerusalem) last week, I attended a great talk that had a lot to do with Pirkei Avot. The guest speaker touched upon the importance of not jumping to general conclusions on the initial assessment of another person (Avot 1:1 -- be deliberate in judgment), as well as the need to treat others with respect if you want them to respect you (Avot 4:1). He also emphasized the benefits to be derived by maintaining good relations with one's neighbours and the value of always acknowledging the truth, however uncomfortable and painful that might be (Avot 5:9).

The speaker did not quote any sources; he didn't even mention Avot at all. This did not surprise me, since he was not a rabbi and he was not speaking on a Jewish topic. The surprise--for anyone reading this and who was not present at this talk--was that he was a journalist, and an Arab Muslim, speaking on prospects for Israel, her citizens and her neighbours in the coming months.

The occasion was this month's Rosh Chodesh Lunch Club meeting and the speaker was Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist with the Jerusalem Post. His talk was crisp and concise, funny, painfully honest and constructively critical. Remarkably, while speaking of a wide range of politicians Israeli and Arab, Jewish and otherwise, he managed not to speak insultingly of any of them.

Ben Zoma asks (Avot 4:1) "Who is wise?" and then answers his own question, "the person who learns from everyone". It was possible to do this by listening to Abu Toameh's talk -- an object lesson in how easily one can instil the spirit of Avot into one's oral presentations and impart its moral values without sounding preachy.