A Calendar of Wisdom

A stone falls on a pot - woe to the pot; a pot falls on a stone - woe to the pot; in every case, it is bad for the pot.

The pleasures of the rich are often acquired by the tears of the poor.

Wealth is created by the concentration of human labor; usually one people produce labor, and others concentrate it. This is called “the division of labor” by contemporary wise people.

There is something wrong with the creation of this world, because the rich people think that they are the benefactors of the poor, but in fact those rich are fed and dressed by the work of these poor and live in luxury created for them by the poor.

Those who live according to the will of God cannot be sensitive to the judgments of other people.

You should think in such a way that everybody could look into your soul and see what is transpiring there.

Live in the open.

It is not good to hide your bad deeds, but it is even worse to flaunt them in the open and to be proud of them. To feel shame in the company of other people is good, but it is even better to experience shame when you are alone with yourself.

Do not hide anything from other people when they ask you, but do not boast about bad things if you are not asked about them.

You can hide some things from other people, but you cannot hide anything from God.

Live your life in such a way that you neither hide nor have a wish to display your life to people.

We know our life as it exists only here, in this world; therefore, if our life is to have any meaning, it should be here in this world.

Do not wish for death just because your life is hard. All the burdens on your shoulders will help you fulfill your destiny. The only way to get rid of your burdens is to live your life in such a way that you fulfill your destiny.

Real life is found only in the present. If people tell you that you should live your life preparing for the future, do not believe them. We live in this life, and we know this life only, and therefore all our efforts should be directed toward the improvement of this life. Not your life in general but every hour of this life should be lived in the best way you know how.

Life is neither suffering nor pleasure, but the business which we have to do, and which we have to finish honestly, up to our life’s end.

This world, only this world, is the place of our work, and all our forces, all our efforts, should be directed toward this life.

If truth makes our life easier, then it is better to accept the truth than to hide from it. Our life can be changed, but the truth cannot be changed: it will always remain the truth, and it will expose us.

We should live our lives as if everyone could see us, as if the most secret corners of our soul were open to the sight of others. Why should we hide anything? You cannot hide anything from God. All divine and human learning can be summarized in one truth—that we are members of one big body. Nature united us in one big family_and we should live our lives together, helping each other.

Seek the truth: it always shows us what we should do, what we should not do, and what we should stop doing.

The earth, the air, and the sun belong to all of us; they cannot be made objects of property.

We are ail visitors in this world. Wherever you go in this world, to the north, to the south, to the west, or to the east, there will always be a man waiting to tell you, “This is my property. Get out of here!” When you visit other countries in the world and you come back, you will see chat there is not a single piece of free land where your wife can give birth to your child, where you can stop and start working on the land, and where your children can find rest for your bones at life’s end.

If you leave a man on land which is someone else’s property and tell him that he is a completely free man and can work foi himself, it’s as if you drop him in the middle of the Atlantic and tell him that he is free to go ashore.

Those who own land in amounts larger than that which is needed to feed their own families can be treated as being guilty of causing the poverty of many other people.

Only the person who fulfills God’s law can understand God. The more closely he fulfills God’s law, the better he understands God.

There is not a single believer who from time to time has not had some hesitations about the existence of God. But these moments of hesitation are not harmful. On the contrary, they lead us to a better understanding of God.

Seeking God with your soul is a process that has limitless sides and aspects.

Moses said to God, “Where can I find you?” God said, ‘"If you are looking for me, you have already found me.” They asked a wise man, “How do you know that God exists?” He replied, “Is it necessary to have a torch in order to see the sun?” We do not have enough words to explain what God is, but we know without words that He exists.

Jews consider it a sin to state the name of God aloud. They are right: God is spirit, and every name is material and not spiritual.

During our lives we help each other: sometimes we help other people, sometimes we are helped by others. But the world is formed so that usually some people mostly help others, and some mostly receive their help.

As you acquire objects, and you use them, you should keep in mind that they are the products of people’s work. When you damage or destroy these objects, you damage or destroy the toil, and this part of the life of other people.