3,300 years of wisdom, down to the lines that change you.

For today

• Today’s affirmation

  בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי כָּל־צָרְכִּי:

  Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d and king of the world, who steadies the steps of man.

  Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Preparatory Prayers, Morning Blessings 11Say it
  From Affirmations

• Today’s question

  הִנֵּה תַּעֲנוּג הַמַּאֲכָל הוּא הַיּוֹתֵר מוּחָשׁ וּמֻרְגָּשׁ, הֲיֵשׁ דָּבָר אָבֵד וְנִפְסָד יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנּוּ? שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵין שִׁעוּרוֹ אֶלָּא כְּשִׁעוּר בֵּית הַבְּלִיעָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנָּה וְיָרַד בִּבְנֵי הַמֵּעַיִם אָבַד זִכְרוֹ וְנִשְׁכַּח כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הָיָה, וְכָךְ יִהְיֶה שָׂבֵעַ אִם אָכַל בַּרְבּוּרִים אֲבוּסִים כְּמוֹ אִם אָכַל לֶחֶם קִבָּר אִם אָכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כְּדֵי שְׂבִיעָה, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִם יָשִׂים אֶל לִבּוֹ הֶחֳלָאִים הָרַבִּים שֶׁיְּכוֹלִים לָבוֹא עָלָיו מֵחֲמַת אֲכִילָתוֹ, וּלְפָחוֹת הַכֹּבֶד שֶׁמַּגִּיעֵהוּ אַחַר הָאֲכִילָה וְהָעֲשָׁנִים הַמַּהְבִּילִים אֶת שִׂכְלוֹ. הִנֵּה עַל כָּל אֵלֶּה וַדַּאי שֶׁלֹּא יַחְפֹּץ אָדָם בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁטּוֹבָתוֹ אֵינָהּ טוֹבָה וְרָעָתוֹ רָעָה.

  The pleasure in [eating] food is the most tangible and most felt. Yet, is there anything more swiftly gone and passing than this? For its duration is as the measure of passing a person's throat. After the food passes this point and descends to the intestines, all remembrance of it disappears and is forgotten as if it had never existed. Thus he will be just as satiated if he ate fattened swans than if he had eatened coarse bread in sufficient quantity. All the more so, if he considers the many illnesses brought on through eating, and at least, the heaviness which one feels after a meal and the vapors which darken his intellect. When reflecting on all these things, certainly a person will not desire in this pleasure, since its good is not truly good while its evil is truly evil.

  Mesillat Yesharim 15:4Open
  From Questions

• Today’s parable

  רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר רָמֵי: כְּתִיב ״טוֹב ה׳ לַכֹּל״, וּכְתִיב ״טוֹב ה׳ לְקֹוָויו״. מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ פַּרְדֵּס: כְּשֶׁהוּא מַשְׁקֶה – מַשְׁקֶה אֶת כּוּלּוֹ, כְּשֶׁהוּא עוֹדֵר – אֵינוֹ עוֹדֵר אֶלָּא טוֹבִים שֶׁבָּהֶם.

  The Gemara cites a related statement: Rabbi Elazar raises a contradiction: It is written in one verse: “The Lord is good to all and His compassion is over all His …

  Sanhedrin 39b:2Read it
  From Parables

• Today’s power phrase

  מִי לָנוּ גָּדוֹל מִיּוֹסֵף כּוּ׳. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בֹּא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה חֲבִיבוֹת מִצְוֹת עַל מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, שֶׁכׇּל יִשְׂרָאֵל כּוּלָּן נִתְעַסְּקוּ בַּבִּיזָּה, וְהוּא נִתְעַסֵּק בְּמִצְוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״חֲכַם לֵב יִקַּח מִצְוֹת וְגוֹ׳״.

  Sotah 13a:13Open
  From Power phrases

• Power phrase

  And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy end should greatly increase.

  Job 8:7Open

• Question

  Wilt thou even make void My judgment? Wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be justified?

  Job 40:8Open

• Affirmation

  Upon God resteth my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

  Psalms 62:8Open

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The passages of the library for each moment of a life, gathered in one place and given whole.

• The big questionsWhen you see injustice
• The people in your lifeWhen someone has hurt you
• Every dayGiving thanks
• The big questionsWhen you don’t know how to pray
• Turning pointsGrowing older
• Turning pointsBefore a big decision
• Hard timesWhen someone you love dies
• Hard timesWhen you want to give up
• The big questionsThe love of learning

• the days of the JudgesRuthFamine in Bethlehem · “Whither thou goest” · “Call me Mara” · In the field of Boaz…Begin chapter 1 of 8
• c. 1600 BCE by traditionJosephThe coat and the dreams · Into the pit · In Potiphar's house · The butler and the baker…Begin chapter 1 of 14
• 1st century BCEHoni the circle-drawerThe circle · His students in the rain · Letters from Jerusalem · The man planting a carob…Begin chapter 1 of 7

• Affirmations1070The lines of the siddur, Tanach and the Sages meant to be said and repeated, word for word.
• Questions641The questions the texts ask us, word for word. Sit with one.
• Parables649The Sages' parables, each with its explanation, word for word.
• Power phrases1258The lines of Jewish wisdom worth knowing by heart, word for word.