A pupil once inquired of his teacher, “What is real wisdom?” The teacher replied, “To judge liberally, to think purely, and to love thy neighbor.”  Another teacher answered, “The greatest wisdom is to know thyself.”

“Beware of conceit and pride of learning; learn thy tongue to utter, ’I do not know.’”

If a man devotes himself to study, and becomes learned, to the delight and gratification of his teachers, and yet is modest in conversation with less intelligent people, honest in his dealings, truthful in his daily walks, the people say, “Happy is the father who allowed him to study God’s law; happy the teachers who instructed him in the ways of truth; how beautiful are his ways; how meritorious his deeds!  Of such an one the Bible says, ’He said to me, Thou art my servant; oh, Israel, through thee am I glorified.’”

But when a man devotes himself to study, and becomes learned, yet is disdainful with those less educated than himself, and is not particular in his dealings with his fellows, then the people say of him, “Woe to the father who allowed him to study God’s law; woe to those who instructed him; how censurable is his conduct; how loathsome are his ways!  ’Tis of such an one the Bible says, ’And from his country the people of the Lord departed.’”

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When souls stand at the judgment-seat of God, the poor, the rich, and the wicked each are severally asked what excuse they can offer for not having studied the law.  If the poor man pleads his poverty he is reminded of Hillel.  Though Hillel’s earnings were small he gave half each day to gain admittance to the college.

When the rich man is questioned, and answers that the care of his fortune occupied his time, he is told that Rabbi Eleazer possessed a thousand forests and a thousand ships, and yet abandoned all the luxuries of wealth and journeyed from town to town searching and expounding the law.

When the wicked man pleads temptation as an excuse for his evil course, he is asked if he has been more tempted than Joseph, more cruelly tried than he was, with good or evil fortune.

Yet though we are commanded to study God’s law, we are not to make of it a burden; neither are we to neglect for the sake of study any other duty or reasonable recreation.  “Why,” once asked a pupil, “is ’thou shalt gather in thy corn in its season’ a Scriptural command?  Would not the people gather their corn when ripe as a matter of course?  The command is superfluous.”

“Not so,” replied the Rabbis; “the corn might belong to a man who for the sake of study would neglect work.  Work is holy and honorable in God’s sight, and He would not have men fail to perform their daily duties even for the study of His law.”

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Bless God for the good as well as for the evil.  When you hear of a death say, “Blessed is the righteous Judge.”