SW01: Who Am I? -- Classical Sources

Every show in the Simple Wisdom series draws upon classical and contemporary sources. Here we provide some of the classical sources that inspired Irwin's teachings for this particular show. We hope that reflecting upon them will help to deepen your appropriation of the show's teaching.

²⁷And God created man in God’s image, in the image of God, God created man; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:27 

¹³And Moses said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”  ¹⁴God said to Moses, “I Am That I Am.” He continued, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘I Am sent me to you.’”

Exodus 3:14

Our Rabbis taught: Four men entered the ‘Garden’, namely, Ben Azzai and Ben Zoma, Aher, and Rabbi Akiba.  Rabbi Akiba said to them: When you arrive at the stones of pure marble, do not say, water, water!  For it is said: He that speaks falsely shall not be established before my eyes.  Ben Azzai cast a look and died.  Of him Scripture says: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.  Ben Zoma looked and became demented.  Of him Scripture says: Have you found honey?  Eat as much as is sufficient for you, so you will be filled with it, and vomit it.  Aher became an apostate.  Rabbi Akiba departed unhurt.

Babylonian Talmud Chagiga 14b 

Our Rabbis taught: “One should always regard oneself as though one is half guilty and half meritorious.  If one performs one good deed, happy is one for weighting oneself down in the scale of merit.  If one commits one transgression, woe to one for weighting oneself down in the scale of guilt, for it is said, but one sinner destroys much good (Ecclesiastes 9:18); on account of a single sin which one commits much good is lost.”  R. Eleazar son of R. Simeon said: “Because the world is judged by its majority, and an individual too is judged by the majority of deeds, good or bad, if one performs one good deed, happy is one for turning the scale both for oneself and for the whole world on the side of merit; if one commits one transgression, woe to one for weighting oneself and the whole world in the scale of guilt, for it is said, but one sinner ... on account of the single sin which this person commits, the person and the whole world lose much good.”

Mishnah, Yoma 8:9

SIMPLE WISDOM HIGHLIGHTS

SHARE THE JOURNEY

Join with others in a conversation about
Simple Wisdom themes.
Visit the Message Boards today!!!
 

SW PREMIERES