Who Is Honored? (part four)
Ben Zoma says: Who is honored? The one who gives honor to others... (Talmud - Avot 4:1) In our society, whom do we honor? The basketball player who makes millions of dollars because he can put a ball through a hoop. The rock singer. The movie star. We applaud them when they perform, and yet when they grow older they are often ignored. What happened to the honor? Because it was based on superficial and meaningless qualities, it disappeared. Judaism teaches that honor is the realization that everyone is created in the image of God, and thus deserves to be treated with importance. Honor values people for their essence, for what is precious. This applies even if they seem ordinary or, as seen in the following story, annoying.
The key to his incredible patience can be seen in how he addressed the students. Each time he began, "My son..." Hillel looked at every Jew as if he were truly family, and focused on what was special about each one. We never give up on our children, even when they make mistakes time and time again, and Hillel applied this same treatment to every person who came his way. The person who lives life seeing the virtue in others is looked upon with such high regard. Our sages also say, "Who is honored? The one who runs from honor." A man once went to his rabbi distressed. "I don't understand. According to the sages, I should be honored. I am living my life running from honor, and yet no one honors me." "That is because while you are running," the rabbi answered, "you are always looking over your shoulder." Adapted from "Remember My Soul," by Lori Palatnik
(Leviathan Press, Pikesville, MD, 1998)
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