Teaching Materials
11 Insights of Highly Successful Individuals
Teaching MaterialsInsight #4: Definitions
Accurate definitions will save you an enormous amount of time, money, and energy.
Backpacking through Rabbi Weinberg's office
A guy turns up in Rabbi Weinberg's office in the Old City of Jerusalem, saying he's traveled all over the Land of Israel and saw nothing "holy" about it. No "Hold Land" here.
Rabbi Weinberg says: "Let me ask you a question. On your trip, how many 'bafufstiks' did you see?"
The visitor asks, "How many what?"
"How many 'bafufstiks'?"
"What's a 'bafufstik'?" he asks.
Rabbi Weinberg responds, "Listen, I'm asking the questions here. Just tell me how many you saw!"
The guy gets frustrated. "How can I tell you how many bafufstiks I saw, if I don't know what it is?!"
"Ah hah!" Says Rabbi Weinberg. "You told me that you didn't see anything 'holy' in this land. Tell me - what were you expecting to see on your travels? Magical colours appearing in front of you? G-d to tap you on the shoulder? An angel to appear? Do you have a definition of 'holiness'? If you don't have a clear definition of 'holiness', how can you possibly tell me whether you saw it or not? It might have been right under your nose, and you didn't know it."
Crucial lesson for living:
- In life, there are many important things that we are seeking. Happiness, love, meaning etc. Judaism teaches that the "A" of living is to have clear definitions for important concepts.
- People can spend their whole lives striving for something that they think will give them happiness. When they actually get that thing, they're still miserable. They never took the time to define what happiness really is. Instead, they simply followed society's lead or their own whims. Defining happiness would have saved them a lot of time and unnecessary pain.
- People get married because they think they're in love - but really they're infatuated. Have you noticed that people who're infatuated think they're in love? People even get married often thinking that they're in love. Really they're just infatuated. A year down the line the infatuation fades and they realize they're really not in love at all, often with disastrous results. So it's crucial to get a definition of love and a definition of infatuation, otherwise we might make the same mistake!
- The same is true for all important concepts - being successful, feeling free, having a sense of meaning, being good etc. Define happiness, define love, define all these concepts - what it is and what it isn't. Then you'll know what it is that you really want, and you won't spend time and effort chasing something that won't even get you what you're truly seeking. This is a crucial lesson for effective living.
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