School fills our heads with a piece of knowledge, leaving out an awful lot of important things that would be valuable to know— for instance, life lessons from the Jewish people. Jewish people have already shown the world their wisdom and we are here to celebrate it.
Here are the life lessons you could get from Jewish people and how you can make use of these lessons in your daily practices:
1. Family Comes First
Family comes first for the Jewish people. Establishing sacred duties and the biggest values is one of the most important things in Judaism.
The Book of Torah highlights the importance of teaching young children their loyalties as Jews. No matter how small the family is, they all have a responsibility to fulfill both God and their faith.
Parents are expected to look after their closest family members while children are taught to preserve family traditions and honor their mother and father.
2. Community
Caring for the community is embedded in the Jewish people. They have an outlandish dedication to their community, uplifting and supporting one another.
They have the so-called “covenant caring” termed as hasset. This covenant describes loving care and kindness that’s concerted among Jewish communities.
Regardless of all the obstacles and challenges encountered throughout history, the Jewish community has managed to turn the tables in their favor, leading to a more rightful path for their people.
From supporting Jewish-owned businesses to helping out people in the neighborhood, helping the community is surely one of the great lessons, we can learn from the Jews.
3. Value of Money
Money and wealth play a big role in Jewish customs and traditions. Wealth isn’t perceived as a sin in the Book of Torah. Instead, it is an impediment that can be used to support Godly communities and support God.
American Jews who migrated to the United States had to fight and work their way out of indigence. Fortunately, after years of suffering, Jews rose up as one of the wealthiest religious groups in American society.
Jews know the real value of money, and they aren’t frightened to show it, from successful businesses to real estate property. Even five-year-old kids know how to manage their finances through five-jar financial management.
So, what is the five-jar financial management?
Basically, five jar includes one for tithes, one for charity, one for rainy days, one for investing, and the last one for wants. Give 10%, tithe 10%, and save 10%— this way, you can experience the Jewish way of valuing money.
4. Higher Education
Jewish people are dominating the higher education space. In fact, a study has found that Jews are the world’s best-educated religious group, having over 13 years of schooling exposure. Perhaps, this is because education is perceived as a treasure and honor in Judaism.
According to the Jewish tradition, Jewish men are responsible for knowing and teaching the Book of Torah to their children. They highly believe that people who read the book of life and practice their daily prayer will be chased by success and prosperity.
5. No Publicity Needed
The Jews believe that everything you deserve will fall into your hands eventually, so there’s no need to seek attention for your kind acts and broadcast your success on your own. The Jewish culture values practice humility as one of their key traits, and despite the fact that humility is perceived as a vice and virtue, Jews are trained to care for and oversee other people’s needs other than their own.
Some of the positive gestures orated by the culture include supporting families, offering a helping hand, and sharing wisdom.
Rabbi Jeffrey Sach said, “There are many important meetups such as patients, generosity, and honor. However, I resonate deeply with the wisdom that all of them lead us back to a central one— humility. After all, how can we be generous or give proper honor to others if we lack humility?”
6. Honest Practices
For Jewish people, truth and honesty mean more than just rectitude. Honesty, integrity, and morality all stand at the vanguard of Jewish customs. In accord with the teaching of the Talmud, “The signature of the Holy One, blessed be He, is truth.”
The Book of Torah revolves around honesty, practices, and integrity and these values can be visibly seen among Jewish communities. Hence, even though the Talmud and the Torah press interest-free loans among people in their community, the same rules do not apply to non-Jews that ask for loans.
Jews are quite straightforward and transparent when it comes to finances and money. This may be the reason why a lot of major American companies and banks are headed by Jews.
7. From Generation to Generation
The Jewish tradition has a solid foundation, established from generation to generation. The world has seen how Jews pass on and nurture their culture to the next generations.
Jewish children are encouraged to participate in summer camps, summer schools, and youth programs that strive to bolster Jewish faith and customs. It is through these generation-to-generation practices that the Jewish communities continue to thrive and grow.
8. Love Accepts All
The Book of Talmud urges Jewish people to be loving and accepting of people. No matter who the person is and no matter what past he has, Jewish people are taught to accept them as they are.
One of the greatest commandments that say “love your neighbors as you love yourself” expresses not judging people around you. It talks about pardoning flaws and accepting both the good and bad traits of a person.
Jews treasure the sanctity of marriage because they highly believe in giving allowances for each other’s mistakes. Judaism encourages true allegiance and devotion.
9. Find A Suitable Partner
Jewish people were taught since childhood the importance of finding a suitable partner in life. Before entering a marriage, partners should be decided on with reason and careful thought.
The Jewish culture perceives marriage as more than just a legal partnership. They regard marriage as a union that is sanctified by God. Hence, partners should share the same faith, have mutual respect, and commitment to family.
10. Wedding Traditions
The wedding traditions of the Jewish people date back to the medieval period. Celebrations were always commemorated lavishly among the community because they regard wedding day as a day of forgiveness.
In the Jewish tradition, both husband and wife wait until their last meal together as a married couple to have their first meal of the day. The shattering of the glass inside of a cloth bag is also one of the famous traditions Jewish couples follow.
