בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר: אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם? הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר? הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר? הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְטוֹב לָךְ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד? הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקַלּוּ.
1️⃣ WHO IS WISE?
Most people would say:
Someone who knows a lot, reads many books, and gets good grades. 📚
But Ben Zoma says:
👉 The wise person is the one who is always learning!
And knows that they can learn from everyone.
⭐ Even from someone younger than you
⭐ Even from someone who knows less than you
🧠 Think: Have you ever learned something from a younger sibling?
From a friend? From someone unexpected? That’s exactly what Ben Zoma is teaching us:👉 Wisdom goes hand in hand with humility.
A truly wise person never says: “I already know everything.”
2️⃣ WHO IS STRONG?
Most people would say:
Someone with big muscles who can lift heavy things. 💪
But Ben Zoma says:
👉 The strong person is the one who controls himself and has self-discipline!
🛑 When you feel like hitting someone… but you don’t
💬 When you want to say something hurtful… but you stop
🍪 When you want the last cookie… but you leave it for someone else
👉 The strongest person is the one who controls himself.
3️⃣ WHO IS RICH?
Most people would say:
Someone with a lot of money, amazing toys, and the newest video games. 🎮
But Ben Zoma says:
👉 The rich person is the one who is happy with what they have!
😊 If you always need more and more, you will never feel rich…
But if you look at what you have and say:
“Thank You, HaShem! This is wonderful!”
👉 Then you are the richest person in the world.
💎 The less you need, the richer you are.
4️⃣ WHO DESERVES HONOR?
Most people would say:
Someone famous — a king, a star, or an important person. 👑
But Ben Zoma says:
👉 The honored person is the one who honors others!
👋 Be the first to say hello
👂 Listen carefully to everyone
⭐ Make others feel important
👉 If you want to be respected — respect others first!
✨ You become honorable when you honor others.
