Learn Talmud - Berachot - Lesson 17 Daf 6b/7a (Koren Talmud Bavli) - The...

A person who has fear of Heaven will have his words heard by others. Fear of Heaven is perhaps the most important quality we could have. It makes us into human beings who realise that there is a Creator in the world who has created and made us. Suddenly - we realise that we must have some type of obligation in our lives. We need to listen to what this Creator wants from us. When we listen and do as we should - amazingly - others listen to what we have to say too!

Peace... It is perhaps the best single thing we all need in life. It's easy to make the start of bringing peace into the world. Just greet another! And if they seem to always greet you first - then make a change - catch them out before they have the chance to! Greet them first! When a poor man greets one, make sure to return the greeting. For him, it might be the only thing he has to give. The only? Hardly! Greeting others brings peace. That is the power we have in the world to do good other. Just say "Hello!" - or better yet "Shalom!" "Peace!"

Did you know that God prays? The Talmud tells us what His prayer is all about!

We read a story about the great High Priest (the Kohein Gadol) Yishmael ben Elisha who, when entering the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, was asked by God to bless him. Yishmael blesses God with a blessing we should all learn from - and how important these attributes are for ourselves too! You'll need to listen in to the lesson to hear about it though!

The Talmud teaches us just how great our own blessings are - even if it seems like we are simple. Every one of us has the power to bless others! (See my interview with Judy Simon "The Power of Blessings" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVaC3zv4iQY for more about this).

Indeed - peace and blessings. Who can ask for more?! Stop with the hurtful words about others. Start thinking about the power of words - and when one speaks well about others and towards others, just what a difference it can make in their lives, in yours, and the difference it will make to the entire world!

The Talmud tells us about an aspect of God that we wish would not exist. This is His attribute of judgment and anger. The Talmud tells us just how powerful it is and how Bilam (who wished to curse the Jewish people) wanted to make use of God's anger in order to destroy the Jewish people themselves.

It's another fascinating page in the Talmud. Watch the full Shiur and feel free to contemplate the thoughts that come to you - and send me an email sharing what you've learnt too!