The story is told about a man who was invited to give what was
supposed to be a brief talk at a Yale
University alumni
gathering. Basing his comments on the
four letters that spell YALE, he began by saying that the letter Y stands for Youth-the young people who come to the
university with such promise. The A, he
continued stands for Achievement-the
success of the school’s graduates. After
lengthy remarks on the Y and the A, he came to the L, pointing out that it
stands for Loyalty-the devotion of
Yale alumni to their alma mater. Finally
he came to the E, saying that it stands for Enthusiasm-the
feeling Yale graduates have about their school.
An hour and a half later the speaker sat down. During the pause that followed, a bored guest
whispered to his neighbor, “I’m sure glad he didn’t graduate from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology!”
This week’s portion Mattot-Massai begins with the importance of
choosing our words wisely, especially when it comes to making vows. According to the Midrash Tanchuma “God said
to Israel, ‘Be careful what you vow, and do not become addicted to making vows,
for whoever is so addicted will, in the end, sin by breaking his oath…” The rabbis taught that it is better to not
vow than to vow and not fulfill the oath.
Somebody once said, “The missing ingredient in most of our talking
is a little shortening.” Let’s be
careful about both the quality and the quantity of our words. And if we make a pledge, vow, or promise, let
us strive to keep it.
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