48 Ways to Wisdom: Way #13 - Think About It

This is a regular feature on Winds of Change. Every Friday (for Friday evening begins the Jewish Sabbath), we cover one more way to wisdom from Rabbi Noah Weinberg. These materials come from an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, but are written in such a way that they retain their full value no matter what creed you follow.

Think of it as a gentle and modern way of sharing 5,000+ years of accumulated wisdom.

Way #13 (the Bar Mitzvah!) is about making decisions in ways that avoid both rashness and dithering, as we consider the challenges life places before us:

"The Sages say that whatever you encounter, study it four times. This process is likened to the act of planting - because wisdom is for the soul what food is for the body.

• Plowing. The first time you go over an idea, try to figure it out. That's "breaking up the soil."
  
• Planting. The second time, the idea begins to make sense. You're "putting seeds into the ground," planting it into yourself.
  
• Harvesting. The third time, you come to an experiential and intellectual understanding. It's "reaping the wheat."
  
• Digesting. The fourth time, you integrate the idea into your life. It "nourishes" your soul and is now part of you.

....With everything you want to achieve - and the short time you have to do so - taking time to deliberate is the best investment you'll ever make."