Good Deeds, Inspiring Thoughts

Jewish tradition teaches that one good deed leads to another. Some 16 months ago, I was honored to be invited to inaugurate this column. A word--spoken or written--is like a pebble dropped into a pond. Its ripples extend to places unexpected.

Months later, I received a phone call from the chairman of the Religious Advisory Committee of the Alzheimer’s Assn. asking me to share in their work. That request was a direct result of the words I had written here earlier--words that conveyed a message of compassion and concern for all who face life’s challenges.

My involvement with the Alzheimer’s Assn. has given me a greater appreciation of the daily trials encountered by people with Alzheimer’s, their caregivers and their family members. As much as any of us, they need spiritual support. So for the first time in Orange County, the association and Congregation B’nai Tzedek will offer a Jewish religious service for the Alzheimer’s community on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at our synagogue in Fountain Valley.

In my original column, I responded to some questions raised by youngsters in our religious school. My answers were straight to the point; children won’t tolerate beating around the bush.

I counted it as more than coincidence that I was reviewing a selection of original proverbs written by our sixth-graders when I was asked to write today’s column. The psalmist exclaimed, “Out of the mouths of babes and infants have You founded strength.”

These young people are well beyond infancy, yet their spiritual strength is apparent in the words they have written. The students have clearly internalized the lessons of faith imparted to them by their parents and teachers. I feel strongly that their proverbs--written in today’s language--give expression to age-old truths:

* Wisdom is better than wealth.

* Look at your life as half begun, not half ended.

* Don’t judge before you know.

* Remember compliments, not insults.

* Respect others, and you will be respected.

* Your mind is like a parachute; it works best when it is open.

* If you dread the past and fear the future, you will miss the present.

* If you have no destination, you have no future.

* One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.

* Your body dies, but your soul lives on.

In reflecting on these new proverbs, I am convinced that the ancient sage was right when he proclaimed: I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my colleagues. But most of all have I learned from my students.

On Faith is a forum for Orange County clergy and others to offer their views on religious topics of general interest. Submissions, which will be published at the discretion of The Times and are subject to editing, should be delivered to Orange County religion page editor Jack Robinson.