In honor of Mother’s Day, Rabbi Eve Posen, assistant rabbi with Congregation Neveh Shalom in Portland, Oregon and co-author of the book Pirkei Imahot,the Wisdom of Mothers, the Voices of Women, shares her two favorite “pearls” of wisdom gleaned from looking at Jewish texts from a woman’s perspective.
Here’s some other great life advice from Jewish moms—as sometimes mothers really do know best:
“Never judge people for what they do in desperate times; people do what they have to do to survive.”
“You have to create your own destiny. You can’t just sit around and expect things to happen for you—you’ve got to work hard at it and be in control of the narrative.”
“Always consider the source, and everything in moderation.”
“Take yourself with you wherever you go.”
“Everyday when you wake up, say thank you I am alive. When I was in Auschwitz, I never knew whether the guards would kill me in my sleep. So the first thing to do is be happy you woke up!”
“Stand up straight!”
“The process of learning itself is holy. Do your best in school and complete everything you’ve started. It is okay to fail, as long as you learn from the experience.”
“Hold high standards for others and yourself. You deserve the best, even though nothing or no one will ever be good enough for you.”
“Boys/men have to be chivalrous, and they have to be good to their moms.”
“It’s very boring to be normal.”
“You can’t buy class.”
“The worst insult a Jewish mother could ever receive is that her food isn’t good, so eat whatever is served to you.”
“Bring a jacket with you wherever you go.”
“You can do whatever you set your mind to.”
“Where there is life, there is hope.”
“Two very different people can unite in a spirit of goodness and kindness.”
“Family is the most important part of life, and the bonds among family are insoluble. We are the most important things in the world to each other.”
“In a relationship, you will find that one person always loves more than the other. And sometimes that shifts during the course of the relationship.”
“Sit down at the table every night as a family to have dinner to talk about your day.”
What’s the best advice you have ever given as a mom or received from your mom? Be sure to share it in the comments!
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