Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration. This year, it began at sunset on September 24th, and it will end at nightfall on September 26th. It’s a time for celebration and introspection – looking back over the events of the previous year, and making plans for the year ahead.
Elliott Masie, Chair of the Learning CONSORTIUM, believes that there’s a connection between Rosh Hashanah and the world of learning. He provides this poem to illustrate this connection:
How We Become Wise
After a long, hard climb up the mountain, a group of spiritual seekers finally found themselves in front of the great teacher.
Bowing deeply, they asked the question that had been burning inside of them for so long.
“How do we become wise?”
There was a long pause until the teacher emerged from the meditation.
Finally, the reply came:
“Good choices.”
“But teacher, how do we know how to make good choices?”
“From experience,” said the wise one.
“And how do we gain experience?” they asked.
“Bad choices” smiled the teacher.
Have a happy New Year! And may you never stop learning!
