Wise Blasphemy

The wise essence of Pirke Avot—ancient maxims of Jewish wisdom.

Life can feel like a wild and unpredictable rush from one moment to the next, all within the equally wild and unpredictable reality of God. This is why living righteously is not about trying to escape from change. It is, instead, learning to live with constant change and return—without trying to control it. Great Jewish teachers have always understood this, and it is this that forms the heart of all Jewish ethics. We need to accept the fluidity of life; not look for workarounds; and act justly and compassionately, with full attention.

Through the voices of 65 ancient Jewish Sages, the ancient Jewish text known as Pirke Avot provides a treasury of insights for acting rightly and ethically. Pithy and wise, many of these insights continue to be considered profound, dangerous, or both by leaders in the religious and secular worlds. Wise Blasphemy explores all of this without scholarly fuss. It is a deeply practical interpretation (in Hebrew, a targum) from which these profound truths of the ancient Hebrew Sages emerge.