In The Healer of Shattered Hearts, Rabbi David Wolpe tells: “The
renowned physicist I.I. Rabi was once asked to name the most significant
intellectual influence in his life. The interviewer
expected to hear ‘Einstein’ or, perhaps, ‘Newton.’ ‘My mother,’ Rabi replied instantly. For each day, he explained, when he would
come home from cheder, the Jewish religious school, his pious mother would say
to him, ‘So Isaac, did you ask any good questions today? From her,’ said Rabi, ‘I learned that the key
to wisdom is to ask good questions.’
Like so many of her contemporaries, this woman, growing up in an Eastern
European ghetto, had imbibed a great principle of Jewish thought: All things must be weighed, scrutinized, evaluated.
“Between 1305 and the early 1800’s. the House of Taxis ran a form of pony express service all over Europe…. Its couriers clad in blue and silver uniforms, crisscrossed the continent carrying messages between princes and generals, merchants and money lenders.” –Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave We may think we are the first generation consumed by rapid communication but we are not. Throughout our history it has been a priority. Of course, now in the 21 st century we must ask: are we better or worse for it?
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