The Danger of Believing You Are in Control

Ben Sira 5:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·March 24, 2026

Stay not upon thy strength (or wealth); And say not, It is in the power of my hand.

Themes

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Alphabet of Ben SiraStay Away From Evil Friends"Control your face around evil friends. Do not walk on the road with them. Hold your feet back around them, lest you be caught in their trap." This proverb, cor Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelThen I Shall Make for You a Place [Even NowThe Torah promises that God will provide "a place where he shall flee" for a person who kills accidentally (Exodus 21:13). This is the institution of the city o Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924)Pupils & RobbersThe Talmud (Hullin 41b, Avodah Zarah 25b) preserves a cautionary teaching about the vulnerability of scholars traveling on dangerous roads. Students of the sage Ben SiraThe Wrathful Sinner Who Poisons Every HouseChapter 11 is a stark warning about the company we keep, the words we speak, and the consequences of succumbing to negativity. "What’s gained by violent sinners Ben SiraAncient Etiquette for How to Behave at a BanquetIt offers guidance for practically every aspect of life. And chapter 32 gives us some timely advice on how to conduct ourselves at a banquet. "That thou mayest Book of JubileesWhen Human Lifespans Shrank Due to WickednessBook of Jubilees turns to When Human Lifespans Shrank Due to Wickedness. The Book of Jubilees, a text considered scripture by some but excluded from the standar