The 1:5 Problem of Balance

When a verse in Pirkei Avos pushes together several apparently disparate ideas, I struggle to connect them. I merely labelled the resulting idea "The 1:5 Problem of Balance." Here it is.

The verse begins by stating "let your house be wide open." As I wrote in an earlier post, a contemporary translation of our "house" is our mind or our internet connection. So here, the verse encourages an open mind.

But the verse continues with "let the needy be members of your household," moving beyond open-mindedness to generosity. By giving the needy our attention, we are less likely to be self-centered.

So far, so good. But the weird part follows: "and do not over-indulge in light talk with your wife." Wow. How does encouragement to open-mindedness move to admonishing frivolity with one's wife? Realizing that any explanation may look like justification, I would still like to venture my idea.

Sometimes, when one feels "open-minded" and generous, there is an expansiveness - kind of like being "high on life." At such periods, we may be susceptible to new connections, new ideas or even new commitments. With all of that good stuff going on, life may lose its seriousness. As every silver lining has its cloud, the cloud here seems to be frivolity.

This last part of the verse seems to warn that while keeping our heads in the clouds of open-minded generosity, we should be balanced in keeping our feet seriously grounded.