You Talkin To Me?

Some of us flee advice. When I was a kid, being the typical youngest child that I am, my mantra (according to my mother) was "I can do it myself." I've now realized that like everyone else, I gain when I listen to others.

The second most annoying thing that people say in the middle of a story telling moment is "I heard this already." (First place goes to "is this true?") When you hear something you've heard before you are now a different person with a chance to review the idea in a new way.

Similarly, if someone is telling you something that seems to not fit for you it may just pay to listen. This lesson can be gleaned from the tribes that requested land on the outskirts of Israel. They listened to Moshe's reproach and only then told him that they'd planned all along to do the things he'd asked. They listened because they knew that you can always learn from listening to Moshe Rabeinu.

Often, we discard some sources as beneath us. It behooves us to learn from all people. That's the sign of the true wise man. The Rambam believed strongly in taking wisdom where you find it. Sometimes that wisdom comes in what we'd like to deem as unnecessary reproach. A lesson to ponder from Parshat Matot.