“The reward for studying the Torah is not in this world but in the world to come.” (Book of Legends, p. 251) Studying the Torah is one of the most important aspects of the Jewish religion. As established in this quote, the reward for doing so is not on earth but in heaven. There are different ways to go about studying the Torah. One of those ways is through friendship. According to the Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Joshua Ben Perahyah stated that one should not only provide oneself with a teacher to learn, but also acquire a friend in order to “review.” One must acquire a friend that will push one to do good, help one to better oneself, and cultivate virtue while studying Scripture. In this statement, the word “acquire” is very significant. It emphasizes …show more content…
(Happiness, p. 34) Rabbi Ben Perahyah, in his statement, refers to perfect friendship. Unlike the other two types of friendship, friendship of goodness is one that lasts. Aristotle describes such friendship as one of men who are good, and alike in virtue. They wish well for each other. “They are interested in one another as persons rather than as instrumentalities for something else.” (Happiness, p. 34) Unlike the other types of friendship, they are not interested in one another simply for advantages or pleasure. In order for a perfect friendship to develop and to last, however, it has to be based on trust, respect, openness and open-mindedness. All of these characteristics work closely with one another. According to the Pirkei Avot, one should get a friend who not only eats with him, drinks with him, and studies Scripture and Mishna with him, but also reveals all his secrets, the secrets of the Torah and the secret of worldly things. In order to be able to share anything with anyone, there must be a certain level of trust. “A friend whom one trusts refers to a person on whom one can rely without withholding anything from him, neither deed nor word.” (Perkei Avot, p. …show more content…
Although I had known them since the summer before my first year of high school, it was not until my junior that I truly felt that they were the right friends for me. I believe it took me so long because I am a very observant person and trust and respect needed to be established. However, as the first two years of high school went by, it was because we spent more time with each other and we were involved in many of the same extra curricular activities that trust, respect and openness developed. Junior year was the hardest year of high school for me. Although we did not spend as much time together, we still managed to be part of each other’s lives. Today, we continue to learn from each other, we hold each other accountable, we listen to each other and help each other in any way