1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 This episode is the next stage of my personal journey to discover the soul of Pirkei Avot. It is a search for what lies at the heart of the human being, and what Pirkei Avot empowers us to become. In the previous episode, I shared a discovery that had taken me years to reach. I thought I had finally discovered the central idea of Pirkei Avot. I assumed, at that point, that the journey was almost over. Then I realized that sometimes a breakthrough is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of one.&amp;nbsp; In pursuit of a deeper understanding, I opened the Rambam - Maimonides - who wrote an eight-chapter introduction to Pirkei Avot. An introduction that is longer than the book itself. If anyone could confirm what I had found and show me what it meant, it was this great sage. Instead, the mystery deepened. KEY QUESTIONS ·&amp;nbsp; If you stripped away everything you do - every obligation, every role, every action - what would be left? What are you, underneath all of that? ·&amp;nbsp; The Rambam says we have free choice not just over our actions but over our character and intellect. What does it actually mean to choose who you are? ·&amp;nbsp; What is the difference between a person who does good things and a person who has become good? ·&amp;nbsp; If the core of who we are is our character and understanding, why does so much of Jewish life feel focused on what we do? ·&amp;nbsp; What would it mean to take your inner life as seriously as your obligations? Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein http://www.chiefrabbi.co.za <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/41525420/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/41525420