December Word of the Month

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."

Oscar Wilde

December Word of the Month:

HEART

 one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations

Last week while paying a shiva call, my rabbi shared a story from Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of Our Fathers).

The story told of a great rabbi who asked 5 of his students to name the single most best quality a person could posses.

While the first 4 answers were all very plausible choices as "the best" it was the 5th student's response that he chose as The Best Quality.

The student's answer was one who was a "Lev Tov",a good heart.

A Lev Tov in Hebrew ,a good heart is a very special quality,not to be confused or compared to as we say in English, being goodhearted.

It is much more.

A Lev Tov is an all encompassing quality,of goodness,too hard to describe in mere words.

Even the Yiddish expression a "gute neshoma" , a good spirit or good sole, does not accurately equate to a Lev Tov.

When searching Webster's for a definition that would work for me, the best I could find was the one above,one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations, but that still does not begin to rise to the level of a Lev Tov, it merely describes where to find it

.

A Lev Tov.

I should only live long enough to someday be blessed with this quality.

Shavua Tov!