Jewish Ethics

"My heart shudders within me, and the terrors of death have befallen me. Fear and trembling penetrate me, and I am overcome with horror." (Psalms 55:5-6) These words were spoken by King David. David's son, Absalom, posed an enormous threat against him, for Absalom had organized a revolt.

Mitrachayk Min HaKavod translates as "distance yourself from honor." Mitrachayk comes from the Hebrew root reish-chet-kuf which means "to keep far away" or "to distance yourself." Kavod means "honor."

The word samayach comes from the Hebrew root sin-mem-chet and means "happiness," "joy," or "contentment." The word chelko is based on the root chet-lamed-kuf and means "portion," "lot," or "piece." The phrase samayach b'chelko means "contentment with one's lot" or "contentment with one's portion."

Essentially this middah means "to concentrate on one's studies." It may be translated in several ways, each having related meanings, but presenting a unique facet of understanding. These different interpretations will be presented in the commentary section.