8th Grade Perspectives on Chochmah ("Wisdom")

One of The Davis Academy's 5 menschlichkeit values is Chochmah ("wisdom"). Jewish tradition has many words that express different aspects of learning: Da'at ("knowledge"), Binah ("understanding") and many more. In a recent Edmodo discussion 8th graders explained why they think The Davis Academy chose Chochmah instead of one of these other words. Their responses shed light on what Chochmah means to us here at Davis. These few were selected, almost at random, from among the almost 80 different responses on the discussion board. What an amazing discussion for the first week of school!

Eliza F. to Jewish Studies 15

I believe that Chochmah is a great core value to have. Da'at and Binah have to do with how smart you are, and although that is important, being wise is even more important. Chochmah also has to do with sharing your wisdom and experience with others, and not only teaching others what you know, but listening to what they have to say and learn from that. People can be very smart, but they can put their mind power towards something terrible. A person can also be wise but not very smart. Wisdom is something that you gather from your life experiences, and not everyone has it. A person can become very smart from being wise, although they can't become wise from being smart. I believe that Chochmah was picked as a value because it is something that you gather all of your life and it is an important value to in ourselves and in our community.

Sophia G. to Jewish Studies 15

I agree with Davis's decision to make Chochmah one of our core values. First of all, the problem with Da'at is that it has to be something that comes naturally to you, a type of knowledge you were almost born with. It would be a problem if that was a value because not everyone knows what they were "meant to do" yet, if at all. However, with Chochmah, when you work hard and listen well, you can be good at anything you set your mind to. It's such a unique Menschlichkeit value because I feel as though everyone has an equal opportunity to be wise, perhaps in different situations, but wisdom is a good trait to have.

David C. to Jewish Studies 15

I feel Chochmah is a value at Davis because its the most important of the three. Eight or nine years from now, when our education is over and we are released into the real world, it won't matter if we know every single chapter of our school books. What will matter are the lessons we learned, the mistakes we made, and how we made the transition from childhood to adulthood. You could have every line, every word, and every paragraph of your math textbook, but that won't help you if you lack experience. One saying I hear quite a lot (and this being paraphrased to the best of my ability) is, "It's not the destination that matters, but the journey, (or how you got there)." Because of these reasons I feel wisdom is the most important.

Isabella B. to Jewish Studies 15

One of our core values at Davis is Chochmah, wisdom. I think that wisdom is not only a certain amount of knowledge, but is an experience because that is what makes us wise. One of the main goals at Davis is to make us into good people. We are taught a lot of information and different subjects, but Davis cares more about the people that we become than the amount of knowledge we ascertain. At our school, we learn what is wrong from right and lessons that will help guide us through life. That in itself is true wisdom and is what makes a wise person who will succeed in life. While Binah and Da'at are definitely important values to have, Chochmah is the value that makes us into well rounded people and more importantly understanding Jews.

Kavan H. to Jewish Studies 15

All though Binah, and Da'at are values that are a crucial part in our Kehillah. Chochma is included in our Davis menschlichkeit values because its meaning, wisdom, includes the ability to understand(Binah) your surroundings and to gain knowledge(Da'at) academically. Chochma represents knowledge gained overtime. It also represents the ability to listen and absorb the material given. Chochma also is practiced more often then not even though we have no idea. It comes into perspective anytime someone goes out of there way to do the extra work, knowing it was appreciated, but not knowing that this event will inspire that person to try to go the extra step ahead to be the best they can.