"The beginning of wisdom is to desire it.""Where there is no vision, the people perish."Through nearly four thousand years of history, the Jewish people have learned a thing or two, and have extracted from their experiences, both good and bad, a rich essence that speaks to every time and every heart. "Jewish Wisdom" gathers more than a thousand proverbs, wise sayings, common-sense observations, and memorable quotations that instruct, inspire, and guide the reader to the good in life. It is a powerful antidote to self-deception, confusion, worry, and fear.Judaism, the first and oldest of the three great monotheistic faiths, is the religion and way of life of the Jewish people. The basic laws and tenets of Judaism are derived from the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.The most important teaching and tenet of Judaism is that there is one God, incorporeal and eternal, who wants all people to do what is just and merciful. All people are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.The Jewish people serve God by study, prayer and by the observance of the commandments set forth in the Torah. This faithfulness to the biblical Covenant can be understood as the