Today we discuss the pleasures and perils of our social environment.

Can we ever understand another person?

Can others ever understand us?

Are we affected by our society, by our associates and friends, or do we influence them? When are we subject to social pressure? When are we influnced and when are we influencers?

Today we examine the question of social pressure through the lens of the Midrash, the Rambam, and Rabb Sacks z"l

Words are powerful. Words are creative. Mishlei contains many metaphors: Words can be like fruit, like daggers; and as we will discuss, language, conversation can also be a way of ridding oneself of worry.

Today we address the notion of privacy vs. discretion as Mishlei decries the gossip and revealer of information, and praises the discreet individual who knows how to keep a secret.

What does this say to us in our social-media age?

We open the second segment of Mishlei which shifts the entire tempo and character of the book. Today we offer a short introduction.

Mishlei contains several sterotypes or archetypal characters. Our chapter offers three personality types and charts 3 varying ways to engage them.

In our chapter, "wisdom" speaks in the grammatical first person, telling us her autobiography - how she advises kings, and how she was present prior to the founding of the world.

Mishlei chapter 7 brings us back to the temptress. It issues a stern warning to avoid contact with this woman and to steer clear of her path.

How are we to deal with distractions and addictive habits? How do we steer clear?

Today we speak about making our time count. Do we want to spend our days relaxing or working?