GEN1249 Anybody can coin beautiful phrases; but in everyday, practical life the question is: “What influence does such eloquence exert on life and conduct?” The Rabbis had a logical approach, and they differentiated between grain and chaff, between flower and fruit. “Not the teaching s the thing, but the action thereof” Avot 1:17, they taught. Learning, for which the Jew had a passion that set his heart and mind aglow, was important only because it led to action. Kiddushin 40b, Baba Kamma 17a Everywhere, the stress is that the deed must be the inseparable companion of the spoken word. Once a promise has been given, it must not be broken lightly. … Above all, they protested against individuals and nations that preached love but practised hate, that were true to the description which Isaac gave of Jacob: “The voice is the voice of Jacob; but the hands? They, surely seem those of Esau?” [this verse] Rabbinic teaching aims at universal peace and at the establishment of the Messianic era on earth. Only when this era has dawned, but not before, will many of the commandments have outlived their utility. Niddah 61b This practical touch of the Rabbis cn best be seen LEHRMAN 60-1