משלי פרק כז:י
רֵעֲךָ ורעה וְרֵעַ אָבִיךָ אַל תַּעֲזֹב וּבֵית אָחִיךָ אַל תָּבוֹא בְּיוֹם אֵידֶךָ טוֹב שָׁכֵן קָרוֹב מֵאָח רָחוֹק
Do not desert your friend and your parent's friend; do not enter your brother's house in your time of misfortune; a close neighbor is better than a distant sibling. [JPS translation. Edited for gender neutrality]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What is a neighbor? What is a sibling? What do they have in common? How are they different?
2. Why are we sometimes tempted to desert people? Is this always bad-intentioned?
2. How does this text teach us to be govern our relationships? What lessons can we learn?
Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)