When a dragon shows up one morning at the Bixbee house, Billy wants to care for it, but his mother insists that it doesn’t even exist. Yet the more she tries to ignore the dragon, the larger the creature grows. What do you think? Was there or wasn’t there a dragon? Is there such a thing as a dragon?
What is the most effective way of dealing with a problem: to divert one’s attention from it, or to deal with it directly? Through various interpretations of the biblical verse: “Da’aga b’lev ish yesachena” (“If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down”, Proverbs, ch. 12, verse 25), we shall see how Chazal, our wise men of long ago, suggested that we cope with concerns and fears.
Da’aga b’lev - ish yesachena (“If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down”)
We all have our worries. At times we keep them buried inside our hearts and wait for them to pass, while at other times we wish to share them with someone, but others aren’t always free or open to hear about them. Often when others aren’t available for listening, worries have the tendency to grow larger, to intensify more and more, until finally there is no way to ignore them.
In the Book of Proverbs it is written: “If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down” (Proverbs, ch. 12, verse 25). Two wise people tried to understand the intention of the verse. Rav Ami said: When there is anxiety in a man’s heart, he should quash it or divert it from his thoughts. He should busy himself with a different activity and so he will forget about his worries. Rav Asi thinks exactly the opposite: When there is anxiety in a person’s heart he should talk about it with someone else, and in that way he will succeed in overcoming it (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, p.100, side 2).
What do you think? Is diverting a person’s attention to something else the best way of coping with anxieties, as exemplified by Billy's mother's behavior? Or perhaps one should talk about them, as Billy tries to do, before the problem grows to “dragon proportions”?
Age Group: PRESCHOOL
Book-Related Family Activities
generalBook-Related Video
Copies Distributed:
60,000
Publishing:
עם עובד
Year of Distribution:
1772 2011-2012
