Avos 4:1
Ben Zoma says: Which person is wise? One who learns from every person, as it is stated: “From all my teachers I became intelligent, for Your testimonies were a conversation to me” (Tehilim 119:99).
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Eichah Rabbah 2:9
her kings and her officers are among the nations, there is no Torah – if a person says to you, “there is wisdom in the nations” believe him, as it is written: “I will eradicate wise men from Edom and understanding from the Mountain of Eisav” (Ovadiah 1:8), [but if a person tells you,] “there is Torah among the nations,” do not believe him, as it is written: “her kings and officers are among the nations, there is no Torah” (Eichah 2:9).
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Berachah upon seeing a wise gentile
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who gave of His wisdom to flesh and blood.
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Plato - The Republic: Book VII
He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled sky; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
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Talmud Bavli – Avodah Zarah 19a
Rav said: a person should only learn Torah from the place his heart desires, as it is stated: “but only in the Torah of Hashem is his desire” (Tehilim 1:2).
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Link to my article, Reflections of Truth, on my response to that parent's objection: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2016/07/reflections-of-truth.html
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Stoic texts:
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Letters from a Stoic Master (Seneca)
The Discourses of Epictetus
The Enchiridion (Handbook) of Epictetus
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