“The primary joy of life is acceptance, approval, the sense of appreciation and companionship of our human comrades. Many men do not understand that the need for fellowship is really as deep as the need for food, and so they go through life accepting many substitutes for genuine, warm, simple.”

-Rabbi Joshua Loth Liebman

The psychological researcher Harry Harlowe demonstrated that primates raised in isolation  preferred a cloth surrogate mother to one that fed them, and demonstrated strange and aggressive behavior in life. Not only family, but nurturing friendship is a critical “nutrient” to our well being.

In  the second chapter of Genesis, the first thing G!D says about the new created adam– literally, earthling or human- is also the first thing that G!D sees as “lo tov”-not good. “It is not good for the earthling to be alone.” Even the Divine recognizes the need for friends and companions.

They say you can’t get enough of what you don’t really need. If we substitute TV, drugs alcohol, work or other surrogates for friends on a regular basis, we may become a little odd. Hermits are traditionally eccentric. It’s no coincidence that recovery from addiction involves fellowship, and that addiction thrives in isolation. Paradoxically, we need others to be wholly ourselves.

What friend can you reach out to for nourishment today?

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Joshua Loth Liebman (1907–1948) was an American rabbi and best-selling author, best known for the book Peace of Mind, which spent more than a year at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.