Rabban Gamliel does not mean to imply that proper…

Rabban Gamliel does not mean to imply that proper social conduct is more important than Torah study. He means that spiritual matters must be observed in the correct sequence: Proper social conduct comes first and Torah comes afterwards. Proper social behavior must precede Torah study to provide the right environment for it.

— from True North (Ethics, Integrity, Truth, Values) · Maharal of Prague Pirkel Avos: A Commentary based on selections from Maharal's Derech Chai

In the book

It is why whoever saves a single life is regarded as having saved an entire world. It is why the sages insisted that derech eretz — basic decent conduct toward others — comes chronologically before all the higher learning; there is no Torah without it, because proper behavior is the very ground everything else is built upon. The same wisdom asks you to keep a generous ledger of others: downplay the bad someone has done to you and work to forget it, while remembering the good. — True North (Ethics, Integrity, Truth, Values)

Also belongs to

• The Air Traffic Controller (God)
• Friends, Community & Society (Relationships/Community/Society)
• Goals, Action & Defining Success (Goal/Action/Success/Motivation)

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