Our Gemara on Amud Aleph offers a profound insight into human nature and the necessary role of failure:

"אֵין אָדָם עוֹמֵד עַל דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן נִכְשָׁל בָּהֶן"

"A person does not understand statements of Torah unless he stumbles in them."

Failure is often feared due to the innate instinct of self-recrimination triggered by falling short. While this instinct serves a purpose in inducing reflection and awareness, it can sometimes become excessive and unbalanced. To achieve success, it is necessary for humans to experience and embrace failure.

Observing a young toddler, uninhibited by the societal notion of failure being negative, provides a remarkable example. Even a developmentally disabled toddler learns how to walk, enduring bruises and pains from falls. Yet, the child persists without giving up. They are emboldened by success, swiftly picking themselves up and trying again.

When and how did we come to view failure as inherently bad?

From a philosophical standpoint, Friedrich Nietzsche's "Twilight of the Idols" delves into the concept of amor fati, highlighting the transformative power of embracing failure. Nietzsche argues that adversity and failures contribute to self-overcoming, fostering resilience, strength, and wisdom. By facing and learning from failures, individuals engage in existential growth, challenging assumptions, and refining values and beliefs.

In psychology, the theory of individuation sheds light on the significance of failure in personal development. Individuation involves integrating unconscious aspects of the psyche to achieve wholeness. Failures serve as crucial moments for self-reflection, enabling individuals to uncover and understand unconscious motivations, fears, and desires. This process cultivates self-awareness, facilitates a more balanced and authentic self-identity, and fosters psychological well-being.

A linguistic observation from my late father (Z"L) was that Hebrew lacks intrinsic words for "fair," "fail," or "fun." The closest Hebrew term for "fail" is "kishlon," which means to stumble and implies getting back up. Similarly, the closest word for "fair" is "zedek," primarily used in a judicial sense rather than relationally. ( See our recent Psychology of the Daf, Gittin 37.) Likewise, there are Hebrew words such as sasson, which means to rejoice about something, but not mere frivolous fun.  This is why Israelis need to borrow foreign words to express these ideas, such as “zeh lo fairrrr!” or “zeh me-od kef” (Kef is Arabic for fun.) Hebrew, that is pure l’shon kodesh, cannot brook the idea of failure. There is no failure; only temporary setbacks.

Hebrew, that is pure l'shon kodesh not Ben Yehuda’s modern creation, lacks the concept of failure. There is no failure; only temporary setbacks.

Failure is not solely an undesirable outcome; it is an integral part of the learning process. Embracing failure as a learning opportunity promotes personal growth, self-awareness, and adaptive behavior. It empowers individuals to surpass their limitations, cultivate resilience, and refine their understanding of themselves and the world.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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