A valuable piece of advice: don’t push old friends aside for new ones. Ben Sirach advises that new friends should be tested by time, just as new wine must be left to age to taste better, so too must friendship be given time to see if it is worthy of trust. This advice might seem like a calculating way of understanding relationships; however, it is not entirely wrong. Life experience shows us that not everyone who smiles at us or pats us on the shoulder is truly our friend. The wisdom of our people also warns us, “The eyes can see, but the heart cannot,” or “Better an old acquaintance than a new one.” Ultimately, the main point is to emphasize the importance of prudence and healthy discretion when choosing our friends.