In this article I will refer to a theoretical tension between learning and family that is found in Confucianism and shaped past experience, I will move on to a discussion of this tension by means of an analogy with Judaism, and conclude with a suggestion for a resolution that leads to a more open shared future, not only of the two traditions, but hopefully to humankind in general.In order to open this discussion, one should first note that theoretical tensions can be extremely destructive. A paradox, for example can prevent the progress of the human mind, as in the historical case of Zeno’s paradox of Achilles and the tortoise that immobilized the ancient Greeks for long years. Tensions of the destructive type are obvious in the world of exact sciences, and can be found in ethical discourses as well. However, as I point up hereafter, the advantage of discussing tensions between values in ethical systems is that it commits us to find resolutions such that if one of the values is intensified, it is not at the expense of another; in fact, we may even wish that the growth of one value will contribute to the strengthening of other values simultaneously.As a cue for my discussion, let me refer back to the late Benjamin Schwartz who in 1959 shifted the focus in the sinological community to three polarities, which present the Confucian infra-structure. In his article “Some Polarities in Confucian Thought,” Schwartz introduced the polarities which are constitutive of Confucian mental foundation: inner-outer; knowledge-action; and self cultivation-society ordering. A while after the turn of the century with the changes in the world’s view, I seek to add a fourth polarity to these three, namely, the polarity between learning and family. However, while pointing to the polarity, our times demand giving it special attention. Hence, I want to suggest a resolution that accommodates both.