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This Jewish Inspiration Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and enhancing our relationship with Hashem by working on improving our G-d given soul traits and aspiring to reflect His holy name each and every day. The goal is for each listener to hear something inspirational with each episode that will enhance their life.
Way number 44, my dear friends, is Shoel Umayshiv, asking and answering, and Shomea Umosif, listening and adding. So, the first thing we need to know is that we don't know everything, and therefore, it's very important for us to ask. If you don't know, ask. It's the famous argument husbands and wives have, just ask directions.
It's okay. I got this. That argument is the same argument we have with ourselves every day. You know what? If our children ask us something and we don't know, don't make up an answer. Go online and do your research, and it's okay to say, I don't know. Let's find out together. Let's find out. Let's look into this together. Analyze the issue. What is the question? What is the topic?
Understand it and define it. So, the first thing is defining. It's one of the things we do in our Musar class, is the first part of every Musar class, whether or not I define this as such or not, is define what is the trait. What is it? And then we can talk about, we can elaborate on it. So, the first is, what is the issue that we're talking about? When you're learning something, get a clear definition, because imagine this. I was once listening to a lecture on
education, and the rabbi said that he taught a class for three hours to his students in eighth grade about a certain topic. He said a word, a phrase in Hebrew. So, imagine we're going to talk, let's just imagine that we're talking about muktza. Muktza is something which is designated for weekday activity. So, imagine I spend an entire three-hour lecture speaking about muktza, and you don't even know what muktza means.
And I keep using the word muktza, muktza, and muktza. So, is it muktza? Is it not muktza? I have no idea what it means, right? So, someone who doesn't understand what that word means will miss everything. Now, I, I was always that student. I was always that student who just didn't get the introduction part, and therefore the next eight hours of class were a total waste of time for me, and I'd be banging on my table and daydreaming, hoping to get out and be the first one on the court for recess because I had no interest in what they were talking about because I didn't understand what they were talking about. So, number one is define it. Number two is deliberate it. Why is this important to me? We have to understand that Torah isn't wisdom that is external wisdom. It's practical wisdom. How does this relate to me? And then the last is apply it.
So, define it, deliberate, and apply. How can I make this part of my life? Now, it could be that you're not at the stage of life where you could just make these drastic changes. You learned about, you know, the laws of Eruv, whatever, muktza, right? And now you want to apply it to your life. So, take something small, something practical, but at least have a plan of how to execute it. A fool is too embarrassed to ask questions. You know, lo habayshon l'mit, someone who's shy will never learn.
You have to ask. Investigate. Don't be a fool. A good question is half the answer. Don't, okay, education 101. Don't do what my second grade rabbi did. My second grade rabbi, I don't know, who annoyed him that day, but it traumatized everyone I know in our class when I was in second grade. One of the students asked a question and was ridiculed for the stupid question that he asked. And that was the last time I even thought of asking a question in the class because I'm not going to be that stupid guy who asks that stupid question, right? And it was like, it was done. Don't do that. Encourage questions. Someone asks a question, that's a great question. You know why? Because it's your question. And if it's important enough for you to ask it, it's important enough for me to take it seriously. So all questions are good questions. The reason questions are important is because usually there's curiosity behind the question. And when someone is curious, they're open to learning and understanding. Now, there are questions that are just answer questions. Do you know what answer questions are? I'm going to ask you questions to prove to you why I don't care about what it is that you're saying. So I'm just asking to push away. That's my answer. I'll give you an example. One of the most sensitive topics to talk about in the past 80 years was the holocaust.
Many times people would ask questions about the holocaust, about God, where was God, about how can this have happened, how can God have let it happen, etc, etc. All these questions, and they weren't asking a question. They were making a statement in a question form. I am not connected with my Judaism because, and then they ask their question. They left that part out. They left the introduction to the question out.
But their question was an answer to why they chose their path in life or why they live with certain precepts. Life is not instant answers. We don't need to have instant answers. But we have to work hard to gain full understanding. And we shouldn't stop. Just because someone gives us an answer. No, no, no, no. No, I don't understand. No, that doesn't suffice. And dig deeper for the answers. So my grandfather taught us something very, very important.
He said, before you call your rabbi to ask a question, look for the answer yourself. And then, after you couldn't find your own answer, or if you did and you just want to clarify, then ask the question. What does that mean? So, and what did he say? Why did he say this? He said, because, I'll give you an example. Last week, we had a discussion in our home. And I'm not going to give you the answer.
We had a discussion in our home about whether or not you can use a moisturizer on Shabbat. Are you allowed to use a moisturizer on Shabbat? So, my daughter asked me the question. And I gave her the answer. But I said, no, no, no. We're going to open up the book and learn it together. Okay, now here's the amazing thing. In the process of finding the right location for that answer, we saw probably 10 to 15 different laws that we learned on the way.
You see, if you have a question, and instead of just spitting out the question, which you should do, but instead of spitting out the question to whoever your source may be, do the research yourself. Keep the question. Don't hide the question. Don't run away from the question. But in the process of searching for that answer, you will gain so much wisdom along the way. So, when we talk about Shoel asking Umeshiv, answer. Answer the questions yourself.
Try to find the answers yourself. But then, listen. This is part two. Listen to the answer. Understand it and add to it. Meaning, it's not enough when someone just gives you an answer. Try to connect it to other things you've learned. We're all filled with wisdom. Don't just say, oh, well, no, no, no. Try to connect it to something. I think there's another point here is, you know, we should always try to make a simen. A simen is a sign so that we can remember something.
You ever try to remember a code for something? Have you tried to remember a password, a code? You have a lock, one of those locks? How are you going to remember the code? Make a simen. Make a sign. I'll give you an example of a sign that you can make. Well, if the number is 12, 26. Oh, one second. 12 of the tribes. There are 12 tribes, the Jewish people, and 26 is the name of Hashem. Now I know it.
But the idea is by making those associations, I actually remember something. I remember there was actually a code. I'm remembering this now. There was a code for something which was 1270. It was 1270. And my remembrance, the way I remembered it was the 12 tribes and there were 70 children that descended of the 12 tribes that descended to Egypt. So that was an easy way to remember the 12 tribes. There were 70 and 1270 was my code. So that's not my pin
to my credit card. So don't only listen, but expand the ideas. Take them in the next step. Whenever you hear a piece of wisdom, extract what's relevant to your life. There's something relevant. You're learning Midrash. You're learning the Parsha every week. How can I make this relevant? We learn about Korach. Korach wasn't such a great guy. We learned about the spies. They weren't into such great guys.
How am I going to make this applicable to my life? How am I going to ensure that I don't fall into that trap? When you learn a concept, unfold it to see its components. There are millions of layers of depth to everything in Torah. And it's just a matter of our desire how much, how deep we can dig into it. Anything that we hear is not really valuable unless we make it our own. Make it yours.
Make it part of your experience. To be alive, we have to be engaged with the process of life. The process of life is always taking more wisdom in, making it our own. It's very difficult. I find it very difficult. Although I teach many classes, I find it very, very difficult to ever take someone else's material and teach it. Very difficult. Do you know why? Because it's not mine. Right, but sometimes it'll help you. No, no, no, it doesn't help me, right?
You can get ideas. Ideas you can get, but you got to make it your own. Which is why I always, I listen to many classes, many lectures. If I'm talking about a topic that I've never discussed before, I'll listen to five, ten lectures on that topic, and then I have an outline. But then I'll go into all the sources and learn it myself. So that it's now mine. It's not their material that I'm funneling through, but rather I'm trying to make it my own.
So I think the key that we're talking about here is make the wisdom you learn your own wisdom. Make it part of who you are. And that concludes way number 44, my dear friends.