Is There A Shortcut To Become A Chacham?

0:15In the early stages, everything is good. Chumash is good. Mussar is good. Everything is good. Grab as much as you can. In fact, the Chachamim specifically talk about when you're in your early stages, you should only study the things you like. What's considered the early stages? Early stages mean as long as it's not sweet. As long as the Torah is not sweet yet to you, it's not delicious yet, you're not necessarily always looking forward to it, and you're not always thinking, "Oh, I can't wait." When it's not your number one in life yet, then it's still early stages. That's not a problem. It doesn't make you a bad person; it makes you normal. It makes you normal.

1:33See how it's affecting you. If you're not changing, change up yourself. Make sure that you're studying properly. If you're seeing that you're studying the same thing repeatedly, and you finish the whole sefer (book), yet you're still the same person you were when you began, there's something wrong. Either there's something wrong with you or something wrong with the book. You have to know that the Torah you learn is supposed to change you. If it doesn't change you, it's either there's something wrong with what you're reading or something wrong with you. Sometimes, the point is that in the beginning, you should absorb as much as possible, as much as possible. As the Torah becomes sweeter to you, you then graduate to higher levels. When you first graduate out of engineering school, what do they give you? They say, "Listen, make me a little engine." For what? For a little fan. A little fan that people are going to buy for $9.99 at the gas station. "Yeah, but I'm an engineer! I went to school for eight years!" Exactly, that's why we gave you the job to make fans at the store. After a few years, okay, make me an engine. Of what? Of this, you know, laundry. A laundry machine. Okay, at least it's better than a fan. After a few more years, you get some more experience. Okay, make me an engine. What? Of a car. Oh, okay, fine. Cars are fine. I like cars. Okay. After a few years, okay, make me an engine. What? Of a plane. Then of a jet. Then of a rocket. Why? More experience, more this, you are making yourself more acclimated.

2:57More of a fit for higher things. But you can't start at high levels. This is why it always amazes me how people think they can just simply skip all of the basics and go to the highest level of Torah on day one. Oh, you're studying the Zohar? Did you finish the Shas? Yes. What's the pshat? Oh okay, good, you’re that one, you’re that guy. Oh no, I'm already studying Kabbalah. I go to the Kabbalah Center. Yeah, you know, Kabbalah, Kabbalah. You’re studying it already? You're a Kabbalist? No, no, not yet. That's next month. Okay, after you pay the fee though, right? Yeah, you become a Kabbalist with fifteen hundred dollars. Yeah, that's definitely in Shamayim, in heaven, they wrote fifteen hundred dollars for perpetuity. It’s always going to stay the same price. I’d definitely pay fifteen hundred dollars, just like you. Kabbalist? No, I'm a commentary. I'm a commentary. Wait, do you keep Shabbat? Yeah, no, I keep it in a bag. I keep it in, what is it again? What is it again? I want to keep it. What is it again? Shabbat. Oh, okay. People want to become commentaries on day one. "I think this pasuk means..." Wait, you think? Don't think. Learn.

4:14Don't think. Learn. Well, aren't we supposed to ask questions? Yes, but that comes after you know how to ask them. First, learn all of the possible and available answers. Then ask questions. Don't assume that your question even has any value. First, read all of the possible answers, meaning, read what it says, read the commentators, especially Rashi, if you're learning Gemara, or if you're learning a Chumash, Tanakh. Rashi, you can't live without him. In Gemara, you also have the Maharsha. There's no page in Gemara without the Maharsha. You have to. Don't start asking questions until you have all of that covered. No, no, but I have questions. Okay, keep them deep down inside. They'll come back later on. First, learn what to ask. Learn what to ask, then you can start becoming a little mini Rashi like you've been imagining in your head. You need to know what you're talking about first, but everybody wants to jump and...

5:22John, he wants to be, he wants to already write a book. He wants to write a book. Oh, Rabbi, listen. I'm working on a book. What kind of book? Harry Potter? The new Vampire movie? What kind of book? No, no, I'm going to write my opinion of Bereshit. What I think happened. You look at the guys. They're actually serious about what they're saying. They're actually serious. This is what happens. We have it in the world. This is what happens in the world. We have in the world a lot of this. Why? Because people don't have a concept of what a gadol in Torah is or what Torah is. The Torah requires us to humble ourselves and know where we stand. It's very important for a person to know that in the beginning, there's nothing embarrassing about being a beginner. There's nothing embarrassing about being a beginner. In fact, HaKadosh Baruch Hu himself says it. Where? We have the Aron HaKodesh. On the Aron HaKodesh, we have the cherubim. Right? The cherubim are what? Two little babies. Two cute little babies. Right? Why did HaKadosh Baruch Hu pick two cute babies? Why didn't he pick Moshe Rabbeinu's image? Bah!

6:46Ten Amot, 20 feet tall. He beat Og, me... If I was HaKadosh Baruch Hu, I'd be like Moshe Rabbeinu, Avraham Avinu. HaKadosh Baruch Hu, obviously, put two little babies. Why? He says, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, He says to us, "I love you when you act like little babies." What kind of little babies? The little babies that are constantly yearning for more knowledge. Why? "I'm new." Yeah, but you're learning Torah already five years. "Exactly, I'm new." You're learning Torah already 15 years. "Exactly, I'm new. I'm a beginner, HaKadosh Baruch Hu. I want more, more." A kid, what does a kid want? More. Of what? Of anything. but it's not allowed. But I want more of it, but it's not allowed to go there. I want more of it, though not only what it wants to do. I want more of it. HaKadosh Baruch Hu loves us when we're beginners. We act like beginners. We want more. There's nothing embarrassing about being a beginner. We all act as beginners, even when we become much more. Why? That's what HaKadosh Baruch Hu loves the most.

7:54The problem is, many of us want to be finishers already. An old man at 16 years old, he's an old man already. At 26 years old, he's already a veteran? No, no. "I already know this. I already know this, Rabbi. I've covered it already." Covered with a blanket, maybe. But that's the problem. Arrogance ruins people's lives. Arrogance of a person is what will lead to their downfall. Unfortunately, that downfall doesn't happen quickly enough at certain times, where a person causes a lot of damage to themselves and others around them, thinking that they know more than they actually do. This is often seen in society today, where people simply believe they're much better than they truly are. Know that because they don't think that the basics are for them, they already want to do the extras. This is a very, very big mistake. So to finalize the question, which I think is a fantastic and very much necessary question: you know, the difficulty of beginning with Chumash—all that stuff, again, it all depends on where you stand in your life. If you're in the early stages, anything that you like, study it.

9:10If you're in the process of conversion, study what the syllabus says. Why? These are the basic minimum requirements of what you need to know to be a Jew and to handle day-to-day life. If you're a Baal Teshuva, it's the same thing. Study that same syllabus that we have. You can download it on our website, bezrat Hashem dot org, or just ask us for it via email, whatever it is. That syllabus covers basic material. It sounds basic, it sounds limited, but it's a lot of material. It's a lot of material. People think that they're going to skip around. "I read all those books." Okay, buddy. If you read all those books, you'd be a teacher already. The problem is, people disrespect the basics. Why? They think they're better than the basics. The truth is, the basic level of Judaism will take you no less than 20 years to know, unless you're something special. Basic level: 20 years of learning, straight.

10:11It's a lot of information, a lot of information. I'm not talking about the basics that are just on our syllabus. I'm talking about the basic level of Judaism, basic understanding of what Shabbat is, basic understanding of what kosher is, basic understanding. But people want to skip. Why? Arrogance. There's nothing embarrassing about being at the basic level, nothing. That's why even the biggest rabbi in the world is always called a Talmid Chacham. What's a Talmid Chacham? A wise student. Why a student? Why isn't he called a rabbi? No, no, he's a student. The greater he is, the more he understands how valuable it is to be a student. where you'll have also newer features where you're able to use the app while you're using other applications on your phone. You'll be able to share the shiurim directly from the app. You'll be able to donate online and support our kehillah and our Torah work that we're doing.

11:18And the most exciting feature is that you'll be able to actually ask questions directly on the app and get answers from the rabbis directly from the app. This is something unprecedented, and b'ezrat Hashem, we will be able to offer it. Thank you again for all of your support. Check it out. Make sure you have the kosher Torah that will re-energize your neshama each and every single day. Call to b'chavod l'cha.