Free education for all!

Hi,

"Rav Yehudah cited Rav: Devarim 4:5 says, 'See, I have taught you.' Just as I taught you for free, so you must teach for free."

(Talmud, Bechorot 29a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

48 Ways: #47 - Learning for the sake of teaching

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The forty-seventh of the 48 is lomeid al menat l'lamed, learning for the sake of teaching.

Certainly, it has been my experience that I learn with greater depth and clarity when I am preparing material to teach it to others. Further, one who learns in order to teach is forced to consider questions he might otherwise have dismissed as trivial or irrelevant, since the students will want answers. Therefore, learning for the sake of teaching will make one a better student.

Have a great day,

Mordechai

48 Ways: #3 - Speak clearly

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The third of the 48 is arichat sefatayim, "arrangement of the lips", or speaking.

Rabbeinu Bechayye explains that this is not about the student, but the teacher. One must find a teacher who is not only learned and wise, but also able to formualte and express ideas clearly, so that students will understand.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Hillel's advice

Hi,

"Hillel used to teach: One who is ignorant cannot be truly afraid of sinning, and one who is not learned cannot be pious.

"One who is easily embarrassed will not learn, and one who is too exacting will not teach, and one who is too involved in business will not become wise.

"Where there are no 'men,' work at being a 'man.'"

(Pirkei Avot 2:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Short and Sweet

Hi,

"One should always teach his students in a concise fashion."

(Talmud, Pesachim 3b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah should be free

Hi,

"[Moshe said:] ‘Gd instructed me, at that time, to teach you,’ and, ‘See, I have taught you statutes and laws, as Gd instructed me.’ Just as I taught for free, so you should teach for free."

(Talmud, Nedarim 37a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The student aids the teacher

Hi,

"Students increase the knowledge of the teacher, and broaden his heart [meaning, his understanding]....

"Just as a small piece of wood kindles a large piece, so even a student with little knowledge sharpens the teacher until he produces, via his questions, beautiful knowledge."

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study 5:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The love of teaching Torah

Hi,

Rabbi Akiva made the following comment while jailed by the Romans for the crime of teaching today; he was eventually brutally murdered by his jailers. At one point, Rabbi Akiva refused to teach his student, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, but he explained:

"My son! More than the calf wishes to drink, the cow wishes to nurse!"

(Talmud, Pesachim 112a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The respect of teacher for student

Hello,

"Just as a student is obligated to show respect to his teacher, so a teacher is obligated to show respect to his students, and bring them close. The sages instructed: The honor of your student should be, to you, as your own.

"One must be careful in dealing with his students, and he must love them, for they are the children who benefit him in this world and in the next."

(Rambam {Maimonides}, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study 5:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Speaking advice for rabbis

Hi,

Words of caution to those who sermonize in the name of the Torah:

"There must not be, in his words, anything which strays from the truth known to the public who will hear his words. There must not be words which have neither foundation nor root, as public speakers are wont to offer now in these lands.

"They explain scripture and the words of the sages with meanings that the authors never intended and that never entered their hearts and minds. They claim to explain the true intentions of the words, but their intention is only to harm. Were they to leave the words of the sages as they are, the simple meaning of their declarations would offer great wisdom, but they turn the sweet to bitter and so their intention is to harm."

(Maharal, Netivot Olam, Netiv haTochachah Chapter 3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai