279. Instructions

Dear Dr. Harry,

Your poem reminded me of a definition of love that my son sent to me:

Love is the willingness to disappear oneself with the intention of being found in another.

Say there is a G-d
but do you really know

You study and you pray
what do you have to show

Return to what you were
disappear and then you grow

all things that were written before time were written for our 'learning' that we, through patience and comfort of the scriputures might have hope.

I was thinking of the Torah today and thinking how unworthy a lowlife I am for the likes of a Torah...then I thought of what was going on tonight...and it came to me that alot of people are wearing Tefillin and doing special prayers so I went on the Rebbe's website and read about Tefillin and ya know that is quite different...I have never seen anything quite like it...and I had to say as far as my learning is concerned that is quite a jump...that is quite different...but for some strange reason G-d asked me to read up about this and I did....maybe therre is no G-d for someone tonight who is wearing Tefillin and praying....and I am to open up my Torah and work hard for this person-we all work hard for G-d and for each other

In my humble opinion, all learning begins with one basic and is added to from there; we have to start somewhere. In using your analogy, sometimes the student surpasses the teacher and becomes the mentor. Also, the student who desires to learn may elevate the mentor's desire to learn more, just to stay ahead of the student.

Some learning has an instruction manual, other learning is, as the Army called it "OJT" (on the job training.) Within OJT, mistakes will be made and experience will teach the lesson.

My best teachers in my youth were those who taught for the sheer joy of imparting knowledge; sadly, we do not seem to see that as much today. In hindsight, I learned that some I thought were terrible, actually taught me the most.

I may lower expectations of others, but never of myself. If I'm the wrong teacher or student, I will step away; but if that teacher has knowledge I want, I will stay.

With all due respect, everyone is my teacher, from the lowest sinner, to the most learned Rabbi. I learn from them all. and sometimes they learn a little from me too!

The lessons we teach and learn, were taught to use before we were born. They may be hidden with a single concealment, or concealment within concealment, but are still there waiting to be discovered

I agree with ' I cannot teach what i have not learned '. One who learns the aleph-bet can teach both. But if your mentor never learned gimmel onwards, what use is the learning ? If your mentor learned all the alphabet , but not how to read, what is the use ?

In the Doc HH scenario, there are some who do read before they use the microwave. In your own scenario you know that preparing chicken will not be the same as preparing beef. Some people will be content to learn from mistakes.

Applying the above to teaching, there are those mentors who lack the ingenuity/preparedness to learn from their students. They are not astute at picking up learning styles, or don't even know about learning styles. One can make excuses for them. Some teachers are poor listeners. Some lack the ingenuity to teach by explaining the wrong answer. Bottom line: Some mentor- student relationships are not meant to be.

Like i said, it is a sore point. Solutions: lower your expectations, or politely step away.

I don't remember if it was from a Chassidic tale or words of the Rebbe of righteous memory, but I do remember the lesson.

A student who learns how to write the aleph can teach it to one who does not know how to torm the letter and a student who knows the aleph-bet can teach both, thus reinforcing his or her skill.

I can't teach what I haven't learned.

It is easy to learn the mitzvot; however, instructions for performing those mitzvot correctly are necessary.

Dr. Hamburger's use of a microwave is very apt indeed. I have burned food in a new microwave because I didn't read the new manual. If I carry his image one step further, just because I know how to prepare chicken in my new microware, it does not mean I know how to prepare beef in it ... the two skills are similar, but different.

I have heard Torah translated as follows :
Instructions
blueprint
teaching

All three are correct for me since they convey the same message.

Be that as it may, when i was first asked this question on the first day of a Chumash class, and out of the blue, i replied " learning ". The rabbi said " No ".

Nobody got the right answer. It was ' teaching '.

Five lessons later the narrowness of the rabbi became more and more apparent. I quit the class. Even if ' learning ' was the wrong answer, it should have been explained why.

i still maintain that Torah means learning. What's the difference between teaching and learning as it applies to Torah ? You can leave it as a rhetorical question. What is Torah and what is Torah study in a teacher-student classroom relationship are the same question.

It is not my ego at stake. It is a matter of understanding that one must choose mentors that they can learn from. Your question today hit a sore spot.

Shalom

Yes, the entire Bible is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction...for instruction in righteousness that the man of G-d may be perfect, thoroughly furnished for all good works.