Seventy Years: A New Beginning

After achieving excellence as a Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Zeira fasted in order to forget the Babylonian Talmud before he began to study the Jerusalem Talmud. How could he have prayed to forget a portion of the Holy Torah?

The answer: Before one proceeds to an entirely new level of service, he must let go of his current frame of reference. For example: As the soul ascends the ladder of heavenly realms, it must forget the experiences of the lower realm, so the memory will not “hold it back” from fully receiving higher revelations.

All areas of wisdom can be studied on many levels – from basic practical application to the most sublime abstract theory. Retaining the memory, and the mindset, of the lower study method, hinders full grasp of the higher discipline.

The nature of Torah is such that even after 70 years of in-depth study, one can discover entirely new levels of insight.