I must admit, when it's possible to get something done in a quicker way, I am all for it. Whether it be watching a movie without reading a book, watching the headlines of the news (and not getting into the meat of the story), or utilizing translated texts from one language to English, I am all for it. Why? It saves time! I mean come on, I have enough to do in my life, but taking time to understand/learn the real meaning behind something is not needed. We have CNN, CNBC, and a host of other media resources to cut to the chase for us, let them do all the work and just give me the punch line!
After being in yeshiva for ~7 weeks and learning Gemarra the whole time, my opinion has completely changed. There are alot of English translations of the Aramaic in Gemarra so most people who have no skill in the language, like me, opt for the English version and feel it is the logical choice. Why waste time learning Aramaic (which is a dead language) when someone has done the work for me! I can honestly say, it is more than worth your time, it should be the only choice. Learning the original of anything is the best, and only way to go.
There is so much nuance in language/the original version you lose when someone else does the work for you. I recently went through the exercise by looking at the English first then translating the original Aramaic. Afterwards, I could not believe how much I thought I understood but did not. There is so much added in, in the translation, to help you along. Therefore you have to do less work. But it is precisely that extra work that really allows you to have a deep understanding of what is happening.
While my example only deals with translating languages, I feel it also applies to all knowledge. There are times when the shortcut is needed so you need to approach everything with a balance in life. However, when time permits, always take the time to understand the news story, political argument, or movie for yourself. So many people take news outlets like CNBC for granted. They'll put up some commenter and they will say X company earnings were bad because of a,b,c reasons. But was it really? Maybe there is a nuance that s/he missed in the argument! CNN or Fox will give their justification for some political view. Is their viewpoint right based on the facts? Just because your gut agrees with them, delve deeper into the original statements and decide for yourself.
In our culture of instant communication/gratification, take a step back and understand for yourself why someones assertion is correct. The original is the original for a reason. In it usually lies the truth and the real meaning. No one can challenge you once you truly know the truth of anything.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Objective systems
What makes great people great? Whether it be in a profession (an athlete, doctor, or musician) or in life in general (better parent, friend, or spouse). I would argue they apply an objective system to their lives and follow every intrinsic detail of it. They, more often than not, take their subjective opinions out of the equation and only focus on an objective truth. As with every rule, there are exceptions, but in general I believe this holds to be true. Once people master the system, is only when they start to bring their subjective opinions into the equation.
Lets take Larry Bird for example (I would use Tom Brady but I know my friend Mike would hammer me with Bledsoe propaganda!). There is no argument he was one of the best basketball players ever. Did he have natural talent, of course. But what made him become one of the best? The best free throw shooter? The best ball handler? He would practice the fundamentals of the system over and over again and never stopped. He was driven to be the best within the system of basketball and didn't say, "well I am good enough at X so I will do it my way" until he mastered all the fundamentals.
Another example is my favorite rock band, Phish. Again, what made a bunch of college students froms UVM the top grossing touring band with little to no radio airtime and minimal album sales? They stuck to the fundamentals of music and practiced liked work horses until they were good enough to invent their own style of music.
So where am I heading with all of this? In order to be the best person you can in life you need to stick to the basics, master the objective truths, and then, only then, move to incorporate your opinion on how to do things. I have seen numerous examples of this in sports or business (I am guilty of this mentality as well), that I know the best therefore whatever someone else says which may be a fundamental truth, is old/antiquated and cannot possibly help me.
Stick to the objective system, master it and allow it to re-wire how you think, perceive things, and act, then begin to re-incorporate yourself back into the equation. This, in my humble opinion, is the secret to achieving true greatness in life.
Lets take Larry Bird for example (I would use Tom Brady but I know my friend Mike would hammer me with Bledsoe propaganda!). There is no argument he was one of the best basketball players ever. Did he have natural talent, of course. But what made him become one of the best? The best free throw shooter? The best ball handler? He would practice the fundamentals of the system over and over again and never stopped. He was driven to be the best within the system of basketball and didn't say, "well I am good enough at X so I will do it my way" until he mastered all the fundamentals.
Another example is my favorite rock band, Phish. Again, what made a bunch of college students froms UVM the top grossing touring band with little to no radio airtime and minimal album sales? They stuck to the fundamentals of music and practiced liked work horses until they were good enough to invent their own style of music.
So where am I heading with all of this? In order to be the best person you can in life you need to stick to the basics, master the objective truths, and then, only then, move to incorporate your opinion on how to do things. I have seen numerous examples of this in sports or business (I am guilty of this mentality as well), that I know the best therefore whatever someone else says which may be a fundamental truth, is old/antiquated and cannot possibly help me.
Stick to the objective system, master it and allow it to re-wire how you think, perceive things, and act, then begin to re-incorporate yourself back into the equation. This, in my humble opinion, is the secret to achieving true greatness in life.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Zip files are ancient history
To whom every created the first zip file, or compressed transmission of data, I have news for you, you are infringing on the oldest encoded data every recorded. It's something called the Gemara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemara) and the code was created by the creator of all existence....
I had an interesting conversation with someone from my yeshiva tonight comparing the Gemara to encoded zip file and the light bulb just turned on for me. I have been studying Gemara for the past 3 weeks and have been struggling. It's riddled with Aramaic, short hand phrases, no punctuation, and logic discussing naked people in houses and dwarfs in holes. At the surface, once could see Gemara as some crazy babble that not only makes no sense but is just plain stupid. However, digging deeper and something special can be seen.
The Gemara is an encapsulation of the oral law (please see the Wiki link above for more detail). The oral law, as its title suggests, was meant to be kept oral by instructions from G-d. For many reasons, which are off topic for this post, it was written down. The next question is, how in the world do you right down something oral, that holds the truth of G-d, so someone thousands of years later can read it and have a clue what you are talking about? Encoding...The process of encoding was a method Moses received as Sinai (when he received the written and oral Torah).
It is hard to describe exactly how it is encoded as you really need to see first hand by learning it (of course I am going to be biased and highly recommend Bircas Hatorah's approach), but the way conversations flow, the logic used, and the creative abstractions are all approaches used. I have personally just started to scratch the surface and have been truly amazed at the the layers of understanding in one page of Gemara.
Once you eyes are opened to how to truly see/understand Gemara, you see truth in every word as the page holds an infinite depth of understanding that could only have been created by something of infinite being...
I had an interesting conversation with someone from my yeshiva tonight comparing the Gemara to encoded zip file and the light bulb just turned on for me. I have been studying Gemara for the past 3 weeks and have been struggling. It's riddled with Aramaic, short hand phrases, no punctuation, and logic discussing naked people in houses and dwarfs in holes. At the surface, once could see Gemara as some crazy babble that not only makes no sense but is just plain stupid. However, digging deeper and something special can be seen.
The Gemara is an encapsulation of the oral law (please see the Wiki link above for more detail). The oral law, as its title suggests, was meant to be kept oral by instructions from G-d. For many reasons, which are off topic for this post, it was written down. The next question is, how in the world do you right down something oral, that holds the truth of G-d, so someone thousands of years later can read it and have a clue what you are talking about? Encoding...The process of encoding was a method Moses received as Sinai (when he received the written and oral Torah).
It is hard to describe exactly how it is encoded as you really need to see first hand by learning it (of course I am going to be biased and highly recommend Bircas Hatorah's approach), but the way conversations flow, the logic used, and the creative abstractions are all approaches used. I have personally just started to scratch the surface and have been truly amazed at the the layers of understanding in one page of Gemara.
Once you eyes are opened to how to truly see/understand Gemara, you see truth in every word as the page holds an infinite depth of understanding that could only have been created by something of infinite being...
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Pleasure in Judaism
I was sitting in the beis medrash the other day at the new yeshiva I am attending (Bircas Hatorah) and was studying an amazing book called "Path of the Just" (http://www.shechem.org/torah/mesyesh/) with one of the members of the yeshiva. The book was written by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and was the start of the mussar movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussar_Movement) in Judaism.
The first chapter discusses mans duty in this world. One would think a a book written ~300 years ago by a great Rabbi wound not start off discussing how we are suppose to maximize our pleasure in this world. However in the first page, there it is, "man was created for the sole purpose of rejoicing in God and deriving pleasure from the splendor of His Presence; for this is true joy and the greatest pleasure that can be found."
The "splendor of his presence" simply means the world in which we live. So...how are we to rationalize this? Torah tells a Jewish person to derive maximum pleasure! Fantastic! Of course this all comes down to how pleasure is defined. Going out and partying all night and getting very sick from drinking too much or spending time with someone you love/your family/friends and having a meaningful conversation? Simple examples that is riddled with holes but you get the idea. So...What does pleasure mean and how are we suppose to understand what pleasure really means, the base meaning?
Being away for almost a month, away from TV, away from work, and other distractions, has really given me a good perspective for understanding the effects of our westernized culture on people, well at least me. So before everyone reading this gets in a tizzy that I am about to lock myself in a closet here or when I get home, don't worry, I still love my MTV! From my perspective, we are (to be fair, I'll use I for now on), so I always felt that we live in a spending into debt culture. Get the new car and your happy. Go out and drink and basically do whatever you want. Heck no one should tell me what to do, I am an intelligent man who earns a living and have the "right" to do what ever I please! Yes, all of this is cliche but in my opinion very true.
I realize some of my logic in this post is flawed but I am sitting outside in the cold right now so need to get down to the point (feel free to post a comment and will do my best to explain further)...What is pleasure?! It's simply understanding that everything we see, everything we touch, everyone one we interact with is holy (including ourselves) when one looks at everything and see's holiness, you have to then hold everything around you to a higher standard. When you hold everything on this new plane of holiness, true pleasure can be derived. Why? Instead of getting upset (like me!) at the person pushing you on the MBTA, you see a truly unique person and derive pleasure from their uniqueness in this world. Before eating a fantastic piece of porter house steak, take a moment before you eat to recognize the fantastic food you are about to eat and then be thankful afterwards for this unique food that you had the opportunity to enjoy. Before getting upset at someone in the office, work hard to understand their position and why it is unique and should be treasured, not simply trashed because you think they are wrong. In other words, be humble enough to know you are right but still understand that someone else can have a completely opposite opinion because we are all unique in how we are raised, our cultures, and our outlook at this world.
Take a step back, look at the glass half full, and just smile...Pleasure, it's a beautiful word who's true meaning can be discovered by simply appreciating the uniqueness in everything you interact with at every moment...
The first chapter discusses mans duty in this world. One would think a a book written ~300 years ago by a great Rabbi wound not start off discussing how we are suppose to maximize our pleasure in this world. However in the first page, there it is, "man was created for the sole purpose of rejoicing in God and deriving pleasure from the splendor of His Presence; for this is true joy and the greatest pleasure that can be found."
The "splendor of his presence" simply means the world in which we live. So...how are we to rationalize this? Torah tells a Jewish person to derive maximum pleasure! Fantastic! Of course this all comes down to how pleasure is defined. Going out and partying all night and getting very sick from drinking too much or spending time with someone you love/your family/friends and having a meaningful conversation? Simple examples that is riddled with holes but you get the idea. So...What does pleasure mean and how are we suppose to understand what pleasure really means, the base meaning?
Being away for almost a month, away from TV, away from work, and other distractions, has really given me a good perspective for understanding the effects of our westernized culture on people, well at least me. So before everyone reading this gets in a tizzy that I am about to lock myself in a closet here or when I get home, don't worry, I still love my MTV! From my perspective, we are (to be fair, I'll use I for now on), so I always felt that we live in a spending into debt culture. Get the new car and your happy. Go out and drink and basically do whatever you want. Heck no one should tell me what to do, I am an intelligent man who earns a living and have the "right" to do what ever I please! Yes, all of this is cliche but in my opinion very true.
I realize some of my logic in this post is flawed but I am sitting outside in the cold right now so need to get down to the point (feel free to post a comment and will do my best to explain further)...What is pleasure?! It's simply understanding that everything we see, everything we touch, everyone one we interact with is holy (including ourselves) when one looks at everything and see's holiness, you have to then hold everything around you to a higher standard. When you hold everything on this new plane of holiness, true pleasure can be derived. Why? Instead of getting upset (like me!) at the person pushing you on the MBTA, you see a truly unique person and derive pleasure from their uniqueness in this world. Before eating a fantastic piece of porter house steak, take a moment before you eat to recognize the fantastic food you are about to eat and then be thankful afterwards for this unique food that you had the opportunity to enjoy. Before getting upset at someone in the office, work hard to understand their position and why it is unique and should be treasured, not simply trashed because you think they are wrong. In other words, be humble enough to know you are right but still understand that someone else can have a completely opposite opinion because we are all unique in how we are raised, our cultures, and our outlook at this world.
Take a step back, look at the glass half full, and just smile...Pleasure, it's a beautiful word who's true meaning can be discovered by simply appreciating the uniqueness in everything you interact with at every moment...
Saturday, January 26, 2008
It's time for a change...and other ramblings
My apologies for not posting for some time. I was down and out with the flu for most of the week, but am back on my feet.
Israel has been treating me extremely well. I have been learning not only a lot about Torah and Judaism, but a lot about myself. What kind of environments I work best in, what drives me in life, and most importantly, I need to smile more! :)
The past ~2 weeks I have been attending Yeshiva Aish Hatorah. It is a wonderful place, but have found that it does not serve my learning style nor the type of environment I want to be in. Aish does a fantastic job with recent college graduates who are looking at a long term stay (1+ years), but the age difference causes a large maturity gap which I recognized this week. Simply put, I will not be staying there for the rest of my time. I have had the opportunity to attend a small yeshiva named Bircas Hatorah (http://www.bircas.org) for the past few days and think it might be a good fit. The men studying there are fantastic and have already made some great contacts. There passion and love for Torah is amazing and hope this can rub off on me. At Bircas I might be one of the younger/less advanced students, however this will put me in a great place to be surrounded by true talmid torah's.
On to another subject...Yesterday I went for a walk as I have Fridays off. While I was walking I noticed a street blocked off with police cars. As I approached I noticed the "bomb" robot was out dismantling a suspicious package. I took one look, headed to another street to walk around the incident, with some other Israelis, and didn't think twice about what I had just walked into...About 10 minutes later I could not believe how this did not even phase me. If this happened in Boston, everyone and their mother would be running. So what gives? The culture here in Israel is just so desensitized to these events that life just moves on....A bomb threat, no big deal, soldiers walking around with loaded m-16 rifles, no big deal, fighter jets flying over head, no big deal.
I think everyone in the US has allot to learn from the Israeli culture. Every coffee shop I go into I get searched and I do not care because I am safe. Every person I have seen could care less as well about the so called "invasion of privacy" as we put it in the US. In the US we cry over proposals for police on the MBTA searching our belongings. GET OVER IT. Everyone is extremely happy in Israel (including the cafe I am sitting in now where everyone just got strip searched by a security guard) and people are safe. The past ~3 weeks has put a lot in perspective for me about terrorism, invasion of privacy, and simply how much of a bunch of cry babies we are in the United States. I love the US of A, but we all need to take a step out of our silver spoon cocoons and put life and more importantly, our countries security in perspective. Listen, I am not advocating security guards at our stores at home but on transit systems, yes. With all the "restrictions" and invasion of privacy on Israeli citizens, they are as free as we are at home and just as happy or even happier. Ask an Israeli if they would move out of their country, a big NO. The political climate changes in the US and everyone is ready to move to Canada. Again, lets get some perspective folks...We have life SO good in the United States and all we do is cry all day....About gas prices, taxes, etc....Cherish our freedom, cherish our low prices, and simply stop crying.
Israel has been treating me extremely well. I have been learning not only a lot about Torah and Judaism, but a lot about myself. What kind of environments I work best in, what drives me in life, and most importantly, I need to smile more! :)
The past ~2 weeks I have been attending Yeshiva Aish Hatorah. It is a wonderful place, but have found that it does not serve my learning style nor the type of environment I want to be in. Aish does a fantastic job with recent college graduates who are looking at a long term stay (1+ years), but the age difference causes a large maturity gap which I recognized this week. Simply put, I will not be staying there for the rest of my time. I have had the opportunity to attend a small yeshiva named Bircas Hatorah (http://www.bircas.org) for the past few days and think it might be a good fit. The men studying there are fantastic and have already made some great contacts. There passion and love for Torah is amazing and hope this can rub off on me. At Bircas I might be one of the younger/less advanced students, however this will put me in a great place to be surrounded by true talmid torah's.
On to another subject...Yesterday I went for a walk as I have Fridays off. While I was walking I noticed a street blocked off with police cars. As I approached I noticed the "bomb" robot was out dismantling a suspicious package. I took one look, headed to another street to walk around the incident, with some other Israelis, and didn't think twice about what I had just walked into...About 10 minutes later I could not believe how this did not even phase me. If this happened in Boston, everyone and their mother would be running. So what gives? The culture here in Israel is just so desensitized to these events that life just moves on....A bomb threat, no big deal, soldiers walking around with loaded m-16 rifles, no big deal, fighter jets flying over head, no big deal.
I think everyone in the US has allot to learn from the Israeli culture. Every coffee shop I go into I get searched and I do not care because I am safe. Every person I have seen could care less as well about the so called "invasion of privacy" as we put it in the US. In the US we cry over proposals for police on the MBTA searching our belongings. GET OVER IT. Everyone is extremely happy in Israel (including the cafe I am sitting in now where everyone just got strip searched by a security guard) and people are safe. The past ~3 weeks has put a lot in perspective for me about terrorism, invasion of privacy, and simply how much of a bunch of cry babies we are in the United States. I love the US of A, but we all need to take a step out of our silver spoon cocoons and put life and more importantly, our countries security in perspective. Listen, I am not advocating security guards at our stores at home but on transit systems, yes. With all the "restrictions" and invasion of privacy on Israeli citizens, they are as free as we are at home and just as happy or even happier. Ask an Israeli if they would move out of their country, a big NO. The political climate changes in the US and everyone is ready to move to Canada. Again, lets get some perspective folks...We have life SO good in the United States and all we do is cry all day....About gas prices, taxes, etc....Cherish our freedom, cherish our low prices, and simply stop crying.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Understanding how much you simply do not know
It's was a humbling day for me today...Sitting in the Beis Midrash learning some Gemara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemara) and I had a brief heart attack. For a split second I understood how much I simply do not know. So it got me thinking not just about Judaism but peoples lives, our world, world politics, etc and how much people think they know but simply have no clue about. Maybe it's ego, maybe it's a lack of understanding to the depth of knowledge needed to be acquired (as such in my case), or maybe it's a lack of simple ignorance.
While I know I will leave my 3 months in Jerusalem with a solid education and love for Torah, I think the greatest gift I might leave with is respecting how much knowledge needs to be acquired on any subject or topic to have an ability to have any perspective.
It's something, for myself, I have seen far too often (and am guilty of as well). Personally I feel this comes from our instant gratification westernized culture. Everyone has an opinion and no one has any clue what they are talking about. I only hope that I can take this gem of an insight throughout my life and become not just a Torah Jew, but someone who has knowledge and true appreciation for the complexities in this world.
While I know I will leave my 3 months in Jerusalem with a solid education and love for Torah, I think the greatest gift I might leave with is respecting how much knowledge needs to be acquired on any subject or topic to have an ability to have any perspective.
It's something, for myself, I have seen far too often (and am guilty of as well). Personally I feel this comes from our instant gratification westernized culture. Everyone has an opinion and no one has any clue what they are talking about. I only hope that I can take this gem of an insight throughout my life and become not just a Torah Jew, but someone who has knowledge and true appreciation for the complexities in this world.
Friday, January 11, 2008
At last....In Jerusalem
This post will have to be short as Shabbat is on its way in! I am here sitting in the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem. It has been five days since I have arrived and it has been fantastic so far. The adjustment has been hard, from living in a dorm, to grueling 12 hour days studying, but I could not be happier with my choice to come.
I have meet so many people from all over the world who are here just to understand Torah and how it makes us better people and helps explain our world around us. From 20 year old guys who struggling with basic life questions to married men, all have a sense of pure love for Judaism and the thanks on how it has impacted their lives.
During the day, I am often in the Beis Midrash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_midrash) reading. The other day, I picked my head up out of my chumash (Torah translated) and experienced hundreds of men arguing and yelling at each other just as our great Rabbi's did thousands of years ago. The intensity to find truth was a true Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of G-d's name). Where else can you find such an experience? In a law firm, Wall St, the Senate? No where in my opinion. It is an intensity that only truth can bring out....
I have meet so many people from all over the world who are here just to understand Torah and how it makes us better people and helps explain our world around us. From 20 year old guys who struggling with basic life questions to married men, all have a sense of pure love for Judaism and the thanks on how it has impacted their lives.
During the day, I am often in the Beis Midrash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_midrash) reading. The other day, I picked my head up out of my chumash (Torah translated) and experienced hundreds of men arguing and yelling at each other just as our great Rabbi's did thousands of years ago. The intensity to find truth was a true Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of G-d's name). Where else can you find such an experience? In a law firm, Wall St, the Senate? No where in my opinion. It is an intensity that only truth can bring out....
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