Chapter 57: Learning and Teaching Torah 

By:  Jon Solomon 

In the final chapter of Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s book “You Shall Be Holy,” the author provides tips on how to get started learning the Torah. Study must be ongoing. Reading a couple laws each day, even for only 10 to 15 minutes, is a good idea. Begin with the Book of Genesis because its stories draw in students of all ages and communicates the basic Jewish teaching that God is the creator of the world. Be diligent and don’t waste time on idle conversation. Review what you have learned over and over again. Be enthusiastic and aggressive in acquiring knowledge. Easier said than done, right? I hear you. I cannot endorse these methods because I have not studied Torah. Perhaps it’s something I will do when I have time. Yes, those words – when I have time – are frowned upon by Telushkin. As he related in a story, a man said to a rabbi he has 15 minutes a day to study. Should he devote it to the Torah and Talmud, the man asked, or the study of Mussar (ethical writings that strive to inspire us to work on our character)? The rabbi replied to study Mussar because then the man would see something is wrong with his life if you have only 15 minutes a day for study.

Over the last several months, these summaries have been my 15 minutes a week. Hopefully, they provided some thought for you as well. Thanks for taking the time to read. I began by asking myself if I am applying my tools ethically – as a reporter, a citizen, a husband, a son, a brother, a soon-to-be (and now current) father, and a Jew. I have no answers. I have more questions. I suspect that was the point all along.