Do I know anything?
Sometimes, I feel like a leaf of grass between strong winds. A phrase from my rabbi in a shiur of the Gamma in Aiyon expressed it beautifully – after explaining a profound move in the Acharonim on a complex issue in Nazkin, an atmosphere of admiration arose from the audience. The rabbi noticed this and said – are you amazed? And then in one moment he tore the move to pieces… just as the Maimonides explained the principles of faith according to Aristotle’s assumptions and Rabbi Krashakash came along and shattered the assumptions and, in turn, the building.
This happens to me on various subjects, I won’t elaborate too much, and it gives me the impression that the world is made up of people with strong views, who hold an ironclad position and they drag the little people after them, who don’t really understand anything. The problem is that I think I’m one of them. Almost everything I understand, even after basic studies (I’m in my eighth year at a high yeshiva) – doesn’t lead me to ironclad certainty. I don’t think I can reach a state of being killed and not passing over regarding any mitzvah or anything in fact. In the second illustration, there are things that are really clear to me, but that’s in the realm of the world and not related to the Law and commandments.
What do we do? How do we reach certainty in values, an independent intellectual position, and not be swept away by this or that leader? Even a righteous and holy leader who sweeps me away – that’s not what it’s supposed to be!
Sorry for the length and thank you very much.
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Wow WOW this happens to all of us, there is an effect when we are in a special place and enter into a study or a lecture or a sermon and warm up and get into the spirit of the things, we feel admiration and inner joy that preserves the heart and makes us wiser and it is pleasant to the soul - this happens a lot and it is a well-known and well-known thing. I think that is why we pray in a minyan, which is even more uplifting and brings us closer to the Creator, both in this respect and in the respect of the magnetic effect. We call it that way, there is strength!
To reach an intellectual position, you simply need to examine things with your mind, while listening, or when you read things, you need to check if it matches what you already knew, and if not, then look for how to refute it, you must not be gullible!
Usually questions arise that arise while listening, so ask! If there are no questions, it means that you agree with everything and I would not define it as drifting!
And if you are talking about drifting of the little people – This in itself is not important, because if the little person does not understand why he is carried away, but is carried away by the power of holiness - it is all well and good as long as the holiness is there - but after that everything disappears!
Because what holds the material in the head is its connection from understanding to the brain! This is the context and this is the connection, that is why the Lord said, "Darshan and live!"
And what is Chabad - wisdom, understanding and knowledge!
By the way, the more you learn, the more you discover how many things there are that you still do not know!
In conclusion, I suggest that you write down questions that come to you while studying, and if when you finish that topic and the questions you found have not settled, then write them down and put them on the book! Apparently this is your calling!
Once they did an experiment like this, they put a lot of people together and worked on one person like this: They made two lines on a board and asked each one who the smaller line was, and everyone gave a wrong answer on purpose. And the last one they worked on, in the experiment, also gave a wrong answer. They asked him later, "Why did you say a wrong answer? What don't you see well?" He told them that if everyone said that, it means they see better than me! Do you understand? The person is afraid to take responsibility, so he gets carried away with everyone else, but only the strong fish swim against the current - the ones who will reach greatness! You will learn from understanding and that's how you will reach a certain intellectual position! I enjoyed it a lot!
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