So are we really that smart?
My phone is smart, at least that is the way it is defined in comparison to more simple phones. But then again, twenty years ago, my bulky flip phone was considered to be really smart, and now it isn't considered too 'smart'.
We live in a fast paced world, where what we know today is constantly evolving and changing. What was knowledge and smart yesterday, is often redundant and obsolete in a just a short period.
If I want to be smart, and not just have a smart phone, than I need to make sure that I am constantly learning and improving my knowledge. This is true with all forms of knowledge and information and also true in regards to Jewish knowledge.
Yet in this week's Torah portion, Moses, conveying a message from G-d talks about the concept of Jewish knowledge in a whole different manner. No, Moses didn't mention the long list of Jewish Nobel Prize winners, but he did talk about what is it that defines and helps develop Jewish knowledge.
Moses who is in the last weeks of his life, tells the Jews regarding the Torah and the commandments, "And you shall keep [them] and do [them], for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the peoples, who will hear all these statutes and say, "Only this great nation is a wise and understanding people. "". In other words, Moses states that what defines Jewish knowledge and the ability to become wise and brilliant, is living a life that is in sync with the Divine commandments and studying and reflecting on their meaning.
Moses is telling the Jews an eternal principle, that studying the Torah and understanding (and fulfilling) the meaning of the commandments, is a timeless form of knowledge, that will be both beneficial for the one who lives this way, and also in terms of the way others perceive and respect this form of knowledge.
True, generations will come and go and there will be many changes along the way, but the knowledge that is contained within the Divine wisdom known as the Torah, will constantly help man reach the highest forms of knowledge and develop a mind that can delve and discover into the deepest of the world's mysteries.
3300 years ago, Moses was convincing a people, who didn't yet have a long history to prove this point. Today thousands of years later, history has shown us how this powerful Divine form of knowledge has changed the course of history, and has impacted so many billions of people in the world, who have adapted ideas, and incorporated values from this knowledge in their own lifestyle or societies.
For thousands of years, we have never been satisfied with simply having this knowledge, rather we have sought to truly own it, by constantly studying and delving into its fine details, through the study of Talmudic, Kabbalistic, Legal, and Chassidic texts, and gaining an inner and deeper appreciation of what this all means.
There is no doubt about it, that the commitment to the study of Judaism, along with living lives that have reflected this learning, have been one of the strongest components of Jewish history, in keeping a strong people with a robust identity. During the low times and the high times of Jewish history, the deep thirst for more of this knowledge has nourished the Jewish soul, and enabled it to constantly develop and grow, no matter the winds that blow around it.
Today 3300 years after Moses's conversation with the Jews, the study of these teachings has never been more accessible. Whether it is through attending classes, reading books, online classes on places such as Torahcafe.com or Chabad.org and other places, we are never more than a click away from connecting with the ultimate form of "smart" knowledge, that will be just as smart as we continue to get older.
Let's do it and be 'smart'!
Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel