The Knowledge That Belongs to You

“By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” (Bereshit 3:19) Everything must be acquired through effort. This is deliberate.

The Talmud is not given as a simple manual, but as a labyrinth. You must search, dig everywhere, in every direction. Nothing is given easily. This is deliberate.

But when you find, you feel you possess something that truly belongs to you. No one can take it from you: it is not a gift you received, it is a conquest you made.

A teaching presented in the course as that of Rav Ziegler zatsal: the brain is a tool created by the Creator, but it works in a paradoxical way.

Physical container: the more you fill it, the less room it has; it limits itself. When it is full, stop: nothing more goes in.

Spiritual brain: the more you fill it, the more room it has; it grows. When it is full: more! Give me more!

1. The ignorant one (who comes from the world of truth) thinks he knows everything: “I know, I know!” Even if you want to teach him, he is full of himself; being full, he can receive nothing.

2. Discovering one's ignorance: “I actually know nothing!” The more you discover, the more you realize the extent of what you do not know. The thirst for knowledge is born.

3. The more thirsty you are, the more you learn. You search, you dig, you suffer by the sweat of your brow. It is hard, but that is what gives value.

4. When you find: this knowledge truly belongs to you. You earned it, acquired it through your effort. No one can take that from you.

An object you are given: you can lose it, it can be stolen, it can break, it eventually disappears.

Knowledge you acquire: no one can steal it, it does not break, it does not disappear, it is yours for eternity.

In Olam HaEmet, everything is given: you cannot earn anything. In this world (of death), nothing is given: you can earn. What is acquired through effort is truly yours: the actions you do, the knowledge you acquire. This is your true treasure, the one you put in your “shopping cart” to take with you.

The more you learn, the more you can learn. Every piece of knowledge opens doors to more knowledge. It is infinite! It is the triangle △ pointing upward: it begins at a point and widens infinitely.

In this world of death, according to the course, material possessions, money, goods, beauty, status, glory do not truly belong to you: temporary, illusion.