“Improve yourself, then improve others.” ChazalChazal, our Sages, teach us; ‘Improve yourself, then improve others’.
Now we find Chaim Kramer, in his book Crossing the Narrow Bridge, asking himself, by what right did he have even considering this work (his book), let alone actually doing it. And indeed, I (as I suspect you also) have asked this question; where do I/we ‘get-off’ presuming that we know something that we can impart to others. That includes so much of life and is not limited to my blogs or my ‘teaching’ but also my art, my concepts and beliefs, my talent, skills and techniques.
Of course, in the world of business, we have to - by the very nature of business ‘competition’ show that we are, indeed, the best choice that the client/customer can make because we have the best skill or best idea or best product. But how much of that is bravado? How much is over-compensation for hiding an inferior skill/idea/product? How much ego driven? How much fear that we are not what we say? [or perhaps worse: that we are what we say?]
Going back to our Chazal, we see that we must first have the improvements made within our being in order to ‘improve’ others. And to do so, Chaim Kramer proceeds to write his book knowing (I think) that he will improve himself in doing so - just a a good teacher admits to learning much, if not more, from his students as they do from him. Thus I have learned from his book (and continue to do so), as he has learned from the ideas of Rebbe Nachman and did so in his attempt to pass those thoughts to us in the 21st Century from the 18th Century. [Common Era, understood]
Let’s see what we can glean from the Rebbe’s mind, with the help of Chaim Kramer.
Continuing, he says that developing you own original insights into the Torah is truly a great thing. First- it shows that your thoughts are focused on Torah (instead of ‘other’ things). And secondly, it is a sign that your Torah study has had an effect on you and that you truly wish to grow in Torah knowledge. And again he cautions that we need to study Shulchan Arukh beforehand... and again afterward. THIS will help you maintain level thinking and protect against misleading thoughts... and worse- thoughts presented to others that could mislead them. One needs to be careful in how he presents his concepts and ‘original’ thoughts on Torah and on life lest he be guilty of misleading someone else, e.g. Do not put a stumbling block before a blind man. Of course, with these caveats in mind we must be careful that what we say and present is important in G-d’s eyes!
As a final though from the Rebbe: Nobody sins unless overcome by a “spirit of folly”. The sins and spiritual damage that a person may have done literally makes him mad. And that he says, perhaps truer today than some 230 years ago, this is why the majority of people suffer from all kinds of quirks and idiosyncrasies. The remedy: Torah Study. Intensely. Therein you will find the power to crush the Yether Hara and, in doing so, help you guard your tongue (see above) and banish madness and folly.
Go study v’ShalomNow we find Chaim Kramer, in his book Crossing the Narrow Bridge, asking himself, by what right did he have even considering this work (his book), let alone actually doing it. And indeed, I (as I suspect you also) have asked this question; where do I/we ‘get-off’ presuming that we know something that we can impart to others. That includes so much of life and is not limited to my blogs or my ‘teaching’ but also my art, my concepts and beliefs, my talent, skills and techniques.
Of course, in the world of business, we have to - by the very nature of business ‘competition’ show that we are, indeed, the best choice that the client/customer can make because we have the best skill or best idea or best product. But how much of that is bravado? How much is over-compensation for hiding an inferior skill/idea/product? How much ego driven? How much fear that we are not what we say? [or perhaps worse: that we are what we say?]
Going back to our Chazal, we see that we must first have the improvements made within our being in order to ‘improve’ others. And to do so, Chaim Kramer proceeds to write his book knowing (I think) that he will improve himself in doing so - just a a good teacher admits to learning much, if not more, from his students as they do from him. Thus I have learned from his book (and continue to do so), as he has learned from the ideas of Rebbe Nachman and did so in his attempt to pass those thoughts to us in the 21st Century from the 18th Century. [Common Era, understood]
Let’s see what we can glean from the Rebbe’s mind, with the help of Chaim Kramer.
Understanding and enunciating
Rebbe suggested that we study rapidly(!) - with speed and simplicity - and try not to spend too much time on each and every detail. We should try to understand each thing in its own context and enunciate the words of Torah as we study them. There is no need specifically to elucidate the words... if we carry on, the meaning will become clear. [this works on a specific level certainly but with Torah we can and do find many meanings - but, again, this becomes more and more clear as we study] However the Rebbe says that it is good to elucidate in the language he (best) understands (we are not confined to learning in Hebrew)! In any case we must work to understand the material we are studying and it’s not enough to just repeat the words without an understanding of what the words mean. Lack of understanding cannot be considered learning. Keep on going. Try (first) to understand the text in its own context. What happens if that is not clear? Keep going the Rebbe says. Perhaps a bit further down the page a sentence or two will make it clear. Or perhaps you will understand in a re-reading of the text.Guard your tongue
Every Jew is a letter in the Torah, we are taught. When the Torah is lifted after the reading of the sedrah, the Jew points, with his little finger, in an attempt to see ‘his letter’. Tradition, if nothing else, teaches that there were 600,000 Jewish souls in Creation and that this corresponds to the 600,000 letters in the Torah. So when you find fault in a fellow Jew, you are, in effect, finding a blemish in Torah and rendering it incompleat (not a misprint). HOWever, by not speaking against or belittling another Jew, and by emphasizing his good points, you will also find the Torah perfectly beautiful. You will then have a deep love for the Torah and this love will lead you to great diligence in your studies.Original (!)(?) Torah Insights
You may, the Rebbe says, expound on the Torah and originate insights in any area you wish. The only condition is that you do not originate any new laws. Hmmm. Okay. That sounds about right. No new laws. Further, Rebbe Nachman said, regarding his own works: You can twist my teachings whichever way you wish (in order to better understand them), just as long as you don’t depart from so much as a small passage of the Shulchan Arukh. Ah. Catch 22... well, at least Catch 21. You better know the Shulchan Arukh before you start in with manipulations of your own.Continuing, he says that developing you own original insights into the Torah is truly a great thing. First- it shows that your thoughts are focused on Torah (instead of ‘other’ things). And secondly, it is a sign that your Torah study has had an effect on you and that you truly wish to grow in Torah knowledge. And again he cautions that we need to study Shulchan Arukh beforehand... and again afterward. THIS will help you maintain level thinking and protect against misleading thoughts... and worse- thoughts presented to others that could mislead them. One needs to be careful in how he presents his concepts and ‘original’ thoughts on Torah and on life lest he be guilty of misleading someone else, e.g. Do not put a stumbling block before a blind man. Of course, with these caveats in mind we must be careful that what we say and present is important in G-d’s eyes!
As a final though from the Rebbe: Nobody sins unless overcome by a “spirit of folly”. The sins and spiritual damage that a person may have done literally makes him mad. And that he says, perhaps truer today than some 230 years ago, this is why the majority of people suffer from all kinds of quirks and idiosyncrasies. The remedy: Torah Study. Intensely. Therein you will find the power to crush the Yether Hara and, in doing so, help you guard your tongue (see above) and banish madness and folly.
some ideas from Crossing the Narrow Bridge, A Practical Guide to Rebbe Nachman’s Teachings by Chaim Kramer
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