This was originally a schmoozeletter email, several years ago:
Do you ever find that certain things get you mad, but it doesn't really make sense that they do?
I've had one (or maybe more) ever since I was a kid. It's this:
When someone is teaching something I've heard multiple times before, as if it's brand new.
Seriously, right- like what's the big hairy deal?
Maybe it started because I would be sitting mandatorily in dry, repetitive classes in school, listening to a teacher go on about something basic as if we didn't already know it, and it was like- "please, if you're forcing us to sit here listening to you, at least tell us something we don't know!" (I was a delightful pupil.)
Maybe it's ego? (You really think we've never heard this before?!)
Or judgement? (You really just discovered this now?)
Whatever it is, it's a gut response, and it's not coming from the loveliest part of me.
My daughter recently shared a story about a friend of hers who happens to be incredibly kind human being. They were talking to a third young lady, and my daughter's friend mentioned that she was planning to go to New Hampshire this summer. The other teen said she'd been there before and launched enthusiastically into a long detailed list of recommended activities, for which the other kid then thanked her.
Afterwards, my daughter asked her friend:
"Don't you go to New Hampshire every summer? Were those ideas she was giving you really new to you?" and her friend replied:
"Yeah- we've done all that stuff already, but she was so excited to tell me, I wanted to let her enjoy sharing it."
I love inspiration from random places. Like a super-kind 18 year old.
(If it were me, I would have just been like: "Oh thanks- we go every year, so we've been to those places."
And if you're ever talking to me, and I start telling you something you already know, you can definitely stop me; please do:)
But sometimes, repetition is not only kind but helpful.
This week's Torah portion begins the book of Devarim (I was gonna write Deuteronomy but I didn't know how to spell it:)
It's also called: Mishneh Torah, which means second Torah, implying that it's a review of the rest of the Torah (except that it doesn't review everything, and it also adds some new stuff, which just illustrates that things are not always exactly what they are titled, and that's ok, because life is complex and so is Torah.)
And if you're thinking: "Wait- isn't that also the name of one of Maimonides great works too?" The answer, is: "Why yes, it is." I guess Maimonides was confident that G-d wouldn't sue for copyright infringement. Being The Compassionate One and all.)
Now, why would we need a "second round" of Torah?
There are a bunch of reasons given, but maybe one is to build humility.
I know I don't like reviewing stuff- no interest in reruns. I like the dopamine hits of new information and inspiration. But that doesn't always give me the time I need to process, integrate, and reinforce the messaging. And it doesn't allow me to work on being more patient and humble.
So maybe one takeaway of this portion (at least for me) is to slow down, remember that reviewing valuable material is a chance to build character as well as knowledge.
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