“. . . every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” Matthew 13:52

After the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E., the sages of early Judaism worked diligently to understand, refine, and transmit the traditions, rooted in Scripture, that had been handed down to them. A giant of that first generation was Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai. At times, Rabban Yohanan would test his students by intentionally slipping in a wrong answer to their questions. They learned to pay attention! And one of his students, Rabbi Joshua, later expressed in a few words that true learning involves hard work:

Rabbi Joshua says, “He who repeats a tradition but does not work at grasping it is like he who sows seed but does not harvest . . . .” Rabbi Akiva (a younger colleague of Rabbi Joshua) says, “A song in me, always a song.” (Tosefta Ahilot 16:8)

Joshua learned that it is not enough to repeat what we have heard. We have to work hard not merely to remember and repeat what we have heard, but also to take hold of the meaning and make it our own. In this way, our tradition will live in each generation. We must grapple with what we are taught in order to make it our own.

Rabbi Chanina said: “I have learned much from my teachers, more from my colleagues and from my students most of all.” (Babylonian Talmud Ta’anit 7a)

In one sense, Messiah Yeshua has taught me everything I know.  He has taught me in the Scriptures, in life’s circumstances, and through others.  He has been involved in all the learning I have ever done.  But I have also had teachers, colleagues, and students—men and women whose wisdom and patience have helped shape my life, the way I think, and what I know.

What have I learned from my teachers?  Everything from ethical conduct to secular subjects to Torah.  These teachers helped me to build the framework for everything I learned afterward.  There is the pastor who first told me about Yeshua.  He was able to share the good news with me in a Jewishly sensitive way.  There is the man whose teaching on serving others impacted my life deeply and the woman whose teaching about global issues somehow modeled a very local humility.  A teacher at my local Jewish Community Center taught me, by example, that a class of one is not a disappointment but an opportunity.  A teacher at Spertus College transmitted an intense love for Jewish texts.  I could go on and on.