About 30 years ago, I stepped into a Yeshiva for the first time. At the time, I barely had an idea of what a Yeshiva was, but somehow, I knew that it was where I belonged. The problem was, I really didn't know anything else.

I couldn't name the five books of the Chumash (let alone tell you there were five). I had no idea what a Mishna was, let alone the Gemara. I didn't know a word of Hebrew, nor did I know there was another language called Aramaic.

I did know the letters of the Hebrew alphabet—well, at least the first ten of them. After that, I was clueless. Basically, if there was something worth knowing, I didn't know it. And truth be told, if there was something not worth knowing, I didn't know that either.

Thus began my multi-year "career" in Yeshiva. Clueless as can be, I somehow knew this place was home—and I was right. But home is not always the easiest place to be, and this new home was no exception. It was, to put it mildly, difficult.

Let me offer a particular example.

Perhaps the most intellectually frightening day of my life was spent in my first year of Yeshiva. There I was, struggling to learn a Mishna. It was so foreign—nothing like the textbooks or reading assignments I had in university. It was in Hebrew, and I wasn't naturally (or unnaturally) good at languages. I was struggling.

Then my Rav (Rabbi Walk) gave us a brief glimpse into the Gemara. He showed us one single page. At the top was the Mishna—just a few lines. The rest of the page was filled with the Gemara. And then, on the sides, were the commentaries of Rashi and Tosfos. It was so much more complex than the Mishna.

And then Rabbi Walk said it—the Gemara was in a different language, Aramaic. Oh, and the Gemara was harder than the Mishna. And Tosfos was harder than the Gemara.

What!

Harder?

And in a different language?

I can't even speak Hebrew! I have no idea what's going on with the Mishna. And now you're telling me that the "real" text we're supposed to be learning is longer, harder, and in yet another language? You might as well have told me we were going to learn quantum physics in ancient Chinese.

And yet, somehow (with the help of Rabbi Walk and many Rabbeim after him), I made it through. I learned how to read a Mishna, Gemara, Tosfos, and more—much more.

In doing so, I learned more than just those languages and the ancient (and not-so-ancient) texts written in them. I learned how to learn them. I discovered what held me back, what my difficulties were, and how to overcome them. And I also learned how to help others do the same.

That is why I am creating this site. I want to share what I have learned—not just the specific Torah or the methods for learning that Torah (although that too). I want to share the process of figuring out how to learn the Torah. To understand what the Torah is doing and why. To recognize what makes it challenging and to learn how to navigate those difficulties.

To ask the questions we didn't know needed asking and to provide the answers we may not realize we need.

Of course, this is all a bit abstract—but I believe that if you stick with me, you'll see what I mean. So, if you are interested and in - click on one of the links above and start learning.

And if you are really dedicated, click on the link below and get new content sent to your inbox:

What Does Masmid Mean

Given all of the above, you may wonder—why is this site called Masmid and what does that word even mean?

Let’s start with what it means.

A masmid (מתמיד) is something of a star in Yeshiva. To understand why, let’s break the word down. The word stems from the Hebrew word tamid (תמיד)—which essentially means an action or activity done regularly and consistently.

In Yeshiva, a masmid is someone who regularly and consistently learns and studies. It denotes dedication to learning and growing rather than one's capabilities. He may or may not be brilliant and may or may not fully understand what he is learning, but he shows up—regularly and consistently.

In Yeshiva, this usually means learning beyond the regular Yeshiva schedule, often involving 16+ hours a day diligently studying.

But there's more to this term than just the quantity of time dedicated to learning. There are other elements.

One involves the quality of one's learning. To paraphrase Rav Yosi Tzvi Rimon, a masmid learns 60 minutes in an hour. In other words, when he learns, he is dedicated and focused. He doesn’t get easily distracted and puts all of his focus and energy into what he is learning.

Another aspect is the effort put forth. To paraphrase Rabbi Perlstein of Ramat Beit Shemesh, a masmid gives it that little extra push. When you're tired and ready to call it quits, a masmid keeps going, even if it's just for another 5 or 10 minutes.

It reminds me of a story I once heard about Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer. He was asked how many push-ups he could do.

“I don’t know," he replied. "About 7 or 8."

"Only 7 or 8? I find that hard to believe."

“Listen, I don’t count how many push-ups I can do. I just do push-ups until I have no more strength left and need to give up. At that point, I can do about 7 or 8 more.”

A masmid is one who does those 7 or 8 more intellectual push-ups when he feels like giving up.

In short, a masmid is someone dedicated to learning and understanding, with all the variations and nuances that implies. He fully shows up and dedicates the time, energy, and focus needed for intellectual growth.

And herein lies the first secret to "mastering" the Torah: we need to show up. It doesn't matter whether we know nothing, something, or a lot more—our growth depends on our dedication.

Or, to paraphrase a great phrase, the journey of a thousand miles may begin with a single step, but it is only completed when we are dedicated to taking each and every step.

That is what I want for all of us with this site: to take the first step, then the second, then the third, and so on.

Of course, along the way, we should enjoy the scenery. A journey of a thousand miles can be monotonous if all we do is focus on the destination and the steps. But it can be wondrous if we also take the time to enjoy and appreciate the journey itself and the sights and wonders we encounter along the way.

So with that said—let’s begin. Your first step is to click on one of the links above and start learning. Or click on the link below to subscribe (it’s free):