Site Name
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):