2022/5782
There are two types of people: the learners and the complacent. Learners like to learn; they find things to discover and even things within that they’ve learned - there is always more to learn! The opposite is true as well; some people don’t like to learn; they feel as if they’ve amassed enough knowledge to get them through: “I’m an expert!”, “I know this already!” “I’ve heard this before!”.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (Sichot HaRan Sicha 3) teaches “Ki Tachlit HaYidiyah, Asher Lo Ne’idah,” “The goal of knowledge is to understand that you’ve just scratched the surface of whatever it is you’re learning.” In other words, the more we know about a subject, the more that subject is shrouded in mystery. To a child, the body simply works, but to a biologist, the body is a wonderment. Therefore, there is no end goal to knowledge, for the more we know, the more there is unknown.
Similarly, there is no end goal in Avodat Hashem, for the more we grow, the more we understand how much more we can grow. If we spend our whole lives chasing the end goal of being “there,” we are pursuing something nonexistent, for at every level you reach, there is always an opportunity for more growth.
The Torah tells us that “Avraham Zakein, Ba BaYamim,” The Ropshitzer Rebbe (Rav Naftali Tzvi Horowitz) in his Sefer Zerah Kodesh explains that this Pasuk means that although Avraham Avinu was old, it always appeared to him as if he was just beginning to serve Hashem. This idea is also alluded to in the Sefarim (Oheiv Yisrael, the Apta Rav Parashat VaYeira) that Avraham was a “Yosheiv Petach Ha’Ohel” - That within Avraham’s own Avodat Hashem, he viewed himself as if he was still at the entrance, only scratching the surface of Avodat Hashem.
Rebbe Nachman also warns (Sichot HaRan 51) that it is “Asur LiHiyot Zakein,” “It is forbidden to become old.” Rebbe Nachman obviously knew that people age; what then is Rebbe Nachman talking about? He was talking about our mental state; people should never become old in their ways of thinking. Be a learner, someone who is constantly growing. The only way to do that is to understand that you are always just a beginner, and there is always more to learn and grow! Live your life, appreciate where you are now, love where you are now, and be happy where you are now. Yet desire, yearn, and challenge yourself for more growth; never chase or settle for being “there” because “there” does not exist.