Way 10: Find a Teacher – Why Mentorship Beats Self-Study

In episode ten of the 48 Ways series during the Omer, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe teaches B’Shimush Chachamim — “serving the wise” or learning through mentorship. While self-study is essential (way #1), it is not enough on its own. Books, even the Torah itself, can be misunderstood or taken out of context without proper guidance from a living teacher. Serving the wise goes beyond intellectual learning: it allows us to observe and absorb how a righteous person lives, speaks, treats others, handles challenges, and conducts everyday affairs.

Rabbi Wolbe shares powerful personal examples: his rabbi repeatedly asking whether he wakes up at night for his children (because failing to do so means “you’re not my student”); watching his grandfather set up Shabbos candles himself into his 90s as his personal mitzvah; his grandfather’s extraordinary self-control (not reacting when a large student accidentally slammed a door into him, never moving an unnecessary limb at dinner, refusing to hold a guardrail or let others carry his tefillin because “the tefillin carry me”); and his grandfather humbly naming a much younger rabbi as his own rebbe because he taught him the Aleph-Beis of Kabbalah.

Additional lessons include: we learn more from our friends and most from our students; even the idle chatter of a wise person is Torah; the inside and outside must match (panim / pnim); serving a wise person teaches more than merely studying with him; independence must be moderated or it blocks growth; and we must actively seek out a mentor with humility, persistence, and regularity (the student calls the rabbi, not the other way around). He emphasizes that every person needs objectivity from someone who sees our blind spots, and encourages asking deep life questions: What makes a good person? How do I control anger? What is the key to a successful marriage? How do I maximize my time and potential?

The episode ends with a clear call to action: go find a teacher or rabbi now and begin serving and learning from their ways.

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Recorded in TORCH Centre - Studio B on May 6,  2022, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on May 15, 2022

The 49 days we count between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot are an exciting time for powerful and impactful change. The Mishna (Avot 6:6) teaches us 48 masterful tools and ways to maximize life and get the most out of each day.
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Share your questions at [email protected] or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  
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About the Host:
Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: [email protected]

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Listen More
Other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: 

• NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodes
• Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodes
• Jewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodes
• Parsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodes
• Living Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodes
• Thinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodes
• Unboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodes
• Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodes

For a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org
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Keywords:
#JewishInspiration, #Omer, #Count, #48Ways, #SpiritualGrowth, #TorahWisdom, #PirkeiAvot, #WisdomDaily

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