What I've Learned

That you don’t know Hebrew in high school.

That more people read the blog than I know.

That the truth hurts.

That finding a chevruta can be harder than finding a girl.

That isolation gives you a chance to look inside yourself...

...and that sometimes, when you really want to come outside, you can’t.

That any text written in Rashi script automatically makes it ten times harder to understand.

That you can eat and eat and eat and eat, and then be hungry immediately after.

That the internet is all-powerful.

That time has different speeds.

That Torah and politics should be mixed only with extreme caution.

That, under the right conditions, a cucumber can be as vital as oxygen.

That the meaning of life lies in the phrase “it all depends.”

That getting to dinner ten minutes late is akin to missing it altogether.

That “Teach the child to his ability” is perhaps the most important part of Jewish education.

That the Jerusalem Talmud matters.

That Halacha is societal.

That the Torah truly is infinite...

...and that, amazingly, we’re trying to make a dent in that infinity...

...and that, even more amazingly, we are somewhat succeeding.

That dancing works.

That shabbat really is the day of rest.

That community service is just that.

That humor is mulitlingual.

That Israel, all of it, acts as a home...

...and that you can feel welcome in any home, any shabbat.

That roommates are like family, kinda.

That Israel really is a small country…

… and that, even so, it is impossible to get people to come visit Ma'aleh Gilboa.

That holidays are of national interest.

That aliyah is a hidden agenda.

That the bottom line isn't always important, and…

…that how you get there is.

That Jews, by going in circles, move forward.

That getting a letter, or package, is among the best feelings in the world.

That goal-setting is important…

…but that you can also go along for the ride.

That guys named Jastrow and Frank, who you've never met, can become your best friends… in the Beit Midrash.

That ore is the most valuable resource, and sheep the least.

That more than five people do live on the kibbutz.

That living outside Jerusalem really has its downsides.

That technology makes long-distance not so long.

That the song "So Close" by Hall & Oates pretty much sums it all up.

That Tzomet Ha'Etz is much better than Poondak HaMa'ayan.

That the yeshiva's theme is "Pluralism"…

…and that it is not, as the Hebrew will pronounce it, "Fluralism."

That a Superbowl party is still a Superbowl party, even with Bisli, and even at 3 a.m.

That after using your coffee cup, you must wash it in the sink in the Coffee Room so that others may be able to find a cup when they need it, and that failure to do so may result in a stern talking-to by the intolerable boger Tzachi Slyter, who also uses the same speech structure when reprimanding one who does not return his book to the appropriate shelf in the library.