12 Kislev: Learn From Experience

LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE There is no one as wise as one who learns from experience. (Akeidah, Noach, shaar 14:3; Maavar Yabok, shaar 2) The true test of understanding is practical application. When a person’s earning affects his daily life and helps him overcome life’s challenges, it proves that he truly understands. This is similar to a lever that lifts an entire structure from the bottom. So too, by bringing what we learn into practice, we raise our entire being, including our understanding and our faith, to a completely higher level. It is true that studying about G-dliness in Chassidus brings Moshiach, but we must fully understand and internalize what we learn. This can only occur through practice. Torah Menachem 5719, B'shalach 19 Kislev, sec. 23-24