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I’ve noticed that some people regularly quote tanach, gemara and what not here. Do you actually sit there with these seforim in front of you as reference, or are you all that smart? Has anyone taken the old fashioned pin test? You know the one that someone pokes apin through a sefer and the smart guy know which word the pin pierces on each page?
How can I get that smart?
gavra_at_work, Sam2, frumnotyeshivish, DaasYochid, HaLeiVi (and anyone else who is insulted I inadvertently forgot about him/her) care to enlighten me?
Streekgeek
The people you mentioned are a lot older than you. Some may be twice your age or more. I don’t know if any of them are smarter than you. It really has to do with using your time and learning properly and in an involved manner so that you remember. It could be they have above average intelligence but I don’t think anyone here is a genius. Just well learned. Spend less time on your gadgets and more time with your head in a sefer and you could do it too.
I’m not talking for those smart, bright personalities that frequent here. Yes, they are probably walking encyclopedias of Torah – Tanach, Mishnah, Talmud, Halacha, Medrash, Kabalah etc. When they engage in conversation I could barely follow along, I sit and study each line (and between the line) for hours. “Oh! Now I chapped what this one said…” “Said Sam2 in the name of DaasYochid…”
If I ever quote any Chazal, Passuk or saying, as I wrote earlier, it’s b’shem omro – it’s in the name of my untiring, ever faithful Rebbi, Rabbeinu Google. Such a baki – he knows EVERYTHING.
Just make it all up. Nobody will catch you, and even if someone does, you can just strenuously insist that you are correct and nobody will know who is correct. And even if they post real sources against you, nobody will care to look it up or even know how.
WIY- a select few the posters here show a familiarity with gemaras all over shas, rishonim, and poskim that is quite impressive and shows they’ve learned seriously for a while, and remember a lot of it. No easy feat.
PBA- why do you say that?
on a different note, I wrote up a small poem and I would like to share it with you folks. let me know what you think. it goes a little something like this
He said my life is schmulik
I can’t recall the bullick
If I only had a brain
If you can’t dance the hora
Then please give me a torah
If I only had a braainn
I clap and sing for hours
Like secondary powers
If I only had a brain
If you can give me soda
Then I can give you yoda
If I only had a brain
I’d look to be a gadget
Who cannot practice magic
If I only had a brain
I’d pop the pimple two times
With all sorts of new crimes
If I only had a brain
I am not for the flowers
For 14 different hours
If I only had a brain
To pick up a big scooter
And swim with a nice looter
If I only had a what a brain
And Canada.
boruch-i enjoyed your poem
do you have any more?
i can tell from your writing skills that you are a very smart individual
Streetgeek: you can learn a lot of Torah whatever your gender.. What’s the shaichus?
Two possibilities:
1. They’ve given themselves Smicha without doing the work for it.
2. They’ve forgotten that shailos need to be asked of an established Torah Rov, and not of the man-on-the-street people who are most of those who frequent the CR.
Torah isn’t limited to Gemara at all. Bais yaakovs teach Chumash, tanach, meforshim, Halacha, and machshava- right? All those areas are more than enough to learn.
HaLeiVi, nice.
some posters have been learning for years and are familiar with shas, perhaps through daf yomi. They dont come here to use their ‘talent’, they come to unwind n shmooze. Some look up sources, some quote correctly, some quote incorrectly! And some google. But anyhow, there are different types of smarts. Some people are very good at remember quotes, psukim, etc. Some ppl are smart in other fields but weak in that. Like some people can remember historical facts-names, places, dates, be it history, geography, or biography related. Some people are great at puzzles but terrible at memorizing things. Etc etc etc :). I have a friend who didnt do great in school in general, but knows everything about past gedolim and knows neviim inside out. Another is genius in concepts but not books. Yet another, an A student who cant tell you if the Chofetz Chaim lived in the 1700s or 1900s
@ says me- I understand, but what’s that got to do with my poem?
” some people regularly quote tanach, gemara and what not here”
Tanakh, Mishnayot, and the Bavli are all online in both Hebrew and English.
BoruchSchwartz
What poem?
HaLeiVi: Are you saying you’re R’ Eliezer Silver? Do you bentch after having cookies at Kiddush Shabbos morning?
StreekGeek:
See, I told you there are literately geniuses here that frequent this place. Look for yourself. This fine poster (probably ?????) HaLeiVi writes TWO (cryptic) words. I have sat on it for five hours, cannot fathom what he meant, what it’s all about. Yet two others here seem to know what he’s referring to.
Wow. And imagine, I share the same hallowed place as them here. They’re so humble, they lower themselves to us little creatures. WOW!
Bais yaakovs teach Chumash, tanach, meforshim, Halacha, and machshava- right? All those areas are more than enough to learn.
Ah, so that’s why the general frum world values the study of Chumash, Tanach, Halacha, and Machshava as much as Gemara b’iyun. Wait, what?
If you Google “is there a chief rabbi of the United States”, here’s what “rabeinu” will say:
Legend has it Rabbi Eliezer Silver was being driven someplace when the car was pulled over for speeding. The chauffeur tried to explain to the cop “but this is the chief rabbi of the whole United States!” — and from the back of the car, Rabbi Silver shouted — “and Canada!” (Mi Yodeya)
Some people aren’t so smart.
Ever meet those guys who know every random sports fact and statistic and who follow every game and know it inside and out?
Just change that to “ever meet those guys who know every random chazal and dvar torah who constantly learn torah and know it inside and out?”
You would be amazed at the mind’s ability to remember things.
PBT, I don’t think any of us have claimed to have smicha, or that anybody should rely on us for psak halacha.
boruchschwartz- i was responding to the OP
streekgeek- thanks 🙂 and your welcome!
DY: Doesn’t Popa say he has Smicha?
Sam, yes, but that’s only a kasha on me if Popa was one of the people the OP insulted by inadvertently leaving out. And as smart as I may be, I’m not a navi. 🙂
I should tell streekgeek: thanks for the compliment. To respond honestly, when I quote specific sources, I usually look them up before quoting.
I usually don’t look up sources before quoting (which is why I usually say “I think” or “I believe”), which is probably why I’m usually off by a Daf/Siman or 2.
I’m not smarter, just a little taller.
Some people are smarter,
Some people are not.
If you think you’re smarter,
Then …..dot, dot, dot……..
StreekGeek:
I don’t rub any humans’ shoulders. Remember, I’ll just little froggie. I hop on the same earth as you.
Yes, I definitely have smicha. But, you folks know how much I don’t know and know, so not sure why it should matter to you.
Anyone have any good IQ tests?
That way we could clearly see who is above average here.
There are many different smarts.
Street smart, book smart, number smart, dumb smart, etc. 😉
Torah smart probably falls under all smarts together…
It doesn’t. I was just nitpicking Sam’s nitpick.
Yitayningwut: speak for yourself. If you don’t value halacha l’ma’aseh, you have a problem. If you are saying only Gemara b’iyun is valuable, you also have a problem.
“It doesn’t. I was just nitpicking Sam’s nitpick.”
For those who don’t understand this means that DaasYochid is a sofer
you shouldnt nitpicks another nitpick as one who nitpicks anothers nitpick gets nitpicked
Jewishdude, im kein ein l’dovor sof. 🙂
@boruchschwartz
I wonder if daasyochid is the one who checked my tfillin last week
I too have been very impressed with the breadth of knowledge exhibited by many of the posters here. Its probably the primary reason I keep on coming back to the CR.
Are we allowed to post a link to a post about a mod who posted a link?
@jewish dude
i dont know about you, but i dont shower in my tefillin
Those were the black ones, right?
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