Rabbi Winston — Essay: Expert Opinion

 2/28/24

Everyone thinks they’re an expert, that they know enough to weigh in on the situation here in Israel. They have their opinions about the war, who’s right and wrong, and what to do about it. Some of these perspectives are reasonable, but others are so far from any truth and so over the edge that you wonder if all their lights are on. 

It’s only natural to have an opinion, and only natural to want to share that opinion if that is what you always do. But before a person expresses an opinion as an “expert,” they should make sure they are one.

But that takes humility. I had four university professors when I was in Architecture school. One was a Latvian, probably in his sixties at the time, who told us, “I may know nothing, but at least I know nothing.” He turned out to be the wisest of the four.

The second was a Canadian who was probably in his forties, but he was also a humble man. He was a pleasure to spend time with, and easy to learn from. The third was Indian and also did not make a big deal about himself. I liked him a lot as well.

The fourth was a young guy who clearly thought too highly of himself. He attracted students who were like him, but repelled people like me. I’m not saying that it was because I was so humble, just that I found that people with big egos tended to bring my ego out, which I have never enjoyed.

The Gemora says that if someone says that there is wisdom among the gentiles, believe them. But if they say there is Torah among them, do not believe them, which doesn’t seem to follow if you say that they have wisdom. Isn’t that what the Torah is all about?

Apparently not. That is the chiddush of the Gemora. Just as knowledge is the basis of wisdom but not the guaranteer of it, likewise Chochmah is an integral part of Torah, but not a guaranteer of it. How is that?

This week’s parsha answers that question, and so does the first Mishnah of Pirkei Avos where it says that Moshe received Torah at Sinai. He received Torah at Sinai. He didn’t figure Torah out at Sinai. 

What’s the difference? The difference was that God put Torah into Moshe, as a gift. At the end of the 40 days, He just gave it to him, meaning that he just found himself knowing it. He had tried to learn it to bring Torah into him, like we do today, but was continuously unsuccessful. So God just put Torah into [him] so that he could descend with Torah into him and start transmitting it to the rest of the nation. 

That wasn’t accidental. That was intentional. God wanted us to know from the outset that Torah wisdom is a gift from God, something a person becomes worthy of if they make themself humble enough to receive it. This is why later, when God praises Moshe Rabbeinu to Aharon and Miriam, He calls him the humblest of people in history. God was telling them that they can’t compare their level of wisdom to their brother’s because it was more God-given than theirs. 

That’s what the Gemora means. The word zaken—elder—in Hebrew is said to allude to the words, zeh koneh chochmah—this one acquired wisdom. Knowledge plus life experience was the means to do it, but the net result was that they were wiser about life because of it. This is why we’re supposed to stand up out of respect even for an elder who has not learned Torah. 

But Torah knowledge goes beyond human wisdom. It is Divine wisdom, God’s outlook on life which, history proves, is not easy to figure out on your own. Torah was God’s blueprint for Creation, giving it the ability to reveal a far more profound level of understanding when it comes to this world and everything in it. And that you can’t get by simply having a good brain and doing a lot of reading. You can only get it by ridding yourself of all ego and becoming a clean slate on which God can “write” His wisdom. 

That’s why the Erev Rav detests Torah. It’s their ego and sense of personal control that clashes with Torah that demands the putting aside of ego and giving God the control He has anyhow. And this is why people can be so wrong about truth, people who otherwise might seem so smart, so clever. Knowing the bottom line of truth requires more than that. It requires Torah, and until a person has access to it, they really can’t be much of an expert on any issue that affects the direction of history.