Michelangelo was once asked, “How is it that you create such wondrous sculptures and other works of art? How can something so innovative and ingenious emanate from mere mortal hands?” Without skipping a beat, Michelangelo responded, “Before I even begin my work, the sculpture is already complete within the marble block. My job is simply to discover it and then chisel away the superfluous material.”
The dormant potential already exists beneath the surface; the job of the artist is simply to discover that which is hidden within and then transform the concealed into the revealed.
Your Creation Story
Like Adam, each of us has our own unique creation story. The Gemara discusses the enigmatic events surrounding our formation, the initial stage of our own creation story (Niddah 30b). The Gemara explains that when you were just a fetus, you were in a perfect and transcendent state of being; a mal’ach (angel) taught you kol haTorah kulah (all of Torah), and you experienced the entirety of reality with a crystal-clear lens. However, the Gemara continues with an anti-climactic punch (literally): Just before you were born, this mal’ach struck you on the mouth, causing you to forget everything you learned.
Two obvious questions arise:
Why does the mal’ach make you forget what you’ve learned?
And more importantly, if the mal’ach is going to cause you to forget it, why even teach it to you in the first place?
The Vilna Gaon answers as follows: When the Gemara describes the fetus learning kol haTorah kulah, it isn’t referring to basic “Chumash with Rashi.” Rather, this refers to the deepest realms of Torah – to a transcendent level of Torah that lies far beyond this world. This Torah is the very root of reality, and you were granted complete understanding of its every detail. Not only were you shown this level of Torah, but you also learned your specific share of Torah; you were shown your unique purpose in the world and how your unique role fits into the larger scheme of the human story as a whole. You were given a taste of your own perfection, of what you could, should, and hopefully will become.
Most importantly, though, when the mal’ach struck you, you didn’t lose this Torah; rather, you lost access to it. Instead of disappearing, this knowledge and clarity became buried deep within your subconscious. The reason is as follows: What you received in the womb wasn’t real, it was merely a gift – something unearned and undeserved. The goal of life is to come into this world and rebuild all that you experienced and understood while in the womb. However, this time, it will be real, because you will have to build it yourself. In essence, your job in this world is not to create yourself, but rather to recreate yourself – to re-attain your original state of perfection, as you were shown by the mal’ach. This time, however, it must be done through free will, by choosing to become great. Only by overcoming challenge and difficulty, only by asserting your willpower, can you fulfill your true potential. In essence, our entire life is a story of t’shuvah, returning to our original, higher true self.
Learning or Expressing?
Perhaps this explains why we often feel a sense of recognition when we hear a deep thought or profound insight. Instead of feeling as though we are learning it for the first time, everything just “clicks,” almost as if we already knew the idea. This is because we do already know it. We’re not learning, we’re rediscovering what we already learned in the womb, what’s ingrained within us. The Torah is already there at a subconscious level; now we must invest the effort to build and express it in this world.
This explains an interesting Gemara (Megillah 6b), which says that if someone claims that he exerted himself in learning but has failed to acquire understanding, you should not believe him. Likewise, if he claims to have put no effort into his learning but has succeeded regardless, you should similarly not believe him. Only someone who says that he exerted himself in his learning and succeeded should be believed.
The Vilna Gaon raises a fascinating question: The wording of the Gemara is “yagati u’matzasi,” understood to mean “I exerted myself and succeeded.” However, the word m’tziah doesn’t mean succeed, it means find! Shouldn’t the Gemara have used a word such as asisi, paalti, or hitzlachti, which refer to accomplishment or achievement? The Vilna Gaon explains this according to the aforementioned idea. Genuine learning isn’t about achieving something new; it’s about finding that which already exists within your subconscious, that which you learned while in the womb.
This same idea lies at the heart of the classic conceptual debate between the worldviews of Plato and John Locke. Locke claimed that the human mind begins as a blank slate, and that a human being is then imprinted upon and molded through everything he or she encounters and experiences throughout life. Plato, however, quoting Socrates, believed that everyone is born with the knowledge of everything embedded deep within. Therefore, the job of a teacher is not to impart novel information but to help the student come to understand on his own what he already knows deep within himself. The word “educate” comes from the Latin word which means to “take out” or “draw forth,” because teaching is the act of drawing out the dormant potential from within each student.
Human Growth
With this principle in mind, let us explore the process of human growth. Many people grow from the outside in. They look around at their friends, their family, and society, and then shape themselves to fit their surroundings. The clothes they wear, the things they talk about, and their values and goals become a reflection of their external environment. In other words, many people feel like they are a slab of clay and mold themselves to fit in to their environment, i.e., into the molds that society creates for them.
What if we realized that, much like Michelangelo’s sculptures, we, too, are already uniquely and perfectly formed beneath the surface. Our job in life isn’t to take a slab of stone and sculpt something beautiful; our job is to discover who we truly are, who we already are, and to then “chisel away the superfluous material” and express our inner self. Growth isn’t about becoming great, it’s about becoming you; learning isn’t about discovery, it’s about self-discovery. You are a masterpiece covered with stone; your job in this world is to uncover and express yourself, your true self.
True growth requires us to grow from the inside out. We need to go into a room, by ourselves, and ask the real questions: Who am I? What drives me? What makes me unique? What are my talents? What are my passions? What can I contribute to the Jewish People and the world as a whole?
Instead of becoming a mirror, which reflects everything outside itself, we can become projectors. We can build something majestic and beautiful within ourselves and then express that outward into the world.
Becoming Part of Something Bigger
After developing one’s self, the next step toward greatness is contributing that uniqueness toward something greater than oneself: finding your “self” within a greater whole. This is why the greatest thinkers and talmidei chachamim (Torah sages) are both fully loyal to the m’sorah (tradition) while simultaneously expressing their uniqueness and working to develop the m’sorah further. This is the very essence of Torah SheB’al Peh, the ability for human beings to express their unique Torah into the world, while remaining faithful to the objective body of Torah SheBichsav. Torah SheBichsav doesn’t change from its original form as given by Hashem. Torah SheB’al Peh, however, is in continuous development and is the medium in which human beings can become part of Torah.
Living with Purpose
Chazal tell us that when you leave this world, you will meet three mal’achim. One angel will ask you: “Where are your mitzvos?” The second angel will ask you: “Where are your aveiros?” The last angel will ask you: “Where is your Torah?” Although the first two questions make sense, the third one is puzzling. After all, learning Torah is a mitzvah and should therefore be included within the first angel’s question. Why then is it a separate, unique question? The Vilna Gaon adds a chilling detail to this story: When you see this third mal’ach, you will recognize him; he is the same mal’ach who taught you kol haTorah kulah in the womb, who showed you your potential in this world. Now, he is here to greet you as you leave this world and to ask: “Where is your Torah? I gave it to you in the womb for free, but did you build it yourself? Did you make it your own? Did you fulfill your purpose in this world?”
When Avraham is instructed to leave his home and embark on his journey toward greatness, Hashem tells him two unforgettable words: “Lech l’cha – Go for yourself.” L’cha can also be read as go “to yourself.” Avraham was commanded to embark on a journey to “himself,” because the genuine journey of life is the journey to the self.
Let us each be inspired to bring our own Torah into the world and express our unique purpose.
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an international speaker, educator, and the CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received s’micha from RIETS, a master’s degree in education, a master’s degree in Jewish Thought, and then spent a year studying at Harvard. He is currently pursuing a PhD at UChicago. To invite Rabbi Reichman to speak in your community or to enjoy more of his deep and inspiring content, visit his website: www.ShmuelReichman.com.
