Did you hear about the child who became a Torah scholar in only five minutes? Yes, he was able to accomplish this in only five minutes! He did so during the five minutes he waited in the pickup line after school. Or, was it during the five minutes spent in the clinic lobby before his doctor’s appointment? Or, was it during the final five minutes his parents spent packing the family car for their weekend getaway? Of course nobody -- not even the most-learned rabbis of history -- claims to become a giant of Torah learning in only five minutes. Rather, our friend the student was using his free five minutes to review his daily Torah study. Bravo!
Has your child ever returned from school frustrated and said, “We already knew everything we went over in class today.” ” Perhaps she found the day’s lessons boring. But my hope is that Instead of experiencing boredom, this student and her classmates will experience ever-greater confidence, as reviewing knowledge one already has strengthens that knowledge, ultimately strengthening the student.
How does review lead to greater knowledge? When one already has a good foundation in the material, knew tidbits rise to the surface, broadening the knowledge base.
Indeed, reviewing is actually harder than learning something for the first time. True understanding and information recall result from review!
So, how much review is necessary?
After the Torah was given at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people now needed to learn! How many times were they taught each idea? The Talmud explains the specifics of what’s called the quadruple review plan: for every item Moshe taught, his students -- the Jewish people -- had to review each lesson four times until it was understood and could be properly put into practice. (For greater detail, please reference Eruvin 54b for your own learning -- and reviewing! -- opportunity.)
A good first step is learning from our ancestors. A great second step -- and third and fourth and... -- is the following: Learn, review, review, and review again.
Happy learning!