“I’m sorry if this is a stupid question…”

I hear some version of that sentence almost every time I teach.

Before my students can finish apologizing, I usually stop them.

“There are no stupid questions.”

Over the years, I’ve realized that I don’t say that simply to put people at ease. I say it because I genuinely believe it.

Most of the time, what people call a “stupid question” isn’t a lack of intelligence. It’s simply a lack of background. Those are two very different things.

The only reason I know what I know is because someone else took the time, and had the generosity of spirit, to teach it to me. One of my mentors, Rabbanit Shani Taragin, taught me that simple but profound lesson, and I’ve never forgotten........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)