Living It vs. Learning It: What Books Can't Teach
What's better: learning about something, or living it?
When I became religious, I wasn't in a Jewish environment. I was on campus at university. So my first exposure to Judaism really was in the books. I would learn the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, learn the laws, and just try my best to figure out what it's supposed to look like.
My wife, on the other hand, lived in a Jewish community, with a religious family. She just picked things up by being around them and seeing how it was practiced.
And we found that her understanding, and her ability to be a healthy Torah Jew, was stronger than mine from just learning in a book in those early stages.
The power of the environment
We see here the power of the environment: how important it is, and how much you can learn just by being in a good place.
More on the same theme: Your Environment Rubs Off on You · Neighbors Can Change Your Life.
From the Pizza & Parsha on Parshas Lech Lecha, 2026.
Questions people ask
Is it better to learn about Judaism or to live it?
Rabbi Fuchs learned at first only from books on a university campus, while his wife lived with a religious family and picked things up by seeing them practiced. Her understanding in those early stages was stronger, which shows how much living it teaches.
What did Rabbi Fuchs learn from when he became religious?
From books: the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch and the laws, trying his best to figure out what it was supposed to look like, because he wasn't in a Jewish environment.
What is the lesson about environment?
How important it is, and how much you can learn just by being in a good place.
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