In 2020, the Pew Research Center asked American Jews about the qualities they consider essential to their Judaism. Eighty-three percent of Orthodox Jews considered observing Jewish law to be essential, while just five percent of Reform and unaffiliated Jews agreed. “Eating traditional Jewish foods” ranked relatively low among all groups. But a more interesting result concerned the quality of “being intellectually curious.” Here, Orthodox Jews came in at just thirty-six percent, while Conservative and Reform Jews polled at sixty-three and fifty-nine percent, respectively.
The foundation of greatness in Torah is intellectual curiosity. You learn a gemara and you can't help yourself. What do the Rishonim say on the sugya? How do the Achronim analyze the Rishonim? And one sefer leads to another, one svara leads to the next.
You learn the parsha and are itching to see the Meoforshim on the parsha. Each parsha has THOUSANDS of questions that must be asked and resolved.
Then there are the 14 books of the Rambam, the 4 parts of Shulchan Aruch.
Every day knew sfarim are being published to help enhance our knowledge and understanding.
But since people lack intellectual curiosity, instead of expanding their minds they instead surf the net, read the news etc. etc.
THAT is part of the contemporary churban.
How can a Torah Jew not be intellectually curious???
