Our short Canadian summer is full of wonder. We try to spend lots of time outdoors, finding things to marvel at on dog walks and even on errands. While we might not be out in the bush too often, we still can spot foxes, deer, woodpeckers, butterflies and moths, as well as magnificent gardens, in our neighbourhood in Winnipeg\u2019s city core. As toddlers and preschoolers, children go through a \u201cwhy?\u201d phase. Everything is a question. Parents must come up with meaningful but short answers every time. However, as our tweens transition to teens, I have been pleasantly surprised to discover there are still a lot of \u201cwhys\u201d being asked.<\/p>\n
On a practical level, sometimes I end up saying \u201cthat\u2019s a Google question\u201d because I cannot remember every detail of European history. If our resident biology professor dad isn\u2019t home, we\u2019re trying to figure out flora and fauna on our own. (Hint: there\u2019s an app for everything now.) Most of all, I am thrilled that intellectual curiosity is still a thing. Our household still finds space to wonder about how things work, what things are called and why events evolved in one way or another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Just the other evening, I admonished our kid about being gracious about gifts. He didn\u2019t know what I meant. We stopped to discuss the phrase \u201cDon\u2019t look a gift horse in the mouth\u201d and take apart what it means. This kind of daily learning is an exciting part of life, and especially in summer, when we have hours at a stretch to talk and think about things, as well as seeing natural wonders, going to museums, meeting new people, reading and listening together. Pursuing this kind of informal learning makes a well-rounded education.<\/p>\n I continue to study Daf Yomi<\/i>, a page of Talmud a day, and right now we\u2019re studying the tractate of Bava Batra, one of the three Bavas<\/i> (translated as \u201cgates\u201d) that deal in civil law. I find nuggets of wisdom in these tractates, even as some of them seem dry to other students. If you\u2019re wondering, for instance, who pays for a fence, or making the decisions about erecting a fence across a shared courtyard? The beginning of Bava Batra will help you figure out whether this is possible, and how to get along with your neighbour in the process. Each issue is examined with a \u201cwhy?\u201d lens.<\/p>\n How does one decide where you\u2019re from? If you\u2019ve lived in many places (I have), this is a real question. Do you define home as where you were born? Where you lived the most years? Which kitchen or garden you liked best? This is examined on Bava Batra 11, which suggests that, if you\u2019ve lived in a city for 12 months, you can be considered a resident. However, if you buy a house earlier than that, or even, according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, land that would be suitable for building a house, you\u2019re immediately considered a resident. This bit of ancient law discussion struck me as useful in an age where so many decisions are made based on where one lives: where one votes, gets health care, sends kids to school and other bureaucratic needs. Establishing residency is still often up for discussion.<\/p>\n There is an advantage to maintaining intellectual curiosity and nurturing critical thinking when it comes to negotiating the world. As recently as a year or two ago, I would have been upset to think that one should be getting news from social media or email newsletters. Now, however, I find access to multiple reports about the Israel-Gaza war in English and Hebrew, through Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). I then end up satiating my curiosity by clicking through to read from multiple other news sources, finding out about elections in Europe, antisemitism worldwide, or even locating (and avoiding) possibly violent protests in my own city. Asking \u201cwhy? why? why?\u201d becomes a daily necessity in trying to decipher both what\u2019s happening and the political angle of those who write the articles, blogs or tweets.<\/p>\n A recent piece covering humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza on the CBC, for instance, used the word \u201cHamas\u201d only once, when mentioning \u201cHamas-led militants\u201d on Oct. 7. The word \u201cIsrael\u201d could be found on the page 18 times. While 18 is a lucky number, in this case, it sounds like an uncritical reader could lay blame on one side simply through repetition. One might completely lose sight of why Gazans are in this mess in the first place. If, perhaps, Hamas chose to stop firing rockets into Israel? It might be easier to distribute supplies and return to normality. Also, the journalist mentioned Egypt only twice. Egypt also shares a border with Gaza. Egypt could choose to facilitate humanitarian aid. Whose responsibility is this? The article\u2019s slant, and the journalist\u2019s bio, made me suspect a bias. When examining the journalist\u2019s X posts online, I saw only one side of this conflict emphasized. It didn\u2019t reference anything about Oct. 7 or Israel\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n It can be hard right now to maintain an even keel while facing the barrage of information about the Gaza war, Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine, politics in Canada, the United States and Europe, and the famines and violent conflicts elsewhere in the world. Unplugging and getting out to see and do things with family, taking a vacation, exploring wild places, helps us recalibrate. It can also boost our \u201cwhy?\u201d skills so we can return refreshed, with energy to analyze all the new craziness as it erupts.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve just begun Bava Batra, but one topic hit early on is where and how to donate charity to do the most good. Bava Batra 8b reminds us that money donated towards \u201csaving captives\u201d is a great mitzvah, the biggest commandment\/good deed that one can do. Sometimes, an ancient text can remind us to readjust our priorities. Reading critically and asking \u201cwhy?\u201d are essential to Talmud and rabbinic discourse. It\u2019s also essential for us. We must keep helping our children ask \u201cwhy?\u201d We ourselves must maintain the wonder that enables us to stay curiously critical thinkers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Joanne Seiff <\/b>has written regularly for the Winnipeg Free Press and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including <\/i>From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner<\/a> or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our short Canadian summer is full of wonder. 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