Brain Exercise and Torah Study: How Learning Keeps the Mind Young, Sharp, and Alive

Even as a child, I already knew that what makes a human being truly human is the mind. A rabbit can run faster than a person, any fish swims better, a monkey is far stronger, and even the world’s weightlifting champion can’t compete with a simple mule in carrying loads.

But nothing in nature compares to the human brain. Just like the hands or legs, the brain also needs exercise to develop and stay in shape. If you were to tie one hand still for two weeks, the muscles would start to atrophy. Only later in life did I realize how little I had done to truly develop my brain — how rarely I challenged it with deep study or learning.

The Idle Brain

In school, only a few hours a day were devoted to study, and that was considered “education.” I still see the same pattern among the neighborhood children today: they come home a little after noon, play soccer, do a bit of homework, and then sink into hours of passive television watching.

Looking back as an adult, I see that even in my working life my brain was hardly active. During my eight-hour workday, I used the same professional knowledge I had learned years earlier. My job required no new intellectual effort — just repetition. From the end of one workday to the start of the next, entertainment and routine tasks filled all the space. By age 25, I had reached my mental peak — and then simply stopped growing.

The Turning Point: Joining a Learning Society

With a bit of bad luck, I might have lived my whole life in a state of mental stagnance. But thankfully, I realized that one of the defining strengths of religious society, is a learning society.

If you count the number of study hours a child in a traditional Jewish community logs each year, you would be astonished. The learning continues on Shabbat, holidays, Fridays, and even during “vacations.” The total hours of intellectual activity that a young religious student accumulates before adulthood are roughly equal to those of a university graduate after several years of higher education.

Besdies for the quantity, the quality of learning is also exceptional. According to research by Professor Iris Levin of the School of Education at Tel Aviv University, students in Torah-based schools develop a level of logical reasoning and analytical skill that surpasses their peers in secular schools. Her study, published in Maariv (January 29, 1998), praises the Talmudic learning method — the rigorous style of questioning, reasoning, and argumentation, and even recommends that certain elements of it be adopted in the public education system.

Exercising the Mind Through Torah Study

I began this journey of study late in life, but with effort and persistence, I hope to make up for the years my brain was left idle.
A person must use their intellect to assess situations, weigh actions, analyze possibilities, and determine their values.

Today, my mind is open in ways it never was before. I understand things I never even knew existed. My knowledge and reasoning skills now serve me in managing my life wisely — my brain is working again.

Learning from the Great Thinkers

When I face a question I can’t solve — whether in health, business, or personal matters, I turn to a rabbi. Just listening to how he analyzes an issue, weighing every side with a mind deeply trained in Torah reasoning, inspires me to strive for that same mental clarity and depth.

The path is open to anyone. Every person can begin to train their brain — through learning, reflection, and thoughtful questioning.
It’s not only about faith; it’s about mental growth. As I’ve discovered, the Torah is not only a spiritual guide — it’s the ultimate exercise for the human mind.