R’ Yehoshua’s career in Torah began at the earliest possible stage. According to the Yerushalmi, when he was just a baby, his mother would move his cradle into the Beit Midrash. I have always found this story very moving and very instructive.

 

This image suggests that there is real value in being or being like a baby in the Beit Midrash. A baby only needs to be fed, to be loved, to be encouraged to learn and to grow. And that is what the Beit Midrash should be - a place to be nourished by Torah, a place to increase our love of Torah, and a place to become who we are destined to be. A place to be unafraid to admit what we do not yet know, because there - learning is valued more than knowing. In the Beit Midrash curiosity matters more than expertise.

 

Going from being a teacher to being a student was like going back in time. It was strange, I admit, to feel like a baby in the Beit Midrash. But we are all children, always. We always have more to learn, we always have ways we need to grow and the Torah is always there to support us.