The Question

I have done quite a bit of Jewish learning. Many times in Yeshiva or Jewish learning environments, the best answer to the question is another question. When might it be appropriate to start saying the shema in the morning...what does the talmud say? Well, what does the mishna say? What do you think they mean by "seeing"? It's just a lot of questions...and the answers aren't necessarily the important part (that is...for those of us who are interested in studying for studying's sake and not necessarily to get the halacha/law).

I love this type of learning. The questions are straightforward, and you can have long discussions about what the next most relevant question is and what the top ten relevant answers are.

Business school is totally different. Part of it is that I'm in school, and in school you have to have "correct" and "incorrect" answers. On exams, you get it right...or not.

I discovered today that my problem isn't necessarily answering the question. It's understanding the question in the first place. If they ask the question in terms that they explained in class, then I'm fine. I know how to answer it, because it fits into my very narrow framework of what I have learned in, let's say, finance. If they use a different word, however, I have no idea where to start, and I need it to be translated. Weird that finance is harder for me to understand than Aramaic. For the Aramaic, I can go to my Frank or my Jastrow, but for finance, I have wikipedia and husbands, but I still don't understand even their definitions!!

I just read an accounting case that we have to prepare for tomorrow. Though the case seemed to have a lot of information that is not relevant, and it was not so easy to read, I think I got it. Then I got to the question (really, it's just ONE question), and I have no idea what to do!

I definitely had this problem on the exam also...and in class today. "They need to cover their short position." HUH???