The difference between a layman and an expert is something that I was aware of from a early age. In my home my father was very much into STEM. In particular he got his Masters from Cal Tech and went into aerospace engineering. His specialty was inventing stuff. In any case in our home e were getting month a magazine that was directed towards laymen.
I do not think I ever said this to my parents but my degree of frustration was immense. I would read some article about science and realize that there is no such thing as a layman. You either know it or you don't.
But I had no idea how to cross the barrier from not knowing to knowing. I think the first hint of how to cross that barrier came from my first year in yeshiva in Shar Yashuv [New York, Far Rockaway.] There I encountered the first most frustrating thing that every yeshiva bachur encounters--the fact that the yeshiva spent about a week or two per page of Gemara. So one "Zeman" Session from October until April would be spent on one chapter of Gemara--about 15 pages.
Only after much time I began to realize the important foundational principle involve here: To know a basic component of any subject takes total immersion in that subdivision for at least 6 months.
I do not think I ever said this to my parents but my degree of frustration was immense. I would read some article about science and realize that there is no such thing as a layman. You either know it or you don't.
But I had no idea how to cross the barrier from not knowing to knowing. I think the first hint of how to cross that barrier came from my first year in yeshiva in Shar Yashuv [New York, Far Rockaway.] There I encountered the first most frustrating thing that every yeshiva bachur encounters--the fact that the yeshiva spent about a week or two per page of Gemara. So one "Zeman" Session from October until April would be spent on one chapter of Gemara--about 15 pages.
Only after much time I began to realize the important foundational principle involve here: To know a basic component of any subject takes total immersion in that subdivision for at least 6 months.
