Don’t Be So Open-Minded That Your Brain Falls Out

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Pesach is almost over… but the final day(s) hold something incredible.

This Shabbat, we don’t just remember the splitting of the sea — we relive it.

The Torah says that when Bnei Yisrael crossed the Yam Suf, they didn’t just sing — they burst into song.
A spontaneous outpouring of clarity and emunah.
“זה קלי ואנוהו” — This is my God and I will glorify Him.

The word “zeh” means they could point.
Their awareness of Hashem was so real, so tangible, that it felt physical.

And it wasn’t just then.
Time in Judaism isn’t a straight line — it’s a spiral.
Each year, we return to the same point on the spiritual calendar, but from one level higher.

That means the same light, the same clarity, the same power of emunah is in the air right now.
This Shabbat is a chance to tap into it.

🐪 From Slavery to Splitting — And Beyond

The first days of Pesach focus on the makot, the miracles and the complete downfall of Mitzrayim.
But the last day?
That’s Geulah. Clarity. Freedom. A nation standing on the other side, ready to serve Hashem.

We’re only weeks away from receiving the Torah.
And in some Sephardic communities, there’s a beautiful custom after Pesach — the Mimouna, where people celebrate with milk and honey to symbolize arriving at the land flowing with the blessing and abundance.

But not everyone made it.

The Torah says, “Vachamushim alu Bnei Yisrael” — only one fifth of the people left Egypt.

Rashi teaches that 80% stayed behind.
They saw the same miracles.
They witnessed the same power.
But they didn’t change — because their lens was broken.

They were looking through a fog of comfort, fear, and falsehood.

👁️‍🗨️ What Lens Are You Using?

Today, we’re surrounded by influences.
Opinions, headlines, influencers, movements — all shouting with confidence.

But not everything loud is true.
And not everything viral is wisdom.

We don’t need more information.
We need a filter.

That filter is Torah.
The Torah is the lens that shows us truth.
When we see the world through that lens, we protect our minds, sharpen our clarity, and live the life Hashem meant for us to live.

This week’s article is all about that: The danger of an “open mind” — and how to use Torah to see clearly.

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Now, let’s jump into this week’s message…

Don’t Be So Open-Minded That Your Brain Falls Out

Why a Torah Lens Is the Only Way to See the World Clearly

It happened at a startup event.

I was a startup founder eager to learn.
A well-known venture capitalist was giving a talk—brilliant, experienced, confident. He was sharing powerful tips about growing a business, the kind of insight people pay thousands to hear.

But then, in the middle of a completely unrelated point, he casually said:

“Of course, we all know evolution is true. It’s a fact. Man came from monkeys. That’s just basic.”

He didn’t say it as an opinion. He said it like it was gravity—undeniable, unarguable.

And just like that, it hit me.

He wasn’t talking about evolution. He was modeling a mindset.
He used his authority to sneak in a belief system—because the people listening already had their minds wide open.

If I didn’t have a strong Torah lens, I might have absorbed that idea like it was truth. No questions. No hesitation. Just—click—added to my worldview.

And if it can happen in a tech startup talk, what’s happening in college classrooms?

The Problem Is Bigger Than One VC Talk

College professors are trusted experts. Students come in with wide open minds, eager to grow—and all too often, they end up absorbing not just knowledge, but entire worldviews.

Ideas that contradict Torah. Values that distort truth. Movements built on hate, chaos, or confusion.

We’ve seen it over and over again:
Students who genuinely want to do good, who care about justice, end up marching for causes they don’t even understand—just because a loud, confident voice told them it was right.

They might not be evil. They might not be trying to hurt anyone.
They just don’t have the tools to filter what’s true from what’s dangerous.

Because the world told them to have an open mind.

And they listened.

I’ve met teens who were on fire for Torah by the end of post high school yeshiva—passionate, curious, inspired.

Then came one semester of college. One professor. One podcast.

And suddenly, it was all up for debate.

Not because they stopped caring.

But because they didn’t see the cracks forming—until it all crumbled.

And by then, they didn’t know how to rebuild.

That’s what happens when your mind is wide open, but unguarded.

The Subconscious Doesn’t Have a Spam Folder

From the time we’re kids, our minds are wide open. Every experience, every line from a teacher or video or influencer—it all gets recorded.

Our subconscious doesn’t ask, “Is this Torah?”
It just absorbs.

And the things we absorb—especially when we’re young—become the foundation for how we see the world.

That’s why so many teens struggle later in life. I’ve seen it firsthand.
My wife and I ran our local chapter of NCSY, and over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of Jewish teens.

The pattern was often the same:

They were taught Torah as a story—sweet, simple, and for kids.
Then they met the secular world.
And suddenly, that child-level understanding of Torah didn’t hold up.

They made adult decisions—with a child’s understanding of Torah.

And just like that, Torah looked outdated. Primitive. Like “just another religion.”

But it wasn’t Torah that was lacking.

It was the lens.

You Wouldn’t Hand Your Wallet to a Stranger… So Why Your Mind?

Imagine you’re walking alone and someone starts following you. You turn, and they call out to you.
Do you open up? Share your name? Your deepest thoughts?

Of course not.
You’re cautious. You protect yourself.

But when a well-edited video pops up online… when a confident speaker on stage drops a line that sounds profound… we let it in without hesitation.

We guard our wallets more than we guard our minds.

But your mind is your most valuable asset.
And the Torah? It’s the only true protection it has.

The Torah Is Your Lens

Hashem didn’t leave us to figure out the world alone.

He gave us Torah. Not just as a book of laws, but as a lens.

“ובחרת בחיים” — Choose life.
The Torah is what shows us how.

It helps us see clearly:

• What’s true and what’s false.
  

• What’s wise and what’s foolish.
  

• What’s eternal and what’s just noise.
  

And the stronger that lens becomes, the clearer the world becomes.

You strengthen it by living a Torah life.
You polish it by learning Torah every single day.

Not Everyone Can “Take the Fruit and Discard the Peel”

There’s a famous story in the Gemara about Elisha ben Avuya—Acher. Once a great Torah scholar, he left the path. But his student, Rabbi Meir, still learned Torah from him.

When asked how he could learn from someone who left the derech, Rabbi Meir answered:

“I eat the fruit and discard the peel.”

He had such clarity, such a powerful Torah lens, that he could extract truth and leave the rest.

But let’s be honest—most of us aren’t Rabbi Meir.

Most of us hear something that sounds right... and it slips into our thinking before we even notice.

That’s why we need a strong lens.
Because if you don’t filter the world through Torah, you’ll start filtering Torah through the world.

Even AI Can’t Replace the Torah Lens

A friend recently wanted to do the mitzvah of shiluach hakan—sending away the mother bird.

He asked ChatGPT for the halachot. It told him the mother bird sits on the nest during the day.

I told him that was wrong.

He asked ChatGPT again… and this time it said the opposite:

“The mother usually sits on the nest at night.”

Two completely different answers, stated with the same confidence.

ChatGPT is powerful. AI is impressive.

But it doesn’t know truth.
It doesn’t know Hashem.
It doesn’t see the world through Torah.

You can’t outsource emet (truth). You have to build your own lens.

Don’t Be Fooled by the Loudest Voice

I once watched a speaker walk on stage, light a cigarette, and shock the audience.

Then he spoke:

“Cigarettes aren’t the problem. Sugar is worse. You’re more likely to die from a Snickers bar than this.”

He was persuasive. Smooth. Convincing.

By the end, people were nodding. Some were ready to believe him.

Then he said:

“I made all of that up. I just wanted to prove that if you say something confidently enough, people will believe anything.”

That’s the world we live in.
Loud voices. Strong opinions. No filters. No clarity.

Unless you have a Torah lens.

So What Can You Do?

Don’t aim for an open mind.
Aim for a clear one.

A mind that’s grounded in Torah.
A heart that filters the world through truth.
A soul that only lets in what brings you closer to Hashem.

Start small:

• Open a sefer. One pasuk. One idea. Every day.
  

• Be mindful of what you listen to, what you scroll through, who you follow.
  

• Question everything—but through the lens of Torah.
  

A loud voice is not clarity.
A viral clip is not clarity.
A confident speaker is not clarity.

Clarity is knowing who you are.
Clarity is seeing the world through Hashem’s eyes.
Clarity is Torah.

Because when your lens is strong, your vision is clear.
And when your vision is clear, you don’t just see the world differently—

You live differently.

Ready to strengthen your lens?

It starts today.

Not with a leap. With a step.

Choose Torah.

Choose clarity.

Choose life — and live it with your eyes open.

🛠️ Practical Tips

Use these 3 Torah-based mindset shifts to strengthen your lens and protect your mind in today’s noisy world:

1. Slow Down Before You Absorb
Before accepting a new idea, ask: “Is this aligned with Torah?”
Don’t just check if it sounds good — check if it is good.

2. Be Selective With What You Let In
You guard your phone with a password. Guard your mind with the same care.
Be mindful of:

• Who you follow

• What you watch

• What voices you let shape your worldview

3. Learn One Thing Every Day
Even one pasuk, one thought, one idea a day can polish your lens.
The stronger your Torah lens becomes, the clearer life gets — and the more confidence you’ll have in how you live and think.

🎯 Weekly Challenge

This week, commit to one of these:

✅ Open a sefer for 3 minutes a day — even if it’s just one pasuk, read it, think about it, and ask yourself: What does this teach me about how to see the world?

✅ Unfollow one account that’s clouding your mind — and follow something that strengthens your clarity, values, and inner calm.

✅ Practice pausing — The next time someone says something with confidence, pause. Instead of reacting, ask: “Is that Torah? Or just noise?”

Small steps. Big clarity.

🌟 Join Me on the Journey — Be Part of the Mission

If my content has inspired you or helped you see life through a new lens, I’d love for you to take the next step — not just for yourself, but to help bring more people into a life of purpose, growth, and connection.

Here’s how you can get involved:

✅ Start Your Own Growth Journey

Tap into simple, powerful tools to strengthen your connection with Hashem, live with more gratitude, and grow day by day.

As we head into the final day(s) of Pesach, the world may feel loud, chaotic, or uncertain — but this time on the Jewish calendar is here to remind us of something deeper:

Hashem is in charge.
Truth is real.
And when we look through the Torah lens, the world becomes clear again.

Take this Shabbat and Yom Tov to reconnect to that clarity.
To turn down the noise.
And to remind yourself: I don’t need more opinions. I need more emet.

Wishing you a Shabbat of peace, a Yom Tov of bitachon, and a heart that sees the world the way Hashem meant you to.

Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach,
Amir