Avos 5:12

בס׳ד

אבות ה:יב

Four are the traits of students: Quick to grasp, quick to lose - his gain is cancelled by his loss; Slow to grasp, slow to lose - his loss is cancelled by his gain; Quick to grasp, slow to lose - here’s the Sage! Slow to grasp, quick to lose - here’s some tough luck!

אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בַּתַּלְמִידִים. מַהֵר לִשְׁמֹעַ וּמַהֵר לְאַבֵּד, יָצָא שְׂכָרוֹ בְהֶפְסֵדוֹ. קָשֶׁה לִשְׁמֹעַ וְקָשֶׁה לְאַבֵּד, יָצָא הֶפְסֵדוֹ בִשְׂכָרוֹ. מַהֵר לִשְׁמֹעַ וְקָשֶׁה לְאַבֵּד, חָכָם. קָשֶׁה לִשְׁמֹעַ וּמַהֵר לְאַבֵּד, זֶה חֵלֶק רָע:

        I suppose that today’s educational psychologists might have some more elaborate theories about “learning styles”, but these four pretty much hit the nail on the head.

        Rambam observes that this mishnah breaks a pattern that is pretty routine in this general sequence of mishnahs that discuss four types of character.  In each of these, the last two types are usually the hasid and the rasha.  But in this mishnah, the last paired opposites are the hakham and the person with a helek ra, “a hard portion”.  The point, Rambam suggests, is that gifts in learning - and learning disabilities - say nothing about our moral attributes.  One can be extremely gifted in acquiring knowledge of Torah without that knowledge making a dent in our moral lives.  And one can have profound learning disabilities and nevertheless treat others with dignity and serve HaShem in devotion.

&&&