Learning Through Pain
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

November 14, 2024, Israel

I brought my car to the mechanic to have a problem fixed. I am always in the process of learning, about everything. I try to learn from my mistakes. So I asked the expert, what did I do wrong? Did I not maintain the car properly? Was it the way I use the breaks? What did I do to cause this problem and what can I do to avoid this in the future?

He answered that, in terms of driving, I had done nothing wrong. But perhaps I had slandered someone, been disrespectful or forgotten to say a blessing or a prayer. He said that sometimes when we need a little sting, a little punishment, God takes it out on an inanimate object and spares us the physical pain. 

So rather than receiving a lesson in car automotives I received a lesson in spirituality. 

This is a common Jewish perspective. Even with the terrible destruction of our temple in the year 70, we say that truly the Jewish people were deserving of punishment, but rather than wipe us out, God destroyed an inanimate object, our Temple. As great as the loss is, it is better than human lives.

Similarly, I recall when I first began driving. I committed a moving violation. My father was quite upset and rebuked me. Later on, he came downstairs and handed me $20, about half the sum of the fine. Later on, he apologized for being upset. In his actions I saw wisdom. He rebuked me, and it had an effect. I realized I was careless; I realized I made a mistake; he did not sugar-coat it. I needed to feel that he was disappointed. He gave me about half the money, but why not all of it? In this action I saw that although he helped soften the blow, he felt it was important that I feel the sting, the pain. I had to pay something for my mistake. His helping me out with $20 helped me have trust in the world, that in the end everything would be OK, but I also needed to feel some pain, to know that I needed to change the way I was doing things.   

That was about 40 years ago but the lesson and the interaction are still clear in my memory. My father has been gone for over 20 years, but his lessons are still with me, there is a right and a wrong in this world, and when you make a mistake, you need to pay for it, you need to feel some pain, some hurt, and you need to learn from it. 

No one should take away your lesson by "erasing" that mistake. Life is living lesson.

In Krav Maga, if something does not work, we need to feel that; we need to have a little pain. Pain exists for a reason; pain has a place in this world. My father never tried to eliminate pain, only to reduce it, gradually. Those who have others erase their pain, never grow up, never learn the lesson, never mature. 

Light and dark, day and night, comfort and pain. Exist in this world. 

Moshe2021

Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

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What is the cultural background of Krav Maga?  What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?

What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?

What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?

How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?

All that and more in this unique book.

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