Improving Intelligence

Avot 5:12

There are four types of disciples: Quick to comprehend, and quick to forget: his gain disappears in his loss; Slow to comprehend, and slow to forget: his loss disappears in his gain; Quick to comprehend, and slow to forget: he is a wise man; Slow to comprehend, and quick to forget, this is an evil portion.

Avot 5:14

There are four types among those who frequent the study-house (bet midrash): He who attends but does not practice: he receives a reward for attendance. He who practices but does not attend: he receives a reward for practice. He who attends and practices: he is a pious man; He who neither attends nor practices: he is a wicked man.

Avot 5:15

There are four types among those who sit before the sages: a sponge, a funnel, a strainer, and a sieve. A sponge soaks up everything; a funnel takes in at one end and lets out at the other; a strainer lets out the wine and retains the lees; a sieve lets out the coarse meal and retains the choice flour.

The assumption that human beings can - and must - improve their character is a throughline of Pirkei Avot and its commentaries. But what about intelligence? Is it a fixed gift of God, a biological constant, or can we enhance our intellectual abilities - our capacity to understand, remember, and master Torah?

This question continues to animate debates in modern psychology. Is intelligence a largely inherited and immutable trait, or is it malleable? The answer has profound educational, social, and moral implications. One expression of this debate lies in attitudes toward intelligence testing. Alfred Binet, the creator of the first IQ test, believed intelligence was flexible and could be improved through training and experience. In contrast, Lewis Terman, who adapted the test for American use (the Stanford-Binet), argued for a more fixed view of intelligence, using IQ scores to predict lifelong outcomes.[1]

Avot 5:12 implicitly addresses this question through its description of four types of learners, each combining tendencies toward comprehension and memory. The third type - quick to comprehend and slow to forget - is considered wise, while the fourth - slow to comprehend and quick to forget –is described as having an "evil portion."

Crucially, the mishna is descriptive, not prescriptive. It categorizes learners but does not explicitly direct us how to respond. Nor does it morally condemn the slower student. Rabbeinu Yonah explains this restraint: since comprehension and memory are largely innate gifts, no moral judgment applies. A person who struggles intellectually is not wicked; rather, they should strive to learn within their capacity. In contrast, Abarbanel argues that intellectual traits, like character traits, are malleable. Through persistence, training, habit formation, and prayer, a person can improve comprehension and memory.

The same question applies to Avot 5:15’s vivid metaphors about modes of thinking: the sponge (indiscriminate absorption), the funnel (inattention), the strainer (wrong prioritization), and the sieve (discerning thinker). Once again, Rabbeinu Yonah and Rabbi Simeon ben Zemah Duran see these as innate differences, not grounds for moral blame. But Sforno insists that while our initial tendencies may be inherited, it is in our power - and our responsibility - to train ourselves to become a sieve, to refine our critical thinking.

Modern research increasingly supports the more optimistic view of Abarbanel and Sforno. Studies show that intelligence can be improved through working memory training, metacognitive strategies, and fostering traits such as grit and self-regulation.[2] Motivation and beliefs about intelligence also play a crucial role. A growth mindset, as popularized by Dr. Carol Dweck, enhances learning outcomes by reinforcing the idea that intelligence is improvable through effort.[3]

A striking example comes from Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein, in which he recounts training himself to win the U.S. Memory Championship through ancient techniques such as the "memory palace." His success demonstrates that even cognitive skills like memory can be transformed through practice.[4]

The same lesson emerges from Avot 5:14. The mishnah emphasizes that both attendance at the beit midrash and practice matter - but the pious person is the one who both attends and practices. This dual commitment mirrors modern understandings of grit: sustained effort over time in pursuit of long-term goals. Angela Duckworth’s research on grit shows that perseverance and passion, more than innate intelligence, predict success in many domains. In Torah learning, as in life, those who consistently show up and engage in practice - even when progress is slow—are on the path to wisdom.

Importantly, Avot 5:12 begins with the phrase “There are four types of disciples.” As the anonymous work Shita Lo Noda Lemi observes, this indicates that the primary audience here is educators. Before students develop the self-awareness and responsibility to shape their own learning, it is the role of teachers and parents to understand different learning profiles and provide differentiated support.[5] Dr. Dawn Flanagan, an expert in learning disabilities, outlines strategies for strengthening memory, processing speed, and reasoning: repeated practice, teaching memory techniques, multimodal instruction, priming background knowledge, guided reasoning practice, and timely feedback.[6]

For the rest of us, the message is clear: we are not helpless prisoners of our cognitive starting points. With the right tools, habits, and motivation, we can cultivate intellectual virtues - sharpening memory, deepening understanding, and refining critical thinking. In doing so, we honor our role as learners in God’s world, pursuing wisdom not as a destination, but as a lifelong journey of sacred growth.

[1] Priyanka B. Carr and Carol S. Dweck, “Intelligence and Motivation,” In The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence, ed. Robert J. Sternberg and Scott B. Kaufman (Cambridge University Press, 2011) 748–770.

[2] Jacky Au, Ellen Sheehan, Nancy Tsai, Greg J. Duncan, Martin Buschkuehl, and Susanne M. Jaeggi. "Improving Fluid Intelligence with Training on Working Memory: A Meta-Analysis," Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 22 (2015): 366-377.

[3] Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Random House, 2006).

[4] Joshua Foer, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Penguin Publishing Group, 2012).

[5] Shita Lo Noda Lemi 

[6] Vincent C. Alfonso and Dawn P. Flanagan, Essentials of Specific Learning Disability Identification (Wiley, 2018).