The Mishnah, written around the second century, is one of the earliest works of rabbinic Judaism, covering everything from guidelines for the sabbath and religious festivals, to dietary laws, to the proper functioning of the court system. The Mishnah is an intriguing text because it is attempting to communicate, across generations, a massive amount of information.

Just to give you an idea of the scope and influence of this work, the Mishnah forms the core of the Talmud, a commentary on the Mishnah of more than 10 million words in dozens of volumes. So the rabbis naturally had something to say about the reception and management of information—and wisdom.

(According to legend, Albert Einstein, when close to death, was asked what he would change if he could live his life over. His answer: study the Talmud. )

And so, in the Mishnah, we find the following gem (Pirkei 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.

So there are four ways to learn from those who are wise.

• A sponge soaks up everything without discrimination.
• A funnel takes in everything at one end but also lets it all out.
• A strainer lets out the good stuff (wine) and retains the bad (dregs).
• A sieve retains the good stuff (flour) and lets out the bad (meal).