NUM272 We will not lose by teaching others Torah. The Talmud (Nedorim 44a) expands on this verse that if someone makes himself as free as a wilderness, Torah will be given to him as a present (literally the word Mattanah in this verse is the name of a place, but in Hebrew, mattanah also means a present). The verse refers to someone who makes his Torah free for all, that is, he shares his Torah knowledge with others. (Tosfos and Rosh, ibid.) Some people are hesitant to spend their time teaching others because they feel that this will slow their own progress in Torah studies. But from the Talmud we see that just the opposite is true. By teaching others, a person merits mastery of the Torah in less time than it would otherwise take.