Torah Study and IQ

Question

Korean average IQ is 107. Ashkenazim Jews, 115. Are Jewish people are smart because of Torah study? Is there any connection between Torah study and Jewish intelligence?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    There is no doubt that intensive Torah study sharpens the brain and gives a person an ability to assimilate knowledge. However, I do not think that that has very much to do with the average IQ estimates as many Ashkenazic Jews are not religious and have no background in Torah study whatsoever. Furthermore, when looking into the IQ estimates I also looked at the estimates for Sefardic Jews and the average was noticeably lower which would seem to be strange as Sefardic Jews learn exactly the same Torah in the same way.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team