To answer the current topic: I take a simplistic view of most of Scripture. Logically, the Torah was to be read in front of everyone once every 7 years. Didn't matter their education status, it was to be read and understood and then acted upon during those 7 years before they were going to hear it in full again.

So, with that said, I do not believe to grasp most, if not all, concepts in Scripture that you have to do any type of deep dive.

HOWEVER, Paul was not just your average person. He studied TaNaK and the Talmud under one of the top teachers of the time. If you look into what was expected from them during the time, you know it isn't just a passing knowledge of either.

Even with this extensive knowledge, once he came to the realization that Yeshua was the promised Messiah, he went off by himself for 3 years. I believe it was to go and study the TaNaK WITHOUT the Talmudic influence.

You cannot go into any of Paul's letters with a simplistic approach to try and understand them. Unless you are going into his letters assuming what we are told in Acts is true of him. As I point out in the comic attached, Paul was accused in Acts the very same things Paul supporters and Paul deniers accuse him of today. 1) Teaching to worship in ways that violate the Law, 2) Teaching to forsake the Law all together, 3) creating a new set of rules, i.e. a new religion.

I know personally, it took me three read throughs of Galatians before I got to a point where I pick up Galatians off-hand and not immediately think "Paul is speaking against the Law here!".

What really helped me on that was reading Romans front to back and doing an outline of it. Then going back to Galatians and doing the same. I say start with Romans because it is very pro-Torah, especially when read together in context (you know, like how someone would read someone else's letter to them).