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Harsh or Kind


Based on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson

When He made the world, He made two ways to repair each thing: With harshness or with compassion. With a slap or with a caress. With darkness or with light.

“And G‑d looked at the light and saw that it was good.” Darkness and harsh words may be necessary. But He never called them good.

Even if you could correct another person with harsh words, the One Above receives no pleasure from it. When He sees his creatures heal one another with caring and with kindness, that is when He shines His smile upon us.

—cited from Kedushas Levi on Shabbos Vayechi, 5751
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Based on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. To order Rabbi Freeman’s book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth, click here.

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Latest Comments:
Posted: May 16, 2012
especially
This advice is one of my favourites. It is essential for parenting. Teach/interact from your strong right hand side/Chesed. Teach/interact lightly only as needed from your weaker left side/Gevurah.

The same principle applies to all relationships where change would be positive/constructive. It's a bit more difficult at age above 6 when certain tendencies start to kick in. Then comes teenage peer pressure. By the time we are young adults seeking identity/independence , it gets even trickier. And then there is the adult phase where we wonder if a tiger can change its stripes.

All in all, The Rebbe gives us an excellent lesson on the importance of interpersonal skills.
Posted By Anonymous

Posted: May 14, 2012
Harsh or Kind.
I've been encouraged. You help me see God in the most loving way. This helps.
Posted By Anonymous, Nadi, Fiji

Posted: May 14, 2012
AMEN.
And may we learn to be as compassionate and forgiving to ourselves, as we may be to others, and vice-versa.
Posted By AARON BENEZRA, CAZENOVIA, NY/USA

Posted: May 14, 2012
Re: Rage
To defend yourself against attackers. NOT for disciplining your kids.
Posted By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

Posted: May 14, 2012
Rage
Rage is wrong. OK. Why it was created?
Posted By Anonymous, São Paulo, Brasil

Posted: May 14, 2012
How wonderful to know. Thank you.
Posted By Anonymous, charlotte, nc

Posted: Dec 5, 2010
Wow! This is good!
This really puts it ALL in a nutshell!
Posted By Anonymous, santa maria

Posted: Dec 5, 2010
I loved this one. Many thanks for always healing our souls. B.H.
Posted By Anonymous, quebec, canada

Posted: Dec 5, 2010
Sentinel?
It's beautiful and could be used in most situations in life. But what about prophets who were appointed as sentinels? When one has a harsh Truth placed on his tongue isn't he obligated to say it as it comes to him without sweetening?
Posted By Miriam Esther, Watertown, MA

Posted: Dec 5, 2010
To Carmen
Consider the calloused heel.

One man, frustrated, attacks the callous. He rubs so vigorously that it becomes red and raw. For a time, it seems soft once more. But lo and behold, when he returns to examine it again in a week, it is tougher and ever deeper.

The other man instead approaches his calloused heel with patience and loving care. he gently buffs the callous away, and encourages it to stay soft by caring for it. A week later, this man's heel is still soft, and needs little buffing.

While buffing is done in both cases, notice the difference. True lasting change only came when harshness was tempered with care, and the good nurtured. So too are the minds and hearts of our fellow man.
Posted By Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone, Utica, PA



 


Collection I
Infinite & Intimate
Trust over Hope
Dogma
Pushed From Behind
Knowing That Which You May Know
Seeding Change
Wise Contraptions
Harsh or Kind
The Neck
Nameless
The Glimmer Yearns
Wellsprings
Impossible
For You
Blind Love
Full Index...
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