Two At Once - Daily Dose of Wisdom

If you find yourself affixed to a single path to truth—

the path of prayer and praise,

or the path of kindness and love,

or the path of wisdom and meditation,

or any other path of a singular mode

—you are on the wrong path.

Truth is not at the end of a path.

Truth transcends all paths.

Choose a path. But when you must, take the opposite path as well.

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

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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January 31, 2010

Paths of truth.

Thank you Rabbi.

We are too small to complete or even explore all the paths. What is the answer?
Do not be satisfied with the path you are on. Do not make a fetish from your achievements.
Respect your doubts. Doubts always open new doors.
Be consistent but realize it is not THE PASS. It is not YOUR PATH. As small we are, we are still larger than the chosen path. Not because of our capacity but due to the task we are trying to accomplish. We should explore more.
Believe that there is another Jew who is (was/will be) explolring another path. Rely on them.
Only as the Nation, we will see the time /space location where all the paths come together.

YR
Fullerton, CA

January 28, 2010

the paths

thanks, tzvi your explanation makes perfect sense. :)

rochelle silverman
west bloomfield, mI

January 28, 2010

Some explanation

There are people who believe their path to truth is through meditation. Then someone tells this person, no, you need love to find truth. Another teacher will say, you have to go out and help others. Another will say that enlightenment comes through study. Yet another will tell you it comes through prayer.

The Rebbe taught that there is no one path to truth. Because truth is G-d, and G-d cannot be defined by any path. As soon as you place G-d at the end of a path, He is no longer G-d.

Rather, in order to become one with an undefinable G-d Who is Truth, you need to escape your own self-definitions. You do that by traveling opposite paths at once: If you are meditating, you also have to get off your back end and go help someone. If you are finding truth by studying the deepest secrets of the Zohar, you need to also teach a small child how to read the alef-bet. And so on with whatever path upon which you find yourself

Tzvi Freeman

January 28, 2010

question

Rav.

Could you explain please what do you mean exaclty by Truth ? Bitachon??? or Emet??? or.....

Thanks.

Anonymous
Rio de Janeiro

January 27, 2010

Thank you, Rabbi!

Mr's Levy and Thackaway-- what I think the rabbi is saying is that if you think you are on the one path to truth and understanding, that you need to know when to get off of it and change gears. You don't have it all, you don't know it all. . . you could be acting like a real jerk if you think you are superior for finding it. There are many ways that lead to truth. (This explains a lot to me about why Jews don't evangelize.) G-d reveals Himself in many ways to people.

Leave when you think you have "got it" because G-d is too huge to get got and you are just adhering to a method rather than faith.

This is my idea, anyway.

Seeker/Finder and Seeker again

January 27, 2010

the paths

what is the other path?

rochelle silverman
west bloomfield, mi

January 27, 2010

Life is too short..

...but because of that, the path is rarely the issue, albeit assuming that it is a path of virtue. Because life and enlightenment are attained in what we experience in following the various paths we have to traverse through life, we can miss what we should learn along the way by focusing on merely the objective. The objective is something with which we live, but we cannot know the objective unless we know its enantiomer simultaneously. Just as we do not know good unless we know (of) evil, we cannot know truth unless we can recognise its absence. And, all of this is what we need to learn on the path as if we traverse the path without recognising it, it will be the same as walking through gardens with our eyes and noses closed to the experience.

But what do I know?

Anonymous
ottawa, Canada

January 27, 2010

Choosing a path

Would somebody explain this to me, I am a mere business guy who is trying to learn.

Give me a practical application please.

John Thackway, Gold
Houston, Texas

January 27, 2010

kinda reminds me of

the lyrics "Every day is a winding road, you get a little bit closer. Every day is a faded sign... you get a little bit closer". I think it means that the truth is complex and possiably chaotic and no singular understanding or action can lead you to the truth. Sometimes the logical path to follow is devoid of emotion or vice versa so go the opposite way for a while?

Anonymous
Crestview, FL

January 27, 2010

that this means?

I did not get the meaning of this !

Alejandro levy
Lux, Lux