Two at Once

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.

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Being Not That

Failure and Return

By Tzvi Freeman

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. To order Rabbi Freeman’s latest book, Wisdom to Heal the Earth, click here.

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17 Comments

Anonymous Milky Way May 4, 2016

Choosing a Path. I prefer Mr. Berra's inspirational messages to these dizzying enigmas posed by this Religious Scholar of the Art of Conundrum; the latter is definitely "Hum-Drum!" Reply

Michelle Hawkins UK May 4, 2016

Wow that one took my breath away!

thankyou X Reply

Brenda Toronto, Canada October 19, 2015

Two Opposite Characters in One Person To be two opposite characters in the same person is our end game!
- Not a 'split personality' in which I am sometimes one character and another time another quality.
The entire Zohar tells us how to receive pleasure for myself and give that pleasure back to the giver at the same time! Reply

Eugina Giovanna Herrera New York City, New York October 18, 2015

Two Paths. Must take two paths one the light, one the darkness. For the light + darkness (Is) + true paths.

Thank you. Reply

Brenda Toronto, Canada April 6, 2013

Opposite Worlds The truth transcends this physical world:

The Rebbe tells us (in DD) not to take this world too seriously.

The Kabbalists tell us we need to sustain ourselves in this lowest material world while keeping in our thoughts the importance of the goal to reach the true reality.

Ultimately, gradually, this corporeal world which developed along the growth of egoistic reception (negative direction) will be phased out - the taste for it will no longer exist once it reaches satiation. Then everyone will move in the only positive direction - towards the higher world, while maintaining an existence here. Reply

Brenda Toronto, Canada April 5, 2013

The Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil To discover the truth we need to be in two states simultaneouly - good and evil. Sounds humanly impossible, but we discover the evil when we try to rise above our self-interest. Each time we recognize the evil we are awarded the strength to overcome. Then we are given exposure to a more difficult evil state in the faulty connnection between us, when we try to rise above the self etc.
This is how we move in 2 pahs at once - this is the the inner work of our spiritual task until we reach the quality of G_dliness.Then, step by step, we have replaced the "void and darkness" in the earth and filled it with the Light. "Let there be Light"! Reply

Anonymous April 5, 2013

Good advice Keep both your physical life and spiritual life in a positive direction. Reply

YR Fullerton, CA 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. Reply

rochelle silverman west bloomfield, mI January 28, 2010

the paths thanks, tzvi your explanation makes perfect sense. :) Reply

Tzvi Freeman 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 Reply

Anonymous Rio de Janeiro January 28, 2010

question Rav.

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

Thanks. Reply

Seeker/Finder and Seeker again 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. Reply

rochelle silverman west bloomfield, mi January 27, 2010

the paths what is the other path? Reply

Anonymous ottawa, Canada 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? Reply

John Thackway, Gold Houston, Texas 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. Reply

Anonymous Crestview, FL 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? Reply

Alejandro levy Lux, Lux January 27, 2010

that this means? I did not get the meaning of this ! Reply

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