They say that these days you must talk quickly in a way that is easy to grasp. This week marks the 160th yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, a leader known for his sharp,
poignant phrases. Long before social media posts and tweets, he delivered messages in short, bite-size form. Here are just a few of his gems, which prove that short is not necessarily superficial:
• There is nothing more whole than a broken heart.
• Silence is the most beautiful of sounds.
• Everything in the world can be imitated except for truth – because fake truth is no longer truth.
• Just as you can tolerate the fact that your friend’s face is not like yours, so must you tolerate the fact that his opinions are not like yours.
• Where is G-d? Wherever we let Him in.
• People look in the sky and wonder what’s happening there. It would be better for them to look at their heart to see what’s happening within them.
• I wouldn’t have wanted to worship a G-d whose ways are understandable to the mind of every man.
• I want you to not sin – not because it’s forbidden, but because you are so busy that you have no time to sin.
• Not believing in one’s ability to correct things and do teshuvah is the gravest of sins.