‘Tweets’ From The Kotzker

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.