11 Kislev: The Long Short Way

THE LONG SHORT WAY R. Yehoshua ben Chananya said…, “I was once traveling when I saw a child sitting at a fork in the road. I asked him, ‘Which way leads to the city?’ He answered me, ‘This way is short, but long. The other way is long, but short.’ I took the ‘short but long’ way, and when I reached the city, I found it surrounded by gardens and orchards [blocking the way]. I returned and said to the child, ‘My son, didn’t you say this way is short?’ He replied, ‘But didn’t I tell you it was long?’” (Eiruvin 53b; see Eichah Rabbah, ch. 19, sec. 19) Using faith alone is the “short” way to serve G-d. In the end, however, it is “long” because it only involves the soul. As a result, the body remains an obstacle. The ultimate goal, entering the city, can only be achieved through working to make faith part of the human mind, thereby elevating our nature. This path of understanding is longer, but it is free of obstacles. It is the only way to ultimately succeed in refining the world, which will bring the ultimate Geulah. Torah Menachem 5719, B'shalach 19 Kislev, sec. 23-24