Talks on the Parasha Quotes

“After one begins to study, and the more one learns, the world does not become simpler and smoother. On the contrary, in a certain sense it becomes more and more complicated, more and more complex. What this means is that study entails a kind of traumatic process, a process of breaking things apart.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Our sages say that if one wishes to convert to Judaism and accepts upon himself the entire Torah “except for one thing,” he is not accepted (Sifra, Kedoshim 3:8). The reason for this is that acceptance of the Torah requires acceptance of the entire package, down to the last word.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“To remain alone is one of the best ways to attain self-rectification. One begins to reflect more and more on oneself and on one’s path, the outer shells of one’s personality begin to fall off, and sometimes parts of a person that were hidden behind these shells are revealed.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“It is therefore good to recall the words of the Kotzker Rebbe to a man who came to him with questions about God: “A God who can be understood by anyone is not worth serving.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Whoever thinks that the exalted Torah was given so that man could attain peace of mind, lead a happy family life, love his fellow man, find favor in the eyes of society, or succeed in his affairs diminishes the Torah greatly.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“According to this approach, the sole purpose of all mitzvot is to develop one’s personality, each mitzva in its own way.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“In fact, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi writes that only supremely exalted individuals can be stricken with tzaraat, for only a spiritually exceptional person is worthy of experiencing such a miracle on his flesh (Likkutei Torah, Tazria 22b).”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“From the combined aspirations of the community springs something that is not always visible to the eye.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Man’s distinction in this world is the channeling, imitation, and completion of God’s work.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Although the sin of the Golden Calf seems more serious than the sin of the spies, the People of Israel were forgiven for the former but not for the latter. The reason for this is that the sin of the spies is a different type of sin. When a person commits a sin that cannot be mitigated by appealing to human nature, there can be no atonement.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“When a young man commits adultery or an old man steals, God grants atonement; but when the opposite is the case, He does not grant atonement. There are ages at which a person is prone to certain sins but not to others. When a person commits a sin that befits his age, there is an explanation for it. While the explanation obviously does not justify the sin, it does provide the possibility for atonement.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Baalei teshuva often experience this very problem. These individuals attain a certain level of exaltation that can often feel like a burning flame. When this flame inevitably goes out, the void that remains can be devastating.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“We are constantly beset with base drives, whether it is the drive to engage in forbidden sexual relations or the drive to commit acts of violence, and we can usually keep these desires in check. But the moment one invests a base drive with lofty meaning, it becomes, in one’s own mind, not only permissible but a mitzva. Even if, ordinarily, one would be embarrassed to commit a certain act, once it is wrapped in a lofty mantle, that same act becomes exalted.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“A person deifies himself when he rejects bounds and limits and begins to consider himself, to a certain degree, the king of the world.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Recently, it has been said that there is a remedy for every form of hatred except for hatred that results from envy. For hatred caused by envy, gracious gestures by the other side will never help, because the source of the hatred is not an act of injustice, but a deep-seated feeling of jealousy.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“In the Jewish people, there is an aristocratic class composed of Torah scholars. This is basically the ruling class: all the appointments and honors go to them. But this class is not an exclusive club. If you want to belong to this class, you are not asked who your father was or whether you have respectable in-laws; anyone can belong to it. In this respect, the crown of Torah is truly accessible to all; whoever wishes to study is invited to do so.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“When a person does not aspire to great things, he can make for himself a peaceful, simple life.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Others are like the Merarites; all they want is to be a decent person, a good worker, to do an honest day’s work and earn a living. They will never do anything out of the ordinary, because no one ever discusses matters of great importance with them. Such people could perhaps achieve more, but they remain within their limits. Many people prefer not to be appointed to high positions, but to just remain an ordinary worker, because in many respects this greatly simplifies one’s life. They exemplify the Talmud’s statement, “‘You will eat the fruit of your labor; you will be happy, and it will be well with you’ (Ps. 128:2). ‘You will happy’ in this world, ‘and it will be well with you’ in the World to Come” (Ĥullin 44b). There is “fruit of your labor” whose great virtue is “you will be happy in this world.” One knows where the work begins and where it ends, and there is no need to deal with one’s conscience. It is easy to be a decent person, to fulfill one’s responsibilities in life.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“Torah study is, in a sense, a kind of battlefield. One takes a page of Talmud, cuts it into pieces, and reduces it to dust and ashes.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“The study of Talmud and Torah study in general is essentially a matter of breaking things down into their composite parts. The greater one’s ability to break things down, the greater the depth of one’s learning.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha

“This is essentially how traditional Torah study works. We demonstrate that the first Tanna did not understand the last Tanna, and that the latter does not know what the former is talking about.”
― Adin Steinsaltz, Talks on the Parasha