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The Long Shorter Way: Discourses on Chasidic Thought
Discourses based on the chasidic work the Tanya elucidate the complexity of human nature and the quests to attain unity with God.
- GenresJudaism
353 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 1977
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About the author
Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz
337 books62 followersRabbi Adin Steinsaltz (Hebrew: עדין שטיינזלץ) or Adin Even Yisrael (Hebrew: עדין אבן ישראל) is internationally regarded as one of the leading rabbis of this century. The author of many books, he is best known for his monumental translation of and commentary on the Talmud. Rabbi Steinsaltz founded the Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications. Under its aegis, he has published to date 58 books on the Talmud, Jewish mysticism, religious thought, sociology, historical biography, and philosophy. He teaches at Mayanot in Jerusalem. In 1988, he was awarded the Israel Prize, Israel's highest honor. He has received honorary Ph.D. degrees from Yeshiva University, Bar Ilan University, and Ben Gurion University.
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July 19, 2025
Steinsaltz treats Chasidic thought as a system of spiritual engineering, not a sentimental artifact. He is unsparing about the cost and the complexity.
Steinsaltz makes clear from the beginning that the “shorter way” is not an illusion or a trick. He writes, “The ‘long shorter way’ is the path that appears at first sight to be simple, but turns out to be the most profound and demanding.” This is not an easier spiritual life. It is a more honest one.
He is ruthless about what is required. “There are no magical solutions here,” Steinsaltz states. “Chasidut does not promise that one can leap over all obstacles. It only insists that one must keep moving, even if the movement is slow.” The point is not ecstasy or emotional comfort. The point is transformation through honest struggle.
Steinsaltz exposes the tensions at the heart of Chasidic thought: the pull between joy and bitterness, the divine that is hidden in the mundane, the obligation to serve with both heart and mind. He writes, “Faith, for Chasidut, is not the absence of questions. It is the courage to keep living with the questions, to keep serving in the dark.”
What sets this book apart is the refusal to treat Hasidism as folklore or emotional therapy. “Chasidut is not a collection of stories about saints,” he writes. “It is a method for changing one’s inner world.” Every chapter is an argument against spiritual passivity.
Steinsaltz makes clear from the beginning that the “shorter way” is not an illusion or a trick. He writes, “The ‘long shorter way’ is the path that appears at first sight to be simple, but turns out to be the most profound and demanding.” This is not an easier spiritual life. It is a more honest one.
He is ruthless about what is required. “There are no magical solutions here,” Steinsaltz states. “Chasidut does not promise that one can leap over all obstacles. It only insists that one must keep moving, even if the movement is slow.” The point is not ecstasy or emotional comfort. The point is transformation through honest struggle.
Steinsaltz exposes the tensions at the heart of Chasidic thought: the pull between joy and bitterness, the divine that is hidden in the mundane, the obligation to serve with both heart and mind. He writes, “Faith, for Chasidut, is not the absence of questions. It is the courage to keep living with the questions, to keep serving in the dark.”
What sets this book apart is the refusal to treat Hasidism as folklore or emotional therapy. “Chasidut is not a collection of stories about saints,” he writes. “It is a method for changing one’s inner world.” Every chapter is an argument against spiritual passivity.
Displaying 1 of 1 review