The Long Shorter Way

“Ki karov hu ­– It was too close.” (Shemot 13:17)

The Jews could not take a shortcut. When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; lest they see war, change their minds, and wish to return to Egypt.

There’s something about shortcuts. They’re attractive. Who wouldn’t want to accomplish a challenge – personal, physical, financial – in the easiest way possible? Nevertheless, as the Jews experience their first moment of freedom, God instructs them to take the long way.

If something matters, it cannot be attained easily or quickly. The optimal path is the long shorter way.

The Talmud (Eruvin 53b) recounts a teaching of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah:

“Once a child got the better of me. I was traveling, and I met with a child at a crossroads. I asked him, 'which way to the city?' and he answered: 'This way is short and long, and this way is long and short.'

"I took the 'short and long' way. I soon reached the city but found my approach obstructed by gardens and orchards. So I retraced my steps and said to the child: 'My son, did you not tell me that this is the short way?' Answered the child: 'Did I not tell you that it is also long?'"

In life, nothing is simple. It may seem short, but it will turn out to be long. It might seem long, but it’s really the shorter way. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

In his Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi sets down the fundamentals of the Chabad-Chassidic approach to life. He defines his work as follows:

"This book is based on the verse (Devarim 30:14), 'For the Torah is something that is very close to you, in your mouth, in your heart, that you may do it'-- to explain, with the help of God, how it is indeed exceedingly close, in a long and short way."

What is a short way and what is a long way?

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, teaches that faith is a short path. If you have faith, everything falls into place. As the saying goes, “For the believer, there are no questions.” The way of mind is the long path. “It is winding, steep, tedious and long as life itself. It is rife with struggles, setbacks and frustrations. But it is a road that leads, steadily and surely, to the aspired destination.”

Which path do we follow – the long or the short? How do achieve our goals? What is the best path to self-fulfillment, spiritual accomplishment, helping others, and being the best we can? Like the Jews leaving Egypt, the shortcut is appealing but not the way to go. Ultimately it is the path that is long and short that we need to travel.