Great Throughts Treasury

"An authentic sense of self-worth founded upon a true awareness of God. Know how what we do really matters is the secret to well-being, happiness, and everything good."

"Choice is something you have only when you fully understand the available options."

"Creation is not an end in itself; it is a means. This life is a vehicle for us to transport ourselves from a framework of time into the experience of eternity, from the realm of the physical to the realm of the Godly."

"Eternity is the opposite of time. It is the experience where the barriers of creation and Creator are removed. And this is what the Torah tells us our choice is: time or eternity."

"Serving God is the way to gain knowledge of Him. God is the source of life, knowledge – everything – and gaining a close, intimate knowledge of God through our service to Him is the ultimate experience. He is the ultimate mystery – and the ultimate discovery."

"Each moment of life is a potential seed."

"Depression boils down to one of two things: either dwelling excessively on the past or fantasizing excessively about the future. They have no present. Living in the past or living in the future produces a spiritual and emotional numbness to the present. And a depressed person chooses that numbness over facing the pain of the present."

"There is a difference between happiness and enjoyment. Happiness is the result of pursuing a goal. Pursuit of the goal generates an energizing sense of purpose. Enjoyment, on the other hand, is an immediate sensation of pleasure; a person can enjoy a piece of cake, a piece of art, a good joke – it gives pleasure but then passes."

"Only a goal that transcends the self and reaches beyond this world can create a true state of happiness in a person."

"The question is not: Do we identify with something or not? The question is: What do we identify with?"

"The Torah preceded creation in that it was the idea behind creation. It is the primordial knowledge of existence. It is the idea to which life is nothing more than a means. God is eternal, and the temporary nature of the physical creation is contradictory to eternity. Creation, therefore, it not an end in itself; it is a means. It is a means for giving the part of creation made in the Divine image – mankind – the opportunity to earn a share with Hashem in eternity."

"This world is by definition the place where God hides Himself. It contains His light, i.e., the knowledge of Him, in a hidden way. And the purpose of life is to discover God; or as the prophet says: “to fill the world with the knowledge of God.”"

"Torah obligates us to serve God joyfully. Happiness is a function of knowledge."

"Torah is a way of life which seeks to help us convert the matter of the mundane elements from our everyday, worldly life into the spiritual energy of eternity."

"Torah says that there are two facets of life: there is life that exists within the framework of time, and there is life which transcends time and becomes eternity. It is possible to convert this limited life into limitless life."

"When enjoying life becomes the goal, it ceases producing happiness because the minute you get it you become dissatisfied. The booming entertainment industry is a symptom of a society dedicated toward tranquilizing its members with a lifetime of enjoyments."

"True happiness results from the awareness of converting every moment into a fulfillment of the ultimate purpose."

"We do not know the purpose of one moment of life."