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One Path Is Enough

Every Jew has a share in the World to Come, and the Mishnah's five acquisitions show that even one path to Hashem is enough.

A teaching ofRav Shlomo HaKohen Rabinowitz of Radomskהרב שלמה בן דוב צבי ראבינאוויטשProfile ›

At the end of Pirkei Avos the Mishnah speaks of five acquisitions that Hashem made in His world. The Tiferes Shlomo asks what this teaches us. Hashem knew that few people could be full of Torah and mitzvos like the Tannaim. One person can learn but has no means to give tzedakah. Another can give but has no time or understanding for learning. A third can do neither. Why, then, were they created? The Mishnah answers that Hashem gave every Jew a share in the World to Come, and that He set before us five different roads to earn it. Even one is enough. A person who can only learn is acquired through his learning, and the same holds for the others. No one is shut out, because the King needs servants of every kind.

Source: Tiferet Shlomo, on Torah, Bereshit:3

Practical lessonHold on to the path that is yours

Many of us measure ourselves against someone who learns more, gives more or davens better. Today, name one way you genuinely connect to Hashem, whether it is learning, giving, a kind word, or the quiet of a bracha, and do it with care. Do not discount it because it is not everything. Then, when you see someone whose path looks different from yours, remember that the King has many servants, and each is needed.

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