Every human being is endowed by God

with two eyes.

With one she/he is expected to look at his/her neighbor, fastening his/her gaze on his/her virtues,

his/her excellence, his/her desirable qualities.

With the other eye, she/he is to turn inward to see his/her own shortcomings in order to correct them.

Rabbi Israel Salanter

(1810-1883, Lithuania and Germany;

Founder of the Musar Movement)

Everyone must have two pockets, so that s/he can

reach into the one or the other,

according to his/her needs: in the right pocket are to be the words- “for my sake was the world created”

and in the left pocket—“I am but dust and ashes.”

Hassidic Commentary

Before his death, Rabbi Zusya said, “in the coming

world, they will not ask me:

Why were you not Moses?’

They will ask me: “Why were you not Zusya?’”

“The Query of Queries”

From Martin Buber,

Tales of the Hasidim: Early Masters

There are three types of exile and they are

of increasing severity.

The first is when Jews are in exile among other nations, the second is when Jews are in exile among fellow Jews, and the third and most severe is when a Jew is alien to him/herself, for then s/he is both captor and captive, in exile within him/herself.

Rabbi Sholom Ben Elazar Rokeach

Of Belz, 1779-1855

All beginnings are difficult

Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 10B