A Long Short Road - The Opening Page of Tanya

How the Baal Shem Tov responds to the claim: ‘All Your Chassidim are Crazy.’ The Alter Rebbe’s unique and revolutionary approach to serving Hashem is captured in the opening page of Tanya. ‘The Long Short Road’ refers to the approach of Chabad. The Tanya wil challenge us to use our minds and intellect to understand Hashem and allow the understanding to create emotions of Love and Fear toward The Creator. The cryptic Talmudic story that references this expression, reveals a depth in Avodas Hashem that the Alter Rebbe uses to frame the debate between himself and the other Chassidic Masters of the time. Sources: דף השער של תניא תלמוד בבלי מסכת עירובין דף נג ע״ב