Morinis, Alan. Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar
“Truth is not something we discover at one time. That is how things are for God, but not for us. For Judaism, truth—as understood and internalized by humanity—is a developmental process. That is why so much of the Bible is narrative and so many of its books are works of history.”
Rabbi Carol Glass "Truth: Emet as a Way of Being" In The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life
emet, most often translated as “truth,” is not primarily about the correctness of one’s vision of the world; nor is it the opposite of falsehood, nor that which can be substantiated with facts. Emet is a way of being in the world. It is as much an exercise of the heart as it is an exercise of the mind. Pure or absolute emet, however, is not humanly attainable; it is, as Rabbi Kushner puts it: “God’s way of seeing the world.” Based on such teachings, emet became one of the Jewish names for God. Within the world of Mussar, there is more than one approach to the middah of emet. Some teachers favor what I’d call a classical definition of emet, teaching that the middah focuses on honesty and reliability. Other teachers understand emet to be the middah of inclusive, respectful regard both for what is apparent and for what remains undetected—for what is obvious, as well as that which may elude us or be hidden from us.
Rabbi Carol Glass "Truth: Emet as a Way of Being" In The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life
The choice of the names Gershom (meaning “I have been a stranger in a foreign land”) and Eliezer (meaning “My ancestors’ God was my help, delivering me from the sword of Pharoah”) reveals Moses’s ability to accept and embrace his life in its entirety and to derive meaning not only from the grand highpoints but also from the risky challenges. His children’s names reflect an honest appraisal of a life that includes separation, alienation, and danger, as well as spiritual intimacy, significant familial relationships, and gratitude.
Batya Gallant, Darchei Binah Seminary in Jerusalem:
Middas ha’emes, truth-perception requires the ability to perceive reality as it really is, and to live one’s life based on that reality. . . ." Growth in middas ha’emes requires recognizing the illusions we may be holding onto, and discarding them. . . . The shedding of illusions is a lifelong struggle that, like all spiritual growth, requires one’s courage to move beyond one’s natural inclinations... and ultimately, to perceive the finite as thoroughly informed by the Infinite.
Rabbi Carol Glass "Truth: Emet as a Way of Being" In The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life
Moses again applies emet—“whole-picture awareness”—as he reports to Jethro regarding all God has done for the Israelites in Egypt, during the Exodus itself, at the Reed Sea, and during the journey so far. Moses could have focused only on God’s miraculous, redemptive actions, as Jethro did when he noted “all the kindness [tovah] that the Eternal had shown Israel when delivering them from the Egyptians” (Exodus 18:9). But Moses does not whitewash the history or describe only what is exciting or beneficial or safe to say. Instead, Moses mentions “all the hardships” (Exodus 18:8) before sharing the story of deliverance. In this way, Moses is teaching us that when we benefit, it behooves us to take note and acknowledge the possible losses that occur as a result of our gains. This type of mindfulness can be applied to numerous other trade-offs in life—for example, when we are given an honor, others who were passed over may have lost an opportunity that could have changed their lives; or when our clothing is inexpensive, it might be because the people who are making it are not paid fairly.
Morinis, Alan. Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar
Truth is delicate. Its fabric is so easily stretched and torn. Truth is versatile—look at how many causes will readily sacrifice truth to some other goal. Truth can be simple, but more often it is deceptively complex, and not always singular. And as the Alter of Novarodok teaches, we are easily confused about truth, because truth can appear before us in the guise of falsehood, just as falsehood can show up in the trappings of truth.
Aaron Philmus "What Really Happened at Sinai" https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/25573.6?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Two men came to the Rabbi's study to settle an argument. The Rabbi's wife was also seated in the room. One man explained his complaint to the Rabbi: "The story is such and so, and he has to do this and he has to do that." He gives a fine account and argues his case clearly. The Rabbi declares, "You're right!" Next, the other man presents his side. He speaks with such passion and persuasion that the Rabbi also says to him, "You're right!"
After they leave, the Rabbi's wife is distraught and says to her husband, "How can you say that both of them are right?" The Rabbi strokes his beard and thinks long and hard and finally says to his wife, "You know, you're right."
R. Abba stated in the name of Samuel: For three years there was a dispute between Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel, the former asserting, ‘The halachah is in agreement with our views’ and the latter contending, ‘The halachah is in agreement with our views’. Then a bath kol issued announcing, ‘[The utterances of] both are the words of the living God...
Midrash Shemot Rabbah 5:9
"Rabbi Yochanan said: When God’s voice came forth at Mt. Sinai, it divided itself into 70 human languages so that the whole world might understand it. All at Mt. Sinai, young and old, women, children, and infants according to their ability to understand. Moses too, understood only according to his capacity, as it is said (Ex. 19:19), ‘Moses spoke and God answered him with a voice.’ With a voice that Moses could hear.”
Sefat Emet
Every person has his or her own piece of Torah. The complete Torah was given to the Jewish people as a whole. However, each person has a personal teaching, his or her own Torah, inside them. This is hidden within the soul. There is a piece of Torah that can be learned from every person.
Truth Is by Adyashanti
Truth is only discovered in the moment.
There is no truth that can be carried over
to the next moment, the next day, the next year.
Truth comes into the non-seeking mind fresh and alive.
It is not something you can carry with you, accumulate, or hold onto.
Truth leaps into view when the mind is quiet, not asserting itself.
You cannot contain or domesticate truth, for if you do, it dies instantly.
Truth prowls the unknown waiting for a gap in the mind’s activity.
When that gap is there, the truth leaps out of the unknown into the known.
Instantly you comprehend it and sense its sacredness.
The timeless has broken through like a flash of lightning
and illuminated the moment with its presence.
Truth comes to an innocent mind as a blessing.
Truth is a holy thing because it liberates thought from itself
and illumines the human heart from the inside out.