The author of the Tanya defines the path in three Hebrew words: derekh arukkah u’ktzarah (“a long and short way”).
These three words are perhaps the most concise definition of the author’s system.
The phrase is borrowed from the well-known Talmudic story about Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, who said, “No one ever got the better of me, except for one woman, one boy, and one girl.”
The boy was a child he once met at a crossroads and asked about the way to the city.
The boy pointed to the two paths and said, “This is a long and short way, and this is the short and long way.”
Rabbi Joshua chose the “short and long” way and discovered that it was indeed the shorter route, but that at the end, he could not actually reach the city because orchards and gardens obstructed his path.
He was forced to retrace his steps and choose the “long and short way.”
The “short and long” path seems, at first glance, to be a shortcut, but it is full of obstacles that make it all but impassable.
The “long and short” way seems, at the outset, to be a more winding and difficult path, but ultimately it turns out to be a sure way to reach the destination.
—Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz