It is written in the psalm: “I shall not die, but live.” In order really to live, man must first give himself to death.

Martin Buber

Really to Live

Topic: Life Beyond Death & the Spirit World

It is written in the psalm: “I shall not die, but live.” In order really to live, man must first give himself to death. But when he has done so, he discovers that he is not to die, that he is to live.

Martin Buber

Martin Buber (February 8, 1878 – June 13, 1965) was a Jewish philosopher, theologian, and teacher, best known for his philosophy of dialogue, particularly the "I–Thou" relationship. Born in Vienna, Buber was raised in a Jewish family but later pursued secular studies in philosophy. His work initially aligned with the Zionist movement, and in 1902, he became editor of Die Welt. However, he later shifted away from political Zionism to focus on spiritual and philosophical concerns.

In 1923, Buber published Ich und Du (I and Thou), his most famous work, which explored the nature of human relationships. He distinguished between the I–Thou relationship, characterized by deep, personal connection, and the I–It relationship, where others are seen more as objects. This book cemented his role as an important existential thinker. Buber also contributed to Jewish thought with his translation of the Hebrew Bible into German, starting in 1925.

Throughout his life, Buber remained committed to fostering dialogue across religious and cultural divides. He was nominated multiple times for the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Nobel Peace Prize. His storytelling, especially through Hasidic tales, and his philosophical work continue to inspire those seeking deeper understanding of human relationships and spirituality.

(1878-1965) Judaism
Ten Rungs

Buber, Martin. “Ten Rungs: Collected Hasidic Sayings by Martin Buber, Olga Marx,” 1938, p. 53, Readings.com.au, www.readings.com.au/products/4828122/ten-rungs-collected-hasidic-sayings.

Martin Buber

Theme: Life Beyond Death

About This Martin Buber Quotation [Commentary]

Martin Buber begins with the words of the psalm: “I shall not die, but live.” Yet he immediately adds, “In order really to live, man must first give himself to death.” Martin Buber places surrender before life. To “give himself to death” is not simply to speak about physical dying, but about releasing the fearful and grasping self. A person who clings to security alone cannot fully live. In Martin Buber’s words, real life begins when one no longer turns away from death.

The passage then moves toward discovery: “But when he has done so, he discovers that he is not to die, that he is to live.” Martin Buber describes an inner change that comes through this surrender. The person who has faced death differently also begins to live differently — with greater freedom, presence, and trust. The fear that once narrowed life loses some of its hold. What first seemed like loss becomes the opening into life itself.

Within the theme of “Life Beyond Death,” Martin Buber keeps attention on the living present. “I shall not die, but live” becomes more than hope for another world; it becomes a way of entering life more fully now. By “giving” oneself to death, one discovers “that he is to live.” Martin Buber’s words are simple and direct, yet they speak to a deep spiritual truth: life is not found by avoiding death, but by passing through its shadow without losing trust in life.

Ten Rungs: Collected Hasidic Sayings

‘For there is no rung of being on which we cannot find the holiness of God everywhere and at all times’ The sacred tales and aphorisms collected here by Martin Buber have their origins in the traditional Hasidic metaphor of life as a ladder, reaching towards the divine via ascending rungs of perfection. Through Biblical riddles and interpretations, Jewish proverbs and spiritual meditations by turns profound, fanciful and tender, they seek to awaken in the reader a full awareness of the urgency of the human condition, and of the great need for self-recognition and spiritual renewal. Progressing from The Rung of God and Man through to the ultimate Rung of Redemption , Ten Rungs provides a profound, exquisite insight into the mystical piety and joy that defines Hasidic lore. Yet, true to Martin Buber’s own faith in the dialogic relation between men as a mirror of God’s eternal presence with us, they never cease also to emphasize practical advancement and the central meaningfulness of earthly existence. ‘No one can really be devout in relation to God, if he is not devout toward His creation And so, dear reader, these pages are not concerned with the mysteries of heaven, but with your life and mine, in this hour and the next.’

—Martin Buber, Olga Marx [Ten Rungs: Collected Hasidic Sayings (via Readings Website)].

Additional Martin Buber Quotes

“Man is always passing through two doors: out of the world and into the next, and out and in again.”

—Martin Buber [“Ten Rungs: Collected Hassidic sayings” (1938)] p. 53.

“Man must be free of it all, of his bad conscience and of the bad salvation from this conscience in order to become in truth the way. Now, he no longer promises others the fulfillment of his duties, but promises himself the fulfillment of man.”

—Martin Buber [“What Is Man?” (1938)] p. 178.

Resources

Martin Buber, Olga Marx [Ten Rungs: Collected Hasidic Sayings (via Readings Website)]

Really to Live

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