Conversations on Hitbodedut
Join us in an exploration of Hitbodedut with this new series on the Breslov Blog. Please post your questions and experiences with Hisbodedut whether you have just started or have been following Rebbe Nachman’s path of meditation for many years.
Here is a wonderful story from Reb Ozer’s book that positions the potential of Hisbodedut wonderfully.
THE GENIE
As he walked wearily through the desert, his unknown destination as far removed as ever, he noticed something gleaming just a few steps away. Probably a mirage, he thought—but in a desert one cannot afford the luxury of despair. He changed direction and went over to investigate. There was something there.
He reached down to pick it up, but it was stuck. He got down on his knees to pull it out. It was buried more deeply than he had thought. Other than the little bit that had reflected the sunlight, whatever it was seemed to be part of the sand itself. The blistering sun made his job harder, but made him more determined to unearth his discovery. He dug his fingers and hands more deeply into the sand, getting his fingers under the box. He leaned in, straining his back and shoulders, and started pulling.
He pulled and he pulled harder, the box beginning to budge, the sand beginning to give way. Breathing heavily and perspiring, he stopped and started again and again until finally—finally! —the box came free. He pulled it up.
The box was totally encrusted with sand. He banged on it once, then twice, and layers and layers of sand fell away. Underneath all the sand was a small rusty tin box, its opening sealed with an even rustier lid. He dug his bleeding fingertips into the rust and clawed hard to remove the lid. He did—and out rushed the genie.
“You have freed me!” the genie roared. Our amazed hero looked at the lion-shaped apparition. “I have been trapped for thousands of years and you have freed me! To show my gratitude, I will grant you one wish, any wish you may ask.”
The man thought. He had been in the desert so long. There were so many things he lacked, so much that he needed, so much that he hoped for. Choosing only one thing would not leave him much better off. Was there one wish that the could make tha t would provide all his needs or fulfill all his hopes, even those he didn’t yet know about? Calmly and fearlessly, he gazed at the genie and replied, “My wish is to have a thousand wishes.”
From: Where Heaven and Earth Kiss by Ozer Bergman
© Copyright 2009 Breslov Research Institute
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