Almost anyone you meet who knows anything about Breslov will summarize Breslov for
you in a word: tefilah (prayer). In fact, Rebbe Nachman himself said, “Gor
mein zakh iz tefilah” (My whole essence is prayer). What most people don’t
realize is that the Rebbe constantly stressed the importance of Torah. I have chosen a
number of selections which will give some of the reasons why Torah study is so important,
as well as some suggestions.
“The Rebbe said, ‘I have a great longing to institute a
rule that each person study a fixed amount of our sacred literature every day, without
fail.’
“He said that this rule should apply even to those who are very far from
holiness, even those caught in “the evil trap” (Ecclesiastes 9:12)
who sin habitually. The strength of Torah is so great it can free them from their habitual
sins.
“If even the worst sinner would take upon himself to study a fixed amount
everyday, he would be able to escape “the evil trap.” The Torah’s strength
is so great that it can accomplish everything.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #19)
“Torah is the root of life, for this world and the next.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #308)
“The Rebbe often said, ‘Mir hat gornisht tzu tun’ (there’s nothing we have to do).Parshathe disciples of Rebbe Yishmael taught, ‘The
words of the Torah should not be viewed as an obligation, but neither are you permitted to
exempt yourself from them.’ This explains the Rebbe’s statement.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #305)
[The gist of this idea was captured by a late four-fingered guitarist, who expressed
his love for his craft when he said that he woke up every morning thinking, “What a
great day to play guitar!”]
“If you want to study Torah with continuous diligence, be
careful never to speak against a fellow Jew.
“When the bride is beautiful, love is perfect. However, if she has a blemish
love cannot be complete. The Torah is a bride (Berakhot 57a).
“Every Jew is a letter in the Torah. The 600,000 letters of the Torah parallel
the 600,000 Jewish souls (Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 74d). The Torah
is the root of all Jewish souls.
“If there is a defect in a single Jew, it is a blemish in the Torah. If you are
careful not to speak against any Jew, then you will find the Torah perfectly beautiful and
have a deep love her. This love will bring you to great diligence in your studies.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #91)
“The Rebbe told us that all of his studies required great
effort. When he began studying mishnah as a young child, he found it impossible to
understand. He wept and wept until he was able to understand Mishnah on his own.
“When he moved on to other works, he again found himself unable to understand
them. And again he cried bitterly till he was worthy of understanding. This was true even
of his esoteric studies.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom, His Praises #8)
“The study of Zohar is extremely beneficial. Through studying
the Zohar you can gain enthusiasm for all your sacred studies. The very
language of the Zohar is so holy it can motivate you to serve God.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #108)
“.Parshathe man, who was a great scholar and Kabbalist, was always
angry with his workers. The Rebbe said to him, ‘Why does the Torah (Genesis 38:7) describe Judah’s son, Er, as ra (bad) instead of rasha (wicked)? Because one who commits the sin of Er [masturbation] is often disagreeable and
bad-tempered...You are unfit to study Kabbalah.’”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #249)
“Attempt to go through all our sacred books in the course of
your lifetime...[People] spend great amounts of money in order to boast that they have
been to some faraway place. They consider it a sign of status...You should travel
everywhere in the Torah. In Olam HaBa (the Future World) you will be able to
boast that you visited every place in our sacred literature. In Olam HaBa you
will also remember everything that you have studied.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #28)
“The Rebbe then remarked, ‘You may not realize it, but
Rashi is like the Torah’s brother. Every Jew, from childhood on, studies the Written
and Oral Torah with Rashi’s commentary. Think of this, and you will understand
Rashi’s unique greatness.’”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #223)
“Whether you are rich or poor, you cannot avoid worries. The
world is filled with pain and suffering, and there is no place to escape.
If you are a man you must worry about earning a livelihood. You are concerned about
your wife and children. If you are a woman you think that you are troubled by your
husband. No matter who you are, you will find the world abounds with real suffering and
pain.Parshathere is no escape, except in the Torah.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #308)
“Even pagan philosophers realized that the world is filled with
suffering [and] that the only situation is stoic forbearance...But all their words are to
no avail without Torah. No one can endure this world and not be overcome by its suffering.
Only the Torah can provide this strength.”
(ibid.)
“‘God’s Torah is perfect; it restores the soul’
(Psalms 19:8).
“Every Jew represents a letter in the Torah. When people neither seek out nor
speak of the flaws in their fellow Jews, then the Torah is perfect. When ‘God’s
Torah is perfect’ then ‘it restores the soul.’
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #91)
“Once there were two close friends who had recently recently
married. One saw the other do something improper, but ignored it, thinking it to be an
accident. However, when he saw his friend repeat the deed, he dissociated himself from
him.Parshathe one who had sinned prospered, while the other one became poor. The poor man was
upset, and questioned God’s justice. ‘I know that he committed a great
sin. Why is he so wealthy?!’
“One night the poor man had a dream. He saw a group of men carrying large sacks
of money. They were coming in his direction. He went out to meet them. They warned him,
‘Don’t touch any of this money! It all belongs to your former friend.’
‘Why is he worthy? I myself saw him commit a serious sin.’ They replied,
‘Your companion has consistently set aside times for Torah. He has taken upon himself
to study a given amount each day without fail. But you are not involved in Torah.
Consequently, your companion is worthy of riches despite his great sin. For
though sin can extinguish mitzvot, sin cannot extinguish Torah’ (Sotah 21a).
“The initial letters of the Hebrew for ‘sin cannot extinguish Torah’
spell the word maot—money.”
(Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #137)