Sichos HaRan
Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

by Reb Noson of Nemirov

170.

I once asked the Rebbe why many devoted people struggled to serve God and still did not attain the level of the great tzaddikim. The Rebbe simply answered, 'They probably did not exert themselves that much. Min ha-stam haben zei nit gehorivet. Presumably they did not struggle. The main thing is effort all depends on one's deeds.Ó

#171.

I heard this from Rabbi Yudel of blessed memory:

The Rebbe once vaunted the fact that he was unique in completely overcoming all his desires. He said, 'No one as young as I has ever overcome his desires so completely. Many tzaddikim have banished their desires, but not until they were at an advanced age.Ó The Rebbe then mentioned a number of tzaddikim as examples, saying that he knew that they did not completely vanquish their desires until they were advanced in years.

He said, 'For a youth like me to break down all desires is something that has never before occurred.Ó As we have mentioned earlier, the Rebbe had vanquished his every worldly desire before the age of twenty.

The Rebbe began to tell how removed he was from all worldly desires. He said, 'Food is absolutely disgusting to me. My meals are a great difficulty and burden. When I think of what becomes of the food I eat, it becomes very disagreeable to me. I must distract myself and think of other things when I eat.Ó

This is the reason why the Rebbe often would converse during his meal. He would distract himself and thereby be able to snatch some nourishment to sustain his body. For in general, he found eating very disagreeable.

He said, 'Regarding the conquering of the sexual desire, I am extraordinarily unique.'

#172.

I heard in his name that he once gave his old tallit to one of his esteemed followers. The Rebbe told him, 'Be very careful to honor this tallit. I shed a tear for each thread in this tallit until I understood what a tallit is.Ó

#173.

I heard from people about the following conversation that the Rebbe had with Reb Shimon when the latter returned from over the border. Reb Shimon had been away and had not seen the Rebbe for more than three years. I do not know the exact details, but something happened in Medvedevka that caused the Rebbe to become very angry at him. The Rebbe said, 'I am banishing you to the other side of the Don River.Ó

God caused the Rebbe's words to be fulfilled. A short time later, Reb Shimon traveled to the vicinity of the Don River, some hundred leagues from Medvedevka. This is deep in Russia where Jews are a minuscule minority, less than one in a thousand. They were even a smaller minority many years ago when this happened.

Reb Shimon traveled to this area intending to remain for a short while. But God willed that the Rebbe's words be fulfilled, and Reb Shimon was forced to remain there for several years. What happened during this time would consume many volumes. Reb Shimon lived among gentiles during this time and was subject to untold difficulties and temptations.

While Reb Shimon was away, the Rebbe moved from Zlatipolia and settled here in Breslov. By the time Reb Shimon returned, the Rebbe had already lived there two or three years. The Rebbe told Reb Shimon, 'I have advanced as much between the time you left and today as I advanced between the day I was born and the time you left.Ó

The Rebbe constantly rose higher and higher, from one level to the next. What he meant was that he had advanced through as many levels during the three years of Reb Shimon's absence as he had advanced from his birth until that time. This should give you some idea of the Rebbe's greatness. When Reb Shimon left, the Rebbe had already been in the Holy Land. He had already gone through years of self discipline. Even before reaching the Holy Land, he had attained an awesome level of greatness and a most wonderful perception into the deepest mysteries. He was already on a level that had never before been seen or heard. Then, after a traumatic journey, he was able to reach the Holy Land and return in peace.

It was in the Holy Land that the Rebbe attained what he did. He himself said, 'What I perceived before coming to the Land of Israel was literally nothing. I am ashamed of the limited scope of my teachings before then.Ó

After returning, he elevated himself from one level to the next every day and every hour. When Reb Shimon left him, he had already been back from the Hoy Land several years. Just try to imagine the high level that he stood upon at that time. After all this, Reb Shimon was separated from him for a little over three years. The Rebbe could still say that he advanced as much during those three years as he advanced from the time he was born until Reb Shimon left.

#174.

This same Reb Shimon told me that shortly before the Rebbe moved from Breslov, he told him, 'Look at me today. You know how much I struggled and toiled to achieve what I did up until now. I can now accomplish this much in a single day.Ó At a later time, the Rebbe told him that he could accomplish that much in a single hour. Still later, he said that he could do it all in a single moment.

Understand well how far this brings us. When the Rebbe said this to Reb Shimon, he was already worthy of his great attainment. He had already said that his previous perception and devotion were nothing compared to what he attained now. And even this previous level was very great and deep.

This had already occurred many times. The Rebbe had already attained an immeasurable level before going to the Holy Land. After his return, he was literally ashamed of his previous attainments, saying that they were absolutely nothing. After that he continuously elevated himself from one level to the next. From our earlier accounts it can be understood that he reached an immeasurable height, so lofty that it cannot be expressed in words or thought. After all this, one is able to comprehend a little of this awesome greatness

I also heard that the Rebbe once said, 'When you are worthy of complete daat {awareness, consciousness}, then you can accomplish in a quarter hour of devotion what another can attain only after seventy years of struggling and toil.Ó

#175.

Before his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Rebbe said, 'I do not understand how tzaddikim make a pidyon {redemption} and intercede on behalf of another. There are twenty-four heavenly courts. When one presents the pidyon, he must know in which court the person is being judged.

'If one does not know this, he may intercede and bring the redemption to one court, while the person is actually being judged in another. One must therefore know precisely in which court the man is being judged and what particular intercession and pidyon are required by that particular court.

'I know all twenty-four courts. I can appeal a case from one court to another, through all twenty- four courts. If I do not agree with the judgement of one court, I can ask that it be rejudged in another. Going from one court to another is certainly beneficial. No matter what the final outcome, the sentence is still set aside and delayed. Because of this delay, the sentence can be reduced because of some merit on the part of the defendant. Even if this does not help, I can still appeal directly to the King.

'This takes great wisdom and effort and no one else in this generation can do it. No other man has ever known how to do this correctly. It is a major task to frame each petition in the precise number of words and to give proper respect to the King. For one may not send too many cases to the King.Ó

The Rebbe also said, 'I do not understand how they claim to make a pidyon. This is impossible, unless one knows exactly how the kohen gadol (High Priest) dealt with the Banished Goat.Ó

#176.

Before his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Rebbe said, 'I cannot sleep. Before I fall asleep, all 600,000 letters of the Torah come and stand before me.Ó

#177.

The Rebbe once encouraged one of his followers to be happy. He said, 'You should rejoice in God. Even if you don't realize God's greatness, you can rely on me. For I know His greatness.Ó The Rebbe then quoted the verse, 'For I know that God is greatÓ (Psalms 135:5).

The Rebbe encouraged another of his followers to make himself happy even in his everyday affairs. He said, 'This is certainly the way. First make yourself happy with worldly things. Do this to the best of your ability and you will eventually be worthy of true joy.Ó

#178.

One evening, just before the afternoon Minchah prayer, I was standing before the Rebbe. He was looking out of the window with a look of deep longing in his eyes. He began speaking to me of how quickly the day passes and is gone.

He said, 'What I must do in this world! Vos ikh hab tzu tun in dem olam. But behold the day passes and is soon gone.Ó (The Rebbe meant that what he had to do was immeasurable.)

#179.

Before he passed away, the Rebbe said, 'I have already reached such a level that I can no longer advance while still clothed in this earthly body. I yearn to put this body aside, for I cannot remain on one level.Ó

Although the Rebbe attained the highest levels, he still strove to reach the next step. This was true throughout his life. He finally reached so high a level, that he could no longer advance while still in a mortal body. He therefore had to leave this world.

He said, 'I would like very much to remove this garment. For I cannot remain on one level. Ikh volt shoin gegeren dos hemdel ois gitun. Vorin ikh kan oif ein medregah nit shtayin.'