Sichos HaRan
Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

by Reb Noson of Nemirov

230.

Reb Naftali told me that he heard the Rebbe say, 'A Jewish heart should be drawn to God so strongly that every heartbeat is a flame yearning for God.Ó The Rebbe gestured with his hands, expressing this great yearning. He said, 'Even when you sit among others, you can lift your hands along with your heart and cry out to God with a yearning soul.Ó

The Rebbe then lifted his hands with great emotion, and with wonderful yearning recited the verse, 'Do not forsake me, O Lord my GodÓ (Psalms 38:22). The Rebbe used this as an example, saying that even when you are among others, you can arouse yourself toward God with great emotion.

#231.

One of the Rebbe's followers asked him the difference between depression and a broken heart. The Rebbe answered, 'When you have a broken heart, you can be standing in a crowd and still turn around and say, ÔMaster of the world!'Ó

The Rebbe then raised his hands with great emotion and said, 'Master of the World!'

#232.

This same man told me that he wanted to speak to the Rebbe many times, but could not open his mouth when he was with him. He found it impossible to tell the Rebbe what was in his heart. On a Friday afternoon the Rebbe went to the mikveh in honor of the Shabbat as was his custom. This man was attending him and wanted to say something but was unable to open his mouth.

The Rebbe asked him to pass him his shoes. As he lifted the shoes, the Rebbe said, 'Make a habit of speaking to God. Then you will also be able to speak to me.Ó The man followed this advice and was soon able to speak to the Rebbe. He still found it very difficult, however, to express himself.

The Rebbe said, 'You are like a warrior who girds his loins to overcome a mighty wall. When you come to the gate, you find it blocked with a spider web. Can you imagine anything more foolish than returning in defeat because of a spider web blocking your path?Ó (The analogy is understood.) The Rebbe then said to him, 'The main thing is speech. Use it and you will win every battle. You can meditate in thought, but the most important thing is to express it in speech.Ó

This parallel teaches a most important lesson. You may find it difficult to speak with God. You might also find it difficult to speak to a genuine tzaddik. This difficulty is great foolishness. It is mere laziness and bashfulness and a lack of virtuous boldness.

You are ready to use your speech to overcome the great battle against the evil within you. You are on the verge of victory and are about to break down walls with your words! The gates are ready to fly open!

Should you then not speak because of mere bashfulness? Should you hold back because of a minor barrier like this? You are about to break down a wall. Will you be discouraged by a spider web?

This same man told me that the Rebbe prescribed that he spend two hours each day in secluded prayer. For an hour he was to meditate and prepare himself to speak. When his heart was awakened, he was to then speak to God for another hour.

#233.

The Rebbe once spoke to one of his disciples about clothing. He said, 'You must pray for everything. If your garment is torn and must be replaced, pray to God for a new one. Do this for everything. Make it a habit to pray for all your needs, large or small. Your main prayers should be for fundamentals–that God help you in your devotion, that you be worthy of coming close to Him. Nonetheless, you should also pray even for trivial things.

'God may give you food and clothing and everything else you need even though you do not ask for them. But then you are like an animal. God gives every living thing its bread without being asked. He can also give it to you this way. But if you do not draw your needs through prayer, then your livelihood is like that of a beast. For a man must draw all necessities of life from God only through prayer.Ó

I once had a slight need for some insignificant thing. When I mentioned it to the Rebbe, he said, 'Pray to God for it.Ó I was quite astonished to learn that one must even pray to God for such trivial things, especially in a case like this, where it was not even a necessity. Seeing my surprise, the Rebbe asked me, 'Is it beneath your dignity to pray to God for a minor thing like this?Ó

He then told me a short story along a similar line involving a man from Medzeboz. The main lesson is that you must pray for everything, even the most trivial things. This is also explained in Sefer HaMidot {The Aleph-Bet Book}.

#234.

The Rebbe often encouraged people to engage in hitbodedut and conversion with God. He said, 'Even if many days and years pass and it seems that you have accomplished nothing with your words, do not abandon it. For every word makes an impression.

'It is written, ÔWater wears away stone' (Job 14:10). It may seem that water dripping on a stone cannot make any impression. Still, after many years, it can actually make a hole in the stone. We actually see this. Your heart may be like stone. It may seem that your words of prayer make no impression at all on it. Still, as the days and years pass, your heart of stone will also be penetrated.Ó

In our other works there is considerable discussion of the importance of hitbodedut and conversation with God. Read those portions carefully, and most important, follow the advice written there, that it may be beneficial to you forever.

#235.

In Likutey Moharan, II Lesson #44 the Rebbe cautions us not to be overly stringent in any observance. The Rebbe quotes the Talmudic maxims, 'God does not rule over His creatures with tyranny,Ó (Avodah Zarah 3a) and 'The Torah was not given to ministering angelsÓ (Berakhot 25b).

The Rebbe also said, 'It is written that every man should choose one observance and keep it very strictly with all its fine points. The Talmud (Shabbat 118b) alludes to this, when Rabbi Joseph asks Rabbah's son, 'With what observance was your father most careful?Ó 'Even with the chosen observance, you should not be abnormally strict to the point of foolishness. Certainly do not let it make you depressed. Simply keep all its finer points, without fanaticism. Keep one mitzvah strictly, but others need not be observed with any unnecessary stringency at all. It would be enough if we were worthy of keeping all of the Torah's mitzvot according to the law, without going beyond it.Ó

The Rebbe was also very much against all the special stringencies that are observed on Pesach {Passover}. Many people went so far in observing many fine points of custom that they were literally depressed by the holiday. He spoke about this at length. One of his followers once asked the Rebbe exactly how to act with regard to an ultra-stringent observance. The Rebbe made a joke of it.

The Rebbe spoke about this quite often. He said that these ultra-strict practices are nothing more than confused foolishness. He told us that he had also been caught up in this and would waste much time thinking up all sorts of unnecessary restrictions. Once he worried about the drinking water used during Pesach. He was afraid that a small amount of leaven might have fallen into the well from which they drew water. The only alternative would be to prepare water in advance for the entire Passover week, as some people do. But this was also not good enough, for the water had to be carefully safeguarded from leaven from the day before Pesach, and this was very difficult.

The Rebbe finally came to the conclusion that the only satisfactory water would be that drawn from a flowing spring just as it emerges from the ground. He could then obtain perfectly fresh water without any possibility of its being contaminated. The problem was that the only such spring in the area was very far from his home. He thought about travelling to a place near a spring and spending Pesach there.

This is an example of how deeply the Rebbe had become involved in such unnecessary strictness. But now he ridiculed this and taught that such ultra-strictness is unnecessary, even on Pesach.

When the Rebbe spoke about this, he continued, 'True devotion consists mainly of simplicity and sincerity. Pray much, study much Torah, do many good deeds, do not worry yourself with unnecessary restrictions. Just follow the way of our forefathers. ÔThe Torah was not given to the ministering angels.' This is why people no longer study dikduk {Hebrew grammar}. People have abandoned it because this type of precision is not really necessary. This is true of all areas. You should not be overly precise in seeking out restrictions.Ó

The Rebbe spoke at length along this line, concluding, 'There is nothing that you absolutely must do, and if not.... If you can, fine, but if not, 'God exempts a person under duress'Ó (Bava Kama 28b).

#236.

One of the Rebbe's followers was once very sick. He suffered greatly from tremendous pains in his teeth and was almost on his deathbed. The torture continued to grow worse, increasing without limit, until his agony was beyond description.

This man's face had become very swollen and the doctors had to resort to all sorts of agonizing methods to remove his teeth. His internal organs were also affected, torturing him to the point of death. It was beyond all measure.

The Rebbe spoke to this man and said, 'You have suffered the most severe and bitter pains all these years. But it is still better than one burn in Gehenna. One such singe is worse than all this. Es iz altz besser eider ein brei in Gehennom. Ein brie in Gehenom is ergir derfoon.Ó

#237.

The Rebbe said, 'Do not let a word of wickedness leave your mouth.Ó Do not say that you will commit a sin or be wicked, even though you may be joking and have no intention of carrying out your words. The words themselves can do great damage and later compel you to fulfill them. This is true even if they are uttered only as a joke.

It is written that King Jehu said, 'Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him muchÓ (2 Kings 10:18). These words were his downfall. When King Jehu said these words, he had absolutely no intention to commit idolatory. He only said this to trick the Baal worshippers, as explained in the next verse. Still, this was his downfall for he later committed idolatry.

The Talmud speaks about this and derives the lesson that 'a covenant is made with the lipsÓ (Moed Katan18a, Sanhedrin 102a). You should therefore be very careful with what you say.

#238.

The Rebbe was once speaking to one of his followers. In the midst of their conversation, they heard someone praying Maariv {the evening prayer}. The man was up to the Hashkeveinu blessing. He said the words vetakneinu b'eitza tovah milfanekha {and remedy us with good council from before You}. The Rebbe said to his follower, 'See how this man is saying Ôremedy us with good council,' running through the words. Doesn't he realize that he must say these words with great emotion and feeling, from the very depths of his heart? This is a most precious prayer. You must always beg that God have mercy and grant us good council and advice, that we may be worthy of knowing what is right.Ó

If you truly want to serve God, you must understand this well. Plead before God and ask that you be worthy of His good council. The Rebbe himself said, 'When the day begins, I surrender my every movement to God. I ask that every motion that I may make be according to His will. I ask the same for all my children and other dependents. On Shabbat and festivals, I also surrender the entire day to God, praying that every action follow God's will. Then, as things occur that day or that Shabbat I am not disturbed that my observance might not be proper.Ó Understand this.

#239.

The Rebbe said, 'God's ways are not like those of man. When a man makes a garment, he values it most when it is brand new. As it then becomes worn and damaged, its value is reduced. But God began by creating an imperfect world. It is constantly being improved and becomes more precious to God. In each generation, tzaddikim enhance God's work. At first there were the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then Moshe Rabbeinu {Moses our teacher}.

'The world's value to God is constantly enhanced by this. In the end, the Messiah will come and the task will be completed. Only then will the world be absolutely perfect.Ó