Sichos HaRan
Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

by Reb Noson of Nemirov

#250.

I heard the Rebbe say, 'Why worry about livelihood. The only thing to worry about is that you may die of hunger if you cannot afford food. And if you die, what is so terrible? You must die anyway.Ó

#251.

The Rebbe told a number of people to read through the entire Bible during the days of Elul, the Ten Days of Repentance, and the Days of Awe until Hoshanah Rabbah.

The Rebbe himself also did this several times. There were also a number of other books that he finished during this period, but which ones is no longer known.

#252.

The Rebbe once said, 'When people come close to a true tzaddik, they have a taste of the Garden of Eden. The holy Zohar says that a tzaddik is the Ôgarden of gardens.'Ó

#253.

One of the Rebbe's followers had been married many years and had had no children. One day he was in the Rebbe's house together with a number of other childless men, pleading that the Rebbe intercede for them. This man also spoke to the Rebbe and asked him for children.

The Rebbe replied, 'Why all this commotion? Your main offspring are your good deeds (Rashi on Genesis 6:9). This is foremost. Ask that you be a good Jew, that you be worthy of following the true path. If you are worthy of physical children, all the better. But your main offspring are born when you let your heart come close to God.Ó

From that time on, the man stopped speaking to the Rebbe about children. He occupied himself solely with his devotions like the Rebbe's other followers. Some time later, a number of childless people again asked the Rebbe to intercede for them. This man was there, but did not say a word. This time the Rebbe opened the discussion, saying, 'Still, it is well that you have children. Bring me a hundred rubles.Ó The man quickly went and brought the money to the Rebbe.

That night was the night of his wife's immersion. She conceived and gave birth to a son. May it be God's will that they be worthy to raise him to Torah, to marriage and to a life of good deeds. Amen.

#254.

Speaking of the holiness of the Shabbat, the Rebbe said that Shabbat is like a great wedding. People are dancing and rejoicing with great joy and delight. Someone is standing outside (looking in). He dresses himself in his best clothing and quickly runs to the wedding. He wishes to enter and join the festivity. But one needs great merit even to look in through a tiny crevice.

#255.

It is much easier to give advice to another. When you need advice, it is very difficult to give it to yourself. After much deliberation, you may decide that one way is the best. You have many reasons and arguments to support this. But as soon as you make up your mind, other considerations enter, tearing down the basis of your original decision. Now it seems that the exact opposite is true. You therefore need advice from another.

Fortunate is the person who is worthy of God's counsel. He will then do what is proper and not lose his world in vain, heaven forbid.

#256.

The Rebbe highly praised the Akdamut song, chanted before the Torah reading on Shavuot. He said, 'The Jews are so accustomed to good they do not realize the greatness of the Akdamut poem. If you know the high level of the Akdamut, as well as that of its customary melody, then you know what a wondrously unique song it is.Ó

The Rebbe then chanted a few lines of the Akdamut. He then said, 'Akdamut is a song of cheshek–a song of love and devotion.Ó See the story The Burgher and the Pauper, the tenth story in Sippurey Maasiot, which discusses the song of cheshek.

The Rebbe spoke of this on Shavuos, during his dairy meal. He had worshipped early with his group as was his custom, and had begun his meal while the second service was in progress. When he heard the cantor chant the Akdamut, the Rebbe spoke of the high level of this holy song.

#257.

The Rebbe said that he can look at a man and know all his sins. He quoted the verse, 'God's eyes are to tzaddikimÓ (Psalms 34:16). Tzaddikim can gaze with God's eyes and see all of a man's past. In many cases, the Rebbe revealed people's past to them, telling them everything they had done.

#258.

The Rebbe often told us to do many good deeds. From the way he said it, it was obvious that he meant that we should do such good deeds as favors to others and collecting charity. He told us, 'You seem to do no good deeds at all. Epis tut ihr gor kein mitzvos nit.Ó

#259.

The Rebbe once said, 'Thirst is a very great desire.Ó He wanted to give us some idea of the longing and yearning that is the wondrous thirst for God.

The thirstier you are, the greater your pleasure in drinking water. Your thirst is the source of your enjoyment. The same is true of your holy thirst for God.

This is the delight of the Future World. It will be a time of desire and longing. This is the desire of all desires, an aspect of the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu. For his final resting place our forefather Avraham paid '400 silver shekelsÓ (Genesis 23:16). The holy Zohar says that these are the 400 worlds of yearning that the tzaddikim will inherit in the Future.

They are worlds particularly of yearning. For we will then be worthy of the true yearning and thirst for God. Quenching this thirst will then be the main delight of the Future World.