Sichos HaRan
Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

by Reb Noson of Nemirov

#300.

The Rebbe once told me, 'Everything you see in the world–everything that exists–is all for the sake of free will, in order to test people.Ó

#301.

I heard that the Rebbe once said that a Jew's main devotion is, in the winter, to wake up at midnight {to pray Tikun Chatzot, the midnight lament} and, in the summer, when the (Diaspora) nights are short (when awakening at midnight is not feasible), to wake up early, at the crack of dawn.

#302.

I was once standing before the Rebbe as he lay in bed. Suddenly these words escaped his holy mouth, 'The main things is: From the belly of Hell I cried out! Der iker iz: Mibeten Sheol shivati!Ó

#303.

The Rebbe once spoke to me about the folly of sexual desires. He said, 'One who occupies himself with lewd thoughts is a fool. Even an ordinary person would not want to be caught doing this. Even if he has no fear of sin, he still has no desire for the public humiliation of being caught with a strange woman. Why engage in lustful thoughts? Why trouble your soul for nothing?Ó

We have spoken of the fact that every man can have absolute control over his thoughts and direct them as he wishes.... This is discussed in numerous places in our printed works. Accept this advice and you will be worthy of eternal pleasure.

#304.

The Rebbe ridiculed the sexual desire, quoting the words of the morning prayer, 'Do not bring me to a test or to disgrace.Ó He said, 'Either a test or a disgrace. Uder a nisayon, uder a bizayon.Ó If you do not pass the test, you will come to disgrace.

We have discussed how the Rebbe spoke of the repulsiveness of this desire, saying that it is really no temptation at all.... The Rebbe said, 'People are so bound up with their worldly desires that it does not help when one explains how repulsive this is. The more you speak of it, the more lewd thoughts they have. In most cases it is therefore best not to even begin to think of it at all.Ó

This is explained in Sefer HaMidot {The Aleph-Bet Book}. 'Do not enter into litigation with your tempter. Thinking about something for any length of time, even of its avoidance, strengthens desire, and turns the will toward it (Adultery A10).

#305.

Many times the Rebbe said, 'We have nothing at all to do. Meh hut gor nit tzu tun.Ó (The Rebbe said this in relation to some of his awesome observations, many of which have already been printed.)

We find that the disciples of Rabbi Ishmael taught, 'The words of Torah should not be viewed as an obligation, but neither are you permitted to exempt yourself from themÓ (Menachot 99b). This explains the Rebbe's statement and is wonderful advice for anyone who understands it even a little.

#306.

In Sefer HaMidot {The Aleph-Bet Book} it is written, 'Every universe and everything created has its own structure.... For example, the lion ... and spiritual beings are all included in the forms of the letters and their combinations. One who is worthy of understanding the Torah...Ó (Knowledge B:4). This appears to be related to a conversation we heard from the Rebbe's holy mouth before Shabbat Chanukah, 5565 (1805) regarding the creatures in the world.

The Rebbe said, 'Every human likeness is included in the word adam {man} when the Torah says , ÔLet us make adam in our image' (Genesis 1:26). As soon as God said the word adam, He included every human likeness in that word.

'The same is true of such words as beheimah {animal} and chayah {beast} used in the account of creation. These words include the forms of every animal and beast.... The same is true of everything else created.Ó The Rebbe spoke at length regarding this.

He then said, 'There are categories of wisdom, even in this world, which can sustain a person without any other nourishment. There are such awesomely wonderful categories of wisdom even in this world. A person can live without eating or drinking with this wisdom alone.Ó The Rebbe spoke at length about this, but we were not worthy of recording the rest.

#307.

Every year people say that previous years were better and times are not as good as they were before.... The Rebbe spoke to us about this at length. He said that people might say that things were less expensive in times gone by, but then again, people did not have as much money as they have now. An ordinary person, even one someone living from charity, spends more today than the wealthy of yesterday.

He said, 'The opposite is true. God now runs the world better than ever. Aderaba. Der Eibershter firt hynt sheiner dee velt.Ó

#308.

These are among the many thoughts the Rebbe shared with us regarding the above. All talk about 'the good old daysÓ is the work of the Satan. He wants people to speak like this to make us suffer and worry all the more about our livelihoods. He would like to make us feel that there is no hope at all now, heaven forbid. This is all false. God continuously sustains the world. In every generation people rise and fall financially. If you look carefully at the past, you will find that it also contained much poverty and suffering.

Most people who say that times have deteriorated are those who have recently acquired wealth. Now that they have tasted wealth, they are no longer satisfied and want more all the time. They now live ostentatiously and cannot meet their expenses, so they complain that times are not as good as before. But we ourselves recall that not too many years ago most of these complainers were suffering in poverty.

People cry that 'the first days were better than these.Ó Why pay attention to this foolishness! The wise King Solomon refuted this idea long ago when he said, 'Do not say that the first days were better than these, for it is not out of wisdom that you ask thisÓ (Ecclesiastes 7:10). Rashi may interpret this verse to teach us that everything depends on the merit of each generation. Still, 'the Torah has many facesÓ and 'Scripture does not depart from its simple meaning.Ó

King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived and wrote with divine inspiration. He said that it is great foolishness to say that 'the first days were better than these.Ó In every generation there are people who say this. But if you look well, you will see that the world is constantly becoming more prosperous. People constantly live better and have greater expenses.

What difference does it really make? If the world is really poorer now than before, there is all the more reason to flee to God and involve yourself in Torah and devotion. If there is suffering and trouble in the world, the only place to escape to is God and His Torah. It is written, 'Man is born to struggleÓ (Job 5:7). The Midrash remarks, 'ÔMan is born to struggle'–happy is he who struggles with the Torah.Ó

Whether you are rich or poor, your life will be filled with struggle and suffering. Man's lot is suffering and pain, as it is written, 'For his days are vexation and painÓ (Ecclesiastes 2:23). In the holy Sheloh we find the following poem:

ein rega belo pega
ein shaah belo raah
ein yom belo reses v'ayom

There is no moment without torment
There is no hour that is not sour
There is no day without dismay

Happy is the man who flees from the struggles of this troublesome world and struggles to comprehend the Torah. He will be 'Ôhappy and prosperous,' happy in this world, and prosperous in the future worldÓ (Avot 6:4). The man who says that 'the first days are better than theseÓ accomplishes nothing. His attitude causes him to struggle more and more to earn a living and waste his days in worry and vexation. This foolishness keeps him from Torah and prayer. Regarding his end it is written, 'He takes away nothing for all his effortÓ (Ecclesiastes 5:14). It is also written, 'For in vanity he comes, and in darkness he leavesÓ (ibid. 6:4).

If you have eyes to see and a heart to understand, you will perceive that the past had as much suffering and troubles as the present. Look in books written hundreds of years ago and you will find that their authors also suffered from poverty and had the most difficult struggles just to earn a livelihood. This did not deter them and they still wrote many holy books.

It is written, 'For what was, that is what shall be… there is nothing new under the sunÓ (ibid. 1:9). Life was difficult even in 'the good old days.Ó How many years ago did King Solomon write of man, 'Also all his days are vexation and painÓ? How many years ago did the book of Job say, 'Man is born to struggle…of few days and full of troubleÓ (Job 14:1)? The scriptures wrote about this long ago.

Even then, many people thought that times were troublesome and one must only worry about his livelihood. These people departed from this world without joy or pleasure. But each generation also had God fearing men and tzaddikim. They paid no attention to this and escaped the struggles of the world to toil in Torah and devotion. They and their children were worthy… Fortunate are they.

Even today you have free will. You have the power to escape from these painful discussions and worries. You can flee from them and trust in God, abandoning the struggles of this bitter world and involving yourself in the struggles of the Torah. God will certainly sustain you. Does He not sustain all the world, now as always? And now God runs the world better than ever.

This world was always filled with worries and suffering. Things have not changed. It is written, 'In pain you shall eat…by the sweat of your brow you shall eat breadÓ (Genesis 3:17). This was decreed since the time of Adam's sin and there is no place to escape. These worries and pains destroy a person's life. The only shelter is God and His Torah.

The Mishnah (Avot 6:4) teaches:

This is the path of Torah: Bread with salt shall you eat; water by measure shall you drink; on the ground shall you sleep; a life of pain shall you live and in Torah shall you toil. If you do this, “You will be happy and prosperous” (Psalms 128:2). Happy—in this world, prosperous—in the World to come.

People find this difficult to understand. After telling us the struggles we must endure for the Torah, “Bread with salt shall you eat…” how can the Mishnah state “‘You will be happy’…in this world”? Many writers attempt to resolve this by way of homily, but their explanations remain weak and strained. There really is no question. If you have eyes to see and a heart that truly understands the world, you know this. If you have absorbed the wisdom contained in the Rebbe's awesome teachings, you know the truth. The Mishnah means exactly what it says.

The wealthiest people in the world will tell you that the world is filled with worry and suffering. The rich suffer as much as everyone else. Thus, our Sages teach us, “The more property, the more worries” (Avot 2:7). The poor may not realize this. They may think that they would no longer have problems if they were wealthy. But they are sadly mistaken, as we see with our own eyes. The truth is as our Sages have taught it.

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 imagine that you are troubled by your husband. No matter who you are, you will find the world abounding with real suffering and pain. How many people suffer because of sickness and accidents—God save us!

There is no escape, except in the Torah. If you desire the good of this world and want to live at ease without troubles, you will be constantly frustrated. The more you seek good, the more you will find the opposite. Everything you manage to grasp will be diluted with suffering. Look with truth and you will see this yourself.

It is written, “There is no wisdom, understanding, nor council against God” (Proverbs 21:30). The only way to be at ease is to will yourself to subsist on an absolute minimum. Firmly resolve to follow the dictum of the Mishnah, “Bread with salt shall you eat…a life of pain shall you live.” Accept upon yourself a life of privation and struggle in order to involve yourself in the Torah. “And in the Torah shall you toil.” Only then will you have life, even in this world. “If you do this, you will be happy…in this world.” This is certainly true.

No longer will you suffer from the worldly misfortunes that affect all people. You have already accepted them upon yourself for the sake of the Torah. All your life, all your “good” is the Torah which is the true good. Then your life is a true life and you will be happy even in this world.

The person who wants to live at ease in this world and enjoy its delights will only find bitterness. “Even the slightest breeze will upset him” (Sotah 5a). The smallest mishap will cause him to suffer greatly. You may be immensely rich and powerful. You may be a lord or a king. Nonetheless, in a world filled with suffering it is impossible for everything to be as you desire.

The only way to escape this suffering is in the Torah. Accept the way of the Torah, eating bread with salt, etc. Then you will be happy and prosperous. Happy even in this world.

Look at the truth. Understand well the troubles of the world. You will certainly see the truth of this. You will find much of this in the Rebbe's teachings, especially those printed together with the Sippurey Maasiot {i.e., through #116 above, which were initially printed with Rebbe Nachman’s Stories}. It is also most forcefully brought out in the story The Sophisticate and the Simpleton {the ninth story}.

Even pagan philosohers realized that the world is filled with suffering and discussed it often in their works. They came to the conclusion that the only solution is stoic forbearance. A person must accept upon himself to endure all that happens to him. But all their words are of no avail in a world without the Torah. No person can endure this world and not be overcome by its suffering. Only the Torah which we Jews have been fortunate to receive can provide this strength.

If you really think things out, you will realize that this world has absolutely no purpose. Imagine a world filled with good and riches. Imagine a world where there was no pain, no suffering and no worries. It would still be empty and devoid of all purpose. For time passes in the blink of an eye and life is over. It is written, “Our days are like a passing shadow” (Psalms 144:4). Our Sages comment, “Not like a ‘permanent’ shadow of a palm tree, but a passing one” (Bereishis Rabbah 96:3). It is also written, “The days of our life are seventy years… Their pride is travail and vanity, for it is speedily gone and flies away” (Psalms 90:10).

If even a perfect world would be purposeless, what shall we say about the world we live in? It is filled with pain, sorrow and suffering without end. The life of every person, from the greatest to the smallest, from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor, is filled with worries and concerns. Every person is trapped by his limitations. The greatest emperors and kings are filled with worries and fears without measure. Even the pagan philosophers realized this.

The only way out is to choose the Torah and its commandments. Make up your mind to be satisfied with an absolute minimum in order to immerse yourself in the Torah. Spend your days with Torah and devotion and you will be immune to the world's travail. You will shake off the toil and struggle of worldly concerns and no longer taste the bitterness of soul they have to offer. Devoted to God and His Torah you will truly be alive, for this is the root of life, both in this world and the next.

You will then know that the words of the Mishnah are correct, even in their plain meaning. You will have chosen to live such a life, eating bread with salt, drinking water by measure, sleeping on the ground and living a life of pain. You must be willing to accept a life of suffering, for there are times when even bread with salt and water by measure will not be abundant. But you accept all this in order to immerse yourself in the Torah.

“In the Torah you shall toil.” If you do this, you will certainly be “happy and prosperous.” “Happy in this world” for you will have accepted upon yourself all the suffering the world has to offer and you will be worthy of true life. You will then be worthy of perceiving the truth and you will know that the world was not created for ease and enjoyment. You will realize that the person who seeks the delights of this world will only find pain and vexation.

The Torah is “our life and length of our days” {evening liturgy}. If you flee the struggle of the world to toil in the Torah, you will be worthy of the Future World, whose eternity reduces all of this world to the blink of an eye in comparison. But besides this, you will also have a good life in this world.

The best thing in this world is submissiveness. This cannot be attained without total immersion in the Torah and its mitzvot. Open your eyes to the truth and you will see this.

Ridicule these words and you only ridicule yourself. We speak the truth and it is yours to accept. But if you wish to turn your back on it and remain immersed in “the deep quicksand” (Psalms 69:3) of this world, there is no one to prevent you.

“Let each person go his own way, but we will call out in God's name” (). These were the Rebbe's words to a man who spoke to him at length. The Rebbe knew that this man was drowning in the endless waters and wanted to rescue him. But the man hardened his heart and turned a stubborn shoulder, not accepting the Rebbe's advice. He knew that the Rebbe spoke the truth, but refused to take his words to heart.

The Rebbe said, “He is like a drowning man who is about to die. A rescuer comes along and extends a hand to lift him from the water. But the drowning man turns a stubborn shoulder and turns his back in arrogance, not wanting to grasp the helping hand. He flees from the one who comes to save him.”

Heed these words!
You will find pleasure both in this world and the next.

♦ ♦ ♦

Finished and completed is the book Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom with the help of the Blessed God.