BRI’s NarrowBridge.Org sends out twice weekly inspiration providing a regular dose of hope, meaning and courage. These emails include small doses of Rebbe Nachman’s wisdom, enabling us to get through the week in a more spiritual way.
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Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught… |
Reb Nosson wrote: “The suffering is bad enough while you are going through it, G-d save us! No matter what, though, do not dwell at all on your difficulties… Just study Torah, pray and go about your business. Relax your mind with things that cheer you and bring yourself to joy, even, if need be, with silliness. You have no idea what is really going on in the world!” |
What does this mean to me? |
| There is an ancient Jewish saying—”The trouble in its hour suffices.” This means just what Reb Nosson wrote up above: suffering is bad enough as we’re going through it; we should at least not dwell on it after it’s over! Even if we haven’t quite escaped whatever problem plagues us, there are moments available when we can release our minds from the matter that presses and refresh ourselves. In Psalms we read, “In the straits of trouble, You broadened the way.” In Hebrew, the word for trouble is tzarah, which means a constricted place. The ease that the psalmist thanks G-d for is described as hirchavta—You literally opened it up. Rebbe Nachman emphasized that in every tzarah, in the narrows of trouble, G-d is constantly broadening the way for us, so that we have moments here and there of revealed kindness. It is a special act of Divine service to look for those openings, and brace ourselves with the sweet air of serenity that flows through them. |
A prayer: |
Teach me the meaning of joy, Feedback:Your email may seem like a small thing. But usually the small things are the great things. Small pills are easier to swallow, and the words of Rebbe Nachman have power no matter what the dosage. Thanks for your efforts, and may they continue to bear fruits. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude in receiving your support, yet I will try … The generosity of your pillars of The Narrow Bridge holds me up right when it is inexpressibly needed indeed. Thank you ! Thank you ! You have an amazing ability to give over so many subtleties of the teachings in such an accessible way. Thank you for making these gems so readily available! Precious words! *“The Gentle Weapon: Prayers for Everyday and Not-So-Everyday Moments – Timeless Wisdom from the Teachings of the Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov” by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Adapted by Moshe Mykoff & S.C. Mizrahi with the Breslov Research Institute, 1999. Permission granted by Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, www.jewishlights.com. |
