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no difference where he is—when he receives the title of “wanting,” Dealing with the Internal Factor
heaven will guide him from above, and there is no doubt that he
will progress and progress until he emerges from darkness to light When we make our way in accordance with the laws of life, we When a new state of awareness in serving Hashem—
and from exile to redemption. are certain to succeed. And there is an added significant benefit as something that had been unknown until this point—
well. When we do the work of the will, engaging in a great deal of is awakened, then “many of the sleepers in the dust
Rise to Help Me prayer day after day, seeking the true solution, the very first thing of the earth will awaken.” However, “some [will
we must pray for is the ability to know the principal factor that awaken to] eternal life, and others to disgrace and
Let me summarize the laws that we have learned, because they caused us to fall prey to the craving for food. Then we pray to be eternal degradation” (Daniel 12:2). That is because
are the foundation of the entire path of the work of the will. healed of these internal causes. In this way, we solve the problem “the righteous”—those who serve Hashem, may He
at its root. be blessed, with this awareness—“will go in them, and
1.The evil inclination has the power and permission to crush a the sinners”—those who do not serve Hashem, be
person. For example, many times a person’s craving for food results from He blessed, with this—“will stumble in them” (Hosea
dejection and depression. Seeking happiness, he finds it in food, 14:10).
which calms him and makes him feel happy for a few minutes.
In order to overcome the evil inclination, we need the help of the However, afterwards he grows upset that he fell prey to overeating. (Likutei Moharan I 171)
Holy One, blessed be He. A person who does not seek Hashem’s Also, as a result of that eating, he harms himself. This damage
help is in very great danger of losing his life. undermines his happiness for an extended period of time. And If we work, we change; if we do not work, we stumble
even after he satisfies his cravings, his dejection does not fade away.
2.Prayer changes nature. On the contrary, it returns even more vigorously and intensely, and
he suffers in ways that cannot be described or imagined.
Therefore, by engaging in prayer we can bring about all change in
the physical and spiritual realms. If this person proceeds with the attitude of “my power and the
might of my hand,” even if he successfully loses weight for some
3.When a person prays at length, his prayer does not return period of time, that does not solve his problem at its root, which
empty. is his inner dejection and depression. Until now, it expressed itself
in relation to food, and now it will seek another way to attain
satisfaction. I have heard about people who underwent weight loss
Every word of prayer is a vessel with which a person receives surgery who indeed lost weight. But afterwards, they discovered
abundance. Therefore, every lack is a lack of prayer. that they had developed new problems that had not previously
existed, such as outbursts of anger. Many required psychological
4.A person is led in the way that he wants to go. help following the operation, because the personal problems that
had caused them to overeat remained completely unabated, and
Therefore, when you have a strong will, you can attain everything, tormented them in other ways.
without limit.
On the other hand, when a person does the work of the will and
The practical summation of these laws is that you must be aware prays a great deal to attain true joy and realize that he will never
that you have an evil inclination that you can overcome only with find true happiness in eating, not only does he stop overeating but
the help of the Creator, and the Creator helps a person who has he also solves the root of the problem, and he succeeds in living a
intention and who prays. Intent and prayer are one. The more you truly happy life.