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Rabbi Nachman knew that people are living in the reality of this explanations about concepts of prayer and the will. Rather, these
world. Even those people who have will believe that they cannot set rules are practical. They present a pragmatic directive for every
aside all of their activities and engage only in the work of the will for person who wants to use them in order to change.
several hours every night. In truth, this is not correct. There is no
“can’t,” but only “doesn’t want.” Nevertheless, Rabbi Nachman 5 Therefore, when you truly want to attain all acquisitions in
offered us the greatest discount: an hour—at a minimum—every holiness, you must make use of these rules. You must dedicate at
day. Less than that makes a mockery of this work. Decide: do you least half an hour every day to the work of the will regarding one
want to change or not? And thus said Rabbi Nachman: issue until you acquire it. During this session, you must pray with
great yearning until you attain what you want, nullify your evil
[Rabbi Nachman] discussed hitbodedut a great deal. desires, and successfully strengthen, buttress and permanently fix
He spoke at great length in a wonderful talk using various the good will within yourself. When you proceed in this way, it is
expressions with which to encourage us and urge us possible to nullify every bad desire. With daily work, you can even
strongly to encourage ourselves to engage in a great deal nullify powerful and colossal desires that appear like high mountains
of hitbodedut and speak to our Maker. and storm winds, because the substantial quantity of periodic prayer
and intention will certainly change your evil natures. Seeing that
He said that he would have wanted us to engage in you exercise intentionality in a truly enduring and vigorous way,
hitbodedut the entire day, spending the entire day on Hashem will lead you and help you overcome your evil inclination.
this, but not everyone can do this. Therefore, one The very fact that you dedicate half an hour a day to standing
must direct people to engage in at least some hour in one place with the intention of speaking, even if you do not
of hitbodedut, because that too is very good. succeed in saying anything, means that you are dedicated to having
But if a person’s heart is strong in [serving] Hashem consistent, daily intention. You set aside half an hour—regardless
and he wants to truly accept His service, then [Rabbi of what happens during that half hour. In this way, you are said to
Nachman’s] will is that this person engage in hitbodedut be one who “intends,” and you make it possible for the Creator of
the entire day. “If only a person would pray the entire the world to guide you.
day” (Berachot 21a). (Likutei Moharan II 96) Do you think that you can succeed on your own? Certainly

From Rabbi Nachman’s words, I understood that the work must not. As we learned, a rule states that if not for the fact that the
be made easy for people. Therefore, I relied on his statement that Holy One, blessed be He, helps a person, he cannot overcome
this work should take at least an hour in order that it be something his evil inclination. However, you must do your part, which will
of value, but it does not have to be more. I understood that a draw the Creator’s help to you. This action of yours is the greatest
person needs to devote at least half an hour a day to work on one thing in the world that you can do, because it will cause you to
topic, so that there will remain time for a personal accounting, since be considered one who “intends.” As a result, you will be led,
if he spends less time than that, he evidently does not understand purified, and brought close. When you do your part and perform
the meaning of the work of the will, and he does not understand this action, the Holy One, blessed be He, will certainly do His part,
the meaning of prayer and yearning. A half hour commitment is and you will change and progress.
the minimum amount to show that a person really wants to engage
in this. A person who thinks that such a commitment isn’t possible
apparently does not understand what he is doing here in this world.