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I do not know how many readers have ever received a proposal to judgment above in heaven. Yet if there is judgment below, there
to enter a billion-dollar business. If something like that happens, is no judgment above. One dare not miss such a chance.
it does so once in a lifetime. And even then, it requires a not-
inconsiderable investment of one’s own money and is extremely Rabbi Nachman of Breslov made a greater promise regarding
risky. But now this is happening to you—yes, to you, you, the hitbodedut than he did regarding any of his other innovations. He
reader. But although I call this the billion-dollar proposal, it is really promised that if a person recites the Tikun Haklali at his gravesite,
infinitely more. I have no way to describe and evaluate the worth he will take that person out of Gehennom. But he promised that
of this business. Therefore, in order to make it easier to relate to, a person who engages in hitbodedut will not even come to see the
I say a billion dollars. But whatever I say only diminishes the worth face of Gehennom. He will not be judged at all by heaven.
of the business and the entire package.
The holy Zohar highly praises a person who regularly engages in
Moreover, there is no need for any startup equity. It requires a personal accounting, and says that he cannot go to Gehennom.
zero investment, and so is accessible to everyone. Yes, that is The Shem Mishmuel comments (Emor 5674): Whom does the
exactly right! And that isn’t all. This business comes with zero risk! holy Zohar promise that he will not go to Gehennom? A righteous
In other words, guaranteed, infinite profit with zero investment. “I person who engages in a personal accounting, or a person who has
have a good gift in My treasure house; come and take it” (Shabbat stumbled and transgressed, and engages in a personal accounting? A
10b). Please, precious children of Israel, listen and implement this, righteous person will certainly not go to Gehennom, because he is
and your souls will live. righteous and not only because he engages in a personal accounting.
Therefore, the holy Zohar must be speaking about a person who is
Much More than the Garden of Eden not righteous, who is still stumbling and transgressing. He too, in
the merit of making a personal accounting, of wanting and striving
to get out of his situation, will not go to Gehennom!
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov tried everything. He engaged in self-
afflictions and fasts as had never before been attempted or even
heard of. There was no self-affliction that he did not perform. He A Powder Keg
said that in his agonies he could have bitten through a slab of wood.
He buried a wife and children, and he accepted upon himself severe Hitbodedut constitutes the most powerful discipline, advice and
and terrible diseases. And after all that, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov medicine. Nevertheless, many people have told me that although
discovered a much easier way, one that is accessible to everyone. every day they devote an hour to hitbodedut, to personal work
Then he was sorry that he had afflicted and tormented himself for and to a personal accounting, and they feel astonishingly enhanced,
nothing, since he discovered a way that people could go on to be they do not see a fundamental change in themselves. They feel that
like him literally, without breaking their bodies, without tormenting their desires and evil inclination still dominate them tremendously.
themselves, without fasts and self-afflictions. It was important to
him that all of his prior afflictions and torments would not have The reason for that is precisely what we are learning about in this
been in vain. Therefore, he communicated the final conclusions of book. It is true that they are engaged in the greatest practice, that
his endeavors to whoever wants to listen and receive, to whoever they attain a tremendous rectification and that they earn Rabbi
is even a little sincere, a littlewise, and to whoever has a little bit of Nachman’s promise. But they are not implementing the principal
acumen. True, Rabbi Nachman paid a high price—but he opened advice that changes a person fundamentally even as he is in this
a very fine path for us. world. They are not doing the work of the will. Moreover, not only
do they fail to see an essential change, but they are also in enormous
