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person. Who is “His pious one” referred to in the verse? That is In spirituality as well, there is one strategic central point on which Bull’s Eye
King David, who was entirely prayer: “And I am prayer” (Psalms we must focus our prayers until we succeed in overcoming the
69:14). Therefore, he requested, “Guard my soul because I am evil will. That is the craving for licentiousness, which is called the A person’s will is called “yearning,” kisufin. The word kisufin is
pious” (Psalms 86:2). Be one of those who engage in much prayer “inclusive evil.” Locking in on this goal and investing all of the work related to kesef, “money.” Imagine that you have a sum of money
and request of Hashem, “Guard my soul.” of one’s will there is a long-term project. But it opens the way to to invest. If you want to put it all in one property, you buy it and
easily conquer all the other fronts. you proceed further. But if you want to buy many things at once,
There is No Favoritism the money will not suffice and you will not buy anything. The key to
Rabbi Nachman himself acted in this way. He said that he did not properly using the work of the will is to calm your mind and choose
try to work on all cravings, but solely on one until he saw results—
Hashem certainly wants everyone to reach the level of Moses. one issue to focus on. That focus will allow you to properly utilize
But know that the tzaddikim did not become tzaddikim because and he chose this craving in particular (Sichot Haran 16). the power of your will to attain goals, to succeed and to progress.
of favoritism. Rabbi Nachman would get angry when people told He was extremely and extraordinarily holy in his Your will is the tool with which to transform every matter and issue.
him that he reached his level because he was a descendant of the When the tool of your will is focused, it becomes complete, and
Baal Shem Tov and other holy tzaddikim. He became heated and separation from the lust [of licentiousness], absolutely you attain your goal. But when your will is diffused, you want many
exasperated. It was important to him that people know the simple separated, with supreme and awesome holiness. He things, but with a weak will. Therefore, there is nothing to draw
truth: “I arrived and achieved because I worked and toiled.” He said that if he would only surrender in this one area deliverance to you, and even after years pass you will be frustrated
said that whoever he might have been born to, he would still have the evil inclination was willing to allow him everything because you have gained nothing. Regarding that, our sages said:
reached the highest levels because of the amount of work that he else. But, on the contrary, he was willing to surrender “If you try to grasp too much, you will grasp nothing; if you grasp
engaged in—because that is the most significant factor. That is all everything else aside except for this [craving], which he just a little, it will remain in your grasp.”
there is to it. There is no favoritism. The tzaddikim worked, and so was determined to break.
they attained. They prepared many vessels and Hashem filled the Prayer is called the weapon of a Jew. As Rabbi Nachman says,
vessels for them. Do you want to become a tzaddik? Set aside time That is to say, the evil inclination would be happy to “A Jew’s fundamental weapon is prayer” (Kitzur Likutei Moharan 2).
to prepare vessels. Stand in prayer day after day, and you too will allow him to break all other cravings as long as he would If a person focuses his prayer on one issue, he is like someone who
achieve. Hashem will certainly fill the vessels for you, in keeping surrender just one [craving] to it—presumably, the aims his weapon and shoots—then he successfully hits his target.
with the spiritual rule that “the Master of your work is faithful to universal lust, because the essence of the evil inclination But if he does not focus his prayer on one issue, his chances of
pay you the wages of your work” (Avot 2:14). We see from three hitting the target are very low. He has a weapon, but he is not
great tzaddikim who are the pillars of the world that everything that inheres in this lust. But he, may his memory be for a using it properly. Therefore, Rabbi Nachman says, “A person who
they achieved and accomplished was because of the power of the blessing, said that, on the contrary, he would give up attains the sword [of prayer] must know how to handle it and not
work of prayer and intention. breaking every other [craving] but this lust, which he turn it to the right or to the left [of the target]. He should ‘aim at
wanted to break entirely. a hairsbreadth and not miss’ (Judges 20:16)” (ibid.).
“And Moses Pleaded”
This was how he conducted himself from the beginning. To Find the Issue
His entire goal and efforts were initially focused
Moses was entirely a being of intention and prayer.
only on breaking this universal lust. At first, he Another military metaphor is that of a commander leading a
We see in the Torah that Moses was entirely a being of prayer. paid no attention at all to breaking the craving battle that is raging on a few fronts, who perceives that his troops
When he saw a heavenly decree against the nation of Israel, he of eating. On the contrary, at first he ate a remarkably are mired on all of these fronts. What should he do? He should
stood in prayer for 40 consecutive days and nights without eating large amount, much more than other people…. choose one strategic front and concentrate all of his resources
and drinking. And when he truly wanted to enter the land of Israel there. He will conquer and overwhelm that front, which will raise
with all his heart without compromise, he prayed again and again, An inseparable part of the work of the will is focusing on just one the soldiers’ morale and open the way to progress on the other
515 times, until Hashem Himself told him to stop. Had Hashem 5 topic. When people lack that focus, they do not succeed in their fronts as well.