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impossible. And it is impossible to describe to you what sort of life Rabbi Nachman knew that people are living in the reality of this explanations about concepts of prayer and the will. Rather, these
awaits you when you use this tool and begin to act and transform world. Even those people who have will believe that they cannot set rules are practical. They present a pragmatic directive for every
yourself. You will see the way to the Garden of Eden! 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
Acquire and Progress “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
Rabbi Nachman’s famous and fundamental teaching on how 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
a person may attain rectification is called “One Who Is Awake 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
at Night” (Likutei Moharan I 52). This contains the most basic
instructions about the service of the will, and the present book is [Rabbi Nachman] discussed hitbodedut a great deal. desires, and successfully strengthen, buttress and permanently fix
the good will within yourself. When you proceed in this way, it is
based on that teaching. He spoke at great length in a wonderful talk using various
expressions with which to encourage us and urge us possible to nullify every bad desire. With daily work, you can even
In this teaching, our holy rabbi, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, states strongly to encourage ourselves to engage in a great deal nullify powerful and colossal desires that appear like high mountains
that the proper way for a person to nullify all of his cravings and evil of hitbodedut and speak to our Maker. and storm winds, because the substantial quantity of periodic prayer
traits is to first focus on one evil trait or craving that has dominated and intention will certainly change your evil natures. Seeing that
him and work on it for a long period of time, praying at length, He said that he would have wanted us to engage in you exercise intentionality in a truly enduring and vigorous way,
until he nullifies it. Then he should choose another trait and engage hitbodedut the entire day, spending the entire day on Hashem will lead you and help you overcome your evil inclination.
in much prayer until he nullifies that one—and so on for evil trait this, but not everyone can do this. Therefore, one The very fact that you dedicate half an hour a day to standing
after evil trait, and evil craving after evil craving, until he is cleansed must direct people to engage in at least some hour
of all evil intentions, and he has a strong will and many wondrous of hitbodedut, because that too is very good. in one place with the intention of speaking, even if you do not
succeed in saying anything, means that you are dedicated to having
vessels of prayer. And then there is no end to the abundance that
he will receive. Rabbi Nachman does not term this “the work of But if a person’s heart is strong in [serving] Hashem consistent, daily intention. You set aside half an hour—regardless
of what happens during that half hour. In this way, you are said to
the will,” but this is in fact the work of the will about which I am and he wants to truly accept His service, then [Rabbi be one who “intends,” and you make it possible for the Creator of
speaking: that a person set aside time every day to be strong in his Nachman’s] will is that this person engage in hitbodedut
will and in his prayers until he sees a change in himself. 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
Practically speaking, Rabbi Nachman innovates here a way
within a way. Overall, the way of hitbodedut is an astounding 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
method by means of which we attain tremendous and infinite be made easy for people. Therefore, I relied on his statement that Holy One, blessed be He, helps a person, he cannot overcome
his evil inclination. However, you must do your part, which will
benefit. And within that hitbodedut is a wondrous way of engaging this work should take at least an hour in order that it be something
in self-rectification. I call this teaching, which is presented “One 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
thing in the world that you can do, because it will cause you to
Who Is Awake at Night,” the work of the will. person needs to devote at least half an hour a day to work on one
topic, so that there will remain time for a personal accounting, since be considered one who “intends.” As a result, you will be led,
Rabbi Nachman states: “It is only possible to attain nullification if he spends less time than that, he evidently does not understand purified, and brought close. When you do your part and perform
by means of hitbodedut. When a person engages in hitbodedut and 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,
speaks to his Maker, he is able to nullify all of his cravings and the meaning of prayer and yearning. A half hour commitment is and you will change and progress.
evil traits until he succeeds in nullifying all of his physicality, the minimum amount to show that a person really wants to engage
and he is absorbed into the root of his being.” 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.