Page 181 - 20780

172 | A New Light Chapter Five: | 181 180 | A New Light 6

that you are building vessels. Every word you say is another vessel. what teshuvah is: “What is teshuvah? It means that a transgressor Now this is entirely clear and understandable. There is no way
Everyone who does the work of the will for half an hour a day abandons his transgression, removes it from his thought and to stand firm in the war of life without engaging in a great deal of
repeats himself endlessly. After all, who can talk for half an hour resolves in his heart never to do it again” (Hilchot Teshuvah: prayer. If you pray a little, you will succeed a little. If you pay a
on one topic and not repeat himself? That is exactly what this work Chapter 2). It is not enough to leave the transgression. We must great deal, you will succeed a great deal. There is no other counsel.
consists of: to build vessels, to pray over and over and over again, uproot it entirely.
until we are saved. This is the only way to be able to do this work This is not only speaking about a person who wants to change
for half an hour. I myself have repeated the same words for hours How will you remove from your mind and heart everything that nature and reach the levels of the supernal seraphim. Even to be a
over a period of years. Every day I repeat In the same way, when you have seen and done, everything that you have absorbed over simple Jew and fulfill the Creator’s will in the simplest way requires
we recite the Shemoneh Esrei, we repeat ourselves three times a the years when you were far from holiness? How will you erase all a person to engage in a great deal of prayer. That is because
day. The work is not to produce words. The work is to say of the impressions of all of the thoughts, words, deeds and feelings tests, difficulties and cravings lay siege to everyone. The hour of
the words with renewed will! that have been embedded and burned into your heart? How will you hitbodedut that includes half an hour of the work of the will is the
truly regret the things that once gave you satisfaction and pleasure, sole guarantee that a person will not fall in that war.
If you cannot repeat the words over and over again, that shows and which you still desire? How will you uproot those feelings and
that you lack will. Therefore, pray and ask Hashem to give you thrills that absorbed you then, and eradicate them completely until According to Rabbi Nachman’s statement that the weapon is a
will: “Master of the universe, have compassion on me. I see that I “the One Who knows secrets will testify that this person will never large amount of prayer, a person who does not engage in the work
am repeating the same sin day after day, and that I fall prey to the again return to that transgression” (ibid.)? How will you be able to of the will is like a soldier who is standing in the battlefield without
same craving day after day. What will be with me in the end? Do say: “I am someone else, and not that person who committed these a a weapon. This is appalling—but it is exactly so! Try for a minute
I have any other helpful advice but this? Do I have anywhere else deeds” (ibid.)? to imagine yourself on a battlefield, with blood, fire and columns
to turn to? Master of the world, only You can save me. Creator of of smoke, with tanks, fighter jets, bombs falling everywhere, ear-
the universe, please have compassion on me and give me a strong A person who do not devote time to the work of the will does not splitting explosions rocking the earth, bursts of gunfire spraying out
will to leave this darkness. Give me the strength to pray for what I attain true, inner teshuvah! Practically speaking, he does not have from enemy positions, the cries of the wounded, and horrific sights
need. Help me have the strength to pray and entreat You. Where free choice. He is as far from serving Hashem and rectifying himself everywhere. Now try to imagine that a soldier is sent into this fury
will I go? Where will I escape to? All I can do is stand here and as East is from West, because he does not possess the principal tool without weapons, exposed, and he is told, “Go into the chaos.”
stubbornly pray to You. Creator of the universe, help me stand for with which a person can have an effect and bring about changes in Does he have a chance of surviving? Can you imagine that he has
half an hour and entreat You. Help me repeat the words so that himself. even a slim possibility of not dying? This is an almost immediate
they remain fresh. Help me pray to You to give me the strength death sentence.
to overcome my evil inclination. The Gemara states that if You Do Not Be Easy Prey
do not help me, I cannot overcome my evil inclination. Help me Whoever does not engage in the work of the will appears exactly
build more and more vessels, help me pray a great deal, asking Prayer is everything: prayer is the weapon, prayer is teshuvah, like that soldier. That is a very great pity, because this is a death
You to help me and give me the strength to overcome my evil prayer is free choice. That is because prayer is the will, the essence sentence, God have mercy.
inclination. Help me pray a great deal, to pray over and over again of life is the will, and a person is led in the way that he wants to
until I nullify nature and totally nullify the evil inclination for this go. When you want something, you choose it! Your evil inclination To Uproot the Evil
craving of mine….” Repeat these words over and over again. That will allow you to do everything except pray, because if you possess
is, practically speaking, the work of the will! prayer and the work of the will, it is in deep trouble. Therefore, it Practically speaking, a person who does not engage in the work
steals every person’s principal weapon and causes him to wander of the will has no possibility of doing teshuvah. That is because
The Beginning about in this world like a soldier in the midst of a battlefield without teshuvah means that a deep change occurs within a person’s inner
a weapon, like a “sitting duck.” being, within his entire inner world. You can leave behind being
With this as a given, many people ask what they should work on secular, but how will being secular leave you behind? You can
first. Everyone has many imperfections. Where should he begin? As we have learned, the Gemara states that everyone has an abandon evil, but how will evil abandon you? The Rambam explains