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Hashem to nullify his cravings and evil traits, as a result of his sense For Hashem’s Honor
of danger (as above).
The “new light” in prayer is the light of complete faith. No
To Ask to Be Revived spiritual rule prevents you from requesting complete salvation
immediately. Say the following: “I don’t deserve it, but Hashem
As long as a person’s craving burns in him, he will never feel that will give it to me, because He does not want me to sin before
sin is death. His craving appears to him as the sweetest ingredient in Him anymore.” And cry out to Hashem: “Master of the universe,
existence, “the taste of life.” How can he see that this is death? At just because I sinned, does that mean that I should continue to
every moment that he visualizes the craving, he only makes it more sin? It is true that I don’t deserve anything—but should I continue
and more appealing to himself, and he lacks free choice. to sin because I don’t deserve anything? It is true that I am not
worthy—but should I continue to sin because I am not worthy?
Therefore, in the work of the will, when a person prays for And just because I am so far from You, will You not save me? It is
his spirituality, he must have a feeling of death: not that “I am all correct and absolutely true: I transgressed, I did wrong, I sinned.
going to die” but that “I am already dead!” He should cry out to But because of that, should I continue sinning? Hashem, You are
Hashem: “Master of the world, the problem is not that I am going all-powerful. You transcend all powers. You transcend all rules.
to die. I have already been dead for a while. I do not have any free I am Your child, and as long as I am in darkness, You Yourself
choice at all. I ask You for life. Give me life! Destroy my craving. experience great and tremendous sorrow. That is a desecration of
This craving is death. It is killing me. As long as I have this craving, Your name. I need salvation. Save me now, immediately, for Your
I am dead. As long as I have this craving, I do not feel danger. I do sake, for the sake of Your name, and for the sake of Your will….”
not feel and recall anything. I do not recall Hashem and the Torah.
I do not recall any obligation and faithfulness. I only want to fulfill As stated earlier, this complete and powerful prayer is prayer for
my craving. I want to feel danger, but where am I in general? I the sake of Hashem, for the sake of His honor, for the sake of His
have destroyed all of my feelings. Rescue me quickly and give me name, with love. Therefore, it is possible to cry out to Hashem and
immediately, right now, a strong will to want only You. Give me make requests of Him without end, just as the tzaddikim prayed:
true fear of heaven and nullify my craving right away, because at “Not for my honor have I acted, nor for the honor of the house
every moment I am in terrible danger. Revive me and help me so of my father, but for Your honor” (Ta’anit 20a). And with such
that from now on I will view sin like death and sweetness…” a prayer, they requested and brought about salvations and they
changed nature instantaneously. Thus, a verse states that Hannah
This entire chapter is speaking to a person who has already spent prayed “on”—meaning, “for the sake of”—Hashem. She did not
a period of time working on his will and who is not at peace with pray to Hashem but for the sake of Hashem, for the sake of
the fact that he possesses cravings, and who wants to see a tangible the honor of Hashem. She was embittered, her heart burned, and
and immediate change. He sees that he is progressing very slowly, she cried out and poured out all her soul. Therefore, she could
and he is still committing many sins, and throughout the day he is make her request with all her might. Our Sages teach that she
consumed by his cravings, and his evil desire repeatedly overcomes challenged Hashem. Yet not only was she not punished for this,
him, and so he seeks the proper way to bring about and experience but she brought about more salvations. She became pregnant and
new changes every day. This entire chapter has been written for gave birth to Samuel the prophet, who is compared to Moses and
such a person, so that he will receive the inspiration and vessels to Aaron. Every prayer for spiritual growth is a prayer for the sake
do his work properly. And when his good will grows stronger and of Hashem, for the sake of Hashem’s will and for the sake of the
pushes away his evil will, he begins to return to sanity, and he can purpose for which Hashem created the entire world. We must pray