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In such a situation, Hashem’s true compassion will be expressed who need to be cut off from the land “cry out, Hashem hears and
in rescuing the person immediately from the mortal danger of He rescues them from all their trouble.” Why? Because “Hashem
transgressing Hashem’s will. is close to the brokenhearted and He saves the lowly of spirit.”
The Pele Yoetz comments (ibid.): “How great is the power of
“If We Are Like Your Children…” an outcry, for it nullifies the heavenly decree. As the verse states,
‘The face of Hashem is against those who do evil, to cut off their
This was the way of all of the tzaddikim when they wanted to memory from the land. [But when] they cry out, Hashem hears.’”
bring about salvation. They believed completely that Hashem That means that when a person cries out, Hashem must, as it were,
wants to save them, and they believed fully that prayer with all accept his request, even in physical matters. Therefore, it is possible
one’s might is effective. They stood before Hashem stubbornly and to tell Hashem, “You must save me.”
without compromise, strong and insistent. For instance, Choni the Rabbi Natan applies everything that we have learned here about
Circle Maker made a circle, stood in it, and said: “I will not leave
here until You will have compassion upon Your children.” That was an outcry to serve Hashem. He tells (Likutei Halachot: Nedarim 4)
how Rabbi Nachman gave a talk to his students on the topic of the
his approach. He was like a son before God, and he was insistent
until Hashem did what he wanted. Therefore, Shimon ben Shetach greatness of the Creator:
told him, “What can I do about you, since you nestle up to God, In the midst of his holy talk about the greatness of the
Who then does your will, like a son who nestles up to his father,
who then does what he wants?” (Ta’anit 19a). Creator, may He be blessed, he transitioned to speak
words of encouragement in order to inspire everyone
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov says that this is relevant not only who fell from his service of Hashem, no matter how
for Choni the Circle Maker. Rather, every Jew can be like a child low he might have fallen—everyone in accordance with
before God (Sichot Haran 7): his situation, may the Compassionate One protect us.
That is because the greatness of Hashem, may He be
It is very good for a person to pour forth his speech blessed, is much higher than that of the Torah. [On the
before Hashem, may He be blessed, pleading for level of Hashem], everything can be rectified, etc., since
Hashem’s compassion, like a son who nestles up to his teshuvah is higher than the Torah.
father. After all, hasn’t Hashem, may He be blessed,
called us His children, as in the verse, “You are children I asked him, “But how can we attain that?”
to Hashem your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1)?
He answered, “People can attain this as long as
Therefore, it is very good for a person to express his they do not despair of crying out, praying and
speech and unhappiness to Him, may He be blessed, like pleading, but engage in crying out, praying and
a son who complains before his father with movements beseeching, and so forth. And a person does not
that invite Hashem’s graciousness and compassion. have to toil forever before attaining the ability to
rise up and so forth. That is because the essence of
It may appear to the person that because of the way teshuvah is crying out and calling out to Hashem,
he has acted he is not like a son before Hashem, may may He be blessed. As the verse states, “The face
He be blessed. Yet hasn’t Hashem, may He be blessed, of Hashem is against those who do evil, etc. [But