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answer the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit, When he repeats this prayer many times with new feeling each
answer us.” In truth, for this itself a person needs time, one may presume that it will have its effect. This repetition
the assistance of heaven: to have a broken heart will enter his heart and arouse his intent until he will truly attain
and not to be appeased by anything but absolute the correct awareness that without attaining his goal he has no life.
salvation. When he attains this feeling with true warmth, so that his heart
burns to be rescued from a craving or an evil trait and the like, and
Regarding this, we request, “Compassionate One…, as a result he makes his request of Hashem, that is a whole prayer,
You answered so-and-so regarding this matter. Save us and it brings about salvations then and there. This person has the
“broken heart” that Rabbi Nachman of Breslov praised so much.
too, even though we are not [as worthy as] he is. What Rabbi Nachman said that a person must break his heart before
difference does that make to You?” This is similar to the Hashem for an hour a day, because only in this way will he see
idea, “If you are righteous, how does that help Him…?” tangible progress. Then a person can use every sort of argument
Regarding the true will of Hashem, may He be blessed, that inspires him when he addresses Hashem and beseeches Hashem
what difference is there between a righteous person and with every form of expression and with all his might.
a wicked person—and how much more in regard to this
[present topic]? Only from the aspect of [the rules of Do Not Compromise
reality that correspond to the] way of the Torah is it
fitting to answer the righteous or the brokenhearted more Regarding the topic of praying with all one’s might, Rabbi Tzadok
[than others]. But the request for compassion even Hacohen teaches the following (Tzidkat Hatzaddik 213):
[overrides] the Torah’s rule of judgment. And [so
we appeal to God as the] “Compassionate One”: “From When a person who is lacking asks for completion, it
the aspect of the trait of Your compassion, just as we see is impossible that the Holy One, blessed be He, will
that You answer that [righteous person], so too answer not answer him. As the verse states, “Hashem is close to
us as well.” the broken-hearted and the depressed…” (Psalms 34:19).
And as is written in the Zohar (III 195), a poor person’s
This passage of Rabbi Tzadok contains a number of very important prayer includes all prayers and splits the firmaments.
principles, teaching that when we pray for spirituality we must And “poor” refers to the mind (Nedarim 41a).
make the highest requests without any compromise, and we must
not be satisfied with less. We must desire complete and absolute [Hashem listens] even if this person does not know
salvation—no less! That is called “seeking Hashem’s compassion.” how to pray and appease his Maker. Therefore, it
And we must ask this itself of Hashem: that He help us attain the is said of him that “before Hashem he pours out his
awareness and true feeling in the heart that without this we do not speech” (Psalms 102:1). “Speech” refers to words of this
have life. world and not words of Torah. That is to say, he speaks

This passage teaches that such prayer certainly has an effect—an without mindfulness. “He pours out.” [He prays] not
immediate effect—as explained in the Gemara. And that in essence with calmness and order, but he pours his soul out
sums up the entirety of the new light in the work of the will. to Hashem Hashem from a broken heart and with