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danger, heaven will not answer you and you will not bring about a cry out to Hashem regarding spiritual goals, “You must save me!” There is no happier situation in a person’s life than
change in yourself, but you will continue to sin, and cravings will many of them told me that these words fill them with great fervor when he finds himself despairing of his own capabilities.
continue to burn in you—and who knows what you will come to…. to do the work of the will. That is to say, he has already toiled and done all that he
could think of, and it did not help. Then it is fitting
What Are You Praying For? Everything depends on how a person interprets these words. to engage in complete prayer for His help, may He
When a person understands clearly that Hashem wants to save him be blessed, because this person knows with certitude

Thus, the principal theme of your prayer must be attaining and is only waiting for his work—meaning that the essence is his that his own work will not bring him results. But as long
will and not your request for Hashem to save you. When a work—these words give him great impetus and he engages in the as he feels some power of the work of his own hand, his
work stormily, with all his might and with all his fervor. But if a
person only asks for Hashem to save him spiritually but he does not prayer is incomplete.
possess wholeness of intent, he is lacking a great deal. To explain: person is seeking to release himself from the yoke of work, and he
thinks that this way is a shortcut and he cries out to Hashem, “You
let us say that a person wants to guard his eyes, but he is still far must save me!” superficially and without truly working on his will When a person attains this feeling after having worked for days
from possessing the wholeness of intent. Can he say to Hashem: “I and years, he can argue before Hashem: “Master of the universe,
need to guard my eyes, and if I do not, I am as good as dead…”? and feelings, then it is forbidden for him to tell Hashem, “You must You must save me!” Although (as was explained above) Hashem’s
save me!” because these words anesthetize him and give him the
That isn’t really how he feels. Heaven wants to help a person guard will is more than an “obligation,” the fact is that when a person
his eyes more than he himself wants to. But what can heaven do justification to continue to remain on his level. He throws all of the cries out to Hashem, “You must save me!” he receives a very great
work onto Hashem and thinks that he himself does not have to do
if this person does not have “hands” to receive? A person needs anything. influx of inspiration. These words affect the person and arouse his
these “hands,” which are the will. Therefore, pray to receive the will more than do the words “You want to save me.” I myself and
will. Thus, although this wonderful practice inspires one person to my students have felt how saying these words has filled us with a
work, it takes away another person’s sense of the yoke of service. great sense of urgency.
If a person wants Hashem to save him so that he will be able to
guard his eyes even though he lacks the “hands”—the will—this From here, I learned that different people interpret subtle and However, I was hesitant to commit this to writing. That is because
means that, practically speaking, he wants to be blind—because delicate points in faith in accordance with their will. One person is quite a number of people came to me and told me that they very
inspired to work, and another falls into a deep sleep.
how else will heaven help him guard his eyes? It can only do so if, much enjoyed my classes because, understanding that Hashem
heaven forbid, he is blind. Then he can no longer damage himself must save them, they addressed Hashem, “You must save me!”
by looking inappropriately. Bring Receipts However, they thought that this meant that they would not have to
do any work: neither the work of faith—to recognize Hashem, to
The same applies to all cravings. A person wants to stop having Therefore, I have hedged this about with many explanations: understand that Hashem wants to give and that He is all-powerful—
a craving—for instance, he wants to nullify his craving for eating— that a person should tell Hashem, “You must save me!” only with nor any true work of the will. If so, why did Hashem create them?
but he is far from having wholeness of intent. If he demands of true feeling. Also, when we tell Hashem, “You must save me!” we So that they would receive “the bread of shame” for free, without
Hashem, “Help me right now stop having the craving to eat, and must bring “receipts.” There is no better receipt than a person’s any work? A person has the work of attaining complete faith and
if not, I am as good as dead,” heaven can only do that by making habituation to doing the work of the will at a set time every day. complete will. Regarding that, he can say to Hashem, “You must
him sick. But heaven wants to give a person his salvation in a good That constitutes the proof that he has true will. And now when give me faith; You must give me will, because every day of my life
and complete form. Therefore, the essence of this person’s request he asks to attain a strong and mighty will, that is a request that is I invest half an hour on the work of the will.”
must be: “Completely nullify my eating for the sake of satisfying my reasonable and pleasing, and it is accepted.
appetite. May my entire intent be only to eat for the sake of doing However, I decided not to withold this good, because when these
Your will, because Your wisdom decreed that a person must eat in Similarly, the essence of prayer and request is to ask Hashem to words emerge from the entire structure of the will (as discussed
order to bring about spiritual clarifications. Give me the wholeness give us the will itself, because that is a person’s essential quality here), they possess power, force and very wondrous light. In my
of will to always eat sedately, with decorum, with dignity. Give me that he may not compromise in the least. Therefore, when we classes, when I told about the student who was drowning and cried
the wholeness of will to eat sitting down. Give me the wholeness of tell Hashem, “You must,” the essence of our request is to say to out to Hashem, “You must save me!” and I inspired my students to