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called us His children? Whatever we may be, Hashem to be noted [because heaven will say: ‘Because this person is so True Distress
calls us His children. “Even if it is right in Hashem’s eyes sure of his merits, let us examine him carefully’]. Rather, a person
to reject me from being on the level of His child, heaven should have a hopeful attitude that the Holy One, blessed be He, Therefore, Rabbi Natan is not sparing in the use of vivid imagery
forbid, I must do my part to make myself like His will act out of His kindness. He should say to himself, ‘Who am I, a when he describes his adversity, his goal being to arouse his own
child….” poor and contemptible person, who comes to ask something of the heart to be aware of his danger and to teach us how we too must
King, King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He? I can only appeal arouse our hearts whenever we pray regarding spiritual matters. For
Rabbi Nachman adhered to this approach in the most to His vast kindness with which He treats His creatures’” (Shulchan example (Prayer 31):
straightforward way. Regarding every spiritual salvation that he Aruch: Orach Chaim 98).
wanted to attain, he truly felt that without it he was not alive. Master of the world, You know of my embittered,
Therefore, he cast himself down before Hashem, with his hands and However, the implication of everything that I have discussed pounding heart. You know the copious amount
feet stretched out, and he pleaded for every goal that he wanted above is that the concern about “contemplating one’s prayer” is of troubles in my soul, which I cannot bear. You
to attain, and he felt that if he did not get it he was not a Jew at relevant only regarding a person’s prayers for physical matters. In know the bitterness of my sighs, my numerous
all, and so why should he live? Thus, he was once found “lying the physical realm, heaven is not obligated to fulfill his requests, troubles, my distress, my poverty, my labors and
on the ground with his hands and feet stretched out. Although at and heaven has its own reckonings. However, in spiritual matters, my misery. Hashem, woe to my nefesh, my ruach
that point [in his life] he was extremely weak, so much so that he there is no such concern. Hashem wants a person to be spiritually and my neshamah. Woe, how deeply my body is
was living by a miracle and he was on the verge of dying at every effective and successful. The more insistent he is, the more heaven afflicted.
moment, until his final hour he did not abandon his admirable way wants to give him what he wants. Therefore, it is no problem for a
of acting with simplicity” (Sichot Haran 164). person to stand and request spiritual attainments with all his might,
because he is asking to attain the fear of heaven, he is asking to be I cry out to You and sigh from the depths of my
in accord with Hashem’s will, and he is seeking Hashem Himself, exile, from the very lowest depths, like a person
To Conquer the “Conductor” as it were. who has been the target of every kind of arrow,

spear and sword, all of which are still piercing his
We must believe completely that Hashem wants to give to us. Positive or Negative body. His every limb is pierced by thousands—
Every Jew who does the work of the will is basically like Choni the
Circle Maker. He tells the Holy One, blessed be He: “Nothing else by tens of thousands—of arrows, spears and bows
interests me. I will return here day after day and plead before You Therefore, the Gemara sometimes regards the concept of smeared with every sort of bitter and noxious
for half an hour until You save me. I am prepared to pray for this “contemplating one’s prayer” positively and at other times poison. Multitudes of wild beasts, snakes and
until my final day.” When a Jew is insistent that he will not abandon negatively (as the commentaries explain). On the one hand, the scorpions surround him on every side. And he
the work of the will until he receives and is saved, he can strongly sages state that contemplating one’s prayer is among a set of is encompassed in enclosure within enclosure, as
request of Hashem and tell Him, “I need to be saved immediately, positive actions the fruit of which a person eats in this world and thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands of
right now.” Because he has such a powerful will and utter devotion, whose principal he receives in the world-to-come. On the other guards and criminals stand around him, constrain
he will not abandon his goal until he attains it. All that he lacks is hand, the Gemara says that contemplating one’s prayer recalls a him and do not even allow him to lift his head a
proper prayer, complete prayer, the belief that Hashem wants to person’s sins. hairsbreadth, even for a brief moment. They shut
give to him and that his function is to “force” Hashem to do so, as We must be aware that the contemplation of prayer in a negative his mouth, confuse his mind, and twist his heart at
it were, and conquer Him, as it were. Therefore, he tells Hashem: sense refers to prayer for physical matters. The Holy One, blessed be every minute and every moment to keep him from
“You want to save me immediately, now, and I need to be saved He, determines the exact conditions under which every individual is
immediately, now. Therefore, You must save me!” crying out to You, from seeking Your compassion
to serve Him. A person who whines and complains and, moreover, and from hoping in Your salvation.
As Rabbi Nachman says, we must conquer Hashem, as it were. who thinks that Hashem must fulfill his requests, is very foolish
and lacks the initial level of faith (as I have discussed at length I am poor and in pain—much, much worse off