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purpose of bringing him close to Hashem. That faith aids him in the day, then eventually that will certainly bear fruit. Your intent will be without exception—man or woman, scholar or simple Jew, adult
most difficult times. strong and firm, giving you the fortitude to continue working until or young child.
heaven will lead you and protect you from everything forbidden,
Therefore, when a person attains the inner awareness of the trait and you will undergo an essential transformation. The holy Torah is broader and deeper than the sea. Yet at the
of joy, the essence of his work of the will is to pray that Hashem will same time it is accessible to and fitting for every person, whatever
help him believe that everything is for the good, because only that The Short and Certain Route level he is on, because “it is not hidden from you and it is not
faith helps him always be joyful. And he must bring the knowledge far from you. It is not in the heavens … and it is not over the
that he learns daily into his heart. As the verse states, “You shall There are some topics regarding which there exist comprehensive sea” (Deuteronomy 30:11-13). The Torah includes all wisdom,
know today and you shall place upon your heart” (Deuteronomy and well-organized books for practical application, which anthologize concepts and advice to guide, instruct and steer every Jew on
4:39). That which aids a person during the time that he is tested many inspiring teachings and types of guidance. A person who his way. Fortunate are we and fortunate is our portion that we
is not the knowledge in his mind but the knowledge in his heart. live in a generation in which “all of us are wise and all of us are
Therefore, a person who wants to be constantly joyful must insert wants to attain the wholeness of the work of the will must always understanding” (Haggadah). Today, every person knows how
have a book at hand on his topic, and learn from it regularly.
into the depths of his heart the faith that everything is for the good. If he has the opportunity to read or hear additional sources and to read and write, books are freely accessible and available, and
And so, although you must certainly write down your prayers, encouragement on that topic, he should write them down. the authors of our time have accomplished wonderful things in
remember all of the advice you study and make use of all of that composing books that are informative and clear, written for
advice, you must dedicate the majority of your prayers in your half For instance, a person who wants to engage in hitbodedut everyone in the simplest language. In addition, books today are
hour to the topic of faith. should learn In Forest Fields (by the author of this book), which printed in easy-to-read formats, and everything is easily obtainable.
is a practical guide to hitbodedut. Its entire goal is to inspire
Only when a person prays every day and strives with all his the people of our generation to engage in hitbodedut. And he It is thus simple for a person to find a wealth of material—books,
might to learn and review the books that inspire him to acquire a should learn Outpouring of the Soul, which compiles advice other publications, chapters in books or disks—dealing with every
particular trait is his work of the will whole and full. Even a person and encouragement regarding hitbodedut from all of the books of topic that he wants to work on. In previous generations, there was
who prays for half an hour a day with enthusiasm and great intent Rabbi Nachman and his student Rabbi Natan. poverty and scarcity. Not everyone could afford to buy books.
must continue to learn in depth and review his learning, even if it is And books in general were much less available. In some cities,
simple and self-evident. My students have told me that even if they A person who wants to work on a particular topic must be “a wise there was only one full set of Gemara, and people needed to wait
have been doing half an hour a day of the work of the will for years person whose eyes are in his head” (cf. Ecclesiastes 2:14). Instead of to borrow a volume, and when they did so they needed to leave a
with intent and feeling, on the day that they learn and review even “recreating the wheel,” instead of studying and learning for years, large deposit with the owner because it was so valuable. Moreover,
a little, that invigorates them and enhances their work considerably. experimenting and erring until you reach proper conclusions, learn the books were physically hard to read: the writing was crowded
Indeed, when a person does the work of the will properly, each day from someone who has already toiled and worked hard on your and unclear, and the text contained all sorts of errors. But today,
that he does not learn constitutes a great loss, because that learning behalf, who has already plowed, sowed and reaped, and so forth, in our generation of abundance, everything is available. Everything
has the power to improve his work and strengthen his will multiple and who has presented you with foods and delicacies ready to eat. is clear and straightforward. How fortunate we are! It is possible
times. to go to collections of discarded holy books and return with many
Therefore, a person who wants to acquire the trait of faith, which valuable texts. A person who wants to learn about a particular
We Go in the Footsteps of the Tzaddikim encompasses all of the good in the world, should regularly learn subject can easily get material on it. Therefore, acquire books and
In the Garden of Faith and His Gates with Thanksgiving. take the initiative to learn them.
It was to that end that, in his youth, Rabbi Nachman wrote Sefer A man who wants to have a good marital relationship should
Hamidot. Thus, the introduction to Sefer Hamidot states that his regularly learn In the Garden of Peace. A woman who wants to Setting Out on the Way
purpose was “to allow him to see in an organized form the strengthen herself in matters relevant to her should regularly learn
tremendous depravity of a bad trait.” This indicates that superficial, The Wisdom of Women. A person who wants to acquire the How do you take the initiative to learn material that is relevant
general learning will not suffice. Rather, a person must gather the trait of joy (as was discussed here) should learn In the Garden of and desirable for your present purpose?