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In practical terms, when a person attains true knowledge, he will “I have very much yearned to bring everyone to deed:
entirely eradicate his every problem. As Rabbi Nachman teaches: that every individual should obligate himself to learn a
“Know that all kinds of trouble and all sufferings are due only to a certain amount of material every day without exception,
person’s lack of knowledge, because a person who has knowledge and the like.”
and knows that everything is under the providence of
Hashem, may He be blessed, does not suffer and does not [Rabbi Nachman] said that the power of the Torah is
feel any trouble…” (ibid. 2050). so great that it can liberate people from the sins to which
Therefore, in any trouble that you may have, anything that upsets they are habituated, heaven forbid—even people who are
and disturbs you—any argument, conflict, falling out, entrapment, very far from holiness, people who have been trapped in
conflict, worry, doubt, unclarity, anything at all!—put it into the an evil snare until they are habituated to sin (heaven
blessing, “You Who graciously grant.” Engage in this at length, forbid, may the Compassionate One have mercy, may
over and over and over again, keeping in mind that you wish to the Compassionate One save us). If they will make a
know Hashem. Do not stop reciting the blessing until you feel that firm rule and a strong obligation to learn a certain
you have received the knowledge to know what to do and that you amount of material every day, however they may
understand what Hashem is teaching you in this situation and how be, they will certainly be able to emerge from their
to find Hashem in what you are going through, and how you will evil pitfall with the help of the Torah, because the
emerge from this circumstance stronger, believing in Hashem more power of the Torah is very great.
and knowing Him more.
To sum up, we have learned an iron-clad principle: unclear
The Sole Salvation awareness is equivalent to a weak will, and clear awareness
is equivalent to a strong will!
The complete redemption that will come in the messianic future
will consist of the perfection of knowledge. As Rabbi Nachman Therefore, when you want to attain a specific goal, you
teaches, the entirety of the exile corresponds to a lack of knowledge must first of all engage in focused and high-quality learning
(Likutei Moharan I 21). Therefore, in the messianic future, “The earth every day. That will lead you to clearly understand that
will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem like water covering the your entire life depends upon reaching that goal. This
sea” (Isaiah 11:9), and “No longer will one man teach his neighbor understanding will strengthen your intent and help you
or his brother, saying, ‘Know Hashem,’ because everyone will know engage in the work of the will.
Me, from their smallest to their greatest” (Jeremiah 31:33).
As I have explained, all of a person’s needs are encompassed in the
blessing, “He Who graciously gives knowledge.” All of the blessings
in the Shemoneh Esrei are subsumed to that blessing, because in
all of them a person’s central intent is to attain knowledge, as I will
now describe in detail.
As an introductory observation, whenever in the Shemoneh
Esrei we make a request such as “Save us,” “Be gracious to us”