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and have read my books, yet they come to me over and over again the will as you recite the blessing of “He Who graciously grants
with their domestic problems. I ask myself: how is it possible that knowledge.” Even if you pray for some particular matter for only a
after a person has sat in my classes, where he hears so much about minute a day, that too is a wonderful work of the will. Do not grow
faith and achieving peace in the home, and he has learned my discouraged if you cannot manage half an hour. At least grab a few
books multiple times, he is still far from knowledge? minutes. But be strong in doing so every day, because although
no word is lost no matter how it is said, a set schedule of even a
Some of these people come to seek my advice every day. I tell minute a day has a particularly great amount of power.
them, “I don’t have anything new to tell you. It is all written in my
books. What do you think? That I will come up with new advice Also, when you spend half an hour on the blessing of “He Who
for you? If my books don’t help you, I can’t do anything more graciously grants knowledge” once a day, and you want to but
for you.” My book on marriage contains everything that a person cannot spend half an hour on every blessing, if you recite every
needs. Can I write a new book for every husband? blessing in the Shemoneh Esrei at least once a day for a minute,
that is also a wonderful work of the will. For example, if you recite
Some people want me to say that they are right, and that what is the blessing, “Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah,” even once
written in my book doesn’t apply to them. They want me to agree a day for a minute (as I will explain immediately), at the end of a
with them, to contradict myself and tell them that their behavior year you will have spent six hours doing the work of the will on
is justified. that blessing!
So what is the true answer to all of the problems of these people? The greatest thing in the world is teshuvah. Doing teshuvah is the
The true answer to these people who come back again and again entire goal of every Jew. And with the slight effort of doing the
with the same problems and who learn my books but don’t see any work of the will for a minute every day on the blessing, “Bring us
change in themselves is the blessing of “He Who graciously grants back…”—in addition to your hour of hitbodedut and your longer
knowledge.” In this blessing, we say, “You graciously give man work of the will—you will do teshuvah for a period of time that, at
knowledge and teach human beings understanding”—You, and only the end of a year, will add up to six hours. There is no comparable
You. Only Hashem bestows knowledge. No rabbi or advisor, profit in the world. Even a person’s thought of teshuvah, even
whoever he may be, even the greatest rabbi in the world, can when he thinks just one time, “I want to live in accordance with
give a person knowledge. If a person does not have the proper the will of Hashem and do teshuvah,” turns him into a righteous
awareness to receive wisdom, to understand it and then to live in person, even if he had been the worst sinner. Taking that into
accordance with what he has learned, it is impossible to help him. account, consider what you will attain by engaging in six such hours
That explains why many people who go to excellent advisors see over the course of a year.
no results—because even if the advisor is a world-renowned expert,
he cannot transmit awareness. Only the One Who graciously grants Warning!
knowledge can do that.
If you see that a book isn’t helping you, that you are learning, How do you do this? Repeat the words of the blessing a number
praying and doing hitbodedut and that this does not help you either, of times, slowly and with feeling. If you check your watch, you will
this means that you lack knowledge. In that case, what must you see that saying the words of the blessing slowly, word by word,
do? My dear reader, go to the One Who graciously grants thoughtfully and with intent in every word, will take between ten
knowledge. Stand before Him and plead for your life. Ask and fifteen seconds. That means that over the course of a minute
Him to give you knowledge! No other advice will help you. you can repeat the words four to six times.
