Page 375 - 20780

362 | A New Light Chapter Eight: | 375 370 | A New Light

with the complete faith that there is no other than He and that “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who teaches Torah to His nation of This means that the Chazon Ish’s principal focus was not
there is no evil in the world. Israel.” Fortunate is he and fortunate is his portion. comprehension and knowledge but the perfection of awareness:
he asked Hashem to help him know at every minute of his life that
The Torah is Clothed in Prayer If you do the same, you can spend six hours a year on this he is receiving all of his knowledge directly from the Creator and
wonderful blessing, because when you say it with strong intentions only from Him. And that is a very wonderful intention to have!
for a minute every day, the minutes will add up to six hours of the
Rabbi Nachman said that we must turn his teachings into
prayers. That is to say, a person must pray to implement what work of the will a year. Then you will have done the work of the Return to the Garden of Eden
he learned. First, he should learn and understand the meaning will for six hours on the sweetness of Torah, on learning Torah for
its own sake, and on the success of your children in Torah. Truly
of what he has learned, and then transform that into prayer (as Until this point, I have provided extensive examples of intentions
explained in the introduction to Likutei Tefillot). This creates wonderful! that a person can have when reciting the blessing, “He Who
very great delights in heaven (Likutei Moharan II 25). These insights It is also possible to do the work of the will in every other part graciously grants knowledge.” Now you can and must add to your
into Rabbi Nachman’s teachings can also be applied to personal of prayer that is not the conclusion of a blessing—for instance, service of Hashem these or similar matters that involve knowledge
prayers and to the Shemoneh Esrei: a person can mentally review “Our Father, Father of compassion…, place understanding in our and awareness. Hashem wants to give everyone an abundance
Rabbi Nachman’s teachings and insights that he has learned and hearts….” By spending a minute or more on the work of the will of knowledge, and so He is called “He Who graciously grants
then request knowledge of each teaching from Hashem. Thus, each regarding Torah learning, you will easily attain six hours a year. knowledge.” But your receiving it depends on you: on your prayer,
time a person says, “Graciously grant us from Yourself wisdom, And the same applies to the words, “May we not toil in vain.” on the vessels that you build in order to receive what Hashem
understanding and knowledge,” he should focus on a particular wants to give you. Rabbi Natan says that a person’s every lack
teaching about spiritual attainments that he has learned and have in The same applies to every other section in prayer on a topic reveals a lack of prayer. When you recite the blessing of “He Who
mind the wish to achieve them. In that way, he can focus on that at regarding which you want to see actual results and you feel a graciously grants knowledge,” that is the time to complete your
length with intent and will when he recites that blessing. particular urgent need to ask Hashem for help. If you recite it every lack of knowledge, which includes every lack, to yearn and pine, to
day as everyone recites it, that will certainly not go to waste, but build good and complete vessels, and to fill these vessels with true
For example, when a person who has learned Likutei Moharan neither will it have the power to change you. However, if you invest knowledge.
I 1 says, “Graciously grant us from Yourself wisdom, understanding even a minute a day of focusing your intentions on this prayer, you
and knowledge,” he should have in mind that he wants to attain the will build vessels and you will see great changes—and certainly if Therefore, you must repeat the words with strong intentions over
knowledge to find the wisdom in every entity and connect himself you invest more than a minute. Therefore, when you want to do and over again, because they are the vessels in which to receive
to the wisdom and intellect that exists in every entity. If he has the work of the will on particular sections of prayer—not necessarily awareness. The verbalization is the body, and the intent and strong
learned Likutei Moharan I 4, he should again say, “Graciously the Shemoneh Esrei—it is very worthwhile to mark those places (as feeling are the soul. Together, they constitute the perfection of
grant…,” and desire to know that all of his circumstances are for I wrote in Successful Children regarding the prayer for children). prayer. Such prayer has life. It rises and is effective, because it is
his good. If he has learned Likutei Moharan I 54, he should And, as has been extensively testified to by people about their own truly the service of the heart and not the service of the mouth.
repeat these words of prayer and have in mind that he wishes to experiences, you will see that your deep feeling will be aroused and When a person wants to receive knowledge, he can stand and pray
understand the hints that Hashem sends him in every thought, your intentions will gain in strength. “He Who graciously grants knowledge,” at length without end, as
speech and deed. And so forth. long as he arouses the will in his heart and he repeats these words
over and over for many minutes.
We must pray to understand the truth in what we learn. A A Wonderful Gift
person who does not possess understanding cannot understand the Therefore, I repeat: I recommend that everyone reading
true meaning of anything that he learns. Even if he learns In the This simple advice is a wonderful gift and a sweet way to gain these lines day devote half an hour a day solely to this
Garden of Faith and In the Garden of Peace, which contain “savings” of minutes that will add up to hours of intentions. When blessing, which contains everything. It is clear and self-
wonderful counsel and guidance for life, he must pray a great deal your intentions gain strength and increase, they will bear wonderful evident that when a person does this he will begin to live an
to know how to truly understand the light in those books, and how fruits. And so it is possible to bring about and hasten every salvation, incomparably beautiful and sweet life.