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restoring what is lacking in the world and on praying on people’s emerge from every sort of imprisonment—and in particular from
behalf.” Rabbi Nachman silenced them and said: “Don’t your ears the imprisonment of cravings and addictions. Therefore, knowing
hear what your mouth is saying? … This teaches that every person that your will is always free constitutes your emergence from prison!
is obligated to say that the entire world was created only for him.
If so, every person is under an obligation from which he cannot When your will is free, you are free.
excuse himself….” His intent was to tell them, “Even if you cannot
do something, you are obligated to want, yearn and pray for it.” Doing God’s Will
Thus, the entire intent of his words was to arouse a person to want.
In accordance with this, we may understand the holy mishnah in
To Enter the Garden of Eden with Intent Pirkei Avot (2:4), which states, “Do His will as your will, so that
He will do your will as His will. Nullify your will before His will, so
In this way, we may understand the words of Rabbi Natan of that He will nullify the will of others before your will.” How does
Breslov, who said that because of his Likutei Tefillot many people a person serve Hashem? He must know what Hashem wants, and
were privileged to enter the Garden of Eden (Siach Sarfei Kodesh want it himself; similarly, he must know what Hashem does not
I 397). That is because Likutei Tefillot is filled with awesome want, and must not want it himself. Since a person has personal
prayers that express yearning and longing. There is no mitzvah or wishes that aren’t in accord with the Creator’s will, he must clearly
any topic related to serving Hashem about which this book does understand what the Creator wants of him, and nullify his personal
not contain wondrous prayers. When a person is able to recite desires to the Creator’s will, and want only what Hashem wants.
many entreaties and he fortifies his intent regarding every holy The mishnah does not state: “Perform your actions in accordance
matter, heaven views him in accordance with his intent and not in with His will” or “Do not transgress His will,” because actions are
accordance with the outcome, because that is the entirety of how not in a person’s hands. In this mishnah, our holy rabbis teach us
heaven judges a person. Therefore, when a person regularly recites the concept discussed earlier: that free choice lies only in a person’s
Likutei Tefillot, he is privileged to enter the Garden of Eden. will, because all that is free in a person on a constant basis is his will.

This explains another statement of Rabbi Natan about Likutei
Tefillot: that since the publication of these prayers, people will
have to give an account for every day that they do not recite them
(ibid. 395). This is problematical. Where do we find a requirement
in the Torah to recite the prayers in Likutei Tefillot? Does Rabbi
Natan have the authority to add a mitzvah to the Torah? But this
may be understood in light of the words of the Shulchan Aruch
Harav quoted earlier, which indicate that a person is judged for
his intent. A person will be told in heaven, “It is true that you
could not serve Hashem fully. But if you had recited Rabbi Natan’s
prayers, you would have yearned for Torah, for prayer, for joy, for
giving charity, and for keeping every mitzvah.” In accordance with
this, heaven will judge him: “Why you didn’t want these things?”
Everything depends on a person’s will. The principal factor is the