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Torah—regarding which the Torah writes, ‘It is very sick; I didn’t have a study partner; I had no one to help me,” and that he undergoes every day and hour. And in keeping with what
close to you’—weren’t you given understanding and so forth and so on. They will tell him: “Everything you say is true, we have learned in this chapter—that the essence of that judgment
knowledge?” but we do not accept any of these excuses, because they are not concerns a person’s will—we see that a person’s intent determines
the real reason that you did not succeed. You did not succeed, you what kind of life he will live in this world: a life of comfort or of
Immediately, he groaned, raised his voice and wept. did not accomplish, and you did not prevail for one reason only: suffering, a life of frustration and bitterness or of joy, a life of
because you did not want to! ‘I can’t’ means ‘I don’t want to,’ feeling bad or of feeling good.
I told him: “My son, do not feel bad. Other people too because a person who wants does.”
Thus, a person’s intent directly determines how his life will
reply in the same way that you replied to me. But their A person must constantly remind himself: “What a person does appear to him and how he will experience everything that he
abilities [in other areas] are proof against them [and expresses who he is.” Think about this and consider it well: when must go through in this world. On the other hand, his intent is his
show that they are capable of learning Torah].” (Tana you want to do something, you are able to do it. If something most extraordinary tool to sweeten any judgments against him. If
Devei Eliyahu 14) is important to you, you find the time, energy and ability for it. a person feels all sorts of depression and experiences unpleasant
From this, you may realize that with the help of a strong will you incidents or various kinds of troubles and problems, that indicates
Everyone has a long list of excuses and rationales for why he can reach high attainments in your life. Consider your ways and that judgments are resting upon him. And that is because when
“cannot,” and why it is “hard for him”—to serve Hashem, to learn deeds, consider your life, and you will see that you can reach every heaven recently judged him, he did not emerge innocent. If he
Torah, to pray and to rectify his character traits. With these excuses, goal. Seeing this, you will realize that everything that you do in strengthens his good intentions to align himself with Hashem’s will,
he attempts to assuage and soothe his conscience, and to continue life is precisely what you want to do, because if you truly wanted heaven will consider him as being righteous, and in his coming
to sleep away his life. He thinks that with this list, when he rises to something else, you would have reached another place in your judgment heaven will judge him positively. That will then manifest
the heavenly court, he will make an impression. But they will tell life. Your personal circumstances are irrelevant. The principal—the itself in his experiencing everything as easy and pleasant, with joy
him, “The work of your hands testifies against you, because in sole—factor is your will. Therefore, the first question that a person and a good feeling.
other things that you wanted, you succeeded. Even when you faced will be asked in heaven is about his will. The principal judgment
a multitude of difficult obstacles, you strove, you were stubborn will be in regard to his will. That is the simple meaning of Rabbi
and you succeeded—because you wanted something. When it came Nachman’s statement that “what a person wants, he does.” An Illustration
to something that you wanted, you strove and succeeded. And if
you didn’t succeed at something, that is because you did not want I have discussed this principle at length in order to inspire you to The principle that Hashem judges a person in accordance with
it.” utilize your abilities. In most cases, when a person applies even a his will is based upon the axiom that was earlier discussed: that a
little bit of will, he finds solutions to every obstacle and difficulty, person always has free choice, and the essence of that free choice
No More Excuses and he receives the strength and energy to do everything he needs lies in his will. Therefore, a person is judged for his will. I will
to do. But sometimes a person faces obstacles that he absolutely illustrate these axioms in the following story to make them easier to
understand, and with that I will bring this chapter to a close.
When a person comes to heaven (after 120 years), they will cannot overcome, and in such a case his excuses are completely
ask him why he did not perform various particular mitzvot. Why justified. In heaven, he will be told that everything that he claims Due to a state of emergency, the rabbinic leaders of the generation
didn’t he manage to learn the entire Torah? Why didn’t he succeed is true, and that he really did face overwhelming obstacles. But in met and issued a proclamation calling upon the public to gather
in becoming completely holy? Why did he smoke? Why did he the same breath, they will ask him: “But why didn’t you want? It together for a mass prayer meeting. All of the community rabbis,
gamble? Why did he look at pornography on the internet? He will is true that you could not actually accomplish. But you were able leaders and heads of yeshivas told their congregants and students to
offer excuses: “I couldn’t; it was too hard; I was addicted…” and so to want—so why didn’t you? If you would have only wanted, you participate. They said that every individual was absolutely obligated
forth. They will answer him severely: “You didn’t want to!” He will would have been helped, because ‘in the way that a person wishes to heed the words of the sages, the leaders of the generation, and
say: “Listen, that isn’t exactly the case. There were obstacles in my to go, he is led.’ If you had only strengthened yourself to want— to participate in praying on behalf of the public, and that no one
way. I had a strong evil inclination; I didn’t have time; my father and you certainly could always have done that—heaven would have had the right to separate himself and stand off to the side.
didn’t permit me; my wife opposed me; I didn’t have money; I was guided you. You would have seen and found a great many paths