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to disconnect himself from life, that he wants to die. Therefore, influences a person’s life is the time of prayer—then they begin to
sleep is absolute evil. And so it is always forbidden to want to sleep. understand the work of the will during the time of prayer, and they
see that an hour-long Shemoneh Esrei is not unduly long.
The Beginning of Calamity
When a person prays the Shemoneh Esrei for a whole hour at
least once a day, his life will appear entirely different! And how
In Numbers, prior to a description of all of the transgressions
and sins of the children of Israel the letter nun is written twice, much more is this true when, from time to time, he recites an hour-
backward. Why is that? Our sages say, “So as to separate the first long Shemoneh Esrei two or three times in one day.
calamity from the second calamity. What was the second calamity? When a person is able to pray in this way once a day, repeating
‘The people were complaining’ (Numbers 11:1). What was the first the words over and over again with deeper and deeper feeling, then
calamity? ‘They traveled away from the mountain of Hashem’ (ibid. when he recites the prayers more briefly because he has no time, an
10:33).” This raises the question: What is calamitous about the fact impression remains from his lengthy prayer, and so even his short
that the Jews traveled away from the mountain of Hashem? They prayer is different, filled with feeling and yearning. But when in the
had to do so. That was Hashem’s will. But our sages say that they course of his entire life a person prays quickly and briefly, there is
wanted to travel away from the mountain of Hashem. Like a child nothing to illuminate him, and his prayers lack life entirely (as was
running away from school, they sought to flee Hashem. Therefore, said above).
that is called a calamity! It is true that you must travel, but the
question is: how will you do so—with the will to run away from It should be noted that a person’s entire ability to pray at length
Hashem or with the will to proceed together with Hashem? is in accordance with the degree of his rectification of the covenant.
As Rabbi Nachman teaches in Likutei Moharan (Kitzur Likutei
Only now—in consequence of the exodus from Egypt, the giving Moharan 2): “A person who guards the covenant attains prayer. And
of the Torah and the erection of the tabernacle—did the children when a person damages the covenant, prayer is taken away from
of Israel bond with Hashem. A person can and must proceed with him.” But even a person who has not yet rectified the covenant
Hashem. Hashem is dwelling in our midst. “May Hashem please go can gain the ability to pray at length when he connects himself
in our midst” (Exodus 34:9). to the tzaddikim, men who guard the covenant entirely. And in
this way, he will sweeten his prayer. As Rabbi Nachman teaches
Your Leaving Is Difficult for Me (ibid. 50): “Everyone can taste sweetness in the words of prayer
in accordance with the extent of his rectification of the covenant
In Uman, where Rabbi Nachman is buried, people have often and in accordance with the extent of his connection to the true
told me, “It is hard for me to part from the tzaddik.” I tell them, tzaddikim who guard the covenant.”
“You are not leaving the tzaddik. You have bonded with him, and
now you are going together with him. He will accompany you, “I Call to You the Entire Day”
because he is bound to you.” Similarly, it is hard for a person to
separate himself from the Sabbath and holidays. But a person must Thus, every person can easily recite the Shemoneh Esrei for an
know that he is not separated from the light. The light remains with hour. And, how much more, every person can easily spend an hour
him and bound to him for his entire life. The children of Israel were every day in hitbodedut and doing the work of the will. And that
supposed to travel with Hashem—but instead, they traveled like a is literally the absolute minimum, as Rabbi Nachman says (Chayei
child running away from school. All calamity begins from the Moharan 438):
fact that a person is running away from Hashem. And there

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