Rabbi Nachman's Advice

Online version of Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum's English translation ofLikutey

Etzot, a complete compendium of Rabbi Nachman's practical teachings on
spiritual growth and devotion based on his lessons in Likutey Moharan as
transcribed by his leading student, Rabbi Noson of Breslov.

ADVICE:
1) Everybody has ideas about the way to live. But as far as the great mass of people
are concerned, their ideas are all as bad as each other: they're all worthless. Don't pay
any attention to their advice. And all the more so, be sure to ignore any guidance
offered by wicked people. They are the enemies of truth and the source of everything
corrupt and destructive. All they have to offer is the advice of the primordial serpent,
which is the antithesis of the Holy Covenant. Anyone who follows it will be covered
in filth. He will become alienated from truth, faith and prayer, and he will be unable to
come to the Land of Israel. Have nothing to do with their ideas. Bind yourself to the
true Tzaddikim and those who follow their ways. Their guidance is the `seed of truth.'
Through it you will be able to observe the Covenant in purity. You will attain
goodness, truth, faith and prayer and be worthy of coming to the Land of Israel (7:3).
2) Observing the mitzvah of tzitzit, the fringes, carefully is a protection against the
`advice of the serpent.' One who fulfills this mitzvah carefully will be guided only by
the Tzaddikim (Ibid.). 3) Someone who lacks faith in the Sages will never know what
he should do: he will always be racked with doubts and he will have no idea what
course he should follow (61:1).
4) When a person follows the guidance of the Tzaddikim, it sweetens the harsh
judgements, and through this he will be helped and freed from his troubles. But if he
fails to follow their advice, he may well come to grief, God forbid, and the
responsibility will be his alone, as it is written: `The foolishness of a man perverts his
way' (Proverbs 19:3). If a person does follow the advice of the Tzaddikim, and later
on things do not go well for him, he can be sure that this has been sent to him from
above (143).
5) Cry from the heart and you will find true guidance. You must cry out to God from
the very depths of your heart. The darkness will crack and deep counsel will be
revealed. Through this your faith will be strengthened. In the end you will have
perfect faith. Healing will come and great goodness will be brought into the world (II,
5:3).

ALIEN PHILOSOPHIES AND

IDEOLOGIES:
1) The only true wisdom is the wisdom of the Tzaddikim. It brings them to a lofty
perception of God and gives them the power to communicate their perception to those
who follow them. Compared with this wisdom, all other ideological systems are utter
foolishness. But because of our many sins, it can happen at times that this genuine
wisdom falls into the hands of the heathens and the forces of the Sitra Achra, the
Other Side. Their new-found wisdom gives them power and dominion, and then the
heathens gain the upper hand, God forbid. Who can bear the sound of the great and
terrible cry when this wisdom falls into their hands and fools affect to be wise? They
try to adapt this genuine wisdom to their own purposes, as if it could be made a part of
their own ideologies, as if their own foolishness had anything to do with the
knowledge of God. They start claiming that they alone are the wise ones and there is
no wisdom greater than their own erroneous speculations, parasitic as they are on the
fallen, genuine wisdom. God Himself cries out because of this. Every Jew has a part
to play in the task of identifying how this wisdom that has fallen into their hands can
be separated from them and elevated in order to return it to its source. The way to
achieve this is through acts of charity and kindness under the guidance and inspiration
of the Tzaddikim (30:6).
2) Wisdom is the root of all things (Psalms 104:24) One should always guard one's
mind against false ideologies. The only way to achieve fulfillment in life is through
the pursuit of genuine wisdom, namely the wisdom of Torah, which is concerned with
Godliness. Compared with this all other systems of ideology are sheer emptiness, they
have nothing to do with wisdom at all (35:1).
3) When a person is born his intelligence is limited. When he begins to use it to think
about how to serve God, it starts growing. But if a person fills his mind with alien
ideas, the intelligence of his holy soul is diminished in direct proportion to the space
taken up by these ideas. This unholy `intelligence' becomes the source of all kinds of
negative appetites and character traits (Ibid.).
4) This is why a person has to be so careful to guard his mind and his thoughts and
make sure that he never admits alien ideas or ways of looking at things. All our
problems and defects and sins come from abusing the sanctity of the mind, God
forbid, by admitting alien thoughts and ideologies. To achieve true repentance and to
make amends for all one's sins, one must cleanse the mind of all these alien ideas.
Wisdom and intelligence actually are the soul. By clearing the mind of alien

ideologies the faculty of thought is elevated to its source. This is the essence of
returning to God (Ibid.).
5) When the Jewish people adopt the ideas and outlook of the other nations, God
forbid, the Tzaddik falls from his level and his perceptions become covered over and
obscured (49).
6) Too much intellectual sophistication can be harmful, especially when it takes the
form of excessive philosophizing and speculation. The basis of true wisdom is a
strong heart and a strong character. The only way to attain them is through good
deeds. A person whose intelligence outstrips his practical attainments in the form of
good deeds will lack the strength of character to contain his intelligence within the
necessary bounds. His intelligence will only make him sin. It can be very dangerous
when people with lax moral standards dabble in philosohy. Their intelligence drives
them on to even greater transgressions and it harms them, and indeed the entire world,
more than all the snakes and scorpions, wild animals and other dangerous things in the
world. They use their intelligence to hurl insults and abuse at the heavens and to cast
aspersions on the Holy Torah and especially the Sages of the Talmud and the
Tzaddikim of blessed memory who followed them. All this is well known. May God
in His mercy take pity on the remnant of Israel and guard them from this band of
people and their babblings (55:6).
7) Within the bounds God has set for man's intelligence it is a great mitzva, a positive
duty, to sharpen the mind and understand as clearly as possible whatever the human
mind is capable of grasping. However there are certain questions the answers to which
are beyond the capacity of the human mind to understand. Only in time to come will
the answers be revealed. (An example is the paradox of free will.) On no account
should one delve into these questions. Of those who try, relying on their own
intelligence and speculation, it is said: `None that go unto her return' (Proverbs 2:19).
It is impossible to solve these questions through reason. We must have pure faith.
Even when it comes to the questions which do have an answer, there are times when
the paths of the intellect become blocked and one is unsure how to answer the
unbeliever speaking in one's heart. The remedy then is to study the codes of Torah
law. If one still finds oneself confused and unable to understand the way to answer the
questions, one should rely on faith alone even here. The main thing is to have faith
(62:2).
8) It is forbidden to delve into philosophical works. There are certain questions which
stem from the chalal hapanui, `the empty void,' to which it is impossible to find any
answer. In time to come the answers will be revealed. But in this world it is
impossible to put these questions to rest merely with thought and ingenuity. Whole
philosophical systems have been built up around them. Anyone who delves into them

will be sunk in them and lost eternally, as it is written: `None that go unto her return'
(Proverbs 2:19). God is not to be found in these philosophies. Through intelligence
alone it will never be possible to solve the intellectual tangles they contain. The
Jewish people, with its faith in God, is beyond all these philosophies and their
complications. Israel believes in God and His Holy Torah without needing
philosophical justifications. They have pure faith. The Hebrew word for `beyond' is ever, and the Jews are called Ivrim -- Hebrews -- precisely because they are beyond all
this speculation. With a faith which transcends philosophy we do not need to speculate
about the truth. We know it. We have received it from our fathers, of blessed memory
(64:2).
9) Certain of the great Tzaddikim were obliged to go into these philosophies in order
to extricate and elevate the souls which have fallen and become sunk in them. You
cannot argue that it is permissible for others to enter them on the grounds that many of
the great scholars of the past were involved. In their case it was an obligation. And
through the great sanctity they possessed, they had the power to release the souls
which were trapped. But people who are not on a comparable level of sanctity, and
needless to add, the ordinary people of our own age, should never enter these realms
and risk being eternally lost (Ibid. 3).
10) The song of the true Tzaddik has the power to draw up the souls that have fallen
into this form of atheism, from which there is otherwise no return (Ibid. 5).
11) The materialist philosophers, who claim that everything operates only by virtue of
the laws of nature, are a breed of wild animals who have made terrible inroads into
our people and caught many of our sons in their clutches. Many Jewish souls are sunk
in this like birds caught in a snare. If you love your soul, keep well away from these
wild beasts, who would otherwise snatch your soul and consume it. Keep well away
from books of speculative science, even those written by our own great Sages. There
is no greater evil (Likutey Moharan II, 4:6).
12) Acts of charity and kindness have the power to break the force of the serpent,
which is the root of materialistic ideology. And then these wild animals will have no
power over you. However at times even after you have crushed them they are soon
back again, placing fresh doubts in your mind about whether the world is governed
only by the will of God. If this happens you must make fresh efforts at charity and
kindness. Charity has the power to subdue the ideology of materialism and reveal that
everything is governed only by the will of God (Ibid. 9).
13) Serve God with simplicity and purity, using no sophistication at all. This is the
true goal. No one who goes by the name of Jew should ever so much as open a book
of philosophy. This is no part of the heritage of Jacob. All speculative philosophy

contains the stumbling block of Amalek, which is calculated to make people fall. In
one moment they can lose whole worlds. There is no greater evil. Even the books
written by Jews discussing speculative philosophy should be left well alone, because
they can harm the holy faith which is the root of everything. Thank God we have
today many holy books which are filled with sound guidance and the fear of God and
which are free of all speculation derived from the so-called `wisdom' of the Greeks.
They are firmly founded on the holy words of the Sages of the Talmud and the
Midrash. In particular there are the books based upon the teachings of Rabbi Shimon
bar Yochai. Explore them, and go through them again and again. You should have
nothing to do with books based on the viewpoints of the other nations of the world
(19).
14) There are many searching questions about God. But anyone with even a modicum
of genuine understanding will see that it is only right and fitting that such questions
should exist. For how can we, with our limited human intelligence, understand how
God governs the world? Of course there are things which baffle us. The utter
greatness and exaltedness of God are only magnified when we find that there are
questions we cannot solve. Understand this well (52).

ANGER:
1) You must break the force of your anger with love. If you feel yourself becoming
angry, make sure you do nothing unkind because of your anger. You must make a
special effort to be kind to the very person you are angry with. Sweeten your anger
with kindness. When you do this, you will be able to draw benefit from the Tzaddik
and then you will be able to understand the true goal of all things. You will taste the
delight of the World to Come, and you will see how everything in the world is part of
the movement to this ultimate goal. Your perception will be according to the root
which you have in the soul of the Tzaddik (18:2).
2) Through breaking the force of anger with love and kindness, the true Tzaddikim
receive honor and greatness and the world finds a true leader, one who will have pity
for the world and lead it in the right way, bringing each individual to his ultimate goal
(Ibid.).
3) Anger and unkindness arise when people's understanding is limited. The deeper
their understanding the more their anger disappears, and kindness, love and peace
spread. This is why the study of Torah, which deepens the understanding, brings love
and peace into the world and banishes anger (56:6).

4) Immersing in the mikveh is also an antidote to anger, because immersing in the

mikveh brings understanding (Ibid. 7).
5) When a person gives way to anger, it stirs up the great accuser, Esau, or Edom. The
accuser in the upper world is the source of a flurry of accusers and enemies who come
down and take charge of this angry man. His anger puts his wisdom to flight, and the
image of God disappears from his face. He no longer has the face of a man. This is
why he is in the power of his enemies. Because he has the appearance of a beast they
are not afraid of him (57:6).
6) The remedy for anger is to fast. In fact, the main value of fasting lies in this. That is
why when a person is fasting the Evil One comes against him and creates all kinds of
pretexts for making him angry. The Evil One wants to spoil the fast. One has to be
very careful to avoid getting angry on a fast day. The whole value of the fast lies in
subduing one's anger (Ibid.).
7) Through the holy act of eating on Shabbat, anger is crushed (Ibid.).
8) Anger can make a person lose his money. When a person gets angry he spoils the
blessing of wealth which was due to come to him. He causes a stain upon his good
name and, indeed, his very soul. But when a person holds his anger back and behaves
patiently even in the most trying of circumstances, he attains wealth, a good name and
an unblemished soul. All the other souls yearn to be merged with his soul and he can
succeed in drawing many souls closer to God. Through this the glory of God is
revealed (Ibid.).
9) When a person fights his anger and breaks it, the spirit of Mashiach is drawn into
the world. Such a person is accounted as if it was through him that the world and all
that is in it was created and brought into being. He will be worthy of rich blessings,
and he will attain true prayer, directing himself to God alone without any extraneous
motives of gaining people's respect and admiration. He will succeed in carrying out all
the mitzvot and other holy acts that he must accomplish (66:3).
10) Through the sanctity of the Land of Israel it is possible to break the force of anger,
depression and laziness completely. For this reason one must plead with God to be
worthy of coming to the Land of Israel speedily. There a person can attain tranquility
in the face of any experiences he may undergo. He will never be angry or upset with
anyone, no matter what they may have done (Ibid. 155).

AWE AND DEVOTION:

1) You should never fear anything except God. If ever you begin to feel afraid of
anything, remember the great fear which is due to God. Throughout the day, fill your
entire consciousness with this sense of awe. It will help you to pray with all your
strength to utter the words with such force that they are like thunderbolts! Then you
will hear the words which are on your lips. This is the way to achieve true joy, and to
perform the mitzvoth with a joy derived from the mitzvot themselves. Then you will
attain the understanding of how to nullify all harsh decrees even after the decrees have
been made, God forbid (5:5).
2) In order to achieve these levels, you must combine your fear of Heaven with love.
A person's main strength lies in the love he has for God. Nevertheless fear must come
first (Ibid.5).
3) If you wish to savour the taste of the hidden light the secrets of Torah which are
destined to be revealed in time to come you should meditate and speak to God.
Express everything in your heart before Him. Examine yourself and judge yourself.
Weigh up all the different things you are involved with. In this way you will be able to
banish your extraneous fears of forces other than God these are called `fallen fear' and
you will be able to elevate your fear and experience the true awe of Heaven. When a
person neglects to examine and judge himself, he is examined and brought to
judgement from on high. God has many ways of executing His judgements. He has
the power to clothe them in anything in the world, because all things are His
messengers, and he can use whatever means he chooses to execute His judgements.
We can actually see this in practice. When something bad happens to a person, the
particular cause which precipitates the problem is often apparently quite insignificant.
One would never have expected a small thing like this to bring on such a train of
consequences illness, suffering and the like. The explanation is that the Divine decree
passed against him has been clothed within these mundane circumstances in order to
give him his deserts. But when a person examines and judges himself of his own
accord the decree above is removed. There is no need for him to be afraid of anything.
Worldly objects and events will no longer be used as a veil and a cloak for executing
the decree of God. By bringing himself to a reckoning he has removed the judgement
above. He is already sufficiently aroused and spiritually awake without needing things
of this world to shake him. This is what is meant by elevating fear to its root. He is
afraid of nothing except God. Because of this he will be worthy of the hidden light
(15).
4) To attain true fear and love of God is only possible with the help of the Tzaddikim
of the generation (17:1).
5) Fear of Heaven is the foundation for sanctifying the way one speaks and using the
Holy Tongue perfectly (see dibbur). But to reach this level of fear it is necessary to

journey to the Tzaddik in order to hear words of truth directly from his lips. It is not
enough to study mussar literature works giving guidance about spiritual development.
When a person hears a Tzaddik, the actual words of the Tzaddik possess a quality of
perfection. They are uttered with true fear of Heaven, and this is the foundation for the
fulfillment of the Covenant and achieving moral purity. Even if a person hears what
the Tzaddik said from the lips of somebody else who himself heard the Tzaddik say
them, it still does not help as much, because the words have descended from their
original perfection. In order for the words of the Holy Tongue to possess perfection,
they must be heard from the lips of the Tzaddik himself. This is where the treasurehouse of the true fear of Heaven is to be found, and this is the foundation for attaining
perfection in the Holy Tongue (19:3,9).
6) Having a sense of shame is the basis for attaining the fear of Heaven. One must feel
ashamed before God so ashamed that one could not possibly sin. To have a sense of
shame is a very high level (22).
7) Be sure that you make your days very long. With each new day and each fresh
moment, make sure that the time is longer, fuller and richer with added holiness. So it
must be with every day that comes. You must continually extend the days by filling
them with more holiness and more purity. This is the secret of a long life. When you
start each day, at first the day is very short. The spiritual accomplishments you need to
achieve this day weigh heavily upon you. It takes great determination not to be
discouraged as you feel the weight of the devotions you have to undertake this day.
But be courageous and don't lose heart. Make a start even if at first things seem heavy
and strained and difficult. If you are determined enough they will become easier and
you will find that you can accomplish what you must in God's service. With every
hour that passes see to it that you enrich that hour and lengthen it with extra holiness.
Do the same with every new day of your life. Let each day be filled with more
holiness than the day before. Then y ou will be blessed with length of days. The root
of this skill in living lies in cultivating true fear of Heaven (60:2).
8) Such fear is the foundation of a long life. It can bring you great wealth, the wealth
of holiness. And through this wealth it is possible to attain profound understanding.
There are certain paths of Torah which possess a degree of profundity which can only
be attained with the help of great wealth. This is the reason why so many of the
greatest of the Tzaddikim were extraordinarily wealthy, such as Rabbi Yehuda
HaNasi, the compiler of the Mishnah, and Rav Ashi, the compiler of the Talmud. The
source of this wealth is in `length of days,' which is attained through awe (Ibid. 3).
9) There are three aspects to fearing God: the fear of Heaven, fear of your teacher, and
fear of your father and mother (Ibid.).

10) When a person has true fear of Heaven, he is no longer trapped by the beauty of
women. He is free from the attractions of falsehood. He will be saved from poverty
and attain wealth (Ibid.).
11) The Tzaddik has the power to arouse men from their sleep through the stories he
tells about the years of old. Through this he can cause the barren to give birth, which
arouses great awe at the might of God throughout the world. This awe is the
instrument for attaining all the spiritual levels we have mentioned (Ibid. 5,6).
12) The key to everything is the way you start. All beginnings are difficult, because
you are trying to turn things from one direction to the opposite direction. But once a
start has been made, you begin to get used to the direction you are going in and things
are no longer so hard. The level of awe and devotion a person attains each day
depends on the way he starts. Every day you should go backwards in the sense that
you should always try and draw inspiration from the start, which was the hardest thing
of all. You must always make a frest start. Each time you come to the Tzaddik, you
must likewise make a fresh beginning. It must be as if you had never come to him
before, as if this time it is an entirely new experience for you. Because perhaps the
first beginning was not as it should have been, and if so all the devotion which
followed will not have been as it should have been. Because everything depends on
the beginning. Therefore you must marshal all your strength and steel yourself to
make a vigorous beginning. Start again every time with new fire and passion for God.
Start as if you had never begun at all before. The strength of your new beginning will
bring power and vigor into all your devotions. You should always ask yourself if the
start was as it should have been. Make the effort to start again, and come to the
Tzaddik afresh. Do this every time (62). 13) When a new soul enters a person, he must
raise it and rear it with love and awe (67:6).
14) If a person does not consider the purpose of everything, what is the point of his
life? (268).
15) One of the basic rules in serving God is to think only of today. Pay no attention to
yesterday or tomorrow. This applies to the work you have to do to earn a living and
provide your needs. Our sacred literature tells us that we should only be concerned
with today. The same applies to serving God. You should only think of today, the
present hour. When a person wants to begin serving God it seems like a heavy burden
which he will never be able to bear. But if you think that you have only today, it will
not be a burden at all. Don't put things off and say, `I'll start tomorrow... tomorrow I
will pray with strength and devotion,' etc. Man's world consists of nothing except the
day and the hour that he stands in now. Tomorrow is a completely different world.
`Today, if you would but listen to His voice!' (Psalms 95:7). Exactly! Today! (272).

16) Every mitzvah which a person does in this world, creates a lamp with which he
can explore the treasure house of the King after his passing. This is the ultimate bliss
of the World to Come (275).
17) There are two kinds of fear of Heaven. There are people who fear God because of
His greatness and exaltedness as the Ruler and Master of the Universe. This level of
fear adds completeness to God's Name. Secondly there is a lower form of fear which
is attained through the fear one has of other, lower things -- a wild animal, a person
wielding great power, or the like. Such things can evoke the awareness of God within
a person, and this second level of fear is the source of the influx of blessing into the
world. To receive the blessings one has to make a vessel. The vessel is formed through
the longing and desire which he has to travel to the true Tzaddikim. This creates the
shape of the vessel, and the vessel itself is formed when one comes to the Tzaddik in
person. The more obstacles a person encounters in his efforts to draw close and the
more energy he devotes to breaking them, the greater the vessel he forms (185).
18) Every Jew is created with the ultimate purpose of wielding power over the angels.
This is his destiny. But the angels are very jealous of a man who has power over them.
He must protect himself and see that he has the strength to remain in this position of
power without being cast down through the angels' envy (Ibid. II, 1:1).
19) Materialism, immorality and gluttony distort and corrupt the fear in a person's
heart. The remedy is through honoring the three festivals of the year and celebrating
them in the proper way. This causes the fear which is latent in the heart to become
manifest, and through it one can attain the experience of prophecy. This is the avenue
to true prayer and healing. One becomes bound to the very root of the souls of Israel,
and here alone there is protection from the envy of the angels (Ibid.).
20) When a person falls into materialism, immorality and greed, God sits and cries out
like a lion (Ibid.).
21) A person's devotions, his mitzvot and good deeds are his `children.' This is
especially so of the Tzaddikim. Before a woman gives birth she has to undergo
contractions and birth-pangs, and she cries and screams. It is literally the same when
you serve God. When you want to carry out a particular devotion or return to God in
truth, it inevitably takes a tremendous effort. You have to cry out and groan, bending
and jerking in all directions. The hardest thing of all is the start. All beginnings are
difficult. This is when you need to cry out and groan the most. Even after the start
things do not necessarily come easily, and it takes a lot of effort before you achieve
something worthwhile. But don't be discouraged by what you have to endure.
According to the effort, so is the reward (4:5).

22) Charity helps to open the gates to holiness. This is why it is good to give charity
before doing any mitzva or good deed. The charity helps to widen the opening to the
holiness which is the goal of this particular devotion, and then it will not be so hard to
enter (Ibid.).
23) Through giving charity you can attain fear of Heaven, and this will lead to
lovingkindness. When you attain this you will be able to serve God without being
restricted by the difficulties of earning a living (Ibid.).
24) In times when the elders of the generation fail to achieve perfection, it gives
strength to anti-religious ideologies. The task of each individual is to ensure that with
every day that passes he gains additional holiness and deeper understanding. Each
new day must be filled with more of the radiance of devotion to God. Only when a
person achieves this is he worthy of the name `elder.' When a person wastes his days
without adding extra holiness, he may grow old but he cannot be termed an `elder.'
Instead of enjoying `length of days,' his days are actually short. It is because of this
that materialistic ideologies are able to become entrenched in the world. The remedy
lies in the giving of charity (Ibid.).
25) God's main joy and pleasure come only from this low world of ours. God has the
whole array of angels, serafim, chayot, ofanim and all the higher worlds, all of them
serving Him. But when we in this low world of ours magnify and sanctify His Name
and carry out His will, this is what gives Him the greatest joy, because He sees the
service of this low world rise to the realms above (Ibid. 7). 26) When people study
and discuss one of the original Torah concepts of the true Tzaddikim they can become
filled with the fear of Heaven (Ibid.13).
27) Your main aim should be to serve God with simplicity, with no ulterior motive.
Follow His ways in order to know Him. This is what He wants. A person who serves
God in order to earn the World to Come is just hungry: he wants to fill his stomach
with the reward. But even so, it is better to serve God for the sake of the reward of the
World to Come than it is to chase after this world. At least someone who serves God
for the sake of the reward is wiser than one who struggles for this world all his life.
This world is transient, but the World to Come is the world of eternal life. But even
so, the main aim should be to serve God with no ulterior motive whatsoever (37).
28) What profit is there when people run after the superficialities of materialism and
gratification and neglect the task of achieving self-perfection? There are many people
who waste away their days struggling to leave a big inheritance for their children. But
this is no better than when a person gets himself dirty and then takes more dirt to
cover up the dirt. Other people try their best to leave a good name behind them for

their children's sake. But this is still not the real purpose of life. The aim of the true
Tzaddikim is only to satisfy the will of God (Ibid.).
29) Man always has free will. This applies to everything he may be involved with. In
all situations, the Jew always has the option of exercising free choice. As far as the
other nations of the world are concerned, there are certain things which restrict their
free will and compel them to act in a particular way. With a Jew, however, no matter
what he does, be it to travel to a particular place, or whatever, there is always some
devotion involved, something which relates to his service of God. Because of this, the
Jew has free will in everything (54).
30) The profit a person can have from this world is indescribable. You don't need to
spend your own money to make a profit here. God spreads the opportunities before
you and you can simply stretch out your hand and take abundant profit. `No eye hath
seen it.' (55).
31) You should throw yourself upon God and rely upon Him completely. At the start
of every day you should entrust all your actions of that day, and all the actions of your
children and other dependents, to God, asking that everything should go as He wishes
it (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 2).
32) Fear is the key to achieving spiritual perfection. The basis of fear of Heaven is to
be afraid of being punished. Even Tzaddikim need to have this fear. This is what gives
us our initial motivation to serve God (Ibid. 5).
33) If you want to serve God, you must keep on making new beginnings. Even in the
course of a single day you may have to start all over again several times (Ibid. 51).
34) Whatever you see in this world exists only to create the possibility of free will.
The whole world and all that is in it was created only for the sake of free will (Ibid.
300).
35) There are people who serve God for a whole lifetime without being shown what
they have achieved. Only in the World to Come will they see what they have achieved
(244).
36) The main devotion of the Jew is to get up every night in the winter for the
midnight prayer. In the summer, when the nights are short and we do not rise for the
midnight prayer except in the Land of Israel, he should be sure to get up with the
dawn each morning (Ibid. 301; see Chatzot 3).

BOLDNESS:
1) One kind of boldness is thoroughly evil. This is the unashamed self-assertiveness of
arrogant people. For `the bold-faced will go to hell' (Avoth 5:25) and Abraham
preferred exile rather than hell as the punishment for the sins of the Jewish people. All
other sins are punished with exile, but the penalty for this kind of brazen arrogance is
still Gehinnom. On the other hand, there is another kind of forcefulness which is
essential for anyone who wants to come closer to God. It is impossible to draw closer
to the Tzaddikim and sanctify oneself without it. It entails a certain firmness,
determination and initiative. This is the quality the sages referred to when they said,
`Be bold as a leopard' (Avoth 5:24). The people who oppose those who are truly
righteous and who put every kind of obstacle in their way have a brazen arrogance
which is `royalty without a crown.' Whoever chooses life and truth needs the other
kind of forcefulness in order to overcome these obstacles. His opponents have set their
jaws firmly against him, and therefore he needs to set himself equally firmly against
them. Only with determination is it possible to enter the gates of holiness (22:11).
2) This determination and forcefulness are also necessary in the fight against oneself
-- or rather, against the brazen arrogance of the body, which is itself so forceful when
it comes to satisfying its own desires and has no sense of shame before the Almighty.
The arrogance of the body makes it impossible for the soul to come down and draw
closer to it in order to communicate something of her own spiritual perceptions. The
soul has constant contact with the highest spiritual levels, but the body does not have
an inkling of any of this because of its dogged involvement with its own impulses.
One should take pity on the flesh of one's body and break its dogged pursuit of desire.
Then the soul will be able to draw closer and give the body a share in her own
spiritual visions and perceptions. To stand up to this arrogance of the body requires
the other, holy forcefulness and determination. The way to assert the spiritual power
of the soul is with holy sounds -- the sound of prayer and song, the sound of crying
and sighing before God, the sound of the shofar or the sound of the voice of the true
Tzaddik, and all the other holy sounds, even the sound of the jingling of coins in a
charity box! These holy sounds have the power to break the arrogance of the body
(Ibid.).
3) But at times a person may be on such a low level and his body so far removed from
his soul that even when he groans and cries out to God the body does not hear the
sound at all. It is so far removed from the soul that it hears only a confused and
indistinct echo. This is because as soon as a holy sound is heard, it arouses the forces
of the Other Side, and they are the source of the confused noise. Such a person may
even hear the voice of the Tzaddik himself, but he does not hear the essence of his
voice, only an indistinct noise, and the arrogance of the body remains unbroken. The

body needs to be trained to hear the voice of the soul. It must be pressed into service
by performing the practical mitzvot. And to hear the voice of the Tzaddik, the body
must be made to participate in practical activities on his behalf. This is the way to
train the body to listen to the voice of the sage and to the groaning and crying of the
person himself. In the end, the arrogance of the body will be broken (Ibid. 7,8).
4) The way to attain this firmness and determination in pursuit of the holy is through
joy. Joy and happiness are the main source of strength for one who wants to draw
closer to God and serve Him. `For the joy of the Lord is your strength' (Nehemiah
8:10) (Ibid. 9).
5) Boldness is essential if you want to acquire Torah. You must be `bold as a leopard'
to resist the people who put obstacles in your way. You must not be ashamed if they
mock you. The bolder you are, the more you will find new horizons in Torah. But a
person whose boldness stems from arrogance will not discover truly original Torah
concepts. The Torah he receives will be drawn from the forces of the Other Side. To
be bold in a positive sense in pursuit of the holy is part of the very essence of prayer -and the level of Torah a person attains with his boldness will bring him to a
corresponding level of prayer. It takes a certain daring, and even `impudence' to stand
before God and ask Him for what we need, including even miracles. A person who
feels ashamed when he thinks of God's greatness and his own inadequacies and
failings will never be able to open his mouth at all. This is why it takes boldness to
pray. The more firm and determined a person is in the face of the opposition, the
higher the levels of Torah and prayer he will attain (30:8).
6) The bold have no share in Torah. And only the bold have a share. Those whose
boldness is arrogance will have no share. Only those who are bold and determined for
the sake of holiness will have a share (Ibid.).
7) People may mock at you or put obstacles in your way. But don't allow yourself to
be put off by them, and don't become shy and timid. You may think they are better
than you or on a higher level. It may even be true and perhaps they really are on a
higher level. Even so, as long as your own motive is for the sake of Heaven you must
be firm and bold in the face of those who are confusing you and keeping you from the
path of life. This is the only way you will attain holiness. Even with the Rav himself
you need to be bold. Don't be afraid to talk about anything you need to discuss with
him. It is no good to be shy, for `one who is shy will never learn' (Avoth 2:6). The
reason why some people are closer to the Rav than others is only because they took
the initiative and therefore the Rav speaks with them more (171).

CHANUKAH:

1) Through the mitzvah of kindling the lights of Chanukah we acknowledge the glory
of God. His glory is exalted and magnified in the world. Those who were distant from
Him are stirred to return. We can attain true fear of Heaven, harmony in the home and
genuine prayer. Strife and malicious slander are banished and universal peace spreads
in all th e worlds (Likutey Moharan 14).
2) Through the mitzva of kindling the lights of Chanukah we draw down holy Da'at,
the knowledge of God, upon ourselves. This Da'at is `the goodly oil' (Psalms 133:) of
memory, whereby a person at all times bears in mind that everything in this world,
both in general and in particular, has meaning only in relation to the World to Come
(See Zicaron) (54).3) The days of Chanukah are days of thanksgiving and praise.
Thanksgiving and praise are the essence of the delight of the World to Come. They
cause the light of truth to shine: we can pray in truth and learn Torah in truth from the
lips of the true teacher, and marriage unions are formed in truth. These three rays of
truth send light to all the different facets of speech and bring the faculty of speech to
perfection. Through this we are able to bring the sanctity and joy of Shabbat into the
six days of the week. Then the simple unity of God is revealed. All these tikkunim are
brought about by the kindling of the Chanukah lights, and the praise and thanksgiving
which we offer on Chanukah. How precious it is if you achieve all this on Chanukah
and bring about these awesome tikkunim (Likutey Moharan II, 2).
4) The appeals we make to God to `Forgive us!' on Yom Kippur help us to experience
the holiness of Chanukah. The reason is that the theme of Chanukah is the
consecration of the Holy Temple (chanukat Beit Hamikdash), and on Chanukah we
draw the sanctity of the Holy Temple upon ourselves. But it is only possible to do this
when our sins are forgiven, as they are on Yom Kippur. The great teaching which the
Holy Temple embodies and declares to the world is that `The Lord, He is God:' in all
His aspects He is One. This knowledge can free us from the hold of sin. Nowhere is
God's love for Israel more clearly revealed than in the forgiveness of sin. When we
radiate the holy knowledge of God's unity to our children and pupils in this generation
and in all the generations of the future, we can come to a vision of the transcendental
levels of holiness, the holiness which is beyond this world and encompasses it. This
vision is a foretaste of the joy of the World to Come. It is through the kindling of the
holy oil of the Chanukah lights that we come to perceive these levels and then our
very life and sustenance are drawn from the Supernal Will. We can be worthy of
receiving an awesome revelation of God's Will and favor at the very time we are
eating. We long and yearn and pine for God with a desire that has no limits. But only
if you are close to a true teacher who is filled with genui ne love can you come to
attain these levels on Chanukah. How precious to find such a teacher (7:11)

CHARITY:

1) You should give to charity before you pray. This is the way to avoid the extraneous
thoughts which come to a person while praying. You will be able to pray properly
without straying to the right or the left. You will order and measure your words in the
scale of justice (2).
2) Giving charity to Torah scholars will protect you against timewasting and malicious
gossip. It will also save you from pride and all related character defects. Giving
charity is a protection against poverty and will make you wealthy (4:8).
3) In order to break your appetite for riches you must give charity. The harsh anger
which hangs over the world will be dissipated, and God's providence will be drawn
over the whole world. Through giving charity the force of love and kindness is
brought into the world; the Messiah is revealed, and the Holy Temple, which is itself
the revelation of the knowledge of God rebuilt. The unification of the Holy One,
blessed-be-He and the Shechinah then becomes complete. Through this we will
become worthy of the new revelation of Torah which is destined to come about in the
future. The upper and lower chariots are restored, and it is accounted like an offering
of incense (13).
4) Through giving charity to the true Tzaddikim and to poor people who genuinely
deserve it, converts are made. Through this one attains perfect wisdom and becomes
worthy of seeing the light of the Tzaddikim. This is how to achieve the love and fear
of Heaven (17:5).
5) When a person gives charity to the true Tzaddikim and to poor people who
genuinely deserve it, it is as if he gave charity to many, many Jewish souls (Ibid.).
6) This kind of charity enables all the goodness which is held captive amidst the
heathen nations of the world to be brought back to mind and be remembered. This
goodness is all the sparks of Jewish souls which have fallen into exile, and because of
the length of the exile they have forgotten their true worth. Giving charity enables
these souls to remember what they really are and how they have fallen from heaven to
earth. They start to take pity on themselves, and long and yearn to be restored.
Because the real essence of the soul is beyond all the worlds for `Israel arose in His
thought first' (Bereshith Rabbah 1) and `the Holy One, blessed-be-He, consulted with
the souls of Israel when He created the world' (Ibid. 8). But now these sparks are
trapped in exile, and they are in danger of being destroyed and going to waste, God
forbid. But when they remember their own exaltedness they repent and their holiness
is restored. If you think about all this carefully you will see for yourself how far you
need to take care of yourself and have pity on yourself and your condition,
considering the true preciousness of your soul. You should say to yourself: `Am I not
from the seed of Israel, who are above all the worlds? What have I come to? Who

knows what will be in the future? Is the Evil One trying to destroy me, God forbid?'
Think deeply about this, and you will be so overwhelmed with the desire to do
something for yourself that you will try with all your might to return to God (Ibid. 6).
7) When a person gives some of his money to a poor person who genuinely deserves
it, it is a tikkun for all his money. The `supernal colors' are revealed through his
money this is the main revelation of the greatness of the Creator. The husks are
thereby broken and humbled namely the fantasies, desires and distractions which rise
up against a person every time he has to climb from one level to the next and which
range themselves against him to prevent him entering the gates of holiness. Giving
charity makes it possible to break the husks and rise from level to level (25:4).
8) Charity is the comprehensive tikkun for business activity. With every step a person
takes as he goes about his business, with every word he speaks and every ounce of
strength he puts into his work, he should have it in mind that his only goal is to give
charity from the money he earns (29:9).
9) Giving charity expands and elevates the mind, and this brings blessing and
livelihood (Ibid.).
10) Through giving charity one can come to speak words which radiate with the
wisdom of Torah (Ibid. 10).
11) Acts of charity and lovingkindness have the power to undermine alien ideologies
and release us from the burdens of worldly authorities, and we can achieve a
perception of Godliness (30:7).
12) When the Sages criticize us and point out our faults, we should accept their
criticisms submissively, even if at times they are expressed in a derogatory way.
Through this we will be worthy of performing acts of charity and lovingkindness
(Ibid.).
13) All the heavenly constellations are directed and governed by tzedakah, charity. It
is through charity that all blessings flow into the world. But only on Shabbat are the
blessings perfect. Shabbat is the embodiment of faith. The main significance of
charity is that it is an expression of faith. This is why the true radiance of the light of
charity and its perfection are seen only on Shabbat the embodiment of faith (31).
14) One should give charity before going on a journey. Then he will be saved from
any obstacles and troubles on the way (Ibid.).

15) The central aspect of any fast is the charity which the person who is fasting gives.
Fasting and charity make it possible to subdue the body as against the soul, substance
as against form, folly as against wisdom. One emerges from darkness to light, from
death to life, from animality to the level of Man. The force of alien ideologies and all
other false and foolish idea-systems is broken, and the wisdom of Torah, which is the
true wisdom, comes into its place. The hold of forgetfulness is broken, and in its place
comes memory. The harsh judgments and darkness are dissipated, and love is brought
into the world (37).
16) Charity given for the Land of Israel is greater than charity for other causes. When
you give charity for the Land of Israel you become included in the air of the Land of
Israel, which is holy breath without the taint of sin. Harsh judgements, darkness,
forgetfulness and folly are banished from the world (Ibid. 4).
17) You must aim to be contented. You must be contented with just as much as is
essential for you to take from this world. And even out of that you must still devote a
portion to charity. The effect of this in the upper worlds is to bring about a great
unification, and abundant blessings are brought into the world (54:2).
18) Charity for the Land of Israel can save you from distracting thoughts while you
are praying. Your mind and thoughts are clarified and purified. This is tikkun habrit
(44).
19) Charity brings abundant peace (57:7).
20) Acts of charity bring blessings of love into the world. The honor and majesty of
the forces of holiness are released from the husks and the Other Side. The lust for food
is broken. The prestige and power of those who are arrogant and self-assertive is
broken, and honor is returned to the true leaders (67).
21) During the morning service, when you reach the words `And You have dominion
over everything' (Chronicles I, 29:12) you should give to charity. The reason for this is
to elevate glory and dominion from the forces of the Other Side and return them to the
side of holiness (Ibid. 7).
22) When a person gives charity, it is a tikkun for all his money. This way it will stay
with him, and his livelihood will be sent in abundance (69).
23) One who gives charity to a Tzaddik who is truly humble is immediately blessed
(70).
24) Giving charity in secret is a tikkun for a wasteful emission at night (83).

25) Charity saves from sin (116).

26) Through charity comes wisdom (119).
27) A segulah for epilepsy, God forbid, is to distribute charity to the poor. In the
Hebrew words of the verse: `He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the needy'
(Psalms 112:9) the first letters of each word, Pizar Matan La-evyonim, spell out the
word NoPheL, which is the word for epilepsy (201).
28) The charity you give to Torah scholars is something great and precious. No sin can
extinguish this merit (204).
29) The Sages ordained that we should give between a tenth and a fifth of our income
to charity. This tithe has the power to save us from our enemies (221).
30) The tithe we give to charity brings us contentment (Ibid.).
31) Charity protects against immoral fantasies (242).
32) Charity is a remedy for immorality. But it is important not to give money to a poor
person who is undeserving because this only makes things worse. One must beg God
to make him worthy of finding poor people who deserve to be helped (264).
33) The merit of those who support the Torah and give money for Torah scholars is
very great indeed. This money makes it possible for them to devote themselves to
Torah, to give birth to new legal rulings and to open up new horizons in Torah. Those
who gave the money therefore have a share in the Torah which was born and revealed
through their help. Whatever they gave to the Torah scholars and whatever they
themselves went short of as a result, will all be made up to them later on, by means of
the new Torah concepts which came into being through their help.Revelations of
Torah bring an influx of love into the world which completes all that was lacking.
Those who support Torah scholars will be rewarded with the delights of the World to
Come (II 2:2).
34) It is speech that gives man his uniqueness. The roots of speech lie in charity. The
instinct to give charity and show lovingkindness is peculiar to man. It is in the nature
of Man, the Speaker, to show kindness to his fellow creatures. When a person fails to
act kindly and charitably it is a stain on the faculty of speech and he cannot be defined
as a Man (225).
35) When we give charity, the main task is to break our instinct to be cruel and turn it
in to lovingkindness in order to give generously. When a person who is kind by nature

gives charity purely out of instinct, it cannot be called an act of service of God. In
order to fulfill the mitzvah of charity in the proper way, one must first experience the
battle of breaking his natural instinct to be cruel and turn it into love in order to give
to charity (II, 4:1,2).
36) Charity has the power to widen the entrance to holiness. When a person wants to
embark upon a certain path of devotion, he first needs to make an opening in order to
enter his new path. This is why all beginnings are hard. But giving charity makes the
entrance wider (Ibid. 2).
37) Any act of charity is very hard and heavy at the beginning. But the effects of
charity are great beyond measure. The body has many needs even the essentials, like
food, drink, clothing and shelter are very demanding. They are all a distraction from
one's religious devotions. But charity has the power to break all these obstacles
because it opens up the channels of God's blessing and love to the point where one has
no need to work at all in order to have what he needs to live. All his work will be done
by others, leaving him free to devote himself to the service of God (Ibid. 3).
38) Charity is the remedy for the damage caused when the elders of the generation do
not lead their lives as they should. Through remedying this, it is possible to strike at
the very roots of materialism the idea that everything in the world is dominated by the
laws of nature. Then we can hear the mesSage of the three festivals, Pesach, Shavuot
and Succot: that everything takes place only through the will of God. Each of the
festivals recalls the miracles that were brought about for us miracles transcending
nature. To be aware that God's will transcends the laws of nature, is to experience the
joy of the festivals and attain to the fear of Heaven.Fear of Heaven is the channel for
receiving blessings so abundant that you will have not have to work at all, to have
what you need to live (Ibid. 9).
39) Charity is the remedy for all wounds (Ibid. 12).
40) The true Tzaddik receives the words of his holy lips from those who give charity
(II, 15).
41) Zealousness for the Lord of Hosts is accounted as an act of charity (65).
42) You must learn the thirteen Divine attributes of lovingkindness learn them in order
to fulfill them in practice. You must cultivate the quality of love and do as many
kindnesses as you can for other people.When we strive to fulfill each of the thirteen
attributes of love, the thirteen supernal attributes of love are aroused, and the
destructive angels brought into being through sin are humbled. Our own acts of

kindness arouse God's forgiveness, and He passes over our sins one after the other
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 89).

CHILDREN:
1) Intense prayer is a segulah for having children. The same is true of the mitzvah of
Succah and the Land of Israel. These three concepts are all connected with one
another (48).
2) Those who work hard to draw people closer to God and to the Tzaddik are worthy
of having children (53).
3) If you are married, be careful that you sanctify the marriage relationship. You must
break the force of your desires, which are rooted in the animal soul. You should
imagine that a demon is forcing you (cf. Nedarim 20b). Then you will be blessed with
children, and they will be protected from premature death (39).
4) The best time for relations between husband and wife is on the night of Shabbat (cf.
Ketuboth 61b). Then they will be blessed with children (Ibid.).
5) One with an evil eye will not leave male offspring behind. The same goes for one
who talks lashon hara, slander, and bad language (Ibid.).
5) A segulah for having children is that prior to having relations, the husband and wife
should recite the account of the additional offerings which were brought on the New
Moon. This also helps for a child who is sick (151).
6) A woman who usually has a difficult labour should recite the Psalm of
Thanksgiving (Psalm 100). It is also a segulah for her to give generously to charity
and to help others as much as possible with favors and acts of kindness (II, 2:3,4).
7) A person who has no children should make it a practice whenever he attends a
religious celebration to be especially joyful. When he studies Torah it should be with
joy. The same goes for all the mitzvot. The joy should be so great that he literally
starts dancing for joy. Then he will be worthy of having children (81).
8) Faith brings children (cf. Genesis 15:5,6) The Hebrew word for faith is emunah.
The numerical value of the word emunah is one hundred and two. The word for
children is banim. The numerical value of banim is also one hundred and two (Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom 34).

9) It is best for children if you leave them alone for the most part rather than sticking
to them and playing with them constantly. Don't pay overmuch attention to them. Do
what you have to in order to give them their religious education, and training them in
mitzvot when they reach the appropriate age. But don't play with them too much (Ibid.
59).
10) If you are joyous, it can protect your children from death (Ibid. 65).

CLOTHES:
1) You should be very particular about your clothes. Never treat them carelessly, and
make sure they are not stained or dirty. A person's clothes become his judges if he
does not show them the respect they deserve. The greater the man the more care he
must take over his garments, because the higher one's level the more scrupulously one
is judged (29:3).
2) A person who fails to protect his garments from stains causes a division between
the Holy One, blessed-be-He, and the Shechinah. This gives strength to the `wicked
maid,' which is an expression for the forces of evil. Such a person is like a rebel
against God's kingship, and therefore his whole livelihood will only come to him with
great exertion and difficulty (Ibid.).
3) By making a beautiful garment for a Tzaddik the Shechinah is clothed in radiant
garments, and the severe face which God shows to the world becomes sweetened (42).
4) See to it that your clothes are always in good condition. Never wear clothes that are
torn. Torn clothes are an indication of weakness in the fight against evil, because the
concept of clothing alludes to the mystery of the chashmal (Ezekiel 1:27) which is
bound up with the idea of watchfulness (127).
5) The Evil One and the forces of the Other Side grab people by their clothes. They
burden people with all kinds of worries about clothing. The trouble people have to go
to for various items of clothing they need can easily become a serious distraction from
religious devotion. Someone who is firm in his faith will not be concerned about this.
Even if he has nothing to wear he will still do what he can to serve God to the full
extent of his capability. In the end God will look down from the Heavens and see
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, 100).

CONFESSION:

1) It is a good thing to pour out your heart and confess all your sins before a Torah
scholar. Sin is in essence a denial of Godliness. Therefore when a person confesses his
sins it is an acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God. God's sovereignty is then
exalted and restored to its root, and the power of the forces denying Godliness is
broken. Through confessing in this way and expressing what is in your heart you will
eventually come to understand how everything that happens is for your own good.
You will acknowledge that `God is good and does good.' This is the formula of the
blessing we make on hearing good news. Today, we still have a separate blessing for
news that is not good. But our Sages said that in time to come there will only be one
blessing -- the one for good news (Pesachim 50a).
This will be when we will realize that everything is for the best. To achieve this
realization is to have a taste of the World to Come (Likutey Moharan I, 4:3).
2) The sins a person commits are engraved upon his very bones (Ezekiel 32:27) But
when he confesses them before a Torah scholar, the entire accumulation of evil
engraved on his bones is lifted. All his sins are forgiven and atonement is granted
(Ibid. 5).
3) A person may come to visit a great scholar and even contribute money to him. But
until he comes before him and confesses his sins and pours out his heart, he still does
not know the path he should travel. For `there is a way which seems right to a man,
but its end is the ways of death' (Proverbs 14:12). Through his confession, the scholar
is able to set him straight on the path which accords with the root of his soul (Ibid. 8).
4) Each time a person visits the scholar, he should pour out his heart before him.
Through this he will come to be merged with the En Sof. (Ibid. 9).
5) It is necessary to specify exactly what the sin was, and the confession must be put
into words. Thought is not enough. Whatever you may have done, you must verbally
articulate what you did. There are many obstacles to doing this. Sometimes the sin
passes out of your mind and you forget it. In certain cases people find it very difficult
to bring out the words and confess. There are many other obstacles. The way to
conquer them is with joy, the joy of a mitzvah, such as a wedding celebration and so
on. You should work yourself up until you literally dance for joy. Then you will be
able to confess what you must and right the wrongs caused by your sins (178).

CONTROVERSY AND STRIFE:

1) You should not allow yourself to be disturbed by the various disputes between the
Tzaddikim (as for example the differences of opinion between the Sages of the

Mishnah, the Talmud and so on). If a person is troubled by these disputes and states
raising all kinds of questions about them, it is a sign that he has allowed some
impurity into his mind. It is this internal impurity that is the real source of his doubts.
The danger is that his doubts could grow to the point where he becomes permanently
separated from the Tzaddikim and their followers, who are the source of true and
enduring life. A person should understand that if he finds himself troubled by doubts
and questions about the Tzaddikim it is an indication that a flaw exists within himself.
If he realizes this, it will help him return to the truth (5:4).
2) You should always make every effort to search out whatever merit and goodness
you can find within the Jewish people. Judge everyone in the scale of merit, even
those who oppose you and treat you disrespectfully. If you do this you will never be
troubled by opposition and arguments. When you seek out the merit of your fellow
Jew, you make a precious crown for God studded with beautiful gems (6).
3) If you find yourself in the middle of a dispute, it is very good if you can remain
silent and pay no attention to the abuse which people throw at you. When you can
hear what is said against you without answering back this is true repentance. It is the
remedy for all past sins. Someone who achieves this can truly be said to be wise. He
will receive a share in the glory of God and a goodly portion in the World to Come.
He will be merged in the figure of the Man on the Throne which is the source of all
the judgements passed on the inhabitants of the world (Ibid.).
4) Only the perfect Tzaddik has the strength to fight against the wicked and the
enemies of truth. It takes a person who has already rid himself of evil completely to
fight this battle successfully. The various character traits are rooted in the four cosmic
elements of Fire, Air, Earth and Water. The Tzaddik must be pure in all of them. He
must be assured that nothing will make him trip up and sin. Only such a Tzaddik and
his followers can fight against the wicked. A person may have cleansed himself to the
point that he is entirely free of sin in practice. But if even the mere possibility that he
might sin remains, he is not a `perfect Tzaddik,' and it can be very dangerous for him
to try to fight the wicked. They draw their life-force from the Other Side, the `raging
stormwind' (Ezekiel 1:3), which has tremendous force at the peak of its power. Only
the perfect Tzaddik can descend unharmed into the channel through which the wicked
draw their strength in order to break them and humble them and cast them down to the
earth (8:5).
5) If you are scrupulous about the mitzva of tzitzit you will be able to stand up against
any opposition (Ibid.).

6) The people who set themselves in opposition to the Tzaddik are called dead even in
their lifetime because they have no share in the holy life-spirit which the Tzaddikim
alone draw into the world (Ibid.).
7) At times the wicked become so bitter in their battle against holiness that the only
recourse is to fight them with the legal apparatus of the non-Jewish authorities. In fact
it is a positive duty to do so, and to do the utmost to crush the opposition by this
means, even if the cost is heavy. It helps to elevate the sparks of true justice from the
domain of the husks and the forces of the Other Side. There are times when God
intentionally brings it about that the opposition to the righteous and God-fearing
should be so fierce that the only recourse is to the non-Jewish authorities. The whole
purpose is precisely to elevate the sparks of true justice from the domain of the husks
(20:9).
8) Those who ridicule and abuse the genuinely religious are under the influence of
Torah they have learned from scholars who lack the necessary integrity. These
scholars are termed `Jewish devils' (Zohar III, 253) because their Torah is `fallen
Torah,' which lacks the power to guide men along the path of truth and goodness.
There is nothing to be gained from such scholars. Anyone who associates with them
will turn into an atheist (28:1).
9) One way of developing genuine faith is by offering hospitality to true Torah
scholars. When you have true faith it will give you the strength to be untouched by the
abuse and ridicule of others (Ibid. 2:3).
10) There are people who do not have a good word for anybody. They always look on
the bad side of people. The source of their life-force is in the forces of the Other Side,
which is called `the end of all flesh' (Genesis 6:13). Such people are constantly trying
to make an end of things. They are highly destructive. Their accusations and slander
arouse harsh judgements in the world. The fundamental evil here is the abuse of the
faculty of speech. Therefore the way to crush and humble these people is by
developing the faculty of speech to perfection (38:2).
11) Clapping your hands when you pray helps against strife and divisiveness. Murder
and destruction are driven from the world, and peace reigns (44).
12) The deeper a person's understanding the more detached he will be from in-fighting
and controversy. The main reason for factionalism and anger is lack of understanding.
Torah is the source of all understanding. Therefore the study of Torah brings peace to
the world and causes factionalism to disappear (56:3, 6).

13) Immersing in a mikvah deepens understanding. It is therefore also a help against

factionalism (Ibid. 7).
14) When a person is prone to anger, it strengthens his enemies and opponents. One
remedy is fasting. Another is taking pleasure in the delights of Shabbat especially the
Shabbat meals (57:6).
15) A potent reason for factionalism and quarreling is because people lack sufficient
faith in the Sages of the Torah. Someone who finds himself at the center of an
argument, with people raising all kinds of questions about him, should take it as a sign
that he does not have sufficient faith in the Sages. He should think about the
implications of the argument and use it as a stimulus to help him correct the
deficiency in his faith (61:5).
16) There are certain Tzaddikim in particular who could never be said to have less
than perfect faith, yet they are still surrounded by controversy. In the case of a
Tzaddik such as this the reason for the opposition is that `he bore the sin of many'
(Isaiah 53:12) and he has to bear the anguish of this controversy precisely because the
rest of the world is lacking in faith in the Sages. The very controversy which
surrounds him enables him to correct the flaws in the people's faith in the Sages
(Ibid.).
17) Another reason for the opposition against these Tzaddikim is that they do not have
sufficient faith in themselves. They lack adequate faith in the value of the original
Torah concepts which they have developed, nor do they fully believe that God has
great joy from their teachings. They have insufficient confidence in their own
originality, and as a result their powers grow weaker. This is the reason why
opposition is sent to them -- to encourage them to repent for their weak faith. Because
a lack of faith in one's own originality is also a lack of faith in the Sages. When the
Tzaddik repents for this, it gives him new enthusiasm to explore fresh horizons and
innovate further, and out of his teachings a book is made. Many holy books of Torah
come to be written in this way. As a result disputes and faction-fighting are put to rest
and all the harsh judgements are sweetened (Ibid.).
18) At the deepest level, the fact that there are disputes between the various
Tzaddikim (for example the arguments between the Sages of the Mishnah and the
Gemarah and so on) has its root in the concept of the `Empty Void,' the mystical
concept of the void that was left after the primordial light was contracted. (See
Likutey Moharan 64 for a fuller discussion of this.) Any real understanding of this
concept is beyond the capacity of our human intelligence. Because of this it is wrong
for a person to allow himself to be troubled by fundamental doubts through an
inability to understand how it could be that there were disagreements between the

Sages on matters of Torah. One must simply have faith that `these and these are the
words of the living God,' even if we are unable to understand how this can be. We
must strengthen ourselves with faith alone (64:4).
19) The more divisions among the enemy, the greater their power of endurance. When
they unite, however, they very quickly suck dry the source of their life-force, which is
in the waste substances of the brain, and they soon collapse (87:6).
20) The urge to dominate has its source in the blood with which a person has not yet
served God. He must see to it that he serves God with every single drop of blood in
his body. He must pour forth words of Torah and prayer until all his blood has been
turned into words of holiness. Then he will attain peace and his urge to argue and
dominate will disappear (75).
21) One who restrains his impulse to take part in disputes will be worthy of being
quoted by name for his legal rulings. After his passing he will dwell in both worlds,
the World to Come and this world, where his name will still be mentioned. It will be
as if he is not dead at all (145).
22) Arguments and in-fighting make it difficult for a person to pray and speak words
of holiness. This is why before we begin our prayers we must take upon ourselves the
mitzva of `love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18) in order to draw love and
peace into the world. Peace is the root and source of speech (239).
23) Factionalism can cause even truly religious people to start having doubts and
questions about their faith (251).
24) A person who is involved in a controversy can be thrown down from his level. He
has to be very determined and pray profusely and plead with God not to let him stray
from his path because of this (258).
25) When a person is involved in a dispute he should never get up and say that
whatever his opponent does to him he will do to his opponent in return. This will only
help his opponent achieve what he wants, which is to see his victim suffer. The best
thing is to judge his enemies in the scale of merit, and even to do them favors where
he can. This is the best way to foil their intentions. In the end their evil intentions will
all come back on their own heads (277).
26) This applies when one's opponents are not good people. But when they are
Tzaddikim there is no doubt that their only intention is to benefit him. Their very
opposition has the power to raise him up and sweeten any harsh decrees which may
have been made against him. This is why they oppose him in the first place. A person

must understand that when he is confronted with opposition from Tzaddikim, it is

only for his benefit. He must pray to God not to allow him to fall into the error of
thinking this is real hostility, because if he does it can arouse genuine opposition from
the forces of the Other Side (Ibid.).
27) Strife brings poverty. It also prevents people from being healed. Peace brings
healing and prosperity to the world (Ibid.).
28) When the world is afflicted with wars and bloodshed it can cause the rains to be
withheld and bring about high prices (Ibid. II, 60).
29) When men abuse the honor of God it causes factionalism (71).
30) The whole world is filled with quarreling. Nation disputes against nation. Every
city has its factions. Each household is locked in arguments with the neighbors.
Within the household the husband argues with his wife, with the children and the
servants. And so on and so on. Nobody thinks about what the ultimate goal of the
world is. Every day man dies -- because the day that has passed will never come back,
and each day he draws closer to the day of his death. How can he waste his time on
arguments? Anyone who has any sense should understand this and win long life for
himself. Let him not waste his life on quarrels, big or small. He should control
himself, hold his anger in check and live peacefully with everybody (Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom 77).

THE COVENANT -- BREACH AND

REPAIR:
The Brit is the foundation of the Jewish people and the Jewish religion. There is no
single word in English which conveys the richness of meaning in the word Brit, which
is usually translated as `Covenant'. The Brit which God struck with Abraham (Genesis
17) was the source of the special relationship between God and those of Avraham's
descendants who observe the obligations which the Brit carries with it.
1) If you guard the sacred Covenant in purity you will be worthy of true prayer (2:2).
2) The sexual appetite is the root of the evil inclination. It is the source of all impurity.
Confronting the sexual desire is the main trial one has to face in this world. Happy
indeed is the one who wins the battle (Ibid. 6).
3) Someone who knows that he is guilty of having wasted the drops of his very mind
and soul should be careful not to get involved in any of the conflicts and disputes

between the Tzaddikim. He should believe in all of them. The various doubts and
questions which arise in his mind when he sees the Tzaddikim in conflict with one
another stem from the mental weaknesses he himself brought upon himself when he
wasted those drops of his very soul. If his mind had not been flawed he would not find
anything to trouble him at all. He should understand that all their conflicts are really
for his benefit, to prompt him to examine and purify himself (5:4).
4) The guidance given by the Tzaddik and his followers are the foundation of the
Covenant. But the smooth talk of those who oppose them, who have their own ideas
about the right way to live, is a denial of the Covenant and can only undermine it. The
ideas that a person receives from another are like seeds planted in his mind. Advice
and counsel are `drops of wisdom' which impregnate the soul. A person who has given
way to immorality in the past must be extremely careful to protect himself from the
influence of these enemies of the truth. Otherwise he is in danger of losing his share in
the world to come, God forbid (7:3).
5) Sexual desire is subject to the eyes: when the eyes wander, desire is aroused. The
mitzvah of tzitzit, the fringes on the garment, is a protection against this. It also gives
protection against the influence of those who are enemies of the truth. Be very careful
to fulfill this mitzvah properly. If you do this you will begin to understand the
meaning of the teachings of the Tzaddikim and to follow their ways. When you wrap
yourself in the tzitzit and recite the blessing, concentrate on the thought that you
desire a life of purity governed by the Holy Covenant and by the advice and counsel
of the Tzaddikim. This is the foundation of true faith. You will be worthy of coming to
the Land of Israel, and bringing the era of Mashiach closer. You will attain true prayer,
and with it the power to bring about miracles. Your livelihood will be sent without
difficulties -- because a person's livelihood is governed by the purity with which he
leads his life. In the end you will learn to find wisdom wherever you are: you will see
the teachings which are contained in all the things around you. All the wisdom of the
world will be revealed to you like a table spread with delights (Ibid. 4).
6) Pride and sexual immorality are bound up with one another. By guarding the
Covenant in purity a person can rid himself of pride and find the light that will guide
him on the path back to God (11:3).
7) The basic reason why people have to struggle bitterly to make a living is because
they are guilty of sexual impurity. People who keep themselves pure also have to
work. But in their case the work they do is the labor of building the Sanctuary. Our
sages teach us that there were thirty-nine separate kinds of labor connected with the
construction of the Sanctuary. Each labor is a light, making thirtynine lights. But when
a person undermines the Holy Covenant, poverty pursues him. He takes the yoke of

bitter struggle and puts it around his own neck. For him, work is the scourge of the
thirty-nine lashes with which offenders are punished (Deut. 25:2,3) (Ibid. 4).
8) There are two different levels of observance of the Covenant. The first is that of the
man who has relations with his wife during the six working days of the week. He too
can be said to be observing the Covenant since he only approaches his wife at the
times when she is permitted to him in accordance with the rules of family purity. He
must of course take care not to come to sin. This is the level of the lower unification.
Purity here leads to understanding the Law of the Torah -- the `secrets.' The second
level is that of one who has relations only on the night of Shabbat. This is the level of
the upper unification, where it is possible to penetrate to the mystical depths of the
Torah, the `secrets of secrets.' Those whose relations are only on Shabbat must guard
themselves scrupulously to ensure that they conduct themselves in perfect holiness.
This applies all the more so to those on the lower level, who have relations during the
six working days. When the Covenant is observed on both these levels the glory of
God is complete (Ibid. 5).
9) A remedy for a nocturnal emission is to talk to one's friends about their spiritual
difficulties and give them encouragement in their search for God (14:12).
10) Sexual desire is the comprehensive evil. It is the root of all the different kings of
evil found in the seventy nations of the world. Each of the seventy nations and
languages is associated with its own special form of evil -- an evil character trait, a
particular desire for which that people is especially known, or whatever. This special
evil is what binds this people to the forces of evil. The sexual desire is the sum of all
evil. All the different desires found in the seventy nations are, as it were, gathered
together and included in this. They all burn together, and the effect is a flaming
furnace which urges men on with sexual lust. But God has separated us from the
nations and exalted us above all languages. We are therefore obliged to keep apart
from all the different kinds of evil which are found among them. Their desires are
totally worthless to us. More than anything we must guard ourselves against sexual
desire which is the sum of all evil. The fact that we keep ourselves apart from this is
the essential difference between ourselves and the other nations. It is the foundation of
the holiness of the Jewish people. Man has the power to uproot this impulse from
himself completely. In this lies our sanctity (19:3).
11) The key to subduing and breaking your desires, and especially sexual desire,
which is the main challenge, is to strive to gain mastery of the Holy Tongue. This
means that you should sanctify your tongue with words of Torah and prayer -- the
formal prayers and your own spontaneous private prayer. Even if the words you speak
are in your own native language they are still considered as the Holy Tongue. (In fact,
when you converse with God in your own words, it must be in your own language.)

The point is to sanctify your tongue by always speaking in a way that is holy. This is
what is meant by gaining mastery of the Holy Tongue. Through sanctifying your
speech you will have the power to subdue the sexual desire, which is the
comprehensive evil (Ibid.).
12) Sexual purity and mastery of the Holy Tongue are both connected with each other.
The more words of holiness which you speak, the more you will succeed in purifying
yourself, and in this way you will make amends for any immorality in the past. By the
same token, the purer you become the more your mastery of the Holy Tongue will
grow. But, you should understand that a similar relationship exists between sexual
immorality, God forbid, and the abuse of language. Each one feeds the other (Ibid.).
13) The serpent which beguiled Eve and corrupted her is the embodiment of sexual
lust. (Other expressions used for this in our holy literature are the `whirling
stormwind,' the `spirit of madness,' and the `foolish woman.') It is the way of the
serpent to try to beguile the `spirit of holiness,' which is the Holy Tongue, and to
insinuate its way into our speech. The holiness of language is bound up with sexual
purity. Therefore the serpent constantly strives to corrupt our speech. It is written: `sin
coucheth at the door' (Genesis 4:7). This refers to the serpent lurking in wait for man,
trying to suck his strength by tripping him into sexual impurity. The evil inclination
constantly tries to push one to sin. Its main force is directed to the area of sexual
desire (Ibid. 4).
14) Use words of holiness -- Torah and prayer -- to cool the heat of your passion. As
King David said: `My heart waxed hot within me; while I was musing, the fire was
kindled. Then I spoke with my tongue' (Psalms 39:4). When you cool your passion
with words of holiness, you will be protected from night-time emissions (Ibid. 4).
15) Most people go through life subjected to a constant barrage of discourtesy,
rudeness and outright insults and humiliation. All this is sent only because of their
immorality. Those who guard the Covenant in purity will be treated with honor (Ibid.
3).
16) One who is pure and masters the Holy Tongue can interpret dreams, like Joseph
did (Ibid. 4).
17) The Tzaddik is one who has attained perfect purity and perfect mastery of the
Holy Tongue. Only through the words of his lips can you yourself achieve that
mastery and thereby free yourself of all your desires. But you must actually go to the
Tzaddik and hear the words from his lips yourself. It is not enough to read books of
his teachings or even to hear them second-hand from someone else. You must go to

him yourself. His holy lips are a fountain flowing with the fear of Heaven. His words
are the foundation of the Holy Covenant. They are the comprehensive tikkun (Ibid. 9).
18) Because of the desecration of the Holy Covenant a sword is let loose in the world.
This is the sword that `executes the vengeance of the Covenant' (Leviticus 26:25)
(20:10).
19) Crying out loud is a remedy for sexual impurity and can bring an illumination of
da'at, perception and understanding of Godliness. That is why guarding against
impurity elevates the mind to higher levels (Ibid.).
20) The underlying reason why we should recite the Passover Haggadah in a loud
voice is that the Haggadah is a tikkun for the Holy Covenant. The original exile in
Egypt was the result of the abuse of the Covenant, as we find explained in the sacred
literature. The redemption from Egypt was a tikkun for this. The wine of the four cups
which we drink on the first nights of Passover symbolizes da'at, perception and
understanding of Godliness. Drinking the wine is a tikkun for the distortion in our
consciousness which stems from sexual impurity (Ibid.).
21) The Holy Covenant is a protection against the `face' of the Sitra Achra, the Other
Side. This `face' of the Other Side is the craze for money and materialism which is a
form of idolatry and the source of the darkness, depression and heaviness in the world.
They are really a form of death. But through the Covenant we become bound to
Godliness. In the joy of God's radiance we can attain true contentment, because the
light of the Countenance of the King of Life shines upon us (23:2).
22) One who guards the Covenant in purity will come to perceive the source of all the
blessings which flow into the world, spiritual and material. This root is pure radiant
light. When one attains this perception, all desire for materialism simply disappears
(Ibid. 5).
23) The Holy Covenant is the foundation of true enlightenment, which is called the
`glory of the face', hadrat panim. The mind is refined by the wisdom of the Torah,
which one learns to interpret with grace and beauty through the thirteen rules of
interpretation. These rules are the `glory of the face' (In the Kabbalah they are known
as the `thirteen perfections of the beard'. The beard, a symbol for wisdom is zakan,
which also means `old man'; and it is written in the Torah: `Honor (ve-hadarta) the
face of the old man'; (Leviticus 19:32).) The voice also becomes purified. One has
only to lift up his voice and utter the sounds of song, even without words, and God
will save him in his time of distress. Then he will attain peace, and the power to draw
the entire world closer to the service of God (27:6).

24) Any transgression of the laws of the Torah stains the Shechinah with the blood of
impurity and sunders the Shechinah from the Only One, blessed-be-He. To rectify
every single sin one by one would be impossible, because each transgression has
many implications and ramifications: every prohibition has its fine points and
subtleties. The only solution is the Tikkun Klaki, the general remedy. This is the
tikkun habrit, the `restoration of the Covenant.' Through this, all of a person's
transgressions are rectified. The healing influence of the Tikkun Klaki has the power
to reach the narrowest, most inaccessible channels of the soul which no other remedy
could reach (29:3).
25) One who has not yet achieved the Tikkun Klaki has no right to speak. He does not
know how to use speech as it should be used. Nor is he able to speak words which
radiate Torah. For him to speak would be a transgression of the prohibition against
tale-bearing (Leviticus 19:16), because anything he says amounts to slander. He is
unable to keep secrets. But the Tikkun Klaki confers on the one who achieves it the
right to open his lips and speak. His words will be filled with the light of Torah (Ibid.
6).
26) Sexual impurity can result in epilepsy, God forbid. The Covenant is a protection
against this (Ibid. 7).
27) A person who has not yet achieved the Tikkun Klaki should avoid wine, because it
stirs up the blood and this is the source of all sin. Drinking can have an adverse effect
on one's livelihood. The wine becomes like a poison. But someone who has achieved
absolute purity can reach profound enlightenment when he drinks wine (Ibid. 8).
28) All the suffering which a person goes through when he is travelling is sent to him
only because of abuse of the Covenant. One who is pure will be free of pain and
torment when he travels (Ibid. 4).
30) The Covenant is the source of true freedom (Ibid. 5).
31) There are two aspects to the Covenant. The first is embodied in the figure of
Abraham. This is the Upper Covenant, which is a firmament separating the upper and
the lower waters. The second is the Lower Covenant, embodied in the figure of
Abraham's servant. This is the firmament dividing the pure and the impure waters,
that which is permitted from that which is forbidden, the ritually clean from the
ritually unclean. The Upper Covenant entails the endeavour for absolute purity, the
purity of the perfect Tzaddik. The Lower Covenant involves the observance of the
laws of what is permitted and what is prohibited, and this entails learning. Every
person must try to fulfill the Covenant on both these levels: to be a Tzaddik and a
scholar. `For an ignoramus cannot be a saint' (Avoth 2:6). One who fulfils the

Covenant on both these levels is likened to an angel of the Lord of Hosts. He will
attain true faith and he will be blessed with an abundance of Divine favor and grace.
He will be filled with love and yearning for God. The letters of Torah have two
opposite powers: they can be turned to good or to evil. Through the longing and
yearning we have for God we invest the letters of Torah with goodness. The very
letters themselves push forward and ask to be mouthed on the lips of those who long
for God. The letters themselves yearn to be invested with goodness. When one attains
this sanctity it is accounted to him as if his very eating had the holiness of the showbread of the sanctuary. His table brings atonement like the altar. The entire universe -the stars, the planets and all the nations of the world -- all labor to provide him with
livelihood and blessing (Ibid. 5).
32) Sexual temptation is the main test in life. It is sent as a challenge to refine us.
When you are subjected to this test it puts you in a type of `exile'. You should cry out
to God: scream and cry out to Him over and over again, like a woman in labor who
cries out from the pain of her contractions. Seventy times she cries out (Zohar III,
249b). You must do likewise and cry out to God again and again until He takes pity
and helps you to strengthen yourself and break your desire. New ideas and new
perceptions will be born within you. The secrets of Torah, which before were guarded,
will now be unveiled for you. The greater the determination with which you stand up
to the trial, the greater the revelation you will receive in Torah and devotion to God.
You will be able to see the seventy faces of the Torah (36:1,2).
33) The tikkun for sexual fantasies is to say the words of the Shema: `Hear O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is One', and the phrase which follows it: `Blessed be the
name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever'. The six Hebrew words of each of
these two lines adds up to twelve, corresponding to the twelve Tribes of God. By
saying these words one attaches his soul to the Twelve Tribes and separates it from the
`Mixed Multitude' who went up with the Children of Israel from Egypt (Tikkuney
Zohar, Introduction) The `Mixed Multitude' stems from the `harlot woman,' the
`wicked maid'. This is the source of sexual lust, which is the root of all evil character
traits (Ibid. 3).
34) When one merely has a stray thought or fantasy it is sufficient to say these two
verses as we have mentioned. But certain people are plagued with sexual fantasies all
the time. They find they cannot rid themselves of it. In this case, they must bring
themselves to tears when they take on the yoke of heaven. They must literally weep as
they say the words `Hear O Israel' and `Blessed be the Name of His glorious
Kingdom' (Ibid. 6).
35) The level of religious perception that a person can attain depends on the degree of
purity he achieves. It is a fundamental principle that one can only comprehend the

words of the Tzaddik if he first purifies himself. Immorality leaves a blemish on the
mind. Not only will one fail to understand what the Tzaddik is saying; he is also in
danger of putting the wrong interpretation on the words. He can easily stumble if he
follows the crookedness of his heart and accepts the distorted logic of the doubts with
which his head is filled (Ibid.).
36) Sexual temptation can literally make a person go out of his mind. This is why the
medical authorities have written that castration is a cure for madness (Ibid. 6).
37) Once one breaks his sexual desire, he can easily break all his desires. This is why
the tikkun for sexual impurity is called the Tikkun Klaki, the comprehensive tikkun.
The further a person is from sexual desire, the closer he comes to the radiance of
Torah. The opposite is also true. This explains why, before a person can receive a new
revelation of Torah, he is first tested in the crucible of this passion. If he stands up to
the test and breaks his desire, it is like breaking the shell which proceeds the fruit, and
he will be worthy to receive the revelation (Ibid.).
38) Be careful not to listen to the words of a person who is wicked and also
intelligent. The mere words themselves can arouse sexual desire. They are laden with
poison and enter the very body of the one who hears them (43).
39) One who abuses the Covenant will have the taste of bitter waters -- the `waters of
impurity' and the `seed of uncleanness.' He will be unable to pray with the fervor of
total devotion. He will never taste the sweetness of the words of the prayers. The
offering he brings -- his prayer -- will be eaten by a dog. His prayer will be bitter -- a
`double-edged sword'... `hell'. But when one guards the Covenant in purity his prayers
are sweet waters -- the `waters of purity', the `seed of holiness'. As the words emerge
from his lips and enter his ears, their sweetness passes into his very bones and his
prayer flows out with fervent passion -- as it is written: `All my bones declare, Lord
who is like unto Thee?' (Psalms 35:10) Then a lion comes and consumes his offering
(50).
40) The `dogs' who snatch at the prayers of one who has not achieved sexual purity
are the brash and arrogant peole who disturb him and spoil his prayers (Ibid.).
41) One who succumbed to sexual immorality in the past should be wary of dogs and
the sword (Ibid.).
42) The vanity of beauty leads men to the charm of deceit (cf. Proverbs 31:30). One
who is captured by the beauty of women falls victim to its vain futility. There are
many ways he can fall into deceit, be it in the way he stands, the way he eats, the way
he speaks to people and so on. No matter what he does he must always think how will

he appear: will he seem charming and attractive? Each separate act demands a
different kind of charm. One who fails to guard himself against the attractions of
female beauty will become a slave to the charm that he feels he must project (60:3).
43) The vanity of beauty brings men to poverty (Ibid.).
44) Life depends upon breathing. Sexual desire affects the breathing, causing gaps
between breaths. This allows the body fluids to dry, which results in damage to the
brain and the mind, because mental life depends on the fats and fluids in the body.
This is why all forms of madness are caused fundamentally by sexual desire, as is
known. Even in the case of those who are not actually insane but who lack stability
and strength of character, the root cause is also sexual (Ibid.).
45) Anyone who marries a woman for money is a fool and an idiot (Kiddushin 72) He
will be spiritually crippled and his children will turn out to be immoral (69).
46) Charity given in secret is a tikkun for a nocturnal emission (83).
47) Depression and anxiety are the main cause of sexual immorality. The foundation
of the Covenant lies in joy (169).
48) The milk that a baby suckles when being breast-fed can have a decisive effect on
his sexual behavior later on. If a baby is given to a wet-nurse to be suckled it is
essential that she should be a good and pious woman. A child who sucks milk from a
woman who is morally lax can be overwhelmed by sexual temptation in later life. But
a child who is suckled by an honest, pious woman will only have as much desire as is
necessary to fulfill the commandment of God (II, 1:4;see Tosafoth, Avodah Zarah
11b).
49) Today publicity and fame go to false figures. The arrogance of these false leaders
causes sexual immorality to become rife, with the wanton destruction of seed. The
`flesh is stopped' (Leviticus 15:3). This `sealing' of the flesh is the seal of the forces of
the Other Side. The only way to escape this is through the strength of the Guardians of
the age, the Tzaddikim and those who are truly pious. They are called the `Guardians
of the earth.' The battle they have to fight is very fierce. But these Guardians have the
power to transform the `stopped up flesh' to a `seal of holiness'. This seal is the tefilin.
The greater the victory over sexual immorality the greater the spiritual enlightenment
which follows. This enlightenment is the `seal of holiness' which the tefilin embody.
Every one can draw strength from the `Guardians of the Earth' to break his desires and
put all his fantasies out of his mind, filling it instead with holy thoughts. Something
you should understand is that the more strongly you are assailed by temptation and
desire, the greater the tikkun when you fight and break them. Holiness is realeased

from the power of the husks. You will be suffused with the holiness of the tefilin: to
know and make known God's power and glory in the world. The sole reason why
these fantasies and evil thoughts are sent to a person is precisely that he should
transform them and sublimate them to the realm of holiness (5:6).
50) One who breaks his sexual desire, and cleanses and purifies his mind, is worthy of
dreams sent by an angel. Then he is worthy of the status of Man. But a person whose
mind is impure receives dreams from a demon and resembles a beast (Ibid. 9).
51) Rabbis and judges who are dishonest and pervert the law cause the filth of
nocturnal pollutions. The perversion of the `thrones of judgement' (Psalms 122:5)
causes the love that is in the Chariot (the Throne) to fall, and stirs up the heat of
impure passion. The remedy for this is `binding the chariot' - a reference to the
institution of the Sages that before we go to sleep we should say: `In the name of the
Lord God of Israel: at my right, Michael; at my left, Gavriel; before me, Uriel and
behind me, Rafael, and upon my head, Shechinat-El' (Ibid. 11).
52) The spiritual powers of the mind and the soul are the shield against sexual desire.
Each of the three main facets of the mind is a separate barrier against this impulse.
The power of the sexual impulse derives from the `spirit of folly' which overwhelms
one with lustful thoughts and fantasies. As soon as a person feels himself threatened
by them he should remind himself of the intrinsic superiority of the spiritual realm. He
should immediately turn aside from the `spirit of folly' and take refuge in the powers
of his soul, setting up the barriers of wisdom and intelligence to protect him against
this desire. They are the best shield of all. Understand this well. It is something which
cannot really be explained. Each individual will see for himself how to escape the
`spirit of folly' and draw closer to his spiritual powers, which are the shield against it
(8:2).
53) Every Jew has within him a spark of Mashiach. How much it shows through
depends on the purity and holiness he attains. He must be very careful not to weaken
this spark in any way. The main thing is to guard against the sexual desire, because
even the slightest trace of it can seriously affect this spark. The spirit of Mashiach is a
jealous one. The full force of its zeal is turned against every place where there is even
the slightest trace of sexual immorality. The holiness and purity of everything
associated with Mashiach is so great that even a mere hint of sexual immorality
cannot be tolerated. The full force of its jealousy is directed against it (32).
54) When man and wife have relations in purity and holiness untouched by the
slightest flaw, their relations brings unification in the uppermost spheres. This is truly
precious (Ibid.).

55) One who attains absolute purity knows how to send forth the words of prayer like
arrows from a bow. His whole being becomes suffused with the spirit of the holy
Shabbat. He is totally free. He reaches the ultimate enlightenment. He strips himself
of his leprous body, the `skin of the serpent', and is clothed instead in Shabbat
garments - a holy body from the Garden of Eden. His guardian angel is raised high.
He is blessed with wealth and joy. All the passion in his heart is for good. Depression
and cynicism have no place. He has the power to go out into the world and bring life
to those caught in the net of degraded passions and irrational fears: in their place, he
inculcates them with the love of God and the fear of Heaven. The darkness is lifted
from their eyes, and their eyes are opened to wonders around them. So great is his
power, it is as if he had created the world. Those whom he teaches learn the ways of
prayer: their pleas and entreaties become infused with deeper meaning and higher
purpose. The hearts of men are purified, and the age of Mashiach begins to dawn. The
leaven of the evil inclination is destroyed, and in the radiance of Torah the heart takes
fire with flames of love. `Many waters cannot quench love' (Song of Songs, 8:7). The
`many waters' are the degraded loves and irrational fears. Now they are powerless to
quench the passion of this love of God. The Shechinah spreads her wings over Israel
in the light of this love, and protects the Jewish people from the power of the wicked
and the `waters of the flood.' (Cf. Niddah 13b) All this is founded on the holy
Covenant and sexual purity (83).
56) Today it is easy to resist temptation. When people withstand a temptation, its evil
husks are broken. It then becomes easier for others to resist it. Many Tzaddikim and
righteous men have already withstood very severe sexual temptations. Now even an
ordinary person can easily withstand this test, if he wants to take pity on himself in
This World, and the World to Come (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 114).
57) A person who experiences a night-time emission should recite the following ten
psalms on the same day: Psalms 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150. One who
recites these psalms on the same day need have no further fears about the harm such
an emission can cause. Any damage will certainly be repaired through doing this. It is
a very great tikkun (II, 92).

EATING:
1) If the food a person eats is pure in accordance with the dietary laws and he eats it
with dignity, without swallowing it hurriedly, the powers of his mind will be restored
and grow and his foolishness will be subdued. But if he eats like a glutton, then he
will be overwhelmed by foolishness. He will lose his intelligence and the light of the
Tzaddik will be concealed from him. He will no longer be able to learn the love and
fear of God from the Tzaddik (17:2,3).

2) If you are conscious that your eating habits are bad, the remedy is to give charity to
the Tzaddik and to poor people who are genuninely deserving. The Tzaddik has the
power to draw people who are far from God closer, even if they were sunk in idolatry.
Eating greedily causes the light of God to be darkened in the world. But through this
charity, God's light is spread through the world. The powers of your mind and soul
will be restored and you will see the light of the Tzaddik and learn the love and fear of
God (Ibid. 5).
3) When a person attains perfect mastery of the Holy Tongue and guards the Holy
Covenant in purity he has the power to stir up the sparks of the letters which exist
throughout the Creation. All the pleasure he has from eating and drinking and other
enjoyments comes only from the sparks of the letters. His heart is illumined and his
face becomes so radiant that people are moved to return to God simply by seeing it.
Everyone who looks at his face sees his own reflected there as if in a mirror -- and
sees, in contrast, how far sunk in darkness he is. Without a single word of preaching
he will want to be released from his darkness, all through seeing this person's face
(19:7-9).
4) Whenever you feel a sudden strong impulse to eat it is a sign that there are forces
which hate you. This sudden appetite for food is caused by the animal part of your
nature. You must break the animal impulse. Then you will be free from the clutches of
those who hate you (39).
5) Gluttony leads to divisiveness and strife. The glutton is an object of contempt.
Other people look down upon him: they have no wish to help him, on the contrary
they put all kinds of opposition in his way. But a person who succeeds in breaking his
greedy impulses will find peace. And peace will also reign in the realms above. A
profound and wonderful contentment will reveal itself in the world (Ibid.).
6) When a person is sunk in the desire to eat greedily it is certain that he is far from
truth. A person like this is under the force of the Divine aspect of severe justice. Greed
is a sign of impoverishment to come, and will subject him to contempt and
embarassment (47).
7) When a person manages to break his desire for food, God works miracles through
him (Ibid.).
8) There are people who sleep away all their days. Some of them have fallen into their
sleep because of their desires and wrongdoing. There are other cases of people who
possess genuine goodness and beauty of character. But their fall came through food.
Sometimes a person may eat food which was not sufficiently purified to be fit for
human consumption. Then his mind falls into a `sleep'. When a person eats in holiness

and purity, his face, and the inner `face' -- that is his soul -- becomes radiant through
his eating. But when he eats without holiness the food damages his heart, and the
result is that he loses that inner face and he falls into a `sleep'. He may still think that
he is serving God, occupied as he is with Torah and prayer. But he is `asleep', and all
his devotions remain below in the lower worlds. God has no pleasure from them. It is
vital to arouse him from his sleep. But the only way it can be done is if he stirs
himself a little first. The tales and stories told by the Tzaddikim have the power to
rouse those who are asleep so that their days will not be wasted. It is a great thing to
be privileged to find a Tzaddik like this who can stir you from your sleep. Otherwise
you could sleep away all your days, God forbid (60:6).
9) The food, physical and spiritual, of the Jew must first undergo purification until not
a trace of the forces of the Sitra Achra, the Other Side, remains. Food which still
contains a trace of them can cause one to sin. All the impulses and desires which
people experience are aspects of the kelipot, the `husks' which surround the spiritual
fruit. The husks are characterized by excess and superfluousness. The body can
survive without these gratifications. When desires and impulses press in on a person,
this is the battle of the kelipot against holiness. The principal desires are for food and
drink. All the other desires are derived from them. When a person is in their grip, they
send his faculty of speech into exile. As it says in the Psalms: `My throat is dry'
(69:4). He finds himself unable to say a single word before God. But by fasting he can
overcome the power of these desires. Then he will be able to speak. Through this he
will be able to draw those who are far from God closer. As more people come to
acknowledge God, His glory is revealed over the whole Creation, and our faith in God
becomes complete. When a person who is master of his desires eats, it is precious
indeed because of the unification brought about between the Holy One, blessed-be-He
and the Shechinah face to face (62:1,2,5).
10) When a person eats greedily it is a stain, as it were, on the honor which is due to
God's holiness. The more disrespect that is shown to God, the more the arrogant start
to assert themselves. The nations of the world abrogate to themselves all the glory that
is due to God. They flaunt themselves and boast, and receive the world's respect and
deference for it. God hides His face from the world and the Divine aspect of severe
justice prevails. But when we break the desire for food, God shows favor to the world.
The aspect of severity is withdrawn. The honor due to God's holiness is restored. The
arrogant are humbled and lose their power and influence (67:2,3).
11) Never eat more than you need. If you eat unnecessarily it can be very harmful.
Even the food which the body needs is then joined with the extra food and causes
great damage (257).

12) A person who eats excessively is like an animal. To be human is to eat only what
is necessary. Excessive eating brings on fever. Another cause of fever can be if a
person eats food which is insufficiently pure for human consumption (263).
13) Greed for food is one of the three lusts which destroy the heart's capacity for awe
and reverence for God. The other two are the desire for wealth and the sexual appetite.
Each of the three festivals of the year has its own spiritual influence which counters
one of these desires. Pesach counters the desire for wealth; Shavuot the sexual
impulse. The greedy desire for food is broken through the influence of Succot.
Celebrating Succot fittingly will bring an illumination which can help one to control
one's appetite for food (II, 1:4,5).
14) The food one eats can affect one's dreams and even cause one to have a `dream
sent by a demon' (Berakhot 55b). This can bring about a wasteful emission. The
tikkun for this is to be always happy (5:10).
15) One of the highest of all spiritual experiences is the revelation of Desire which
comes at the time of eating. But before one can attain this level one must first find a
wise sage for a teacher, one who possesses the wisdom and understanding of how to
awaken the radiant light of the Jewish people. If a person finds such a sage and is firm
and disciplined in his own spiritual path, then he will be able to experience this
revelation of holy Desire when he eats. He will feel an overpowering yearning and
longing for the Holy One, blessed-be-He. This Desire is boundless, beyond all
understanding. He scarcely knows what it is he desires. It is pure Desire -- the
yearning of the soul for God (7:10).
16) The bodily sustenance we take in can harm the spiritual sustenance of the soul.
Eating and drinking can harm our capacity to experience the awe of God. Awe is the
`sweet savor' which sustains the soul. The Tzaddik understands how to guide Israel.
By learning from him and following his guidance, we give strength to the spiritual and
counter the effects of our physical sustenance (Ibid.).
17) The act of eating plays a vital part in refining and purifying the Creation. The food
we eat is refined and elevated when it is transformed into the beautiful words that we
speak: the blessings we make over the food itself, the prayers we offer, our words of
Torah, and all the other devotions we are enabled to perform by the nourishment we
derive from the food. One should keep this in mind as one eats. Then one's food
becomes `incense' as it were. One will find true joy and make a crown of
lovingkindness and mercy for the King of Peace, as it is written: `Go forth, O ye
daughters of Zion and gaze upon King Solomon' -- Shlomo, he to whom peace,
Shalom, belongs -- `even upon the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in

the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart' (Song of Songs
3:11) (16).
18) Every Jew, even the greatest Tzaddik, necessarily undergoes a certain measure of
pain and suffering every day. The deeper his understanding and attachment to God,
the greater the pain he must endure. But eating in holiness and with the fear of Heaven
can help to sweeten this pain somewhat and prevent it from becoming overpowering
(77).
19) One who eats in holiness and with the fear of Heaven is worthy of the status of
Adam, Man, the pinnacle of Creation. His mouth is the mouth of Adam. The
Shechinah herself speaks from his lips. But when a person eats without holiness, God
forbid, his mouth is the mouth of a mere animal (Ibid).
20) The time when we are eating is especially suited to working on ourselves to
develop the fear of Heaven. We should be careful to take advantage of the moment
and cultivate this fear in our hearts (Ibid.).
21) Never eat a fruit before it has become fully ripe on the tree. Unripe fruit can be
very harmful. It can damage the very soul. So long as the fruit still needs to grow it
has the power to draw to itself the life-force it requires. If somebody eats it before it is
ripe it will suck the vitality it requires from him. By making the blessing over fruit
with intense concentration and with a sense of true fear of Heaven you can avoid the
dangers of unripe fruit. In fact, you should be careful with all the blessings over food,
drink, spices and so on, but especially with the blessings over fruit. Many lost objects
are actually present in the fruit of the tree. Deep mysteries (such as the transmigration
of souls) are involved here. These lost objects need to be refined and elevated.
Cooking unripe fruit in order to make it fit for eating will not help if the fruit did not
ripen on the tree. However if unripe fruit is left for a time after it is picked until it
ripens by itself, it does help and the fruit may be eaten (88).
22) Be careful not to gulp your food down hurriedly like a glutton. It was Esau who
said, `Let me swallow some of this red pottage' (Genesis 25:30). Get into the habit of
eating at a moderate pace, calmly and with the same table manners you would show if
an important guest were present. You should always eat like this, even when you are
eating alone. Happy is the one who achieves this! (Chayey Moharan, Avodat Hashem,
69).

THE MONTH OF ELUL:

1) The dominant spiritual theme of the month of Elul is the tikkun habrit, the tikkun
for the abuse of the Holy Covenant. A person who achieves this will find his true
partner in life, a partner who will help him in his aspirations rather than fight against
him constantly (Likutey Moharan II, 87. See also Likutey Moharan I, 6 for a
discussion of the spiritual meaning of Elul.).
2) Elul is a specially favorable time to attain Da'at, knowledge of God. A person can
come to know and understand what he did not know before. New clothes are
fashioned for his soul and he is released from all troubles (21).
3) Elul is the time to `circumcise the foreskin of the heart' (cf. Deuteronomy 10:16).
Only then does a person have the sensitivity to feel real pain in his heart over the sins
he has committed. His sensitivity will become so acute that the very hearts of all the
drops of seed he cast away will also feel the pain, no matter where they may have
fallen. They will all rise up in a great commotion and also return to God (141).
4) Elul is the time most suited to teshuvah, the return to God. It is a period of Divine
favor, because it was at this time that Moses went up to receive the second tablets and
opened a wide path towards God. The key to this path is to understand that God is
present in every place and every situation. No matter how far you may have fallen,
God is with you there just as much as He is present in the heights of the universe. In
fact it is equally important to remember that He is present in the heights, because there
are times when a man rises -- for example if he becomes wealthy and then forgets
about God. There are even cases of people who have climbed to very high levels of
religious devotion only to turn into atheists in the end. You should pray to God not to
let you come to any harm as you draw closer to Him. On the other hand, no matter
how low you may have fallen, even to the lowest of levels, even to the ten Crowns of
Impurity themselves, you must still bind yourself to God from there. Because His
dominion extends over everything (Likutey Moharan II, 82).

ENCOURAGEMENT:
1) To return to God one must be expert in the law, the halachah, which literally means
`going.' A person must be skilled in travelling the necessary path so that nothing in the
world will discourage him or make him feel rebuffed. Whether he makes progress or
not, even if he feels himself sliding back, regardless of what he may go through, he
should always be firm and follow the teaching of King David in the book of Psalms
(139:8): `If I ascend to hea ven You are there, and if I make hell my bed, behold there
You are.' For even in the lowest pit of hell it is possible to draw oneself closer to God,
because He is to be found there too. `If I make hell my bed, behold there You are.'
(6:4).

2) The greatest revelation of God's greatness comes when those who were very far
from Him draw closer. His blessed name is then glorified and exalted in the worlds
above and the worlds below. What this implies is that no one should ever despair of
coming closer to God even if he feels very far from Him, because of his sins. It may
be that he has c ommitted great wrongs. But if so, then it is precisely through his
returning to God that God's glory will be exalted and magnified (Ibid. 10:1).
3) It is a good thing for friends who are attached to the Tzaddikim to give
encouragement to each other. The main source of strength they have to draw on is the
Tzaddik himself: his power is so great that he can draw up even the most damaged
soul, even a soul that has not yet begun to emerge from the profane to the holy by a
single hair's breadth. The thought that the Tzaddik can renew such a soul should give
everyone a feeling of encouragement. However low a person's level may be and no
matter what he may have been through, there is genuine hope for him so long as he
attaches himself to the Tzaddik. A person should remind his friend about this in order
to give him encouragement. He should also find other ways of encouraging him and
strengthening his devotion to God. It is a good thing to pass on to his friends as much
of the teachings of his teacher as he himself can understand (13 end).
4) God takes pride even in the most insignificant Jew, even in the sinners of Israel, so
long as they go by the name Jew. There is a special pride which God takes in each
individual Jew. One should therefore never despair of God's help regardless of any
wrong one may have done. God's love for him will never cease, and he can still return
to God. T he main thing is to be attached to the Tzaddik and his followers, because
they possess the ability to uncover the goodness and glory which is present even in the
worst people and return everything to God (17).
5) When it is time for a person to advance from one level to the next, he must first
experience a fall before he can rise up. The whole purpose of the fall is to prepare for
the advance. Try to understand this and you will realize the determination which is
necessary in order to serve God. No matter how you may fall, you should never allow
yoursel f to be discouraged. Remain firm and resolute and pay no attention to the fall
at all. In the end the fall will be transformed into a great advance. This is its whole
purpose. This applies to all the different ways one can fall. There is much that could
be said on this subject because everyone always thinks that his own situation is so bad
that th is idea does not apply in his case. People think it only applies to those on very
high levels who are continually advancing from level to level. But you should realize
that it holds true even for people on the lowest of levels. For God is good to all
(22:11).
6) One may be on such a low level that one is literally `inside the earth.' But in order
to serve God one must start advancing from level to level. This applies to everyone in

the world. Each time a person emerges from one level in order to rise up to the next,
the `husks' attack him again in the form of temptations, fantasies, strange thoughts,
confusions and all kinds of other obstacles. They range themselves against him and
refuse to allow him to enter the gates of holiness . There are many sincere people who
get very discouraged when they find themselves suddenly confronted by all these
temptations and obstacles. They start thinking they must have fallen from their
previous level because for some time now they had not experienced all these
temptations to the same degree. They were dormant. But they should understand that
what they are experiencing is not a fall. The time has come for them to advance from
one level to the next. This is the reason why these temptations and obstacles have
reared their heads again. Whenever this happens it takes a lot of strength and courage
not to lose hope and to master all the temptations and obstacles again (25).
7) In this situation it helps to give charity to those who are worthy. When the recipient
of the charity is himself worthy, the act of charity reveals the greatness of the Creator.
This revelation helps the individual to break the husks confronting him on every level
(Ibid. 4).
8) Another way to face this situation is to make yourself happy with the thought of the
good point which is within you. You are of the seed of Israel, and you have succeeded
in drawing closer to the men of truth who are leading you and guiding you along the
path of truth. Regardless of your situation you still have hope of attaining the ultimate
g ood. The joy these thoughts will arouse will help you break the husks which
confront you at each level (Ibid. 5).
9) When a person succeeds in breaking through the barriers and rises from level to
level, this also benefits his fellow Jew who was previously standing on the level he
himself has now attained. For it means that the other Jew was obliged to rise to the
next level, since it is impossible for two people to be on the same level at the same
time. This is how one Jew can help to raise up another (Ibid.).
10) The places which seem lowest of all and furthest from God actually contain the
most exalted life force of all, albeit concealed: namely the `secrets of Torah.' One who
has fallen very far should therefore understand that in the very place where he has
fallen he can draw very close to God, because of the exalted life force which is
concealed th ere. When he succeeds in returning to God, exalted levels of Torah will
be revealed through him. These are the `secrets of Torah' (56:3).
11) When a person wants to return to God and change his life accordingly and make
the journey to the Tzaddik, a new evil inclination rises up against him far stronger
than the one he had before. The more strongly a person is devoted to God, the stronger
the onslaughts of the evil inclination. It is a constant battle to control it. This explains

so mething which is often found when a person wants to journey to the Tzaddik. At
first he feels a great enthusiasm, but when he actually starts on the journey his desire
becomes weakened. At times it happens that when he finally comes to the Tzaddik
himself he loses his desire completely. The reason is that as soon as he felt the desire
to journey t o the Tzaddik, he killed the evil inclination which he had before and a
new and stronger evil inclination came into being. Because `whoever is greater than
others has a stronger evil inclination' (Succah 52). If you genuinely wish to draw close
to God, you must be very firm in the battle against the evil inclination, because it
keeps on rising up with ever renewed strength (72).
12) There are many different aspects to the evil inclination. Most people have a very
crude and materialistic evil inclination -- literally the `spirit of madness.' But one
whose understanding is somewhat developed and who can begin to form some slight
conception in his heart of the greatness of the Creator will realize that an evil
inclination li ke this is mere foolishness. For him even sexual temptation is mere folly
requiring no special exertion to fight it. His own evil inclination is on a far higher
level (Ibid.).
13) On a higher level still are those whose evil inclination is a `fine shell'. This is sent
only against one who has outstanding spiritual strength. But this is still not the evil
inclination of the Tzaddikim. Theirs is truly a holy angel (Ibid.).
14) Even the desire one experiences to return to God may have its source in the evil
inclination. This is the case when one has too much enthusiasm without the proper
limits. Thus before the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, God told Moses to warn the
people, `Let them not break through to come up to the Lord.' (Exodus 19:24). You
must beg God to take pity and save you from this kind of excess (Ibid.).
15) When a person is in some kind of trouble and experiences the severe face of God,
he needs to make a special effort to escape from the evil inclination. This is because
the evil inclination then attacks him with even greater force since its source is in the
Divine aspect of severity and harsh justice (Ibid.).
16) Depression is very harmful and gives strength to the evil inclination. A person
should use the various methods explained elsewhere to make himself happy. Joy and
gladness are the main source of strength, as it is written, `for the joy of the Lord is
your strength' (Nehemiah 8:10).
17) When God appears to reject us, His purpose is really to draw us closer. A person
who wants to draw closer to God often finds that all kinds of hardship and suffering
and other obstacles descend upon him, at times with great force. He may start thinking
that he is deliberately being rejected. But really these experiences are very beneficial

and they serve to draw him closer. The most important thing is to be very firm and
resolute, to stand up to the test and not let oneself be deterred by the suffering and
obstacles and the sense of rejection. It is a mistake to think that one is being rejected.
He should have simple faith that whatever he has to go through is for his own good -to br ing him to strengthen himself and draw even closer to God. The whole purpose
of this apparent rejection is to draw him closer to God (74).
18) The way to remain firm is by using the power of speech. Even if you fall, be
resolute and speak words of truth -- words of Torah and prayer and the fear of Heaven.
Talk to God. Talk to your friends also, and especially your teacher. Speech has a great
power to remind a person of God's presence and give him strength even in situations
which are very far removed from holiness (78).
19) You should always be happy and serve God with joy. At times you may fall from
your level. If you do, you can give yourself encouragement by thinking about
occasions in the past when you experienced a certain illumination. Use that
experience as a source of inspiration now (222).
20) A person who has to have contact with non-Jews for business purposes must be
very careful to see that his sanctity as a Jew is not affected. It is dangerously easy to
get caught in their net, God forbid. He should always be steadfast and remind himself
constantly of the holiness which is his heritage as a Jew. He should pray to God not to
be influenced by their behavior (244).
21) The main source of strength is the heart. A person whose heart is steadfast will
never be afraid of anyone or anything. He can achieve remarkable feats and win fierce
battles simply through the strength of a heart which fears nothing and does not run
from the battle lines. This applies literally to serving God. Understand this well (249).
22) When a person falls from his level he should understand that this is something
sent to him from Heaven, with the sole purpose of drawing him closer. The intention
is to encourage him to make new efforts to come closer. The thing to do is to make a
completely fresh start. Start serving God as if you had never started in your whole life.
This is one of the basic principles of serving God. We must literally begin all over
again every day (261).
23) As soon as a person starts thinking about himself and sees how far he is from true
good and how full of sins he is, he can become so discouraged that he may not be able
to pray at all. He must try and search until he finds one good point within himself.
How is it possible that throughout his life he never did a single good deed or mitzvah?
The re must be at least one good point. If he starts to examine it, he may see that
really it is thoroughly blemished and there is `nothing sound in it.' Perhaps his motives

were not the right ones or other things were not as they should have been. Even so, it
isn't possible that within this little bit of good there is not at least one very tiny point
of good. After this he should continue searching until he finds another good point.
This may also have been mixed with much that was improper. Even so, it must
contain at least some good point. He should carry on searching until he succeeds in
finding a number of good points. The merit and goodness he discovers will take him
out of the scale of g uilt and place him on the scale of merit. Then he will be able to
return to God. If you follow this method you will give yourself fresh vitality and joy
no matter what condition you may have reached. You will be able to pray and sing and
give thanks to God (282).
24) A person should be very careful to follow this method. It is a great principle for
anyone who wishes to draw closer to God and not to lose his eternal reward
completely. The main thing is to keep as far removed from depression as possible.
Depression is the reason why most people are distant from God: when they see the
seriousness of the damag e they did they become discouraged. Everyone is aware of
his own personal pain. Most people give up hope for themselves completely, they pray
without any devotion whatsoever and they do not even try to serve God in the ways
they used to be able to. Think very carefully about this, because many souls have sunk
completely because of it. Despair is t he worst thing of all. Follow this method of
searching out the good points. It will give you a constant source of strength, and you
will always be able to pray with desire, vitality and joy, and return to God in truth
(Ibid.).
25) Certain fallen souls can only be revived with special kinds of `tasty delights'
which restore the soul. One who breaks the force of his sexual desire becomes worthy
of an exalted spiritual illumination. From it are made words of nobility and truth
which have the power to revive and restore these fallen souls (Ibid. II, 5:8,9).
26) Despair is forbidden no matter how you may have fallen. You may be lying in the
lowest pit of hell, but you should still not despair of God's help in any way at all. Even
there it is possible to draw close to Him, because `the whole earth is filled with His
glory.' The true Tzaddik is only worthy of the name because he has the power to
revive and raise up even those who have fallen very far: he can strengthen them,
arouse and awaken them and reveal to them that God is close by. He is at their very
side, for `the whole earth is filled with His glory.' This is the message of the Tzaddik
to those on the lowest levels. But to those who are on higher levels he must show that
they still know nothing of the Creator: for `what knowest thou? what hav e all thy
searchings achieved?' (Zohar I, 1b) (7:7).
29) All this climbing and falling and turbulence are a necessary preliminary to
entering the gates of holiness. All the Tzaddikim have endured all this (Ibid.).

33) That man has the evil inclination is really a great thing. Thus man can serve God
with the very evil inclination itself. Even when he is exposed to the burning of the evil
inclination, he can still strengthen himself even then and try to draw some of its
passion into the service of God. If man had no evil inclination his service would be
worth nothing. This is why God gives the evil inclination such power against men,
especially those who genuinely seek to draw closer to Him. The onslaught of the evil
inclination brings men to all mann er of sin and devastation. But even so, in God's
eyes all this is acceptable because of the preciousness of the gestures which people
make when confronted by the full force of the evil inclination -- those gestures of
fighting and escaping. In God's eyes this is more precious than if a person served him
for a thousand years without the evil inclin ation. All the worlds were created only for
the sake of man. The whole preciousness and greatness of man lies in the fact that he
is confronted by this strong evil inclination. The more it arrays itself to attack, the
more precious in God's eyes is every single gesture one makes to strengthen oneself
against it. God Himself will send help, as it i s written: `The Lord will not abandon
him into his hand' (Psalm 37:33) (Ibid.).
34) The evil inclination bites a person again and again. Repeatedly it tempts him and
tries to lead him on. One may refuse to listen and turn away. Even so it comes back
and bites him a second time, a third, a fourth and more. But if one is absolutely
determined, obstinately refusing to bow to it in any way, then eventually the evil
inclination wi ll just leave. The same thing is true when it comes to the confusing
thoughts which rise up in the mind when we are praying. The same thought comes
again and again and tries to disturb the person. He must be firm and pay no attention
whatsoever (51).
35) When a person reaches a very exalted level of holiness, for example when he
draws closer to the true Tzaddik, at times it can happen that precisely at this moment
he experiences an impure emission, God forbid. He should not lose heart because of
this: it may well be a sign that he has indeed entered such a level, and it can be very
beneficial to him (117).
36) There is no reason for despair at all. The very fact that a person sees how very far
he is from God should itself give him a way to find encouragement. At least he knows
that he is far from God. It is possible that he could have been so far that he would not
even have known that he was far. Far he may be, but the fact that he knows it is itsel f
precious in God's eyes. This alone should encourage him (68).
37) Even the most ordinary people, even the wicked, even the nations of the world...
all draw vitality from the Torah, each in their own way. A person may be perfectly
ordinary, he may be unable to learn or he may be in a place where he cannot learn.
Still, he too receives vitality from the Torah. Therefore even in situations like these he

should remain as steadfast as he can in his fear of Heaven. Even at times when he is
prevented from pursuing his studies, or if he is a person who doesn't know how to
learn! All receive their vitality from the hidden Torah through the agency of the great
Tzaddik. At times this Tzaddik may act with absolute simplicity (78).
38) A person may have fallen very far, he may be sunk in the lowest pit of hell. But he
can still restore and rebuild, with the help of the true Tzaddik. Because through the
Tzaddik all can receive vitality from the realm of holiness regardless of their situation.
Therefore despair is absolutely ruled out. No matter where you may have fallen, reme
mber that there is still hope for you to return to God. The main thing is to cry out:
`From the belly of hell I cried out' (Jonah 2:3). Even a cry from the lowest pit of hell
is not lost. Cry, cry and cry again. Do not despair and do not stop crying out to God.
Cry and plead with Him no matter who or what you are, until He looks down from the
Heav ens and sees (Ibid.).
39) Even in the lowest pit of hell it is possible to be close to God (Ibid).
40) If you believe it is possible to destroy, believe it is possible to repair.

THE EYES:
1) Seeing the face of the Tzaddik has the power to lift a person from depression and
lethargy and free him of his evil impulses and all their ramifications (4:8).
2) The sexual appetite depends on the eyes. The tzitzit are `eyes.' The mitzvah of
tzitzit is a protection and a remedy against immoral impulses (7:4).
3) Falsehood harms the eyes physically and spiritually (51).
4) Be careful not to look at people with an evil eye. The evil eye brings death to the
heart of the one who has it. There are several different kinds of evil eye. Some people
are filled with envy when they see the success of others. Or there may be different
reasons for looking at people with an evil eye. You should be on your guard against
this. You must also pray earnestly to God to protect you from being harmed by the evil
eye of others. If a person feels he lacks the strength to stand up to the evil eye without
being harmed, he must run away in order to escape (54:4).
5) The evil eye is the source of forgetfulness: it impairs the memory and causes one to
forget one's purpose in this world, namely to acquire the World to Come. He should
remember his purpose every day of his life, and fix all his thoughts on the World to
Come, both as a general concept and in relation to all the particular details of his life.

But the evil eye kills the heart and it can no longer be directed to the World to Come
(Ibid.).
6) One with an evil eye will not have a son to survive him after his death (Ibid.).
7) You must also guard your eyes against illusions. Their source is in the imagemaking faculty, which gives rise to fantasy and imagination. Someone with a good
eye must also guard against illusions. Even people with excellent vision can make
mistakes when they look from a distance and things appear the opposite of what they
really are. This is as true of the mind's eye as it is of the physical eye. For example
someone may have the impression that his friend is not being honest or is behaving
badly towards him. He may feel resentful in consequence and this can lead to friction.
He may think that he has the highest of motives for taking issue with his friend. But
the truth is that it all stems from an illusory impression. He has been led astray by his
imagination, which has caused him to believe things about his friend that were
fabricated and untrue. There are many other ways in which the eyes and the mind can
veer from the truth because of mistaken impressions. The imagemaking faculty has
the power to deceive even those who have a good eye. You must be extremely careful
to avoid mistakes like this. The way to do so is by being careful not to speak badly of
other people or even to listen to somebody else's malicious talk. Lashon hara,
malicious gossip, gives strength to the image-making faculty and the power of
illusion, and it damages the power of memory -- the power to remember at all times
that this world only has meaning in terms of the World to Come (Ibid 5).
8) It is good to judge even the wicked in the scale of merit. This is the way to be saved
from the evil eye of the wicked. The reason why at times the wicked go unpunished
and God raises His judgements far above them is purely for the benefit of the Tzaddik.
God Himself judges the wicked in the scale of merit in order to save the Tzaddik from
the evil eye of the wicked (55:3).
9) When a person sees the face of the true Tzaddik he can examine himself and see
what progress he is making in the various aspects of his character. Then he can repent
for all the shortcomings he finds (II, 67).
10) Merely to see the true Tzaddik is in itself a great thing. Admittedly it is even better
to hear Torah from his lips. But even just to see him is also very good. When a person
sees the Tzaddik and looks at himself in contrast, it brings radiance to his mind and
understanding, and through this he can receive greatness and attain new horizons in
Torah, each individual in accordance with the power of his mind. He will achieve true
modesty and humility and return to God. This is the enduring life of the World to
Come (Ibid. 72).

11) Merely to see the face of the Tzaddik can help one change for the better and attain
holiness (75).

FASTING:
1) Each person has a duty to subdue his physical aspect. The way to achieve this is
through fasting. Fasting weakens the four basic elements of which man is composed
and which are the source of all his lusts and impulses. This is the way to humble and
nullify the coarse materialism of the body, which is the source of folly and darkness,
animality and death. The finer side of man is thereby strengthened and his Divine
intellect -- the form as opposed to the substance -- is elevated. The Divine intellect is
the soul -- `wisdom,' `light' and `life.' The power of forgetfulness is broken and man
remembers his mission in the world. The darkness and harsh judgements are nullified
and lovingkindness and blessing are drawn into the world. The main effect of the fast
is accomplished through the charity one gives while fasting. (It is customary to give
the value of the food one would otherwise have eaten to charity). Through fasting the
influence of alien ideologies is thwarted and the wisdom of Torah reigns supreme.
Fasting is also a help for one's livelihood (77).
2) In times of danger, God forbid, it is usual to decree a fast. Fasting brings about an
illumination of God's favor, and this in itself sweetens and nullifies the harsh
judgements, thereby averting the danger. Fasting protects against poverty, degradation
and shame and leads to wealth. It also makes us worthy of experiencing miracles (47).
3) When a Tzaddik eats, it is something very precious, because the Tzaddik eats to
satisfy his holy soul. Therefore the Tzaddik is forbidden to fast. But one who has to
fast should certainly do so. For him it is a mitzvah to fast (50).
4) Fasting is a means of conquering one's anger. In fact this is the main value of a fast.
Because of this, the Evil One attacks people with extra force during a fast and tries to
make them angry in order to spoil it, God forbid. One must be especially careful to
avoid the fire of anger on a fast day. The main value of fasting lies in breaking the
force of anger (57:6).
5) Fasting brings a new radiance to the face and restores a person's wisdom -- the very
image of God -- and makes it shine on his face. He will be held in awe and respect by
those around him and his enemies will fall before him. But in order to spread peace, it
is necessary to give charity plentifully (Ibid.).
6) Through fasting it is possible to perfect our speech, and then we can speak before
God and pray with devotion. Through perfecting our speech we can draw closer those

who were far from God, and this will deepen our faith until it is perfect. It is through
faith that we refine the food we eat, and then our eating brings about the unification of
the Holy One and the Shechinah face to face (62).
7) Fasting has the power to resolve conflict, both physical and spiritual. When a
person is unable to pray or do what he should to serve God, this is `conflict.' Fasting
helps to subdue the heart and devote one's will to God alone and make peace (179).
8) Fasting revives the dead. The fast gives life to all the days that were spent in
darkness without true vitality. When a person wastes a day by doing no mitzvot or
good deeds -- or far worse, by doing actual evil, God forbid -- then that day has no
life. It has been `killed.' But all these dead days are brought back to life by fasting.
The more a person fasts, the greater the number of dead days he can revive (Ibid.).
9) Fasting brings joy. The more times you fast, the greater the joy (Ibid.).
10) The reason we fast after a bad dream is to draw joy over ourselves by means of
the fast. This is the tikkun for the dream. This is why when a person does not want to
fast over such a dream, the prayer that is recited says: `Go eat your bread in joy.'
Because the main tikkun for the dream is through joy (II, 5:10).
11) On fast days it is a good practice to recite the sections in Leviticus dealing with
the sacrifices (Ibid.).

HEALING:
1) A person who is sick can be helped by looking at the tzitzit (7).
2) A woman who loses a lot of blood and has no set period can be harmed by wine.
Nevertheless, the cure for her is wine which a true Tzaddik has looked at (29).
3) Understanding brings peace, and peace is the source of healing. Therefore the
remedy for sickness is devotion to Torah, which brings wisdom and the knowledge of
God (56:6).
4) Immersing in the mikvah brings understanding and therefore healing (Ibid. 7).
5) It is best to rely only on God. Someone who does not, has no option but to devise
all kinds of complicated methods of trying to get what he needs. If he is sick, for
example, he may have to look for all kinds of special drugs and medicines, and often
the ones he needs are not available where he lives, while those which are available are
useless for his condition. But the goodness of God reaches everywhere. God has the

power to cure all wounds and illnesses. He is always available. If you are ill, you
should rely only on prayers and supplications. They are always available, and they
will certainly help. If you depend on doctors and medicines you will have to do a lot
of searching because you will have to look for the right doctor with the right
medicines. And it is usually impossible to find them, because doctors do more harm
than good (14:11).
6) When a person has no faith in the Sages there is no cure for his malady. The
remedy is to make a vow and fulfill it at once. This will restore his faith in the Sages,
and then he will be completely cured (57:2).
7) Sweating is a cure for fever (263).
8) The main cure for any illness depends on a redemption. The Torah only permits the
doctor to heal after the redemption has been made. The redemption is necessary in
order to sweeten the harsh judgements. Only then can the doctor help to cure the
patient, not beforehand (II, 2:3).
9) Charity is a cure for all diseases (4:12).
10) There are people who suffer from the most terrible illnesses, God forbid. They are
all caused by their inadequate faith. When faith is lacking, it can bring on the most
terrible afflictions which can be cured neither by prayers nor through the merit of the
Fathers. Even cries and groans of distress will not help, though in other cases the cries
of the sick awaken God's pity. But when faith is lacking even this doesn't help. The
only answer is to cry out from the very depths of the heart. This will restore one's faith
and bring healing.
11) Anyone who wants to take care of himself should keep well away from physicians
and doctors. They are notorious for the damage they cause (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom
50).
12) Reciting psalms can help cure someone who is sick. But it needs strong trust in
God, and then He will send help and the patient will be healed and rise from his
sickbed (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 98).

HOLINESS:
1) The essence of the holiness which every person must strive for is to observe the
Covenant in purity. The way to achieve this is by sanctifying the way you speak. You
must speak only words of holiness and keep yourself from any lapse into language

which is not holy. Then whatever you say will be in `the Holy Tongue,' and through
this you will achieve the holiness of the Covenant (19).
2) You must sanctify your mouth, your nose, your eyes and your ears. You must guard
your mouth against words of falsehood and anything else which falls short of holiness.
You must develop your fear of Heaven in order to sanctify your nostrils. Your ears
will be holy when you believe in the Sages and listen to their words. And you must
close your eyes and shut out anything which is not good for you to see. The sanctity
you attain will bring you perfect understanding, and you will have wisdom, which is
God's blessing, and ruach hakodesh, the holy spirit. Another way of sanctifying your
nostrils, is if you are humble and patient and do not burst out in anger if someone
insults you (The Hebrew expression for anger is a `burning in the nostrils'). The way
to sanctify your ears is to be one who is `faithful in spirit and concealeth a matter'
(Proverbs 11:13) he is careful not to reveal a secret which there is no need to reveal
(21).
3) One who is prepared to sacrifice himself for the sake of sanctifying God's Name
will attain peace, and through this the ability to speak holy words of Torah and prayer
and to bind the thoughts in the mind to the words which the mouth is speaking. In
order to pray with devotion, have in mind that you are willing to sacrifice yourself
entirely in order to sanctify God's Name. To achieve perfect prayer, you must pray
with a spirit of total selfsacrifice (80).
4) It has been proved many times that even the most worthless of Jews, even the
sinners of Israel are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the sanctification of God's
Name if someone tries to force them to violate the Torah. Each day you should remind
yourself that you would be ready to give your life to sanctify God's Name. This is the
essence of Israel's holiness. You will then attain peace and be able to pray with true
devotion (Ibid.).
5) When you recite the Shema you should say the words in a spirit of total selfsacrifice for the sake of God's Name. Picture in your mind the four death penalties
imposed by the Beth Din stoning, strangulation, burning and the sword. You should
imagine every detail so vividly that you can literally feel the pain of dying. Thought
has a very great power. By imagining yourself dying you can literally come to feel the
pangs of death. But be careful not to dwell on these thoughts for too long, because
otherwise your soul could literally leave you, God forbid, causing premature death
(195).
6) Self-sacrifice for the sake of God brings unity to the worlds above (260).

7) There are certain Tzaddikim who have a very great name and who are known very
widely. Yet people hold them in contempt and talk against them. They suffer
mercilessly because of this, but it is something they take on themselves in order to
sanctify God's Name, and because of it they can save thousands of Jewish souls from
slaughter and death, God forbid (Ibid.).
8) Each person has something in his life which is more of a barrier for him than
anything else. This is precisely the barrier he has to break in order to serve God. This
is his task in life. It is his own way of sacrificing himself. Someone who is very afraid
of dying must be more ready than anyone to give up his life to sanctify God's Name
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 57).

HONOR:
1) People should minimize their own dignity and give as much honor as they can to
the Creator. One should avoid honor and make no attempt to win people's admiration.
Then he will be worthy of receiving honor from God, and no one will raise questions
about whether he is really entitled to the respect he enjoys. But someone who chases
after the respect and admiration of his fellow men will never be worthy of God's
honor. Even if he does attain a position of respect, people will constantly look at him
askance and want to know who he is that he should be accorded such respect (Likutey
Moharan I, 6:1)
. 2) The test of true repentance is when a person can allow himself to be abused and
ridiculed in silence, patiently accepting all the insults which are thrown at him.
Through this he reduces the flood in the left ventricle of the heart -- this is the seat of
the animal soul -- and slaughters his evil inclination. Then he is worthy of the honor of
God (Ibid. 2).
3) A person should guard God's honor in all ways. He should be `vile and despised in
his own eyes' (cf. Psalms 15:4), accounting himself and his dignity as of no
importance before the honor due to the Creator. Then he will be able to speak words
of Torah that will radiate with light, illuminating for him all the aspects of himself that
he needs to work on in order to achieve perfect repentance. Through this he will attain
profound understanding of the depths of Torah (11:2).
4) The greatest revelation of God's glory comes when those who were farthest of all
from Him draw closer: then His Name is exalted and honored above and below, and
His glory is magnified. It is a duty for everyone to make efforts to draw people closer
to God. And no one should say, `How can I come closer to God seeing that I am so
removed from Him because of my wrong-doing.' On the contrary, the further away a

person, the more God's glory is exalted through him when he makes an effort to return
and draw closer (14:2).
5) When people have respect for the righteous, honor is elevated to its source. One
should be very sincere in the respect one gives them. This makes up for any flaw in
his fear of God, and in the end he will attain peace (Ibid. 6).
6) Nobody should accept a position of leadership or power unless he has attained the
level of absolute faith. There are people who although they believe in God still retain
a residuum of superstition. Such people should not accept positions of leadership. A
person may persuade himself that he has great love and pity for the world and this is
why he wants to be in a position of leadership. But really he wants the glory for
himself, even though he makes out that his motive is one of love and pity. This can
lead to atheism and disbelief. But God in Heaven takes pity on the world, and the
leadership is not allowed to fall into the hands of such people (8:3).
7) Those leaders and governments which show love and respect for the wise have
chosen the firmest possible basis for their power. Love of the wise gives stability to
leaders and governments. When a king or a ruler displays signs of hatred for the wise,
it is a sign that Heaven has decreed that he should be brought down. For the world
cannot endure without wisdom (Ibid. 4).
8) An old man who has forgotten his learning through no fault of his own should be
accorded every respect. The very honor which is given to him will cause his
forgetfulness to disappear and the vital soul, the Torah that he knew, will be revealed
again. The darkness and harsh judgements will be put to flight and light, love, life and
the wisdom of Torah will spread through the world (37:5).
9) We should also be very careful to give respect to the children of very ignorant,
ordinary Jews. In certain cases the children of very ignorant people have souls that are
very precious: this we can see from their Torah learning. If we see that they are
learned in Torah it is a sure sign that they must have a very precious soul, and we
should be careful to accord them honor and respect. Through this honor, the Torah that
is hidden within them will be revealed more fully, and this gives strength to spiritual
forces -- form, light, wisdom, life, love and memory -- as opposed to bodily forces -substance, desire, darkness and folly (Ibid. 7).
10) There are leaders who go by the name of rabbi but whose learning has been
picked up from the `superficialities' and `waste' of Torah. They are unable to control
even themselves, let alone other people. But they still have pretentions to greatness
and seek to lead and guide the whole world. You should be very careful to accord
them no recognition whatsoever so as not to add in any way to their power or

authority. They themselves can be forgiven for what they do: they are no more than
the victims of a strong lust for power. It is the people who give them credibility and
power and who are prepared to accord them the title of rabbi who will have a heavy
penalty to pay (61:2).
11) When rabbis lacking in integrity are ordained and given authority, it weakens the
influence of the Holy Writings of the Jews, and the writings of the nations of the
world become invested with power. Decrees are passed according honor and authority
to these writings alone, and not to our writings, and forcing Jews to learn their
literature. In the end, decrees of expulsion are passed against the Jewish people, and
they are forced to move from places where they have dwelled by long tradition to
places they have never been. This is a form of `exile from the Land of Israel' (because
places where Jews have lived for a long time have become sanctified with the holiness
of the Land of Israel.) As a result, it becomes impossible for great souls to be born and
brought into the world, and because of this the secret of astronomical calculation is
taken from us and put into their hands instead, God forbid (Ibid.).
12) But when a Sage of true integrity is ordained and accorded the title of rabbi, our
Scriptures are again invested with radiance and strength, and even the nations of the
world submit to the authority of the writings of the Jews in governing their own
affairs. Then the air is sanctified with the holiness of the air of the Land of Israel, and
relief comes from the troubles which were brought about through the ordination of
unworthy rabbis (Ibid.).
13) When some new honor comes to a person, it is something to be quite apprehensive
about. At times honor is sent to a person as a prelude to his soul being taken.
Therefore a person should always be careful to receive any honor in great holiness and
only for the sake of God, not for his own benefit or enjoyment. Otherwise the honor
could turn to be very harmful, and his soul could be taken, God forbid. The soul is
very precious. One must guard it with the utmost care. One should pray to God that
this new honor should not harm him in any way and that his soul should not be taken
from him. The root and source of all the souls is in glory, and when a soul is taken, it
is taken up into glory, which is its root (67:1).
14) Usually, however, the honor comes for good. For when a new soul comes to a
man, it is clothed in honor. Thus when a person receives the honor as he should, he is
able to receive the new soul which is clothed in it (Ibid.).
15) A greedy appetite is a blot upon the honor of God. God hides His face, and the
world comes under the shadow of His harsh severity. Glory falls to the arrogant, who
abrogate all the dignity to themselves. Power, kingship, authority and honor fall into
the hands of the heathens, the wicked and the insolent, and when a situation arises

where the Jewish people needs to take some firm action to ensure the survival of our
holy faith, it is necessary to have recourse to their strength. But when we break the
lust for food, the honor of God is vindicated and the insolent are left without power,
authority or dignity. The countenance of God radiates to the world and the harsh
judgements are broken (Ibid. 3).
16) Charity cleanses the stains upon God's honor. Glory and power are taken from the
Other Side and restored to the wise, who are the world's true leaders (Ibid. 5).
17) In the morning prayers, when we reach the words `and You rule over all,' it is
customary to give charity in order to take glory and power from the hands of the Other
Side and restore them to the forces of Holiness (Ibid. 7).
18) When honor is restored to the wise, who are the true leaders, at the beginning of
their ascendancy there is likely to be factionalism and strife (Ibid. 6).
19) When some new honor comes to a person, he should do his utmost to cultivate the
fear and love of God within himself in order to give birth to the new soul which
comes to him clothed in this honor, to raise it and bring it to maturity (Ibid. 7).
20) By giving respect to an old man who has forgotten his learning, cool waters are
drawn to revive the fainting soul. Giving such a person respect makes up for all the
prayers which people say without sincerity, because it is prayers like these which
cause the faintness of the soul (Ibid. 8).
21) For a Tzaddik it is very hard to be widely known. A Tzaddik who is revealed and
famous has to bear much suffering on behalf of the people. However there are cases
where it is the will of Heaven that a certain Tzaddik should be revealed and widely
known (71).
22) When the leaders become arrogant, God sends people to make trouble for them
and speak out against them in order to break their pride (95).
23) A person who wants honor is a fool (194).
24) The more a person lacks understanding, the more punctilious he is about any
affronts to his dignity (202).
25) A person who conducts himself in office with honesty and purity will rise to
greatness at the end of his days. Whatever the criteria of greatness in his particular
time and place, he will be accorded this greatness (236).

26) One must be very cautious about entering any position of authority. This applies
especially to those with fear of Heaven, who have a particularly strong desire to
influence others. If they accept a position of authority they are in danger of losing the
blessing of prophecy which they might have been able to attain through their awe of
Heaven (Likutey Moharan II, 1:7).
27) There are people who impose themselves as leaders and rulers over our poor,
bereft nation not because they have been appointed by Heaven but purely through
their own arrogance and assertiveness. The sword of pride which they wield draws
strength from the proselytes, who bring arrogance into the Jewish people. They can
attain so much power that they can even exact penalties from those who do not wish
to bow to their rule. But the correct phrase for this is not `exacting penalties' but
`causing damage,' because ultimately they are a destructive force in the world. The
arrogance of these leaders brings rampant immorality to the world. The only escape is
by turning to the Guardians of the Earth (5:5).
28) The foundation of true spiritual leadership is love. No one can be a true leader
unless he has genuine love for the Jewish people. But he must understand how to
show this love. It is forbidden to show love to the wicked, to murderers and robbers.
He must know how to guide and direct each individual along the path which will lead
to his ultimate good. The essence of the love he must show to the Jewish people is to
draw them from their sins. There is no greater love than this (7:1-3).
29) It is very dangerous for a Tzaddik to be revealed and widely known and to occupy
a position of leadership. The danger is obvious in the case of one who is not fitted to
the task and who wears a tallit which is not his own. But it is present even in the case
of men of true stature who genuinely serve God. When they accept positions of
leadership and teach Torah publicly, they are running the risk of falling into
immorality, theft and murder with every step they take (18).
30) The only purpose of the entire creation is the revelation of God's glory. This is
why everything was created for the sake of man. Because the revelation of God's
glory depends entirely on man. Therefore when some new honor comes to a person,
he must be scrupulous about not taking any of it for himself. He must make sure that
he gives all the glory to God. In this way he is building and sustaining the world,
because the whole world and all that is in it was created only for His glory (71).
31) A person who insults God's honor falls from the mentality of the `Land of Israel,'
which is the source of true understanding and wisdom, to the mentality of `outside the
Land.' This is the root of strife and factionalism (Ibid.).

32) A person who is jealous of a friend who rises to greatness can lose his faith and
turn into an atheist. One must be extremely careful about this (80).
33) In our times there is no one whose motive for seeking power is purely for the sake
of Heaven. In previous generations there were such people. But today no one should
seek out positions of power. All honor and authority should be avoided (Ibid.).
34) Anyone with a clear mind can see that all the affairs of this world are utterly futile
and foolish. This is especially true of earthly prestige and power and fame. The truth
is that they give no pleasure or satisfaction even in this world. They are always
attended by suffering and abuse from other people (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 47).

HOSPITALITY:
1) It is a very good thing to open the doors of your home to genuine Torah scholars
who possess integrity as well as learning. Offering them hospitality will help you to
deepen your own faith. This in itself helps to counter the prevalent lack of belief.
Offering hospitality to genuine Torah scholars helps to make a tikkun for the `fallen
Torah' which has passed into the hands of those who are learned but unscrupulous.
The Holy Zohar refers to these scholars as `Jewish demons' (Zohar 3, 253a). They are
the source of all the hostility to those who are truly God-fearing. The way to
overcome this hostility is by offering hospitality to genuine Torah scholars (Likutey
Moharan 28).
2) Everyone offers up bad prayers from time to time, and these prayers come back and
confuse him when he stands up and tries to pray with devotion. Offering hospitality to
Torah scholars is the tikkun for this (209).

JOY:
1) Seeing the face of the Tzaddik can give you joy and enthusiasm (4:8).
2) You should feel so happy when you do a mitzva that you don't do it merely to
receive a reward in the World to Come. You want God to send you another mitzvah,
and this will be the reward of the first one, because your joy is in the mitzvah itself.
Someone who attains this degree of joy will be able to know what decrees have been
passed against the world, whether the decree has been sealed yet or not, and against
whom judgement has been passed. And through this he will know how to pray for the
world, because after the decree has been sealed the Tzaddikim have to clothe their
prayers in story form (5:2).

3) If you pray with intensity and with great awe and love you will be able to
experience this joy (Ibid. 3).
4) When people dance and clap their hands the harsh judgements are sweetened
(10:1).
5) It takes determination and boldness to press forward in your quest for holiness in
the face of all the obstacles created by arrogant people. The main source of strength is
in joy: `For the joy of the Lord is your strength' (Nehemiah 8:10) (22:9).
6) The way to come to joy is through Torah and prayer. The main thing is prayer. You
should always pray to attain the level that is hidden from you. And when it is revealed,
you should pray to achieve the level that is still hidden. This is how to rise from level
to level. It is the way to find joy, which is the source of spiritual strength. You need to
be strong in order to draw closer to the true Tzaddikim. They are the epitome of
holiness, and with their help you can develop perfect faith (Ibid.).
7) Joy is the `radiant countenance,' `truth' and `faith.' Depression is a form of idolatry.
It is a `dark countenance' and `death.' How joyous we are depends on our purity and
how close we are to the true Tzaddikim, who are the joy of all Israel. If you are joyous
you will be able to bind yourself to God and `see the pleasantness of the Lord' (Psalms
27:4). The light of the countenance of the King of Life will radiate upon you (23).
8) Through carrying out the mitzvoth in joy it is possible to reach the ultimate goal of
all things. For there is a light which is beyond ''soul,' `spirit' and `breath.' This is the
Light of the Infinite, which it is possible to `reach, yet not reach.' Happy is he who
chases after his thoughts in order to reach such a vision (24).
9) The joy of the mitzvot is the perfection of holiness. It has the power to free all the
vitality and holiness which have been caught in the husks and to elevate them. The
Shechinah itself is thus released from the kelipot (Ibid.).
10) Don't be depressed. The root of depression is in the husks, which are at war with
all that is holy. They are the epitome of severity and harshness. Whenever depression
takes grip, the Shechinah, which is the joy of Israel, goes into exile. The strength of
the forces of holiness and the destruction of the kelipot depends upon joy (Ibid.).
11) We are taught that the incense which was burned in the Holy Temple had the
power to free the holy life-force from the husks and elevate it, thereby spreading joy.
Because of this you should recite the passages in the prayer book which deal with the
daily incense offering with great concentration (Ibid.).

12) It is a wonderful thing when people dance for joy for the sake of a mitzvah! There
are times when it is a mitzva to drink wine on Shabbat and Yom Tov, or at a wedding
or other religious celebrations. If you drink on such occasions your intention should
be for the sake of Heaven. Drink moderately and not to excess, and with the purpose
of experiencing the true joy of Israel, which is to rejoice in God, who chose us from
all the nations. As your joy begins to radiate, it will spread to your legs and you will
literally start to dance for joy. This will banish the forces of the Other Side, which grip
the legs. The force of severity and harsh judgements will be broken, and then you will
be able to receive blessings. The fire with which we dance is `a fire offering, a sweet
savor to the Lord' (Numbers 28:8). But when one dances in the heat of the evil
inclination, it is a `strange fire' (Leviticus 10:1) and the wine which he drinks is the
`wine of drunkenness,' which gives a hold to the forces of the Other Side. But dancing
with holy intentions has as much power to sweeten the harsh judgements as a
redemption. (41).
13) Man's image-making faculty is the source of all temptations. It is one of man's
animal aspects. If it becomes dominant, it is because of depression, which is a `broken
spirit, an evil spirit.' Forgetfulness gains a hold, and one forgets one's purpose and
fails to bear in mind the reality of the World to Come, both as a general concept and as
one which gives memory to every detail of the day. We have to fight back. We should
aim to be constantly happy so as to break the power of the image-making faculty.
Then we will be able to remember the World to Come every day and at every moment
(54:5).
14) The music of one who is truly God-fearing can help you to be happy. It has the
power to break the force of fantasy. This will sharpen your memory: you will be able
to center your thoughts on the World to Come and to understand the hints which God
sends you constantly each day in order to draw you closer to Him. Music and joy can
inspire you with the spirit of prophecy ruach hakodesh, the holy spirit (Ibid. 6).
15) Music and joy can help you to pour out your words like water before God. When
you are constantly happy it is easy to express yourself in words before God and
meditate well (Ibid. 6).
16) If you are joyous, it will bring you to new horizons in Torah. Joy is a vessel with
which to draw upon the wellsprings of the Torah's vitality and freshness (65).
17) The holiness of the Land of Israel has the power to break the force of anger and
depression (155).
18) A person who examines and judges himself over everything he does thereby frees
himself from the harsh judgements which were weighing upon him. He will be so

happy that he will literally dance for joy. But when a person is under the weight of
some harsh judgement, it is hard to dance (169).
19) The main reason for immorality is because of depression. The way to be pure is
through joy. If you are happy, God will help you to keep yourself pure (Ibid.).
20) Crying is good if you cry out of joy. Contrition and regret for your sins are also
good if they stem from joy in the sense that you experience the joy of God's presence
so intensely that you feel sorry for ever having rebelled against Him and you burst
into tears out of joy (175).
21) When you confess your sins, you must specify each sin exactly. You should
confess about everything you did, and the confession must be in words. Thinking
alone is not enough. You must also go into all the details. Many people have a lot of
barriers against this. The way to overcome them is through the joy of fulfilling
mitzvot. When you go to a wedding or some other happy occasion you should work
yourself up into such a mood of joy that you dance and dance. When you are happy it
is easy to confess, and it will make amends for all the damage you did with your sins
(178).
22) Fasting brings joy. The more you have fasted, the greater the joy (Ibid.).
23) Be very careful not to fall into depression and lethargy. They are the `bite of the
serpent' (189).
24) When you are happy, it gives strength to the angels who receive the blessings
contained within the food you eat, and it humbles the evil spirits, preventing them
from sapping more energy than they should from the food. This gives protection
against the impure emissions which can sometimes be caused by eating if the holy
angels lack the necessary strength. The source of their strength is in joy (II, 5:9,10).
25) If you put so much effort into a holy task that you literally sweat you will be able
to experience true joy (6).
26) Depression is like a sediment which covers the heart of the Jew and stops it from
burning with passion for God. But the true leaders blow with their holy spirit until
they remove this sediment of depression and kindle the hearts of Israel with passion
for God (9).
27) When a person is depressed, his intellect and his mind go into exile. This makes it
very hard for him to concentrate his mind on teshuva, returning to God. The main
reason why people are far from God is that they do not stop to consider what the main

purpose of their existence is. But when someone is happy his mind becomes settled
and he is able to understand things clearly. Joy is freedom. When a person fills his
mind with joy, his intellect becomes freed from its exile. He can control his mind and
intellect however he wants so as to concentrate on his goal and return to God (10).
28) Once a person decides to be pure and devote himself to serving God it is a very
big sin if he allows himself to be depressed. Because God hates depression (48).
29) Try to be as happy as you possibly can. Search for your good points in order to
make yourself happy. If for nothing else, you can be happy with the thought that you
are a Jew and God did not make you a non-Jew. If you genuinely realize the true
implications of this you will find joy without limits. And nothing will be able to spoil
it, because God Himself made it so. Get into the habit of saying out loud and with all
your heart: `Blessed be our God who created us for His glory and separated us from
those who are in error etc.' No matter what you may go through you will always be
able to take heart from this and be happy all your life. There may be times when the
only way to make yourself happy is by doing something silly or making jokes. There
are so many troubles that people have to go through physically and spiritually trying
to make a living, etc. etc. that in many cases the only way they can make themselves
happy is by doing something silly and acting a bit crazy. The whole vitality of body
and soul depend on being happy. And in the worlds above as well great unifications
are brought about through the joy of the spirit (Ibid.).
30) It is a great mitzva to be happy at all times. Be determined to keep away from
depression and aim to be happy constantly. Happiness is the remedy for all kinds of
diseases because many illnesses are caused by depression. You must be resourceful in
order to make yourself happy. Often you must do something a little bit crazy in order
to make yourself happy (24).
31) Try hard to turn your very depression and worry into joy. If you really set your
mind to it, you will easily find that even amidst the worst troubles and suffering there
is an opening which you can use to convert all the depression into joy. True joy is
when you drag your darkness and depression even against their will and force them to
turn into happiness (23).
32) When someone is happy all day it is easier for him to spend an hour or so with a
broken heart, talking to God and pouring out his heart like water before Him. After a
broken heart comes joy. The test of whether your heart was really broken is if
afterwards you feel joy (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 45).
33) You should constantly center your thoughts on contemplating the root of all
things. This is the source of all that is good and all joys. You will feel an

overwhelming joy, because when one contemplates this root which is wholly good
then everything good and joyous is merged into one and radiates with abundant light
(II, 34).
34) What a great thing it is when you study Torah or carry out a mitzva with such joy
that you literally dance for joy. This is the remedy for saying something bad. You will
be blessed with wealth and children and your faith will be strengthened (81).
35) To find true joy is the hardest thing of all. It is harder than all other spiritual tasks.
You must literally force yourself to be happy all the time. Put all your energy into it.
Use every kind of ploy. Often the only way is by literally doing something crazy
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 20).
36) Most important of all, you must be happy while you are praying. Be sure always
to pray with joy. The same applies to carrying out the mitzvot. You should be
especially joyous on Shabbat and Yom Tov. Even on weekdays it is a great mitzva to
be happy always (Ibid. 155, 299).
37) Depression can make a person forget his own name (43).
38) Someone who is himself happy can give heart to somebody else. It is a great thing
to bring joy to the heart of your fellow Jews. Most people are full of pain and worry
and all kinds of troubles, and they find it impossible to speak out what is in their
hearts. Someone who comes with a smiling face can literally give them fresh life. This
is a very great thing. When you make another person happy you are literally giving
new life to a Jewish soul (Ibid.).
39) Joy gives protection against the death of little children (Ibid. 34).

THE LAND OF ISRAEL -- Eretz Israel:

1) With true faith, prayer comes into its own. Prayer is bound up with the concept of
bringing about miracles. To attain this level of faith is only possible in the Land of
Israel, for it is there that prayer ascends to the worlds above. With faith such as this
one can accomplish with one's prayer whatever is necessary: one can work real
miracles and wonders in the world (Likutey Moharan 7:1).
2) The very essence of Eretz Yisrael as a spiritual concept is bound up with faith and
prayer. If we abuse Eretz Yisrael we go down into exile. Prayer goes into its own
exile, and then it is impossible to pray and bring about miracles in the world (Ibid.).

3) To be a true member of the people of Israel is to move always to higher and higher
levels. To do this is impossible except through the sanctity of the Land of Israel. Every
upward movement which we have to make towards holiness can only be
accomplished through the Land of Israel. The same is true of prayer. The ascent of
prayer comes about only in the Land of Israel (20).
4) It is through the power of the Torah that we draw into ourselves that we can attain
to the level of the Land of Israel. Likewise when we are present at the time that the
Tzaddik draws Torah into the world and teaches in public, we ourselves have a share
in the Torah that is revealed then by the Tzaddik. This also gives us the strength to
come to the Land of Israel (Ibid. 6).
5) It is impossible to come to the Land of Israel without difficulties and suffering. The
root of all the difficulties and suffering lies in the slanderous image of the Land which
is put about by the wicked. They are the source of all the obstacles. But the power of
the Torah which we draw into ourselves enables us to overcome all the obstacles, the
difficulties and suffering. The more profound a person's grasp of the Torah and the
greater the tikkun he brings about through his attainment, the greater his victory over
the obstacles, and he will succeed in reaching the Land of Israel (Ibid.).
6) When a person attains to the level of the Land of Israel, he is worthy of being called
a `man of strength and valor'. Before he attains this level, `Let not him that girdeth on
his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off' (I Kings, 20:11). But when he has
gone through the battle successfully he is worthy of the name `man of war' (Ibid. 10).
7) When people give charity to causes in the Land of Israel, they become merged in
the air of the Land of Israel, which is holy breath that has no taint of sin (Shabbath
119b). Through this breath the forces of severity and darkness are banished from the
world. This is also how it is possible to escape from the distracting, alien thoughts
which come during prayer. The mind and the thoughts become clear and refined. This
is a tikkun habrit -- a remedy for abuse of the Holy Covenant (37:4).
8) The Land of Israel possesses a mystical power to stimulate procreation and also to
bring relief from the divisiveness and hostility which exist between people. Through
the sanctity of the Land of Israel, the true guide and leader of our age will be revealed.
Truth will spread throughout the world and even the heathen nations will return to the
Holy One, blessed-be-He, and serve him `with one consent' (Zephania 3:9) (48).
8) The mitzvah of the Succah is a segulah for coming to the Land of Israel (Ibid.).
9) Praying with intense devotion reveals sparks of the radiance of our fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see Tefilah 51-56). The Patriarchs laid the foundations of

our faith. This faith is embodied in the prayers we recite. The lives of the patriarchs
were completely bound up with the Land of Israel, as is our faith. Through genuine
prayer, therefore, it is possible for us to feel the sanctity of the Land of Israel even
today, when we are in exile and the Land itself is under the dominion of the Sitra
Achra, the forces of the Other Side. Thus it is written in the Torah that even when the
Jews are `in the land of their enemies, if then...their uncircumcised heart be humbled...
then will I remember My covenant with Jacob and also My covenant with Isaac and
also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the Land'
(Leviticus 26:41-42). Through the revelation of the sanctity of the Land of Israel we
will witness the destruction of the wicked. Not only will we be delivered from their
hand; we will see them suffer the very evil they sought to inflict upon us (55:2,3).
10) The mitzvah of challah -- separating the priestly portion of the dough -- is also
bound up with the Land of Israel, and the effect of the mitzva is likewise to reveal the
radiance of the fathers and the holiness of the Land (Ibid. 8).
11) The motive for making the journey to the Land of Israel should be purely spiritual:
to draw closer to God. A person who goes there with this as his aim will certainly
benefit. Merely by stepping foot on the Land he will become merged with it and
transformed by its sacred character. That is why even `one who walks four cubits in
the Land of Israel will assuredly inherit the World to Come' (Ketuboth 111). On the
other hand, if a person's motive has nothing to do with devotion to God and cleansing
himself of his evil, then what help will the Land be to him? The Land will vomit him
out `as it vomited out the nation that was before you' (Leviticus 18:28) (29).
12) Through the holiness of the Land of Israel one can attain pure faith. This is the
gateway to that long, deep, patient breath which is the remedy for anger and
depression (155).
13) Pray to God to give you desire and yearning for the Land of Israel. Then you will
succeed in reaching there. And pray also that He should plant yearning for the Land in
the hearts of all the Tzaddikim (Ibid.).
14) God repays man `measure for measure'. Nowhere is the repayment more exacting
than in the Land of Israel. But this is really a great kindness. If we know that God
repays us according to our deeds, then by thinking about the situations God sends us
we can gain an insight into our own behavior and learn how to improve (187).
15) The holiness of the Land of Israel is the epitome of holiness, encompassing all
other levels of holiness. It is there that we can free ourselves completely of the
materialistic viewpoint which claims that events take place naturally. We can come to
know and believe that everything comes about only through the Hand of God. When

man knows this he becomes like God in his power to divide the light from the
darkness. The Midrash (Bereishith Rabbah 2) comments that light refers to the deeds
of the righteous while darkness refers to those of the wicked. It is very good to
recount the deeds of the righteous. Such stories help to cleanse and purify the mind.
But for every episode in the life of a Tzaddik we find that a corresponding story is told
about one of the wicked -- because the realm of evil is a mirror-image of the domain
of holiness. For example we are told that Pinchas flew in the air. It is also related that
the wicked Bilaam flew in the air -- except that he used the forces of witchcraft to do
so. The power to divide the light from the darkness gives us the skill to distinguish
stories about the Tzaddikim from those which are not. To be able to divide the light
from the darkness requires that ultimate level of faith which can only be achieved in
the Land of Israel (234).
16) Genuine enlightenment and wisdom come only in the Land of Israel. But even the
People of Israel outside the Land have the power to draw enlightenment and wisdom
from there. Every single Jew has his share in the Land. According to his share, so is
the wisdom he draws from the Land. But those who insult the honor of the Almighty,
God forbid, are cut off from the radiance of the Land of Israel and they fall into the
mentality of `outside the Land', which is one of conflict and divisiveness. This is the
source of all the conflicts and divisions which have become so rampant (II, 71).
17) The enlightenment which can be achieved in the Land of Israel possesses the
quality of `pleasantness' -- the pleasantness of Torah, all of whose ways are peace.
Giving charity, and especially charity for the Land, forges a vessel with which to
receive this pleasantness. Then one can rise above the mentality of `outside the Land.'
But the more deeply people sink into this mentality because of irreverence, the more
difficult it becomes to extricate them from it, and this alien mentality can even begin
to infect the Land of Israel itself. Instead of peace there is conflict even in the Land of
Israel. This is the reason why today the divisions in the Land of Israel are as deep as
they are outside it (Ibid.).
18) The graves of the Tzaddikim literally have the holiness of the Land of Israel, as it
is written: `The righteous shall inherit the land' (Psalms 37:29). The Land of Israel is a
tikkun for abuse of the Holy Covenant. That is why one should make every effort to
visit the graves of the Tzaddikim. The sanctity of their burial place is a tikkun for the
Covenant (109).

MARRIAGE:
1) Intense prayer can help a person to find his marriage partner (Likutey Moharan I,
9).

2) Dancing at a wedding sweetens the force of the harsh judgements in the world (32).
3) There are deep Kabbalistic reasons for the custom that the bride sends the groom a
tallit, and for crying out `Shabbat' and making humorous remarks at the wedding
celebration. There is also a deep significance in the other wedding customs, like
covering the bride and pelting the groom with baked goods, interrupting the groom's
Torah discourse and giving him a gift for his discourse, the custom of the entertainers'
bending themselves over double, etc. There are awesome reasons for all of these
things, and they express the will of God (See Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 86).
4) When we acknowledge God and give Him praise, it has an influence which helps
those who need to find their marriage partner to do so. The same is true when we
study the legal codes (Likutey Moharan II, 2).
5) Immorality and abuse of the Covenant make it hard for a person to find his true
marriage partner. The tikkun is by following the spiritual path explained in the
Kabbalistic writings about the themes of the month of Elul (Ibid. 87).
6) When a person is unable to find his marriage partner, it can help if he goes to hear
original Torah teachings from a man of deep wisdom (Likutey Moharan II, 89).
7) The reason for breaking a piece of earthenware at the marriage ceremony is to
remind the groom of Gehennom in order to prevbent him getting trapped by his
desires. He must sanctify himself in the marriage relationship. It is also a hint to him
that if his wife turns out to be a bad woman he should still not maltreat her or divorce
her. Because of her, he will never see hell. One should see to it that he never comes to
the point of divorce (90. On the subject of breaking a piece of earthenware at a
wedding, see also Likutey Moharan I, 60:8; II, 90).

MEDITATION
1) To taste the hidden light of Torah -- the secrets which will be revealed in time to
come -- you should seclude yourself as much as you can to pray and speak to God.
Take a good look at yourself and make a reckoning. What are you doing with your
life? How is your time spent? Is this the right way to spend your life -- to behave as
you do before the Holy One, blessed-be-He, who bestows goodness upon you every
moment of the day? Weigh all the different aspects of your life very carefully. If you
make yourself the judge over everything you are doing, you will be able to rid
yourself of all fears and worries. You will never be afraid of earthly powers -- princes
or rulers, wild beasts, robbers or the like. Nothing in the world will frighten you. Only
before God will you stand in fear and reverence. This is the way to elevate the fear

that is within you to its true root, which is in Da'at, understanding. You will attain
perfect knowledge, because you will know before Whom to stand in awe: God alone,
in His greatness and glory. Then you will be able to understand the revealed Torah and
you will attain genuine humility. You will learn how to put your whole soul into your
prayers. All sense of self and physical being will be totally nullified as you pray, and
you will be able to pray without any thought of personal gain. When you reach the
point where your sense of self and physicality totally disappear, as if you were simply
not in the world at all, then you will discover the hidden secrets of the Torah. This is
the concealed light which is destined to be revealed in time to come. All this you can
achieve through hitbodidut, secluded prayer (15).
2) When a person meditates and speaks to God, the very words he speaks are ruach
hakodesh, the holy spirit. As soon as a person makes this meditation a regular practice
and prepares himself, indeed forces himself to speak to God, then God Himself sends
the words to his mouth. Make sure that the words you say are always new and fresh.
Search out new ways to appeal to God. Always choose words that will find favor.
Purify your heart by devoting your mind to thoughts of Torah and holiness, and then
you will find the right way to meditate and speak to God (see Da'at 3) (21, 156).
3) When you speak to God, make it a habit to express the longing and yearning you
feel to extricate yourself from evil and attain true good. It is by praying and pleading
like this that you draw your spiritual power and strength from the realm of the
potential and possible to the realm of the real and actual. The longing and yearning by
themselves create only the possibility of spiritual strength. But the words of your
prayers and conversations with God draw this spiritual strength into the realm of the
actual: it becomes realized in actual fact. This is the way to accomplish what you
yearn for. Letters of Torah are present throughout the Creation. By expressing your
yearning and desire in words, you invest these letters with strength for good. You give
new life and strength to everything, drawing goodness and blessing into all the
worlds. Numberless souls are stirred to make their own return to God, all through the
words of the prayer you utter before your Maker. How precious are the longing and
yearning which you express before God. The main thing is actually to pronounce the
words. Make a regular practice of this and spend a lot of time each day working on it.
It will help the whole world (31:8,9).
4) Within every Jew there is a good `point' -- and it is precious indeed -- whose only
desire at all times is to do the will of her Master. But lust and desire break the heart.
This is why people's hearts are remote from this good point. Make it a habit to speak
to God. Then your good point will send its radiance into your heart, and you will be
able to destroy the `foreskin of the heart' (Deut. 10:16) -- the impulses and desires
which break and destroy the heart (See Tzaddik 42) (34:7,8).

5) In all your prayers and conversations with God, be sure to be absolutely honest and
truthful (see Busha 2 and Dibbur 7) (38:5).
6) Everyone must strive to be totally merged with the Source of his being. To achieve
this requires bittul -- self-nullification. The only way to attain bittul is through
secluded prayer with God. When a person goes aside to converse with God he
nullifies everything else and attaches himself only to God. In this way he becomes
merged with his Source (52).
7) The best time to seclude yourself to pray is at night, when everyone is asleep.
Ideally you should go to a place outside the city and follow a solitary path somewhere
that people don't go even in the day-time. Empty your heart and your whole
consciousness of all your involvements in the everyday world. Then work to nullify
all of your character traits, one after the other, until in the end you nullify all sense of
self completely. First work on one character trait, then another and another, until you
reach the point where you are free of any self-centeredness and any sense of
independent existence. You must be as nothing in your own eyes. Then you will be
worthy of attaining true self-nullification and your soul will be merged with its root.
The whole universe will be merged with you in your Source. You and everything with
you will be merged in the Unity of God (Ibid.).
8) The ideal time for hithbodeduth is at night: seclude yourself and express yourself
before God. Speak with all your heart and search out the goodness of your soul. Find
the good points which are within you and cleanse them of all the evil in the soul until
you pour out your heart like water before God. This is the way to attain true joy and to
subdue the power of fantasy which is the source of all lust and desire. Through this
you can acquire a good memory -- which means always to remember the World to
Come and never to lose sight of the end purpose of this life and its ultimate destiny.
This is how you can return to God (54).
9) A person may be praying with great intensity or at the height of meditation, when
suddenly he falls from his level. This is because somewhere there is a flaw in his faith.
He should feel heartbroken and ashamed. How could he fall from heaven to earth? He
should arouse tender pity for himself because of his plight. He should literally sigh!
This sigh will bring him back to his level (108).
10) When a person speaks to God and uses every kind of argument and appeal to
`conquer' God, then God Himself has great joy and pleasure. He Himself sends words
to this person's mouth so that he will be able to `conquer' Him. How else could flesh
and blood win a victory against God? It is only because God Himself helps him (124).

11) When a person speaks to God and pours out his pain and anguish, confessing his
sins and grieving at the enormity of what he has done, the Shechinah herself rises
before God and pours out her pain and sorrow. Because every flaw in the soul of man
is also a `flaw' in the Shechinah. And the Shechinah will seek to bring him comfort
and devise ways and means of repairing the damage (259).
12) How good it is to pray to God and meditate in the meadows amidst the grass and
the trees. When a man goes out to the meadows to pray, every blade of grass, every
plant and flower enter his prayers and help him, putting strength and force into his
words (Ibid. II, 11).
13) It has already been explained how important it is to seclude yourself and pray, and
how powerful a method this is. It is the path by which we can come close to God.
Everybody should set aside fixed periods every day and express himself before God in
his own native language. It is much easier to say what you need to say when you are
using your own language. You should set forth whatever is in your heart. Use every
kind of appeal and argument. Use words that will endear you to God and win His
favor. Plead with Him to draw you closer. Every individual knows his own personal
pain and sorrow and the distance that separates him from God. It is impossible to
convey the true greatness of this method. It is superior to all others. It is the way of
serving God, and through following it everyone can attain the ultimate good in this
world and in the World to Come. There is nothing that cannot be accomplished by
prayer and entreaty. The greatest of the Tzaddikim achieved what they did only
through this practice. Think about it carefully and you will see the greatness of this
path. Set aside one hour every day for this, the rest of the day be happy -- and then
you will be truly blessed (25).
14) It is a good thing to turn the Torah which you learn into prayers (Ibid.). (See there
for fuller explanation).
15) It is true that weeping and crying are good when you plead and entreat before
God. But don't fall into the trap of saying psalms and prayers with the constant
thought and expectation that you are going to burst into tears and cry. It will only
confuse you and prevent you from concentrating. The most important thing is to say
what you are saying honestly and with all your heart. Let your ears hear and your
heart attend to the words which your lips are uttering. If you are moved to cry, good.
If not, don't be distracted because of this (95).
16) All the Tzaddikim and all of the truly righteous attained what they did only
through secluded prayer and meditation. This practice has never been more necessary
than in our age, situated as we are at the end of the period of the exile, subject to the
full force of the evil inclination and the forces of the Sitra Achra, the Other Side.

People are weak, spiritually and physically. The only way to escape from the power of
the evil inclination and all the other obstacles holding us back from God is to follow
this practice determinedly and make a fixed time every day to talk to God in our own
native language. Be totally honest and open your heart before God, whether to beg for
forgiveness for what happened in the past or to appeal to God to help you in the future
by releasing you from the traps you are caught in and drawing you closer to Him.
Even if you find you are unable to express yourself before God, even if you can say
no more than a single word, this is still good. Even if you can say nothing except
`Master of the Universe' it is also good. The mere fact that you make an effort, that
you prepare yourself to speak, that you feel a longing to speak even if you find you
can say nothing -- all this is very precious in God's eyes. If you are determined and
persistent and you make yourself speak before God, in time God will help you and
then you will be able to express yourself with words filled with vitality, freshness and
grace. Your words will bring blessings down from the Heavens and you will attain
true and enduring good. This is the path to serving God, because all the different ways
of serving God require prayers and appeals to God if we are to accomplish them well.
If you remain firm in following this path you will be blessed indeed. Small or great,
no one can serve God honestly and truthfully except through hithbodeduth, secluded
prayer (25, 100).
17) Whenever you say psalms and other prayers or rise to say Tikun Chatzot, the
Midnight Lament for the destruction of the Temple, you should endeavor to find
yourself in the words of the prayers. The Rebbe had truly extraordinary things to say
about this (101).
18) Even when you feel your heart is not in what you are saying, don't let this
discourage you. Persevere, and you will usually find that in the end your heart will be
aroused and the words will flow from you with genuine fervor. Speech has
tremendous power to arouse a person's heart. And even if the days and years pass by
and you think that all your words and meditation have accomplished nothing, don't let
yourself be thrown off course. The words have left their mark. There is no doubt about
it. It is the same as when water is dripping onto a stone. It may seem as though mere
water is incapable of having any effect at all on the hard stone. Certainly the effects of
the water are not visible. But if the water continues dripping for a long time without
interruption you can see for yourself that it will wear a hollow in the stone. The same
is true of the heart, even when the heart is as hard as stone. The words and the prayers
may all appear to have no effect. But with the passing of many days and years the
heart will be worn away by the words. When a person is meditating, it is a good thing
to say: `Today I am just beginning to attach myself to You.' You should always make a
fresh start, because every activity is greatly influenced by the way you start it. In the
words of the popular saying: `Starting is half the battle' and this way you can never
lose. If things were going well before, now they will go even better. And if God forbid

they were not going well before, then in any case you would have had to make a new
start! (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 234).
19) When you speak to God you should arouse your heart to the point where your soul
all but flies out of you. This is true prayer (Likutey Moharan II, 99).
20) When God helps you to pray you will be able to express yourself before Him in
the same way that a person speaks to a friend. You should get into the habit of talking
to God like this. As if you were speaking to your teacher or your friend. For God is
close by. He can be found everywhere. The whole earth is full of His glory (Ibid.).
21) How good it is if you can pour out your prayer before God like a child
complaining and pestering his father. And it is good if you can stir your heart so much
with your words that the tears literally pour down your cheeks like a child crying to
his father (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 7).
22) It is possible for you to scream in a `still small voice' (Kings I, 19:12) without
anyone in the world hearing you. Not a sound emerges from your lips. You just
imagine in detail exactly how you would scream (Ibid. 16).
23) A broken heart is precious indeed. You should understand that a broken heart has
nothing to do with depression. When a person is depressed it is a form of anger and
irritation. But someone with a broken heart is like a child nagging his father or a baby
crying and screaming because his father is far away. A broken heart is precious in
God's eyes. It would be good if one could go through the whole day with a broken
heart. But this would easily lead the majority of people to fall into depression, and
depression is very destructive. Therefore, the best thing is to set aside a certain period
each day to pray with a broken heart and then to spend the rest of the day in joy (Ibid
41-2).

MEMORY:
1) Prayer is a segulah for developing a good memory (7:5).
2) Fasting and giving charity, especially charity for causes in the Land of Israel, help
against forgetfulness, and you will be able to develop a good memory (37:3,4).
3) Clapping your hands when you pray sweetens the force of severity in the world.
This is one of the ways of ridding yourself of forgetfulness and developing a good
memory (46).

4) You must be very careful to cultivate a good memory and not to fall into
forgetfulness. What is a good memory? It means constantly keeping the thought of the
World to Come in the forefront of your mind and never forgetting about it. It would be
a very good thing if every Jew were to make it a daily habit, as soon as he opens his
eyes in the morning and before he does anything else, to bring to mind that the World
to Come is the only true goal. He should do this as soon as he wakes up. This is the
concept of memory in general. And it has to be followed through into every detail of
the day. With every thought, word and deed which God sends you every day, you must
broaden your understanding and perception of God. You must understand that every
one of them is a hint which God sends you in order to draw you closer to Him. God
Himself is infinite and without end. But He `contracts' Himself, as it were, to our
level, using all the experiences which He sends us each day, in order to signal to us
and guide us. It is up to us to recognize this and find the messages in all the thoughts,
words and deeds which are sent to us, in order that we may reach a deeper insight and
come closer to God. But it is necessary to understand that the only way to broaden and
deepen your perception of God is in a measured, orderly way (54:2).
5) There are people who have the ability to interpret the messages contained in all the
things around them, including even secular affairs. But it would be wrong only to pay
attention to these signals to the exclusion of other sources of spiritual guidance. The
perception of God which comes from the study of Torah is on a higher level. Thinking
about the hints contained in material affairs is good up to a certain limit, but that is not
sufficient. You should pay attention to them only as much as you need to but no more.
And even, as here, when you take from the world just as much as is sufficient for you,
you should still give a part of what you take to charity (see Mammon 27). If you
develop your memory in the right way, as we have explained, great tikkunim will be
brought about in the upper worlds and the unity of God will be revealed. However, the
great mass of people do not have the level of understanding which is necessary to
grasp the significance of the hints God sends. For them the same effects are
accomplished through sleep, and when they observe the mitzvot of tzitzit and tefilin,
learning Torah and praying and going about their business honestly and in accordance
with the law (Ibid.).
6) If you want to guard your memory, take care not to fall into the trap of an evil eye.
This spells death to the heart and gives strength to the power of forgetfulness (Ibid. 4).
7) The evil eye can appear in many different guises. People can become very jealous
when their friends are successful, and they look on them with an evil eye. This in
itself can manifest itself in different ways. You must be extremely careful never to be
jealous of a friend at all. Pray to God and ask Him to save you from the evil eye. And
if you find that someone else is directing the evil eye against you, if you feel you lack

the strength to stand up against it and humble its power, then you must run from it and
flee in order to escape (Ibid.).
8) You must also take care not to talk in a bad way. Talking maliciously and
derogatorily about other people is very damaging to one's memory. If you work on
yourself and even force yourself to be happy, it is a help in developing a good
memory (Ibid. 5).
9) When it comes to Torah and serving God, you must guard your memory
carefully. But still, forgetfulness does have its advantages. Anything which
distracts you from serving God you should forget about completely, especially the
distractions which come when you are praying. Usually they consist of worrying
about the past and wondering if you did this or that right. But as soon as
something is over and done with, you should simply put it out of your mind
completely. Make this a habit. Just ignore it completely and don't even start to
think about it. The same applies to all your worries about past transgressions and
other mistakes. Just put them out of mind completely and forget about them,
especially during your prayers and devotions. In fact, there is nothing much to be
gained from thinking about them any time of the day except in the special time
you set aside for meditation. This is the time to be heartbroken and to express all
your thoughts before God. You should think about everything you did wrong.
But for the rest of the day you should forget about these things completely.

THE
MIDNIGHT PRAYER OF MOURNING
FOR THE TEMPLE -- Tikkun Chatzot:
Simply serve God with joy, especially during your prayers (Rabbi

1) How precious it is to rise at midnight in order to pray and meditate and study
Torah. Try to make it a regular practice. Then you will be worthy of succeeding in the
task of separating the good from the evil in the world. You will also develop a good
memory which means always to remember your purpose in life and to keep in mind
the enduring life you are destined for in the end. You must recognize that everything
you do in this world only has meaning in relation to the World to Come. You should
reflect on every experience which God sends you: consider all the different situations
you find yourself in each day. The only purpose of all of them is to offer you hints as
to how you can draw closer to God at every moment. This is the only true and
enduring goal in the world. The entire purpose of man's being sent into this world is

only to come closer to God. All the days of his vanity, all the experiences he has on
each one of them are only for this (Likutey Moharan I, 54).
2) Rising at midnight sweetens the harsh judgements. This practice is as valuable as
presenting a redemption (149).
3) Throughout the year, the correct time for the midnight prayer is when the first six
hours of the night have passed. It lasts for two hours until the end of the second
`watch.' In the morning, it is a good thing to look up at the sky. This will give you
Da'at, knowledge of God.
4) The exile has already lasted so long. God is only waiting for the moment to return
to us and rebuild the Holy Temple. It could happen at any time. Our task is to see that
from our side we do nothing to obstruct the rebuilding of the Temple. On the contrary,
we must make every effort to hasten it. This is why we should be so careful to get up
each night at midnight and mourn for the destruction of the Holy Temple. Perhaps in a
previous incarnation we ourselves were responsible for something which brought
about the destruction of the Temple. Even if not, it could still be that our sins in our
present lifetime are holding up the rebuilding of the Temple, and this is as bad as if we
had actually destroyed it. This is the reason why we must weep and mourn every night
at midnight. When we do so, it is as if we were actually making a tremendous effort to
rebuild the Holy Temple. Then we will be able to draw closer to truth to the true
Tzaddikim and those who are genuinely God-fearing. They are in fact the embodiment
of truth, in its beauty, splendor and pleasantness. Through drawing closer to them your
eyes will be opened and you will be able to see how far your own development has
advanced and in which areas you need to work in order to return to God and to know
and acknowledge His great and holy Name (Likutey Moharan II, 67).
5) The merit of rising for the midnight prayer protects us from destruction by fire
(Ibid.).
6) The main devotion of the Jew is to get up every night in the winter for the midnight
prayer. In the summer, when the nights are short and we do not rise for the midnight
prayer except in the Land of Israel, he should be sure to get up with the dawn each
morning (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 301).
Nachman's Wisdom 26).

MIKVEH:

1) Immersing in the mikveh is the cure for all troubles. The mikveh has the power to
purify us from every kind of sin and impurity. The spiritual power of the mikveh is
rooted in the most exalted levels of wisdom and love (56:7).
2) Immersing in a mikveh helps to make it easier to earn a living and receive the flow
of blessing. Strife and anger are dissipated and in their place come peace, love, deep
wisdom and healing, length of days and the power to arouse men to God (31:2).
3) Immersing in a mikveh is not in the least bit harmful. Any doctor who says it is is
no doctor at all. So long as the water is not excessively cold, immersing in a mikveh is
actually very beneficial to the body since it opens the sweat glands, as is known by
medical experts (Ibid. II, 123).

MOCKERY:
1) People who make fun of the words of the Sages are punished with boiling
excrements (Gittin 56a) Stinking vapors rise up to their brains, leaving them twisted
and confused. No matter how much they may study Torah, they will never be able to
derive true guidance from it about the way to lead their lives. Their hearts are as filthy
as a privy. They never have a clear idea how to live at all. This kind of cynicism leads
in the end to severe decrees being passed against the Jewish people. They are expelled
from the countries they were living in, and the end result of the upheavals is that
whole areas of Torah wisdom become lost to us, notably the mystery of Ibbur, which
underlies the structure of the Jewish calendar with its intercalated leap-years. The loss
of this wisdom causes strife and factionalism (61:1-3).
2) An enormous number of religious books are available today, and in the future even
more will be written. On no account should one ever make fun of any of them. The
world needs every one of them (Ibid. 5).
3) When a person makes fun of something holy, it is `the laughter of the fool'
(Ecclesiastes 7:6). The remedy for mockery is tikkun haBrit, guarding the Covenant
(Likutey Moharan II, 83).
4) One of the biggest obstacles in the search for truth is other people, especially those
who make fun of religion with `sophisticated' jokes. They are under the spell of
philosophical speculation and other current ideas. The damage they cause is quite
obvious. They have the power to corrupt people completely, God forbid. What is even
more insidious is the sharp wit of people who give the appearance of being
respectable and well meaning, but who have a way of turning all kinds of religious
matters into a joke. Many people are deterred from true religion because of this. At

least where the blatant mockery of the philosophers is concerned most people have the
sense to be wary and keep away, knowing as they do that philosophy has the power to
deprive you of both worlds, this one and the next, and to throw you down into the
lowest pit of hell, God forbid. But the `wit and wisdom' of those who give the
impression of being decent and religious can be more dangerous because their words
possess a certain aura of truth. Travel the path of purity and you will walk in trust.
Keep well away from this crowd and pay no attention to their humor and wise ideas.
Walk with simplicity and purity along the ancient path of our forefathers (Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom 81).

MODESTY:
1) One should have a strong sense of humility before God. One should feel ashamed
to do anything which would not be in accordance with the will of God, and certainly
ashamed of actually sinning, God forbid. Having a sense of humility is the foundation
for developing genuine fear of Heaven. A person who has no shame in this world will
be put to shame in the World to Come. This is the worst of all punishments. The pain
of the feeling of shame in the World to Come is even worse than the bitterest suffering
in Gehinnom. Even the Tzaddikim will feel embarrassed before other Tzaddikim who
reached higher levels than they themselves. Our Sages said, `Alas for that
embarrassment, alas for that shame!' (Bava Bathra 75). They were talking about the
shame the Tzaddikim will feel. How much more will sinners be ashamed and
confounded. In this world it is impossible to form any conception of the bitterness and
suffering which the shame and embarrassment of the World to Come will cause. But
someone who develops a true sense of shame in this world acquires the instrument
with which to keep himself from sin. He will discover true prayer and joy and inner
strength. He will draw close to the Tzaddikim and learn from them how to develop
perfect faith (22).
2) You should be totally honest when you talk to God. Get into the habit of expressing
yourself with such honesty that your heart is stirred and the words begin to pour forth
with fire and passion. As you draw yourself closer to God you will see how small and
insignificant you are compared with His greatness. You will be filled with feelings of
humility before Him. For up till now you simply cast your sins behind your back and
ignored them. But as you start to acknowledge them frankly you will be overwhelmed
with a feeling of shame at having rebelled against the Master and Ruler of the
Universe, the Source of all the worlds. At first this humility will not actually show on
your face. This is because sin sullies the intellect and stops it from radiating on the
face. Before a person repents his mind is so weakened that he can have no conception
of the true gravity of sin and the greatness of the One before whom he sinned. But as
he returns to God and strips himself of his folly, gaining wisdom and understanding,

so his shame will become more and more visible on his face. The sense of humility is
symbolized in the tefilin, which are the sign of our attachment to the Creator. The light
of the tefilin is a ray of the light of God's inner countenance. When a person achieves
this sense of humilty all his sins are forgiven and he becomes attached to the Tree of
Life (38).
3) There are certain people who are so brash and arrogant that they feel no shame or
embarrassment at all before the Tzaddik or those who are truly pious. This brashness
is a sign of impure ancestry: it is very doubtful if their ancestors stood at Mount Sinai
(Nedarim 20). They have impugned the holiness of the tefilin, which are rooted in the
Tree of Life. Instead they have attached themselves to the Tree of Death. They will be
cast out of the Garden of Eden and thrown into Hell. But a person who repents and
feels ashamed of his sins will immediately be forgiven, and the wisdom and
understanding of his soul will be restored. He will be able to expel the spirit of folly
from within him and become worthy of the radiance of the tefilin (Ibid. 5:6).
4) Shame and embarrassment are the basic qualities which help us to return to God.
The merest sin one may have committed should give one a deep sense of shame,
because in reality every Jew ought to be far removed from sin. The soul of the Jew is
rooted in a source so exalted that in essence he is completely detached from sin. For a
Jew to sin in any way at all is totally unbecoming. Even when he wants to perform a
mitzvah, a positive action, he should also feel a sense of shame and embarrassment.
What right does he have to perform this mitzvah? How does he dare to enter the court
of the King and perform the mitzvah when he considers the greatness of the One
before whom he does it? The true significance and preciousness of each mitzvah is
totally beyond our comprehension. A person has only to look at himself to see how far
he is from God and how unworthy he is of performing the mitzvah. How can he
stretch out his hand to take the tefilin, the very crown of the King... and simply put
them on his head all of a sudden? A person who felt genuine shame would be
embarrassed even to take food and put it in his mouth before God. What right does he
have to this food? To acquire a sense of shame one should examine oneself in
comparison with the Tzaddik. This will move him to repent and attain true humility,
the humility of Moses. This humility is the root of life -- the eternal life of the World
to Come (II, 72).

MONEY and LIVELIHOOD:

1) Worthless pursuits and malicious gossip can only lead to poverty in the end. Pride
also causes poverty. The remedy is to give charity, which brings blessing and
prosperity (4:8).

2) Immorality can deprive a person of his livelihood (7:5).

3) Intense prayer makes one worthy of one's livelihood (9:2).
4) The less careful a person is about upholding his moral standards, the more
unpleasantness and hardship he will experience in his efforts to earn a living (11:4).
5) In order to draw God's providence upon ourselves completely, it is necessary to
break the desire for wealth. The way to do this is by giving charity. When a person
gives money to charity, it cools his urge to acquire. He will conduct his business
affairs truthfully and honestly, he will be satisfied with his portion in life, and he will
have pleasure and contentment from what God has blessed him with. Because he is
not desperate to get rich, he is free of the constant struggle to make extra profit. The
burden of this struggle is the fulfillment of the curse: `by the sweat of your brow you
shall eat bread' (Genesis 3:19). Giving charity frees a person from this. It is accounted
to him as if he had made an offering of incense before God (13:1).
6) The desire for wealth is literally a form of idol-worship. So long as it continues to
exist, the world is under the shadow of God's anger. But the more completely it is
uprooted, the more God's anger is lifted and the world radiates with the blessing of
His love. The messianic spirit begins to spread; understanding springs forth, and it is
as if the Holy Temple had been rebuilt. New horizons of Torah are revealed, the Torah
that is destined to be revealed in time to come (Ibid. 2-5).
7) People who are obsessed with the idea of getting rich lack faith in God's power to
send man his livelihood with little effort on his part. Instead they get involved in all
kinds of complicated enterprises in the struggle for extra profit. Only after great toil
and anxiety do they eat their daily bread. They are constantly worried and depressed.
They have attached themselves to the `countenance of the forces of the Other Side' -the domain of darkness, depression, idolatry and death. It is completely different for
those who go about their work in a spirit of faith and trust in God. Having decided to
content themselves with what they have, they are happy with their portion regardless
of what it may be. They know and believe with perfect faith that God alone is the
source of man's wealth and income, except that He desires that man should make
some small movement of his own to initiate the chain of events that will bring his
income to him. People like this are attached to the light of God's countenance, which
is the realm of radiance, life and joy (23:1).
8) A person who is sunk in his craving for wealth is not just enslaved to one kind of
idolatry, but to every single idolatrous cult belonging to all of the seventy nations of
the world. This is because all forms of idolatry are rooted in materialism. Again and
again the Shechinah cries out in pain because of these idolatries. `Woe for the pain in

my head! Woe for the pain in my arm!' (Sanhedrin 46) There are seventy cries
(corresponding to the seventy nations) for the pain in the head, and seventy for the
pain in the arm, making one hundred and forty. This corresponds to the gematria of
Mamon (money), which is 140.
9) Another way of breaking the desire for wealth is to contemplate the spiritual source
from which material wealth and blessings flow. By concentrating on this root, the
desire for material wealth is dissipated. Because here at the root, radiant with
translucent light, the joy is purely spiritual. By comparison the object of the craving is
very degraded. Only a fool would throw aside spiritual joy for the sake of some crude
pleasure. But the only way to attain this spiritual perception is through selfpurification, as it is written: `And from my flesh will I perceive God' (Job 19:26).
Only when a person has sanctified himself and his body can he contemplate
Godliness. This explains why the basic remedy for the desire for wealth is through
fulfillment of the Covenant. When a person achieves this, he will not fall into this
desire (Ibid. 5).
10) Whenever a person falls from his level, the fundamental reason is always the
desire for money. This is basically why people fall into heresy and idolatry. For the
same reason when the enemies of the Tzaddik stir up opposition against him and God
wants to chase them away, He causes them to fall into lust for money. There is no
greater fall than this. As a general rule, in times of controversy and strife, the greater
the purity with which a person guards the Covenant and the closer he is to the
Tzaddik, who is the embodiment of the Covenant, the greater his power to resist his
opponents and throw them down. And when they fall, it is into lust for money. For this
reason a person who finds himself involved in a dispute should be very careful not to
succumb to the temptations of wealth (Ibid. 3).
11) The mitzvah of mezuzah is a remedy against the lust for money. When you
observe this mitzva carefully your livelihood will fly into your hands! (Ibid. 4).
12) As long as a person is reluctant to spend money on the mitzvot he performs, his
mitzvot are deficient because they have not yet entered the category of true faith,
which gives them their perfection. But when a mitzva is so precious in his eyes that he
does not mind parting with his money and he spends liberally for the sake of the
mitzva, this is called Faith. Because the essence of a person's faith is seen in his
relation to money. When he breaks his desire for wealth he becomes attached to the
`countenance of holiness' (Ibid. 5).
13) People who are sunk in the desire for wealth are always in debt. We can actually
see this. When people are dissatisfied with what they have they start trying to
speculate -- and saddle themselves with a mighty burden of debt. They borrow from

others in the hope of making big profits from the investment. But in the end they die
as debtors. And even if they are not literally in debt when they die, they are always
effectively in debt to their own lusts, as we can see. There are many people who have
more than enough to cover their needs. Yet they spend all their days chasing after
profit. They are prepared to struggle and submit to all kinds of risks and
inconvenience just for the sake of money. In fact they behave exactly like someone
with real debts strung around his neck -- except that their only real debt is the debt
they owe to their desires, which are so demanding that it is as if they really did owe an
enormous sum. In effect they are debtors all their lives, and they die in debt to their
desires. Even a whole lifetime is not long enough for them to pay off the debts they
owe to their desires, because there is no limit to them, for `No one in this world
achieves even half of what he wants before he dies.' (Koheleth Rabbah, 1) All their
days they are depressed, worried and bitter because of their appetite for money. The
more money people have the more depression and worries they have, because they are
entangled in idolatry, which is the very source of depression, darkness and death.
Their money eats up the days of their life with problems and worries (Ibid.). 14) You
should realize that it is nothing but a `fool's game' when people make money
dishonestly or refuse to give any of their money to charity. (Our Sages laid down that
we should give between a tenth and a fifth of our net income to charity in lieu of the
priestly tithes.) It is a `fool's game,' because the money plays with them as one amuses
a little child with coins. And in the end the money itself kills them. The Tikkuney
Zohar speaks about this game of the fool. `Who is the fool? It is the `other god,' the
child's croop. It smiles at them with the allure of wealth in this world, and then it kills
them. Why is it called a `child?' Because those who are trapped in it do not have the
sense to escape from it' (Tikkuney Zohar 140a). The way to escape the allure of
wealth is through the purity of the Covenant and by drawing closer to the Tzaddik,
who is the embodiment of purity and of whom it is written, `He who is good and
walks before God will be saved from it' (Eccl. 7:26). The Tzaddik possesses true
wisdom and understanding, and knows how to escape this trap. Even the greatest of
men need deep wisdom and understanding if they are to escape the pain and toil
which can be involved in trying to earn a living. Most ordinary people suffer terrible
bitterness all their lives because of this. They lose both worlds, this world and the
World to Come. There is no limit to the bitterness of this world. As the Holy Zohar
says: `Were it not for salt the world could not endure the bitterness' (Zohar I, 241b).
[Salt has the property of neutralizing bitterness.] Were it not for the strength of the
Tzaddikim, who observe the Covenant with absolute purity and who are called the
`eternal covenant of salt' (Numbers 18:19), the world would not be able to endure at
all because of the terrible bitterness caused by the desire for wealth. The closer a
person comes to the Tzaddik, the more he can sweeten this bitterness. But those who
are far from the Tzaddikim and from personal purity, and especially those who are
actually opposed to the Tzaddikim, will be the victims of the full force of this

bitterness. How many are sunk in this! Pay heed to these words and perhaps you will
escape (Ibid.)
15) With every step that a person takes and every word he utters in his efforts to make
a living he should have in mind that his purpose in making a profit is to be able to
give money to charity. Charity is the tikkun for business activity (29:5).
16) Only a person who `hates covetousness' (Exodus 18:21), which means that he
absolutely hates materialism, can acquire true wisdom and understanding and thereby
reach a perception of Godliness. And so the opposite (30:4).
17) When a person conducts his business honestly and with faith, his soul -- his mind
and intellect -- is renewed through this faith. Through the business activity itself he
can develop spiritually and draw fresh wisdom and a new soul from the light of God's
countenance. Not everyone is on such a level of Torah scholarship that he can grow
intellectually in Torah through his business. But even so, simply by virtue of
conducting his business in faith and honesty, a great tikkun is brought about, and a
second Jew whose soul is drawn from the same root as his own can benefit greatly,
because his intellect is refreshed and expanded through the honest dealings of the first
and he is inspired with new energy to learn and devote himself to God (35:6).
18) The whole body of Torah law dealing with business affairs is relevant to practical
business activity. Anyone who wishes to conduct his business with faith and honesty
must be expert in all the laws of business in order not to slip up in any of them (Ibid.).
19) A person who genuinely wants to conduct his business with faith and honesty
must guard his faith very carefully from any possible flaw. He must be as scrupulous
as Rav Safra, (see Makhoth 24a) and he must `speak the truth in his heart' (Psalms
15:2). Even if he merely decided something in his heart, he must not change it later
on. If he guards his faith carefully his soul and intellect will be refreshed and renewed
through his faith (Ibid. 7).
20) When a person conducts his business with faith and honesty, it is as precious as
the daily offerings and incense brought in the Holy Temple, which caused the husks to
fall away and all the sparks of holiness trapped within them to ascend. His mind is
elevated and refreshed, and it is accounted as if the Holy Temple had been rebuilt in
his time (Ibid. 8).
21) The main reason for the economic hardships which have hit the Jewish people in
recent generations is that many of the shochetim, the ritual slaughterers, have not been
worthy. The blessing which a worthy shochet makes at the time of slaughtering is a
powerful influence on the livelihood of the whole Jewish people. The blessing

elevates the living soul which was incarnated in the animal. But there are shochetim
who fail to concentrate properly on the meaning of the blessing and harbor improper
thoughts. A shochet like this, standing with the knife raised ready to slaughter the
animal, is no better than a murderer. What pain this living soul experiences at this
moment. She cries with a bitter wail, because the blessing this shochet makes will do
nothing to elevate her from her incarnation. On the contrary, she will be cast down
even lower than before and she will have `no rest for the sole of her foot' (Genesis
7:8). Woe to such a shochet! Woe to the soul he has killed and given over to the hands
of her enemies. The result is that people's livelihood is hit, and the little that is
available can only be acquired with great toil and exertion. Shochetim like these cause
the soul to be enslaved by the materialism of the body, and physical lusts and desires
gain strength. When the shochetim are worthy the soul is elevated and the grossness of
the body is crushed and humbled. The body is the seat of animality, folly, darkness
and death, forgetfulness, harsh justice and alien ideologies. In their place, soul and
form are elevated. These are the roots of all that is truly noble in man -understanding, light, life, memory, lovingkindness... in short, the wisdom of Torah.
Through them the world is blessed with abundance and prosperity (37).
22) A person should always feel contented with what he has. He should take no more
from the world than is absolutely essential. He should not live in luxury like so many
people do today because of our many sins. People who lack this sense of contentment
are referred to in the saying that `the belly of the wicked shall want' (Proverbs 13:25),
because they are always in need of something. A man should be contented with what
God has given him, and even out of this minimum he should still contribute a portion
to charity. This brings about great unification in the worlds above, and the world is
blessed with abundance (54:2).
23) The effect of trade and commerce is to cause all kinds of goods and materials to
move around from one set of hands to the next. All the complex movements
backwards and forwards depend entirely on the sparks of holiness within the objects
themselves. There are times when a certain object has to pass from one person's hands
to another's and then return to the hands of the first. The determining factor is the
Divine sparks within the objects and their relation with the Divine soul and spirit of
the individuals concerned (Ibid.).
24) Craving for money puts power into the hands of the forces of wickedness -- the
domain of Haman the Amalekite, who constantly harries the side of holiness, the vital
source of which lies in the wisdom of Torah. In direct opposition to this, the forces of
wickedness constantly hunger after money, swallowing the sparks of holiness hidden
in the money and rooted in the supernal colors. The more a person breaks his lust for
money and draws closer to the wisdom of Torah, the more he releases the holy sparks
from the forces of wickedness. The power to achieve this is drawn from the

Tzaddikim, who are truly devoted to Torah. They have the power to humble the forces
of wickedness and release all the trapped sparks and make of them Torah (56:5).
25) The deeper a person is sunk in desire for wealth, the less his understanding and the
shorter his days will be. He will never hear the voice of the Torah, which calls on men
constantly to return to God. He will be forced to toil for his living, and it will come to
him only with great difficulty. But if he strives determinedly to deepen his
understanding and think only thoughts of Torah, ignoring his desire for wealth
completely, his livelihood will begin to come to him easily and he will hear the voice
of the Torah calling and beckoning. The `voice of the Torah' is the good thoughts
which rise constantly in a person's heart with the idea of returning to God. In the end
he will be worthy of returning to God in truth (Ibid.).
26) The depression which descends on a person when he has to struggle excessively
for a living is the `filth of the serpent.' All the limbs of the body become heavy, and
the vital spirit which pulsates in the body -- the very basis of life -- is weakened. The
weaker it becomes, the heavier the limbs become, and they in turn weigh down the
spirit even more. This vicious cycle can actually bring a person to the point of death.
The root of the syndrome is the struggle for money, which is the source of anxiety and
depression. But when a person sighs with longing for the holy, moaning out of
yearning for God, it helps to rally his strength and revitalize the pulsating spirit within
him, bringing new vigor and life. In the end he will attain profound understanding and
hear words from Heaven itself (Ibid. 9).
27) Anger can be very harmful to a person's livelihood. You should know that when
the evil inclination starts tempting you to get angry, at that very moment a flow of
blessing is descending from above with a certain sum of money intended for you. The
evil inclination wants to thwart this blessing with the anger it tries to provoke in you.
This is because anger is so damaging to the flow of blessing. Even a person who
already possesses money can lose it if he becomes angry (68).
28) The prohibition against robbery is very serious because a person who robs another
robs him of his very children. Even if the victim does not have any children as yet, the
robber can bring it about that he never will have. And if he does have children, the
robber can cause him such damage that the children will die, God forbid, as a result of
his having robbed him of his money (69).
29) One who robs another will end up having all kinds of sexual temptations (Ibid.).
30) At times the thief himself can end up losing his wife because of his crime, and at
times he can cause the victim to lose his wife (Ibid.).

31) A person can come to possess stolen property without even physically stealing it
himself. It is possible to rob one's neighbor merely by being jealous of what he has.
This is why the prohibition against envy and covetousness is so grave. Through envy
alone one can rob one's neighbor of his money and the soul of his sons and daughters,
just like an actual thief (Ibid.).
32) Giving charity can make amends for any money which has come into one's hands
improperly because of envy. But for money which has literally been stolen there is no
remedy except to return it to its rightful owner, or, in cases where it is impossible to
return it to its owners to devote it to the public good, as our Rabbis explained (Bava
Kama 94b) (Ibid.).
33) If a person finds the money he has to live off is too little for his needs, the best
thing to do is to make it into charity. Charity is the tikkun for material possessions. In
the end he will have plenty of money (Ibid.).
34) A person who marries a woman for money is a fool and an idiot, as our Rabbis
said (Kiddushin 72). He will lose whatever intelligence he may have had, and his
children will turn out to be no good (Ibid.).
35) The lust for money creates enemies. The stronger the craving, the stronger the
enemies become. If the craving becomes excessive, it will create enemies who hate
one for nothing (Ibid.).
36) The more a person craves for money, the more turbulent and confused his mind
becomes. Eventually he turns into a fool (Ibid.).
37) When a person is meek and humble no one can `shift him from his place' in the
sense of impinging on his livelihood (79).
38) When a person conducts his business with faith and honesty, he thereby fulfills the
commandment to `love the Lord your God' (Deut. 6:5) and his income will be sent
him without worry and toil (93; 210).
39) Business activity is wholly Torah. Therefore during the time a person spends on
his work he should bind his thoughts to Torah alone, and in particular to the laws
which are clothed within the activities in which he is engaged (280).
40) A person who fails to bind his thoughts to Torah in the course of his business
activities will eventually be punished by having to come before the judges in a law
case based on Torah law. The outcome of the case will depend on the degree of his
previous neglect. Sometimes the punishment is merely having to undergo the case at

all, and the person in question wins his case. But where people have allowed their
business activities to diverge too far from Torah teachings, it usually happens that they
lose their case (Ibid.).
41) The time a person spends working is a time of battle. The battle is against the
forces of the Other Side, and the goal is to sift out the sparks of holiness and elevate
them. Sifting out the sparks is the main purpose of all business and commerce. One
has to be literally perfectly honest. Every word he speaks should be true. His `yes'
should be `yes' and his `no' should be `no.' He must also bind his thoughts to Torah.
When he is working, only the exterior aspects of his thoughts should be concentrated
on the work itself, the inner thought should be bound to Torah. Through this he can
sift and elevate many fallen holy sparks. All the worlds are elevated and awesome
tikkunim are achieved, just as they are through prayer (Ibid.).
42) The craving for money is one of the three temptations which flaw and spoil the
fear of God which is latent in the heart. But when we celebrate the festival of Pesach
with the appropriate honour we can cleanse ourselves of the craving for money and
attain true fear, prophetic inspiration and prayer (Likutey Moharan II, l:4,5).
43) A person who wants to provide for those who are dependent upon him must be a
person of strength and fortitude, not the opposite. A certain amount of authority and
`push' is required in order to earn money (7:10).
44) There is a certain sin which causes people to fall into debt. [Rabbi Nachman never
revealed which sin.] A person who is in debt should repent wholeheartedly and plead
with God to cleanse him of this sin. The time to do this is when he is in a state of
expanded consciousness (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 112).
45) When a person has such joy from Torah and mitzvoth that he literally dances for
joy, his material affairs are elevated (Likutey Moharan II, 81).
46) The only purpose in this world is to draw closer to the ultimate goal, which is the
World to Come. Whether you have money or you don't, don't worry about it, because
if you do you will surely waste away your days, regardless of whether you actually
make any money or not. This world is completely deceptive. It constantly makes
people think they are gaining, but in the end it is all an illusion, as everybody knows
very well at heart. Even if you do become rich, eventually you will be taken away
from your money. It is a basic rule that man and money cannot remain together. Either
the money is taken from the man or the man is taken from the money. In all of human
history there has never been a case where a person stayed with his money. It may be
hard to achieve very much in serving God. But even if you don't seem to get very far
in this, you should still understand that in itself this world is nothing. Your one aim

and desire should be to reach the ultimate goal of the World to Come. You should
always long to do what God wants. The desire itself is very precious. The main thing
is your will. Whatever good you can do -- a good deed here, learning some Torah or
saying a prayer there -- all the better. Do as much as you can while you can, because
the only thing that will be left of all your labor in this world will be your will to do
good and whatever holy deeds you were able to snatch in this world while you were
here (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 51).
47) Keep in mind the words of the Tzaddikim. Don't deceive yourself, and don't let
the world deceive you. In this world nobody ends up well. The only good you will
enjoy is the good you take with you to enjoy in the eternal world (Ibid.).

MORAL GUIDANCE:
(Including discussions between friends on spiritual matters)
1) The Sages who offer guidance and criticism to their contemporaries in order to
improve them sweeten the harsh judgements and cause peace to spread throughout the
world. But when people's wickedness is so great that it spoils the very guidance and
criticism themselves, the cause of peace is ruined and instability and strife become
rampant throughout the world (22:1).
2) It is impossible to learn from the guidance and criticism of the Sages without
having faith. Faith is a pair of `hands' held out to receive guidance. When a person is
lacking in faith he can easily come to atheism and believe in false ideologies. Because
of his attitude of scorn and derision, he will not listen to criticism and guidance from
the true moralists at all. One must guard one's faith and see that it is not deficient in
any way. Faith is the key to holiness. When people have faith they listen to the
guidance of the Sages and then they can return to God, and He will take pity (Ibid. 2).
3) When you act on criticism and improve yourself you can come to perform acts of
charity and kindness and in this way overcome the influence of false beliefs. Your
divine intelligence will be strengthened and you will be worthy of a new perception of
Godliness (30:7).
4) You should always talk to your friends about spiritual matters. Each Jew has a
`good point' unique to himself. When two friends have a discussion, each one can
benefit from the `good point' of the other. Sometimes the `good point' of one of the
friends is communicated to the other in a veiled form in a conversation which to
outward appearances is about secular topics. Because at times even a secular
conversation can give you ideas and inspire you spiritually. Indeed sometimes the

`good point' needs to be veiled -- and the words of the conversation become a kind of
clothing for it. The main thing is that you should discuss spiritual matters with your
friends all the time. Then you will all be able to gain from each one's `good points.'
You will be able to break the `foreskin of the heart' -- the lusts and desires which
break a person's heart -- and be filled with the holy desire for God (34:4).
5) The efforts a person makes to draw others to God enhance his own understanding
of Godliness and bring it to perfection: he can come to understand everything which it
is in man's power to apprehend and reach the very limits of human understanding. He
will be worthy of children and cause the barren to give birth (53).
6) Each Jew has a certain authority -- a power to dominate and influence. There are
some whose authority extends over their own household. Others have a wider
influence -- each according to his level. A person must always take care to use his
authority and influence not for his own personal benefit but for the sake of God alone:
he should use it to guide whoever comes under his influence to draw closer to God.
For example, if his authority extends only as far as his own household, he must make
sure that he guides all the members of the household along the path of serving God. If
his influence spreads wider, then he is under an obligation to use it to draw all the
people who fall into his province towards God. A person who is negligent about
guiding those who are under his influence will be punished because of them and his
days will be shortened, God forbid. This is what the Sages meant when they said:
`Authority buries those who possess it' (Pesachim 87). But those who use their
authority to offer guidance and moral criticism and draw people closer to God will be
blessed with long life and vitality (56:1-3).
7) The only way to give the right guidance and criticism is through devotion to Torah.
This gives you the power to guide even those who are very far from you, even if you
have no idea what they need. When a person devotes himself to Torah, even those
who are distant from the Torah hear its voice crying out: `How long, ye thoughtless,
will ye love thoughtlessness?' (Proverbs 1:22). This cry of the Torah will bring
everyone to return to God (Ibid.).
8) Someone who tries to draw others closer to God must be careful not to get caught
up in the `husks' and wickedness of the people he works with. The way to protect
himself is with `judgement,' to see to it that he examines and judges himself
concerning everything he does to see if it is right or not. He must criticize himself and
feel contrition for anything he may have done that is not right. This self-examination
will kindle a fire in his heart which will burn all the `husks' and prevent them from
clinging to him. They will even be stripped from the people he is trying to draw closer
to God (59:1).

9) A person who works hard to draw people closer to God and make souls builds a
holy sanctuary. It may be that some of those souls will fall away from the holiness
they attained. Nevertheless if at least some of the people who were brought to the fear
of Heaven through his efforts remain devoted, `he that is left in Zion and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called 'holy' ' (Isaiah 4:3). The glory of God is exalted
when those who were far are brought close to His service (Ibid.).
10) The self-examination and judgement which a person makes when he tries to bring
people closer to God enable him to celebrate Shabbat. For the concept of Shabbat
includes the destruction of evil and the impure husks (Ibid. 3).
11) You must watch over your name and your soul. You do this by keeping well away
from anger. If you feel yourself getting angry, you must be `slow to anger' and
suppress it. Then you will become rich and your name and soul will be enhanced. You
will be worthy of a good name. All the souls will yearn to be merged with yours and
you will be able to draw many souls closer to God and have many disciples (Ibid. 5).
12) When a person draws many souls closer to God it is better than having children. It
is not possible to have more than a few children -- but here there are many souls: they
draw all their life from the one who brought them closer and it is as if he himself gave
birth to them (Ibid.).
13) You should realize that there are certain people who are so wicked that it is not
permitted to draw them beneath the wings of God's service. They can cause the person
who brought them close to fall from his level, and the self-examination and judgement
mentioned earlier are powerless to nullify their evil. This can cause terrible damage.
Anyone who tries to bring people closer to God must pray profusely for guidance so
as to understand whom he should reject and whom he should draw closer (Ibid. 6).
14) It is good to discuss spiritual matters with your friends. Discussions like this
create `direct' and `reflected' light. Even if your friend gains nothing from the
discussion, it can still be a great benefit to you yourself. Someone who tries to
encourage a friend can actually be greatly inspired himself. If he had merely said what
he told his friend to himself, it could be that the words would not have inspired him at
all. But by virtue of saying them out loud to his friend he himself can be inspired even
if the words have little or no effect on his friend (184).
15) We must judge everyone in the scale of merit. Even if someone appears to be
totally wicked, we still have to search and find even a modicum of good -- by virtue of
which he will no longer be wicked! By finding this modicum of good and judging him
in the scale of merit he really is elevated to the scale of merit, and it is possible to
bring him to return to God through this (282).

16) There is no love greater than the love one has for Israel when they sin. Sin is the
most terrible burden for Israel -- it is the worst scourge in the world. The root of the
soul of the Jewish people is so holy and exalted that they are completely detached
from sin. The Jewish people has no connection whatsoever with sin, so great is the
subtle spirituality of their inner essence. This is why sin is such a heavy burden, God
forbid. The greatest love one can show for Israel is to draw them from beneath the
burden of their sins. One should always discuss spiritual matters with one's friends
and show one's love for them by trying to draw them away from sin. This is
something which can be done by everyone, even the simplest of people. When a
person speaks to his friend about spiritual concerns and radiates his own wisdom in
words which will penetrate his friend's very heart so as to draw him away from sin,
then his friend is counted as his pupil. (It is the same the other way around, when his
friend radiates his wisdom to him, he is counted as his friend's disciple.) Even when
the time comes for him to leave this world, he will still be clothed in these words
which radiate in his friend, and it will be as if he himself is still alive in the world. The
essence of the soul's perfection after its passing from this world depends on leaving a
son and a pupil behind in whom the holy wisdom they received from their teacher still
radiates. Everyone has a duty to try and draw other people closer to God. The true
well-being of the world depends on its being filled with men of understanding who
know of God and serve Him. Anyone who lacks the knowledge of God does not come
into the category of `man' at all: he is a beast with the appearance of a man. Every
individual must be constantly aware himself and make known at all times to others
that it is God who rules over the earth and there is no other purpose in this world
except to do His will. Nothing is left of a person in this world after his death except
the knowledge of God that he communicates to his friends and pupils (II, 7:3,4).
17) Someone who wants to influence another person to fear God must himself have
the fear of God. Otherwise his words will not be heard and they will not stay with his
friend: they will simply pass right through him immediately (Ibid. 5).
18) When a person tries to discuss spiritual matters with his friends he can gain a
perception of the `encircling lights' -- which means that he can apprehend and
understand what he was not able to previously. He will constantly rise to higher and
higher perceptions until he reaches the perception of the most transcendent levels -which is the joy and delight of the World to Come (Ibid. 6).
19) It is true that giving moral guidance and criticism is of the utmost importance and
every Jew has an obligation to guide his fellow Jew if he sees him acting incorrectly.
But nevertheless not everyone is fit to offer such guidance. When guidance and
criticism are given by someone unfit to give them, not only do they fail in their
purpose, worse still, they cause the fragrance of the souls which hear them to become
putrid. The strength of those souls is weakened and blessing is withheld from all the

worlds which are dependent upon them. Only those who can add to the fragrance of
the souls they guide are fit to criticize and rebuke Israel for their sins. The voice that
rebukes must be the `voice which waters the Garden of Eden.' It is there that all the
fragrances grow and holy awe takes root. This is the voice of the song that is destined
to be sung in the future (II, 8).
There is no contradiction between what was said earlier about the obligation which
every Jew has to discuss spiritual matters with his friends and the statement here that
not everyone is fitted to give criticism. If you examine the different passages carefully
you will see that the idea that is applicable to everyone is having discussions with
friends about spiritual matters: what is the purpose of life? What will remain of us in
the end? and so on. Even the simplest of people should discuss these things. The kind
of moral criticism which is referred to in the last passage is a completely different
matter. It means making explicit reference to another person's sins and saying to him:
`Why did you do such and such?' One should be very careful not to discuss people's
sins and bad behavior with them because one can weaken their soul through arousing
this bad smell. The distinction between moral guidance and rebuke is implicit in
Rashi's comment on the opening words of Deuteronomy, where he says that Moses
did not rebuke the Children of Israel until immediately prior to his death. The
comment seems surprising, because surely Moses had spoken to them in a critical vein
many times before and had given them many warnings to observe the Torah. The
meaning of the term `rebuke' is that he made mention of their sins, as it says in the
opening verses in Deuteronomy: `In the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against
Suph...' (Deut. 1:3). As Rashi (loc. cit.) explains, Moses mentioned all the places
where the Children of Israel had made God angry. It is noteworthy that he did not
administer this rebuke until immediately prior to his death, and this in spite of the fact
that in his case the rebuke was spoken with the `voice which waters the Garden of
Eden' (Ibid.).

MUSIC:
1) A holy melody gives strength to the forces of holiness. But the music of the Sitra
Achra, the Other Side, damages these forces and lengthens the exile. It makes people
stumble and traps them like birds in a snare. Be very careful never to listen to this
kind of music at all. The musicians and singers who produce it have no religious
intentions whatsoever. On the contrary, they only want to make money or become
famous. Listening to this kind of music can seriously weaken your devotion to God.
But the melodies played by a truly religious, God-fearing musician can be very
inspiring. They can strengthen your devotion immensely (Likutey Moharan I, 3).

2) Studying the Gemarah at night is a protection against being influenced by the music
of the Other Side (Ibid.).
3) A holy melody has the power to bring one to the level of prophecy. Music is the
foundation of true attachment to God (Ibid.).
4) One who sings with purity has kingship and power. He has the power to do
whatever he wants. He can give life or death to whomever he wants. But he must be
careful to judge all people in the scale of merit so as not to destroy the world. For God
desires lovingkindness, and He wants the world to endure (Ibid.).
5) When a person achieves moral purity, his voice is also purified. Simply through
hearing the sound of his voice singing, God sees which enemy is oppressing us, which
of the seventy nations with their seventy languages. Then God saves us from trouble.
When a harsh decree is passed against the Jews, God forbid, and one of the nations
rises up against us, it is very good to sing the song or anthem of that nation. When our
cries and singing are directed towards Heaven, it arouses God's love. He looks down
upon us in our trouble and saves us from the people oppressing us (27).
6) From a person's voice you can tell whether he is powerful or not and to what
degree. Everybody has a certain degree of power and influence, and it is recognizable
in his voice (230).
7) Music sweetens the harsh judgements. When you sing the words of the prayers in a
clear, bright voice, the Shechinah is robed in radiant garments, and this is how the
harsh judgements are sweetened (42).
8) Man is endowed with an image-making faculty, which is one of the most powerful
forces in his life, because it is through this that he forms his concepts. But because it
is linked to the imagination, it is seriously prone to error. Good and evil are mixed up.
But music played by a truly God-fearing player for the sake of Heaven has a
wonderful power to subdue the wildness of the imagination, and the good is sifted
from the bad. Such music has the power to lift you from depression and inspire you
with joy. This is the way to develop a good memory, which means to remember at all
times the goal of the World to Come and to understand the things God sends every day
to draw you closer to Him. When you have a good memory, you are free of the
deceptions of surface appearances (54).
9) There is a form of atheism from which there is no return. But the melody of the
truly great Tzaddik has the power to raise up the souls which have fallen into this (64).

10) The miserable wailing of the songs of the wicked does a great deal of damage
because people are easily influenced by them. But when the Tzaddikim sing these
songs on Shabbat they elevate and purify them (226).
11) Music has a tremendous power to draw you to God. Get into the habit of always
singing a tune. It will give you new life and send joy into your soul. Then you will be
able to bind yourself to God. It is especially good to sing on Shabbat and the festivals,
and at a wedding celebration (273).

OBSTACLES:
1) All the barriers and obstacles which confront a person have only one purpose: to
heighten his yearning for the holy deed which he needs to accomplish. It is part of
man's nature that the greater the barriers standing in the way of a certain goal, the
more he desires to achieve it. When a Jew needs to do something whose purpose is to
strengthen his very core, especially when it is something upon which his whole being
as a Jew depends -- to travel to the true Tzaddik -- he is given desire from above. The
desire is created through the barrier which is sent to him, and the barrier itself causes
his yearning to grow. You should understand, therefore, that there is no barrier in the
world that you cannot break if you want to. The entire purpose of the barrier is only to
increase your desire. When you achieve the necessary desire and yearning for the holy
act you need to accomplish, you will surely succeed in transforming the idea which is
in your mind into an actual reality. The barrier itself can bring you to succeed by
strengthening your desire to do so (66:4).
2) The greater the goal for which you yearn, the bigger the obstacles and barriers
which are sent in order to strengthen your desire. For desire is in proportion to the
magnitude of the barriers. From this you can understand that if tremendous barriers
spring up on every side as you start to draw near to the Tzaddik, it is an indication of
the importance of the goal you wish to achieve. There are always difficulties and
obstacles when you try to do anything holy. This is especially true when you want to
make the journey to the true Tzaddikim because this is the foundation for everything
else. Obstacles appear like at no other time. There are many Tzaddikim. But there is a
single point of truth to be found in their midst. When you seek to draw closer to this
point of truth -- and everything depends on this -- you will find obstacles and barriers
springing up and confronting you on every side. You need fierce determination: you
must strengthen your desire and will-power in proportion to the greatness of the goal
you are aiming for. Then you will succeed in breaking the barriers and attaining your
goal. There is no barrier in the world which a person cannot break, so long as he has
the desire and will-power to do so (Ibid.).

3) Nor should a person try to find excuses and exempt himself. It may well be true
that the desire and yearning to achieve something holy are good in themselves, and
that even if the barriers prevent him from accomplishing the holy deed in actual fact,
it will still be accounted to him as if he had achieved it because his intention was
good. The Sages did indeed say that `If a person intended to do a mitzvah but was
prevented from doing it, it is accounted to him as if he had done it' (Berachot 6). This
applies to someone who wants to feel that he has at least fulfilled the minimum that
was required of him. After all, what could he do? He wanted to succeed, but
circumstances prevented him! But it is different for someone who does not merely
want to feel he has done his duty but actually wants the mitzva or the holy deed itself.
What good is it for him to know that as a special concession it will be accounted to
him `as if' he had achieved it because he had the desire to succeed? This `as if' will not
give him any satisfaction at all. He yearns for the mitzvah itself, he will not be
satisfied with a mere `as if.' For a Jew, the true goal is to accomplish what he wants
and desires in actual fact -- to transform the thought in the mind into a practical
reality. When a person has true desire he can certainly achieve this and break every
barrier or obstacle which stands in his way. The only reason they were sent to him was
to heighten his yearning. When the desire matches the preciousness of the goal, he can
achieve every holy deed that he yearns for (Ibid.).
4) There are people who after a whole life time of materialism suddenly feel a strong
desire to walk in the paths of God. The attribute of Judgement then rises up to accuse
them. It tries to prevent them following the way of God by creating barriers. The
unintelligent person, when he sees these barriers, starts to retreat. But someone with
understanding takes this as the very signal that he should draw closer. He understands
that God is to be found in the barrier itself -- and the truth is that God Himself is
indeed hidden in this barrier (115).
5) It may take a lot of effort for a person to break the barriers confronting him when
he starts to draw closer to God. Many people experience opposition from their parents
or parents-in-law, their wives and so on. But all their effort produces a vessel. Within
this vessel he can receive the holiness and purity he will attain thereafter. The greater
the struggle one has at the outset, the greater the vessel one forms. In the end he will
be worthy of true fear of God, and he will receive abundant blessings and goodness.
He will be worthy of giving perfection to the Holy Name of God, because the essence
of its perfection is founded on religious awe (185).
6) The way to begin serving God is to imagine there is no one in the entire world
except for you. Pay no attention to anyone who puts obstacles in your way, whether it
is your father or mother, your parents-in-law, your wife, your children or anyone else.
There are certain people who can make things difficult for you through ridiculing you
or offering temptations and so on. Pay not the slightest attention to any of them. It is

written that `Abraham was one' (Ezekiel 33:24). Abraham was alone! You must also
be alone -- as if you were the only one in the world (Likutey Moharan II, Foreword).
7) People often imagine that the barriers they experience in their efforts to serve God
are so great that they will never be able to break them. But this is not true. No one is
ever confronted with barriers he cannot break if he really wants to. God only sends a
person obstacles that are within his capacity to overcome if he is really determined
enough. If he thinks about it carefully, he will realize that the obstacle is really a veil
for God Himself. In reality there are no obstacles at all. They are simply an illusion
(46).
8) The greatest barriers of all are those in the mind. The heart is slippery. People do
not concentrate their entire heart and mind on the true importance of what they need
to achieve. For example when someone wants to travel to the Tzaddik and starts
experiencing difficulties, if he really concentrated his whole heart and mind on the
fact that his entire life and being and that of all his descendants depend on his
reaching his goal, nothing in the world could stop him. None of the barriers would be
of any significance at all in his eyes. The main barrier is that people are not firm in
their own minds. A person may have reached the Tzaddik in spite of all the obstacles.
But if some little doubt then arises in his mind and his heart begins to falter as a result,
this is the biggest obstacle of all. The same is true of prayer. There are many barriers
to prayer. A person may succeed in overcoming all of them and praying as he should.
But once doubts about God or about the Tzaddikim arise in the crookedness of his
heart, this is the worst obstacle of all. The way to fight it is to cry out to God with a
voice which rises from the very depths of the heart (Ibid.).
9) The main thing is that your heart should be strong and firm. Then nothing at all will
stop you, certainly not material difficulties -- financial difficulties or opposition from
your wife and children, your parents or parents-in-law, or the ridicule of other people
and their attempts to persuade you otherwise. None of these things will have any
power at all if your heart is firm and strong in God (Ibid.).
10) When a person's heart is firm there is nowhere in the world that he cannot serve
God. There is never an excuse to say that in a certain place it is impossible to serve
God. When a person's heart is strong, all the places in the world belong to him (Ibid.
51).

COUNTING THE OMER AND SHAVUOT:

1) Through the joy we have on Purim, clapping our hands and dancing, we are able to
fulfill the mitzvah of counting the Omer properly. Then we are ready to receive the
Torah on Shavuot, both the revealed and the hidden Torah (10:8).
2) Each day of the Omer period is associated with a different aspect of the Sefirot.
And on that day everything which everyone in the whole world is talking about is
purely an expression of the particular aspect with which that day is associated. A
person with understanding can hear and recognize this if he pays attention to what
people are saying (182).
3) The forty-nine days of the Omer period correspond to the fortynine gates of
repentance, and these in turn correspond to the fortynine letters in the Hebrew names
of the twelve tribes. It is through these letters and gates that we must make our return
to God Almighty. The festival of Shavuot is the fiftieth gate. This is the gateway of
God's `repentance,' when God himself returns, as it were. That is to say, He returns to
us in love. It is possible to reach all these gates and open them by reciting the psalms.
You should be careful to concentrate when you recite the psalms. Then you will be
able to reach all forty-nine gates. During the forty-nine days of the counting of the
Omer we have to cleanse ourselves of our impurity and return to God. Then God will
return to us on Shavuot (Likutey Moharan II, 73).
4) When we immerse in the mikvah on Shavuot we are connected with the highest
levels of God's loving kindness and abundant mercy, and we can attain awesome
levels of perception of God. The illumination which radiates on Shavuot is a
supremely exalted level of the Divine wisdom, fine and subtle in the extreme. And this
wisdom is in itself an expression of God's lovingkindness and mercy. For love is
bound up with wisdom and perception, as is explained elsewhere. It is a wonderful
thing to experience the holiness of Shavuot, and in particular the mikvah of Shavuot,
the mikvah of the fiftieth gate, which then becomes the wellspring of holiness and
purity for Israel (Likutey Moharan I, 56:7).
5) Shavuot is the season of receiving the Torah. It is a time of new vitality. And it is a
season that brings healing to the lungs. (The five lobes of the lungs correspond to the
five books of Moses.) (266).

PATIENCE:
1) To know that everything that happens to you is for your own good is to have a
foretaste of the World to Come. The way to come to this realization is through talking
out your heart and confessing your sins before a Torah scholar. Through this you will
come to understand that everything that happens to you every day of your life is all for

your good. Everything springs from the love God has for you. To be serene and
patient regardless of what you encounter in life is the highest level of Da'at, the
knowledge and understanding of God. You must have faith that everything is for your
ultimate good (4:1, 3, 4).
2) All physical medicines are bitter, and the same is true in the case of the soul. The
soul is healed through bitterness. You may have to overcome many obstacles and
endure much suffering in order for your soul to be healed. With physical illnesses
there are times when the body becomes so weak that the invalid cannot bear the
bitterness of the medicines. The doctors despair of ever curing him and simply
abandon him. Similarly, when a person falls under the influence of sin -- which is the
sickness of the soul -- he may be unable to bear the bitterness of the remedy. There
may seem to be no hope for him at all. But God is filled with love. When He sees that
a person wants to return to Him but hasn't the strength to bear the bitter remedies
made necessary by his own sins, then He takes pity and casts all his sins aside to save
him excessive suffering. God sends him only as much as he can bear. Many people
find that as soon as they try to return to God and follow the ways of the righteous,
they suddenly encounter obstacles and hardship from every direction. At times it is
impossible to bear the bitterness and overcome the barriers. There have been cases
where people were so discouraged that they fell back into their old ways, God forbid.
But a person who truly desires to draw closer to God should have faith that whatever
the bitterness or suffering he has to endure, everything is being sent to him out of
love. If the suffering were really in proportion to the magnitude of his sins it would
have been far greater. He would have been much too weak to bear it and he would
have been totally lost. But God in His love only sends as much bitterness and
suffering as a person can bear. This much he must bear, and it is certainly within his
power to endure it (27:7).
3) A person must be at peace with himself. It is no good if the different aspects of his
character are in conflict with one another. He must also achieve harmony in his
relationships with the outside world. Regardless of whether things are good or bad, he
must always look for God in whatever happens to him. He should not allow himself to
be thrown off course by anything. He should have faith that everything he experiences
day by day is a favor and a blessing. This applies even to his hardships and suffering.
He should believe and know that everything is for his ultimate good. The sole purpose
of all of it is to draw him closer to God, if he truly desires it. The same basic principle
applies in his relationship with friends. He should love them and be at peace with
them regardless of their behavior, even if they make things difficult for him. He
should always try to judge them in the sacle of merit and find good in them. He must
interpret everything in a good light and remind himself that his friend's intentions
were not as bad as he imagines. It is very important to strive for relations of love and
peace with one's friends and with all Israel. The way to achieve this is through the

Torah, which is called `peace', and through the Tzaddikim, who are also called `peace'
(33:1).
4) When a person takes his hardship and suffering very badly it is because his power
of understanding has been withdrawn and he fails to keep in mind their ultimate
purpose, which is wholly good. If he were to concentrate on the true goal and purpose
of life he would see that far from being bad these difficulties have a very positive
purpose, because God's intention is only for good. It may be that He wishes to remind
him to return to Him, or to scour his sins and cleanse him through this suffering.
When he understands that the end purpose is wholly good, he can even come to
rejoice in suffering. It is significant that people have a natural impulse to screw up
their eyes tightly when they are in pain, as if they were trying to focus on something
far away. It is as if by screwing up their eyes they were trying to focus on the true goal
-- the World to Come, which is good and everlasting. The only way to concentrate on
this goal is by averting one's eyes from the folly of this world completely (65:3).
5) A person who bears his suffering joyously will achieve new insights in his Torah
studies, and when he does it is a sign that he bore his sufferings as he should (Ibid.).
6) A person must be long-suffering in all aspects of his character. He should never
become angry or irritated over anything. No matter what he has to go through, he
should bear everything patiently without being blown off course. He should let
nothing make him lose his temper. He should endure everything with patience and
simply do his own part to serve God with enthusiasm and joy. The way to achieve this
level is through perfect faith, which is attained through the Land of Israel (155).
7) Something you should understand is that however acute your problems and
difficulties may be, the very problems themselves always have an angle which in itself
offers a solution. It is true that we always hope that God will turn to us in mercy and
remove the problems completely. But if you think carefully about the problems
themselves you will see that each one has a positive side to it too. If you always look
carefully until you find this side of things, you will always be able to bear everything
lovingly and nothing will ever disturb you. You will be able to use every experience as
a means of drawing closer to God, and through this God will send you help (195).
8) In times of trouble and suffering, it is good to weep and cry before God. Through
this we can gain Da'at, understanding, and draw God's providence upon ourselves.
The pain and suffering will then be less because the main reason they are hard to bear
is that one lacks adequate understanding. It is necessary to understand that everything
is under the eye of God and is sent only for our own good (250).

9) The reason why people have to endure opposition and even persecution is to bring
them closer to God through this very experience. The more persecution and hardship
they suffer the more they must turn to God for relief, because there is no other
solution. This is how persecution and suffering bring us closer to God (II, 13).
10) There is no one in the world who does not suffer in one way or another. People
have all kinds of hardships and difficulties. It may be the problems of making a living,
their health or domestic troubles with their wife and children and the other members
of the household. Nobody can escape a certain amount of pain and hardship, because
`man was born to struggle' (Job 5:7) `for his days are vexation and pain' (Ecclesiastes
2:23). The only way to escape is to seek refuge in God and His Torah. It takes great
patience to bear what one has to go through in life. As our rabbis said, `The medicine
for suffering is patience.' A wise man said: `For someone without a strategy, the best
strategy is patience.' All the sages discuss this at great length and warn us that this
world is full of suffering and anguish without end. Man was not created to derive
pleasure from this world. His task is to labor in this world in order to earn the World
to Come. This is why we have to bear everything with patience, in the faith that it is
all for our good. `Everything that God does, He does for good.' We must take refuge in
God and His Torah at all times and plead before Him for mercy. There is no other
escape from the afflictions of the world except God, as it is written: `He is my refuge
on my day of trouble.' Even the lowest of the low can still take refuge in God, because
God is to be found in all places, as we have explained at length elsewhere. As soon as
a person takes refuge in God, no matter what the experience, it will turn out for good,
and the good will be truly enduring (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 308).

PEACE:
1) The gateway to Torah is through humility and meekness. Torah has the power to
draw penitents and converts closer to God, and this is how the glory of God is exalted
and magnified and the fear of God spreads throughout the world. This brings peace
(14:2-5).
2) There are two kinds of peace. There is the peace `in one's bones' in oneself. This is
the first priority, because at times a person has no peace in himself, as it is written:
`There is no peace in my bones because of my sin' (Psalms 38:4). When a person
develops genuine fear of Heaven he can attain peace within himself. Through this he
is able to pray. And prayer leads to the second kind of peace universal peace, when
there is peace in all the worlds (Ibid. 8).

3) The leaders of the generation, who give criticism and guidance, bring abundant
peace into the world. They also make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven
(22:1).
4) As peace spreads in the world the whole world can be drawn to serve God with one
accord. Because when men are at peace with each other they talk to one another and
together they can think about the purpose of the world and all its vanities. People then
talk to each other about the realities of life that in the final analysis, when a person
dies, nothing remains of him except whatever preparations he has made for the eternal
world which awaits him after death. Neither silver nor gold accompany a man after
his death... When people understand this they will abandon their illusions and their
idols of silver and aspire only to God and His Torah. Their only aim will be to serve
God and seek out the truth. But when there is no peace in the world, and even worse
when there is strife and dissension, men are not open with one another and they never
discuss the purpose of life. Even when somebody is open about it his words fail to
enter the hearts of other people, because people are not interested in finding out the
truth, all they want is to win the argument: they are aggressive and full of hatred and
jealousy. When somebody wants to win an argument his ears are not open to the truth.
The main reason why most people are so far from God is because of the divisiveness
and strife which are so widespread today because of our many sins (Ibid. 6).
5) Moral purity leads to peace (Ibid. 6).
6) The search for peace must be twofold: within the Jewish people as a whole and
within each individual himself. Each person must resolve any conflicts which exist
between the different parts of his character. He must also develop a harmonious
approach to his life experiences as a whole, so that it makes no difference to him
whether things are seemingly good or bad: he will always find God in everything. It is
through Torah and the Tzaddikim that we can achieve this harmony. Both are called
`peace,' and through them each person can feel his love for God regardless of his
situation whether things are good or seemingly bad. He will also feel his love for his
fellow Jew. This way peace will spread throughout the Jewish people (33).
7) To spread peace, give charity (57:6).
8) Divisiveness leads to atheism, and prevents people from praying with genuine
devotion. But when men are at peace and open with each other, people can be guided
away from their illusions and free themselves of their doubts and atheistic
inclinations. When there is strife between people, they are not open with one another
and it is impossible to speak to other people and draw them towards the truth. Even if
people do talk to each other, their main concern is to win the argument, which means

that neither side is open to the words of the other. Therefore true faith depends on
peace (62:2).
9) The way to attain peace is through studying Torah law as set forth in the legal
codes. Then you will be able to pray with all your heart (Ibid.).
10) The real meaning of peace is to fit together two opposites. So you shouldn't be
disturbed when you come across someone who is the exact opposite of yourself and
thinks the exact opposite.
Do not assume you will never be able to live amicably with him. And similarly if you
see two people who are completely opposite types, you should not decide it is
impossible to make peace between them. Quite the contrary! Perfect peace is achieved
through the effort to make peace between two opposites, just as God makes peace in
His high places between Fire and Water, which are two opposites. The way to achieve
peace is through complete self-sacrifice to sanctify the name of God. Then it is
possible to pray with genuine devotion (80).
11) God always takes into account the good that people do. It may be that something
not so good was mixed up with it, but God pays no attention to this. If this is God's
way, how much more so should we attempt to do the same. Never look for the bad
side of other people or hunt out their shortcomings and weak points when it comes to
religion. Look only for the good and always search out the merit and worth in them.
You will then be at peace with everybody (II, 17).

PERCEPTION AND REVELATION OF

GODLINESS:
1) Sometimes we see a person experience a sudden burst of enthusiasm during his
prayers. A stream of words suddenly pours from his lips with tremendous fire. In His
love, God opens the light of the Infinite and it radiates to him. When the person sees
the radiance -- and if he himself doesn't see it, his mazal, his guardian angel, sees it
(Megillah 3a) -- his soul takes fire with a passion to bind himself to the light of the
Infinite. As long as the revelation lasts, the words pour forth with intense devotion. He
surrenders himself, throwing his entire energy into them. For these moments he
becomes nullified before the Infinite, and he is in a state of unknowing, as it is
written: `and no man knows' (Deut. 34:6). He himself has no knowledge even of
himself. But it is impossible to remain in such a state. If he did, he would die before
his time, God forbid. But during his lifetime the only way to attain this state is in a
mode of `running and returning' (Ezekiel 1:14). God does not want us to die! He

wants us to live in order that we should serve Him. Only when the time comes for
God Himself to take one's soul is it possible to remain in this state of selfnullification,
and then he will be merged with the Infinite completely in accordance with his merits
(Likutey Moharan 4:9).
2) When a person `returns' from the state of self-nullification to his normal state of
awareness and sense of self, a trace of the awesome light which he perceived still
remains with him, giving him an apprehension of the unity of the Infinite and His
goodness. Now he can understand how all is good and all is one. This awareness is a
foretaste of the World to Come. The way to attain these levels of awareness is through
expressing oneself before a Torah scholar, confessing one's sins and pouring out one's
heart (Ibid.).
3) For the Tzaddik, repentance is a continuous movement. He works on it every day of
his life. Even if he knows that he has already achieved a state of perfect repentance, he
must still `repent' for the perceptions of God he attained in earlier periods of his life,
because they were gross and materialistic compared to his present perception of God's
utter exaltedness. Every day the Tzaddik moves from perception to perception and
from level to level, repenting for his earlier levels. The world to come, which is called
`wholly Shabbat, wholly teshuva (repentance),' has precisely this quality of movement
towards an ever-enhanced perception of God. With every climb a person makes in the
level of his perception, it is necessary to repent for his previous levels. Anyone with a
brain in his head will be able to realize from this something of the true greatness of
the Creator and the greatness of the Tzaddikim. Happy are they and happy are those
who are attached to them (6:3).
4) Know that there is a light which is above the nefesh, ruach and neshama of human
souls. This is the light of the Infinite. It cannot be attained through intellect. And yet
thought endeavors to chase after it. It is through fulfilling the mitzvot in joy that we
can become worthy of attaining this light. We chase after it, only to encounter `that
which holds back.' We can `reach, yet not reach.' In this way nine palaces are formed
which are neither `lights' nor ruach nor neshama. It is impossible to remain attached to
them. They cannot be known. Happy is the one whose thought chases after this
awareness, even though the mind has not the power to attain it (see Zohar I, 65a;
Likutey Moharan 24).
5) The whole purpose of life is to come to know God. But it is impossible to attain
any apprehension of Godliness except through innumerable `contractions' from level
to level, from cause to effect, from the Supreme Mind to the Lower Mind. Therefore
one must search for a teacher who is on such a level that he has the power to guide
one and communicate all that one needs to understand. To be able to do this, the
teacher must possess true greatness. The lower one's level, the greater the teacher one

needs, because only the greatest will have the skill to elucidate the subject in the right
way, with the appropriate preparatory explanations and introductions. These are the
`contractions' through which even one on a very low level can come to a perception of
Godliness (30:1,2).
6) Torah and mitzvot are the path to the apprehension of God. Because every letter of
the Torah and every detail of every mitzvah is a `contraction' (Ibid. 3).
7) Wisdom and understanding are the foundation of any perception of God. But the
only way to acquire them is if one `hates covetousness' (Exodus 18:21). One must
hate materialism absolutely. Someone who is attracted by it will inevitably fall from
the necessary level of wisdom and understanding into folly, stupidity, anxiety and
depression. He will be captured in the net of the `husks' and the forces of the Other
Side, which are the opposite of wisdom and understanding (Ibid. 4).
8) The joy we experience on the three annual festivals can arouse new perceptions of
Godliness (Ibid. 5).
9) Every single Jew is a part of God above. The essence of Godliness is to be found in
the heart. The Godliness in the heart of the Jew is infinite. There is no end to the light
of the flame which burns there. The holy desire which is there is infinite. But this
same burning passion would make it impossible for him to accomplish anything at all
in his service of God, nor would he be able to reveal any good trait, if he did not hold
his passion within certain limits. He must `contract' it, so to speak, in order to be able
to serve God in a measured, orderly way. For God desires our service. There are
specific actions and devotions which He asks of us. He wants us to develop our
character traits and behavior in an orderly, systematic way. This is how His kingship
will be revealed (49:1).
10) The more one draws close to God the more one must understand how far one is
from Him. When a person believes he has already succeeded in achieving closeness to
God and attaining an understanding of Him, it is a sign that he does not know
anything. If he did, he would know that he is very far from God and that he knows
absolutely nothing. It is impossible to explain this satisfactorily in words. The
greatness of God has no limits (63).
11) A person should learn to live in a state of self-nullification. He should always fix
his eyes upon the ultimate goal, which is truly good and enduring. The only way to do
this is by closing his eyes to this world and concentrating on the true goal to the point
that he becomes united with it. You must keep your eyes firmly shut as far as this
world is concerned -- even if you have to hold them closed with your finger! Pay no
attention whatsoever to this world. Then nothing in the world will cause you any pain

or suffering. But you should understand that it is impossible to remain in this state of
selfnullification all the time and still be a human being. Inevitably self-nullification
can only be achieved at certain moments in the mode of `running and returning'
(Ezekiel 1:14). In the period of `returning' a trace of the state of self-nullification
remains and shines with the sweet and pleasant light of Godliness. It is impossible to
describe this experience to anybody else. It brings a tremendous joy, which can lead
us to new horizons in understanding Torah. These new perceptions can be a source of
strength and fortitude in the face of all the sufferings and harsh experiences a person
may have to undergo. Even in this world he will be worthy of experiencing a taste of
the World to Come (65:3,4).
12) When a person attains a certain perception of Godliness, he must be careful to
observe certain limits: he must `contract' the experience, as it were, in the sense of
putting certain limits on the way he explores and follows through his perception. Even
in the realms of holiness, there are places where it is forbidden to travel. One must
never go beyond one's limits. Every created being has its boundary. Only thus far is it
permitted to go to receive the radiance of God. To go further is forbidden, lest one
`break through' (cf. Exodus 19:24). (Likutey Moharan II, 5:7).
13) King David, peace be upon him, said: `For I know that the Lord is great' (Psalm
135:5). `I know,' said King David, because the perception which a person attains in his
own heart can never be communicated to anybody else (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 1).
14) Even to yourself you cannot communicate such a vision. Today you might be
inspired and see a certain vision. But tomorrow you will not be able to communicate
the inspiration and the vision even to yourself! (Ibid.).
15) God is so great -- `His greatness is unfathomable' (Psalm 145:3) -- and yet nobody
knows it. Remarkable things are happening in the world. There is no end to the works
of God. All the time there are changes, new creations, wonders, miracles...yet nobody
knows it. One cannot even speak of it. Each person has only his own perceptions to go
by. The more advanced his perceptions, the more he can understand just a bit how
ignorant he really is. And even then he is still far from the true goal of knowledge,
which is to realize that one is truly ignorant. But so far he hasn't begun to know
anything! The Rebbe had remarkable things to say about this subject, and he showed
how a person can always fortify himself so as never to lose hope. Regardless of where
he may have fallen, he should never despair of crying out to God. In His greatness,
God has the power to turn everything to good (Ibid. 3).

PESACH -- Passover:

1) The days of the month of Nissan are days of repentance like those of Tishrei (49).
2) Nissan embodies the concept of tikkun habrit, guarding the Holy Covenant. When
you are joyous you can draw the spirit of Nissan, its joy and holiness, into the whole
year. Thus you can make amends for abuse of the Covenant, and you will avoid
impure experiences by night (Likutey Moharan II, 5:10).
3) The Haggadah which we recite on Pesach is a tikkun for the Covenant. The reason
why it is recited aloud is because the voice arouses Da'at, the knowledge of God. So
by reciting the Haggadah aloud we can experience a revelation of true Da'at. Da'at is
itself the essence of redemption, because the exile in Egypt came about through the
abuse of the Holy Covenant, which brought about the distortion of Da'at. The wine of
the four cups which we drink on the first nights of Pesach is also a tikkun for Da'at
and for the Holy Covenant (Likutey Moharan I, 20:10).
4) When you pray on Pesach you should cry out loud

PRAYER:
1) The main reason why prayers are not accepted is that the words lack grace and
beauty. It is through studying Torah that the words of the prayers are invested with
grace. One should always try to pray with words that have grace and beauty, and then
one's prayers will be accepted (1:1).
2) Prayer is the Jew's main weapon. Whatever battles a person has to fight, whether
against his evil inclination, or against those who put barriers and obstacles in his path,
they should all be fought with prayer. Prayer is the source of our very life. If you want
to attain the true holiness of Israel you must pray profusely. Speak to God and beg
Him to help you in every way. Prayer is the weapon with which to win the battle (2:1).
3) A person may have prayed profusely and secluded himself with God day after day
for years and years and still feel that he is very far from God. He may even start to
think that God is hiding His countenance from hm. But it is a mistake if he thinks that
God does not hear his prayers. He must believe with perfect faith that God pays
attention to each and every word of every single prayer, petition and conversation. Not
a single word is lost, God forbid. Each one leaves its mark in the worlds above,
however faintly. Little by little they awaken God's love. If there seems to be no
response, the reason is that as yet the holy edifice he is destined to enter is not yet
complete. The main thin g is not to give up and fall into despair. This would be
foolish. Be firm and continue with your prayers with new determination. In the end
God's love will be aroused and He will turn to you and shine His radiance upon you

and fulfill your wishes and desires through the strength of the true Tzaddikim. He will
draw you towards Himself in love and a bundant mercy (Ibid. 6).
4) It is impossible to achieve perfect prayer except through observing the Covenant
with perfect purity. Therefore each Jew must bind his prayers to the Tzaddikim of the
age, because they know how to raise every single prayer to its proper place, and out of
all the prayers they build the structure of the Shechinah, which brings the coming of
Mashi ach closer (Ibid. 2:6).
5) You must give charity before you pray. Charity is a protection against the
distracting thoughts which come while praying (Ibid. 4).
6) Never feel that you are entitled to a reward for anything. All the good deeds we do
are sent to us by God. At times God may help a person in a certain way, or he may
achieve a certain spiritual success. But he should not think that this is a reward for his
Torah study, prayers, or good deeds, or anything else. Everything is sent by God, and
if it were not for His great mercy, he would have been sunk in failure long ago, God
forbid (Ibid.).
7) Torah study and prayer reinforce one another and throw light on each other. Both of
them are necessary (Ibid 6).
8) The greatest of the Tzaddikim draw down sparks of the light of the Infinite over all
who are close to them and joined to their name. At times it happens that a person is in
the middle of his prayers when suddenly he takes fire and says a number of words
with tremendous passion. The reason is that God in His mercy unveils the light of the
Infini te and shines it down upon him. Consciously, perhaps, he does not see these
sparks, but his guardian angel sees it (cf. Megillah 3a) and his soul is immediately
kindled with a fiery passion to be bound with the light of the Infinite. As long as the
revelation lasts he says all the words which shine their light to him with tremendous
intensity and absolute self-surrender. It is only with the help of the great Tzaddikim
that it is possible to have experiences like this, because they alone have some
apprehension of the light of the Infinite and only they have the power to radiate the
sweet pleasantness of this illumination to each person in accordance with the capacity
of his heart (4:9).
9) Each person should say to himself: `The whole world was created only for my
sake,' One should therefore constantly be looking for ways of improving the world in
order to make up for any deficiencies, and one should constantly pray for the world
(5:1).

10) You must pray with all your strength. The sound of your voice will then penetrate
your mind and you will be able to concentrate on your prayers. Your heart will hear
the words your lips are saying, and you will be able to straighten the crookedness of
the heart and attain true joy. Your joy will be so great that you will be able to carry out
a ll the mitzvoth with a great joy derived from the mitzvah itself and you will be able
to clothe your prayers even in story form. You will have the power to annul all harsh
decrees even after the decree has already been made (Ibid. 3).
11) It is absolutely vital to empty your mind of all foreign ideologies and extraneous
ideas. You must never allow your Divinelygiven intellect to be infected in the least by
the chametz yeast of these fallacious beliefs or by physical appetites and desires. They
distort and sully the mind, making it impossible to concentrate while praying or to
experience real joy. You should never be afraid of anything except God. All other
fears are simply an obstacle to concentration on prayer and joy. The main thing is to
guard the mind against `yeast' by avoiding all bad thoughts and physical appetites.
This `yeast' is rooted in the domain of death. You must do battle against these
loathsome though ts and expel them completely from your mind. Don't let them enter
your mind at all. As regards fear of Heaven, you should aim to combine it with love.
Then you will be able to purify your mind and pray with all your might and with
intense concentration to the point where your prayer will be like `thunder.' Then you
will attain true joy (Ibid. 4).
12) Prayer is `faith.' It has the power to improve the memory and banish forgetfulness,
which is caused by an absence of faith (7).
13) The fountain of the wisdom of the Torah flows from prayer. To reach a clear
decision in matters of Torah law therefore depends on prayer. A legal decision in
Torah is tantamount to renewing the world. Torah law concerns the distinction
between what is permitted and what is forbidden, what is pure and what is impure.
Therefore the clarification of the law is a vital part of the process of sifting the good
from the bad in the four elements of the universe. Through this the opponents of truth
are cast down to the earth and humiliated (8:6-7).
14) Our very life-force comes from prayer. You must pray with all your strength and
put your strength into the very letters of the words or the prayers in order to renew it
there. Through this you will attain true faith (9:1).
15) The quality of a person's prayer has an influence on his marital union and his
livelihood (Ibid. 2).
16) Perfect prayer brings a flow of life into the three divisions of the universe: the
terrestrial world, the world of the stars and the world of the angels (Ibid.).

17) As soon as a person stands up to pray, he is immediately surrounded by extraneous

thoughts and kelipot, `husks,' which leave him in darkness and make it impossible for
him to pray. The best remedy for this is to make sure that the words emerge from your
lips in truth. Every word which comes from your mouth in truth and sincerity will
provide you with an exit from the darkness which is trapping you, and then you will
be able to pray properly. This is a fundamental principle whenever you are praying or
meditating. You may feel unable t o say a single word because of the intense darkness
and confusion which hedge you in on every side. But see that whatever you do say,
you say truthfully as far as you possibly can. For example you could at least say the
words `God, send help' truthfully. You may not be able to put much enthusiasm into
the words, but you can still make yourself say them sincerely and mean what you say
quite literally. The very truth of your words will send you light and you will be able to
pray with the help of God. When you do this it sustains and perfects all the worlds
(Ibid. 3).
18) You will also be able to break open the way for others and free them from the
traps they are caught in and help them return to God (Ibid.).
19) It requires great merit to be able to offer up a person's prayers so that they ascend
to the gate of his tribe. Each person must therefore bind his prayers to the Tzaddik of
the generation, because the Tzaddik understands how to reach the different gates and
cause each prayer to ascend to the proper gate (Ibid.).
20) You must pray so intensely that you pour your heart out like water before God.
This will help to bring the Mashiach (Ibid. 9).
21) The secret of true prayer is known only to the Tzaddikim of the generation.
Anyone who has a problem in his household should go to the Sage to appeal for
mercy. God yearns for the prayers of the Tzaddikim. Those self-important people who
refuse to go to ask the Tzaddik to pray for them and who try to stop others from going
as well are preventi ng God from satisfying His yearning (10:4).
22) One should have no wish to occupy oneself with worldy pursuits at all. His whole
concern should be with his soul. When he prays, his only thought should be for his
spiritual welfare. Even when it comes to the prayers which seem to deal explicitly
with material matters, such as the prayer for healing (`Heal us!') and prosperity (`Bless
this yea r!') one should have in mind not the needs of the body but of the soul. The
thought should be that the soul should be blessed and healed, etc. As a person perfects
himself spiritually all his material problems are straightened out too. But his only
thought should be for his spiritual welfare (14:9).

23) One should get into the habit of always praying for whatever one needs, be it
livelihood, children or healing for someone who is sick at home, etc. The main
recourse should always be to prayer, in the faith that God is good to all. One should
always put one's main effort into searching for God and not go running after all kinds
of other soluti ons. Most of them are no help at all, and the few that could be he
probably isn't aware of and won't find in any case. But God is always to be found. If
we call on Him it will help for everything (Ibid. 11).
24) When you pray, it should be with a sense of complete selfsacrifice. You must
nullify your body and your whole sense of self and let no motive of personal gain
enter your thoughts at all. Indeed you should not think of yourself at all. You should
nullify yourself as if you simply did not exist. The way to achieve this is through
`judgement' - - secluded meditation in which you speak to God and examine and
judge yourself with regard to all your actions. Through this the faculty of fear is
elevated to its root which is Da'at, the knowledge of God. This is the gateway to the
revealed aspect of Torah, through which one can come to pray with true devotion and
surrender. When your prayer is on such a level you will be worthy of uncovering the
secrets of Torah, the `light stored up for the Tzaddikim.' Happy is the man who is
worthy of this (15:2-4).
25) There is a serpent which induces people to pray for their own benefit: `Give us
life! Give us food!' and so on. You must be firm and try to pray without any intention
of gaining something for yourself. Simply pray as if you did not exist in this world at
all. Then you will be worthy of the light stored up for the Tzaddikim (Ibid. 5).
26) The Holy One, blessed-be-He, yearns for the prayers of Israel. When we pray we
are satisfying His desire, and He has great joy from us (Ibid.).
27) It is a great kindness of God to permit us to address Him in human terms in our
prayers and blessings and to answer our appeals and requests when we do so. If it
were not for His kindness, it would be completely inappropriate to call upon God with
names and praises made up of mere words and letters. This thought alone should
move you to pray w ith fire and passion: when you consider the true greatness of the
Creator -- to the extent that you can form any conception of it at all -- and how He is
exalted beyond all our human praises and titles, it is a wonderful sign of His love and
tender mercy that He has given us permission to address Him in human terms and to
pray to Him in order that we should be able to bind ourselves to Him. Therefore we
should at least be sincere when we address Him in this way, since it is only through
His love and mercy that we are able to do so at all (Ibid.).
28) When a Sage is about to give an exposition on Torah he must first pour out his
prayers before God in order to arouse the Supreme Heart to send him words hot as

coals of fire. Only then should he begin his discourse. For then illumination will flow
down in abundance from the Supreme Heart (20:2).
29) When he prays before his discourse, he should plead with God and beg Him for a
gift -- a free present which he knows he has not earned. He should not rely on his own
merits. He should stand before God like a poor beggar and beg for His help.
Whenever a person prays, he should never try to force matters and insist that God
should to exactly wha t he wants Him to do. He should make his request and entreat
God's love. If God grants it, well and good. And if not, then not (Ibid. 5).
30) When the Torah teacher prays before his discourse he should bind his soul with
the souls of all his listeners. This will make his prayer into a `communal prayer' which
`God never spurns,' and it will surely be accepted. The bond between all these souls
will cause a great concentration of holiness in the worlds above (Ibid. 4).
31) No matter what level a person is standing on, it always has two aspects: the
revealed and the concealed. These correspond to Torah and Prayer respectively. Each
individual must constantly climb from level to level and thereby transform what was
previously concealed from him into something revealed. The way to achieve this is
through devotion t o Torah and praying intently. A person must study intensively and
pray to God again and again until He reveals what was hidden from him until now.
Then it will be revealed, leaving a new level of concealment even more exalted than
before. He must now pray again until this in turn is revealed. In the same way he must
climb from level to level, cons tantly pleading with God to grant an even higher
perception. He must go on until he is merged with the first point of the world of
Emanation -- the highest of the four worlds -- and thereafter he will be merged with
the Infinite. Then he will be worthy of the `Torah of God' and the `Prayer of God.'
This is the way to attain joy, and it is joy that gives us the strength and determination
necessary to enter the gates of holiness and draw close to the genuine Tzaddikim.
With their help we can attain complete faith. The basis for all these attainments is
prayer. Prayer encompasses everything. In essence prayer stems from awe -- the awe
which fills one with such a deep sense of shame before God that one could never think
of transgressing, God forbid. One who reaches the levels we have mentioned will
have `hands' with which to receive the guidance of the true spiritual leaders. Then the
world will be free of persecution and divisiveness and peace will spread everywhere.
Peace will reign between Israel and their Father in Heaven, and the forces of Holiness
will be secure under the `seal within the seal' (22:10).
32) When a person prays with such intensity that he sacrifices himself completely and
`kills' himself in his prayers, he should understand that wherever he finds extraneous
thoughts entering his mind which need to be elevated, this is where he needs to put in
the fiercest efforts in order to elevate the sparks of holiness (26).

33) It takes great determination to deal with the extraneous thoughts which come
while praying. The whole medley of thoughts and ideas which are with a person all
day suddenly marshal themselves and demand attention precisely at the moment he is
trying to pray. This is why we have to be so firm in dealing with them when we are
praying (30:7).
34) The secret of prayer is to be bold. We have to have the audacity to ask God for
everything we need -- even if we need to ask Him to work miracles for us. The only
way to stand up and pray to God is with boldness and daring. When we consider the
utter greatness of the Creator -- to the extent we can form any conception of it at all -and think of our own smallness and worthlessness, how can we stand up and pray
before him? When we are praying we have to cast aside our timidity and boldly ask
God for whatever we need. This boldness and assertiveness are necessary in order to
thwart the opposition which tries to prevent us from serving God (Ibid. 8).
35) Prayer must be spoken out loud -- literally. It is not enough to think the prayers. It
is true that God knows what we are thinking. But the words have to be spoken,
because speech is a vessel with which to receive the influx of blessing. The blessing
we receive is in accordance with the words we speak. When we articulate the words
on our lips and our speech is well-ordered and dignified we are then able to receive
rich blessings. This is the reason why one should pray for whatever one needs,
whether spiritual or material, in words: then one will be able to receive the influx of
blessing (34:3).
36) The reason for clapping our hands while praying is that it has the power to purify
the place we are praying so that it becomes like the `air of the Land of Israel.' The `air
of the Land of Israel' is the remedy for the extraneous thoughts which come while
praying. All idolatrous thoughts are cast aside and murder and destruction cease from
the world (44).
37) Even if a person stands up and prays in the place where a Tzaddik has prayed it is
still very hard for him to pray there because he is not accustomed to the air of that
place. All the more so when a Tzaddik prays where an ordinary person has prayed.
This is why one must set a fixed place for one's prayers, as the Rabbis taught (Ibid.).
38) Through prayer the secrets of the Torah are revealed (Ibid.).
39) A remedy for the confusing thoughts which flood in and disturb us when we are
trying to pray is to give charity for causes in the Land of Israel. In this way we
become merged with the pure air of the Land and we are freed from distracting
thoughts. The mind becomes clear and we achieve tikkun habrit (Ibid.).

40) When a person who is praying feels such excitement in his very hands that he
claps them together, speech is brought into being thereby and the mouth can then
receive the words within it (45).
41) Clapping our hands while praying sweetens the harsh judgements, thus protecting
us against forgetfulness and putting strife and conflict to rest (46).
42) When we pray with such fervor that we put all our strength into the letters of the
prayers and `all my bones will say, Lord, who is like unto Thee?' (Psalm 35:10) the
words of the prayer are themselves the words of the Holy One, blessed-be-He. The
power of these letters gives fresh strength to the Ten Utterances through which the
world was cre ated (48).
43) Intense prayer is a segulah for having children. It saves us from conflict and
opposition, and strengthens the power of truth in the world. The whole world is
brought to serve God with one accord, and the true teacher of the generation is
revealed (Ibid.).
44) Intense prayer, the Land of Israel and the mitzvah of succah are interrelated
concepts (Ibid.).
45) In essence, prayer depends on the heart. One must concentrate one's whole heart
upon one's prayers, binding the thoughts in the heart to the words of the prayers. It is
no good if the heart is far from the words the mouth is speaking. You must listen
carefully to what you are saying. Then the kingship of God is revealed and exalted
and the sov ereignty of evil collapses. The Jewish people is blessed with a flow of life
and riches and goodness without end. The upper unification and the lower unification
are completed and the mystical Torah of the Ancient One is revealed (49).
46) When a person observes the Covenant in purity and binds himself to the true
Tzaddikim, who are the embodiment of the Covenant, he is able to taste the sweetness
in the words of the prayers and a lion waits to consume his `sacrifice' -- his prayer. But
one who abuses the Covenant and tastes the `bitter waters' will be unable to taste the
sweetn ess of the words of the prayers, and a dog will come and snatch his `sacrifice'
(50).
47) The `dogs' are the brash and arrogant people who stand round waiting to divide up
the spoils of the prayer of the Jew who has not taken care to observe the Covenant
faithfully in all its details. Not that his own failures are any excuse for the sin of these
people in trying to distract and confuse him. It is true that it is his own shortcoming s
which have brought this opposition against him in the form of these `dogs' who stand
about waiting to snatch his `offering.' But the crime of these `dogs' themselves is that

they have torn their own souls away from their roots in the realm of holiness and sunk
to the level of dogs. Their victim, on the other hand, must put all his efforts into c
oncentrating on his prayers and praying with devotion. It may be that he still doesn't
taste the sweetness of the words of the prayers. But the efforts he puts in are
themselves very precious. As for his opponents, they are literally like dogs and their
sin is `too great to bear' (cf. Genesis 4:13) (Ibid.).
48) When the innocent person tries to judge the evil-doer in the scale of merit, his
eyes will be enlightened and he will begin to perceive the righteousness of the Holy
One, blessed-be-He. He will understand that even though the guilty party has won his
case, God is still perfectly righteous. The innocent one will thereby be able to
straighten hi mself out of the crooked thinking which he suffered from previously. His
faith will be strengthened and now he will be able to pray (45:3).
49) Prayer is a battle against evil -- specific evil and evil in general. Specifically, the
person who is praying must nullify his own coarse body and materialistic impulses,
just like the saintly men of old, who divorced themselves completely from all
physicality when they prayed. The general evil is the prayers of the `sinners of Israel'
with wh om he is praying. He must nullify this evil completely and transform it into a
throne of holiness (Ibid. 5).
50) He must also bind himself both in general and in particular with the nefesh, ruach
and neshama of the souls of those who `lie in the dust.' He must stir them up through
his prayers until they are praying with him. The particular case refers to the nefesh,
ruach and neshama of his own soul which have already come into the world in
previous inca rnations and attained perfection. The general case refers to the nefesh,
ruach and neshama of all the others who `lie in the dust.' He must stir them up as well
so that they too will pray with him (Ibid.).
51) There are three other things which a person must also try to achieve through his
prayers. Firstly he must fortify those who have fallen victim to alien belief systems
and seek to plant true faith in their hearts. Secondly he must aim to achieve intense
concentration when he prays, because when his own heart is concentrated on his
prayers it is a cure for the hearts of all the speculative philosophers who would
otherwise be led astray by their `wisdom.' Thirdly, the more perfect his own prayer
becomes, the more immune he is to the insults and abuse which his enemies hurl
against him, because he can turn them all to his own credit (Ibid. 6).
52) When a person prays he stands in the palace of the King. At that moment he must
nullify himself completely so that he sees nothing except the King Himself, blessedbe-He. He should feel no sense of self at all while praying. When he attains this, the
insults and abuse will simply disappear (Ibid. 7).

53) When we pray with true intensity, the light of the merit of the patriarchs shines,
and then we can have the experience of the holiness of the Land of Israel even in our
present exile. Through this we become worthy of witnessing the fall of the wicked.
The main thing is to judge the wicked in the scale of merit. Doing this can enable us
to pray (Ibid.).
54) Not everyone is able to achieve the three things mentioned above and to humble
the wicked and crush his enemies through his prayers. Only the Tzaddik on the
highest of levels -- the `Moses' -- can do so, and even he needs tremendous strength in
order to stand up against the most powerful amongst the wicked and destroy and
nullify them (Ibid. 9 ).
55) It is through studying the codes of Torah law that one can achieve true prayer
which emerges from the heart with complete sincerity. If a person really knew and
believed wholeheartedly that the entire world is filled with God's glory and that God
stands over him while he is praying and hears every word of his prayers, he would be
scrupulous ab out saying them in the correct way and praying with total concentration
and devotion. But people's hearts are divided, and they do not feel this reality with all
their heart. Instead their hearts are filled with questions and doubts -- because it is in
the heart that the Evil Inclination fights his battle. Now the legal codes set forth the
final d ecision of the law after all the arguments between the Sages. These arguments
are really the source of the turmoil stirred up by the Evil Inclination, because even that
which is unholy derives its vitality from the realms of the holy. The legal codes
represent the resolution of conflict, and therefore studying them resolves the turmoil
in the hear t at its root. Then one can pray as one should -- wholeheartedly and
truthfully (62:2).
56) The ultimate goal of prayer is to make the whole prayer into a single unity. When
a person stands up to pray, as soon as he starts on the first word -- Baruch, `Blessed...'
-- and the first letter of the word -- the letter bet -- emerges, the letter immediately
begins to plead with the soul and beg her not to leave her. The letter tries to sto p the
soul from moving on and saying more. She holds on to the soul and clings to her in an
effort not to be parted from her. And when he completes the whole word, the word as
a whole clings to the soul and holds on to her, trying to stop her going on and saying
the other words of the prayer. When a person is saying the words of the prayers, he is
collecting beautiful flowers and blossoms. He gathers them one after the other and
makes them into a first bunch. Then he goes on and gathers more, until he makes a
second bunch and puts it together with the first. So he goes on, gathering more and
more beautiful garlands. Thus it is when he prays: he goes from letter to letter until he
joins sev eral letters together and makes up a word. Then he goes on and joins more
letters together and makes a second word. The two words are joined together. Then he
collects more, until he finishes the first blessing. He continues and passes from the

first blessing of the Amidah -- the blessing of the fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -to the second, w hich speaks about the power of God. Then on to the third, which
speaks of His holiness, and so on. Who can describe the beauty of these precious
garlands which a person gathers as he goes through the words of the prayer? When the
words emerge from his lips they come from his very soul and are heard by his ears.
The words plead with the soul not to be parted from her. As soon as the first letter
comes from his lips it clings to him, refusing to allow him to go further. All the more
so when he finishes a whole word -- the word grasps firmly onto the soul, embracing
her and trying to stop her from continuing: `How can you go on and leave me? Do
you not see the preciousness of my beauty, my ra diance and glory? Am I not the word
Baruch? Listen, please listen to what you are saying. Let your ears hear what your
mouth is saying. How can you go on and be parted from me?' But you must go on.
You have to continue and gather more precious treasures. Yet still, `how can you
separate yourself from me and forget me? Well if you must, at least se e to it that
wherever you get to, you still never forget me. Do not be parted from me.' True prayer
is when we make one whole out of the entire prayer. When we reach the last word of
the prayer we are still at the very first. Even at the end of the prayer we are still not
parted from the very first letter. And then the prayer is complete and perfe ct. But the
only way to attain this is with the help of the true Tzaddik, who is the `Master of the
Supernal Field.' He alone can bring each one of us to the ultimate goal, which is truly
good and truly One. Through his help we can make a unity of the whole prayer and
achieve perfect prayer (65:2).
57) When a person genuinely prays for the sake of God alone with no ulterior motives
of gaining anything from flesh and blood, he is able to bring the World to Come into
this world, and by means of this the wicked are cast down. The greatness of the true
Tzaddikim and the righteous is then revealed, just as it is destined to be revealed in
time to come. Speech attains perfection as the vessel for holiness, and through this the
potential can be made actual and it is possible to accomplish all the holy tasks one
yearns to complete (66:3).
58) It is hard for someone who is dependent on other people to pray. It may be that he
depends on them for his livelihood, or it could be for something else -- for example if
he wants their respect and admiration. Anyone who depends on other people in any of
these ways can easily start lying when he prays. For example, he may start swaying or
clapping his hands, etc. in order to give the impression that he is praying with great
devotion, because he wants to attract the attention of certain people he depends upon
for his livelihood or his sense of importance. There are other cases of people who are
somewhat more honest than this and cannot bring themselves to lie so blatantly. But
because they are still dependent on other people it is very hard for them to pray with
perfect honesty and sincerity. They would be ashamed to try to deceive people with a
show of great devotion, and indeed they may even genuinely want to pray sincerely.

But they are over-sincer e, so to speak, because they deceive themselves with their
own sincerity. They want to make some movement like swaying or clapping their
hands in order to impress someone they depend on. And so they manufacture a
rationalization, telling themselves they genuinely need to make this movement as part
of their devotions. They hide the basic lie with a veneer of truth. But the Searcher of
Hearts knows that this is not the truth. There is only one truth -- devotion to God alone
with no other motive. If a person is in any way dependent on flesh and blood he will
find it very hard to pray with the community, because as soon as he is among other
people all sorts of extraneous motives immediately st art crowding in on him -- false
motives which he covers with a veneer of truth. At the time he is praying, at least, one
should see to it that one has a sense of complete independence of other men. He
should place all his hopes and trust in God alone. Then he will be able to stand up
even among thousands of people and pray with perfect sincerity t o God alone (Ibid.).
59) You should pray with all your heart. You must feel the words of your prayers in
every bone. When a person doesn't put his heart into his prayers, his soul is separated
from her source. She becomes weak and his bones begin to shake. His soul and his
bones lose their vitality. Prayer without the heart causes the wisdom of the elders and
the wise to depart (67:8).
60) With the help of the true Tzaddikim we can draw the `cooling waters' which have
the power to revive the soul when she is faint. Then a person can pray with his whole
heart, and all his bones hear the words of the prayer. `All my bones will say: Lord,
who is like unto Thee?' (Psalms 35:10). He prays with all his strength, and his whole
mind and very essence are concentrated on his prayer. This is true prayer (Ibid.).
61) When a person prays intensely and binds his thoughts tightly to the words of the
prayers he can come to understand the inner secrets of the Torah and his prayers will
bring rich blessings into the world. God yearns for his prayers (73).
62) When a person speaks words of Torah and prayer, all the fallen sparks are elevated
and restored and the fallen worlds are renewed. It is accounted to him as if he had
created heaven and earth and all the worlds afresh. This is why we must speak only
words of holiness and nothing else, in order to elevate the sparks and restore all the
worlds. This will bring the coming of Mashiach closer (75).
63) Someone who is prepared to sacrifice himself for the sanctification of God's Name
can attain peace. Through this he will be able to speak words of holiness -- Torah and
prayer -- with full concentration, binding the thought and the words together so
strongly that he truly hears and understands what he is saying. His speech becomes
sanctified, and God has great joy from this (80).

64) When you find it hard to concentrate on your prayers properly because of
irrelevant thoughts and distractions, remind yourself that you would be prepared to die
for the sanctification of God's Name -- and even the sinners of Israel are willing to
sacrifice themselves for this, as has been proved on many occasions. This sense of
selfsacrifice will enable you to bind your thoughts to the words of the prayers and
pray with total concentration. You should always pray in this spirit of self-sacrifice
(Ibid.).
65) Every Jew has the power to achieve absolute mastery through his prayer and
accomplish whatever he wants. The main obstacles are arrogance, praying for ulterior
motives, and being distracted by irrelevant thoughts. There are some people who are
filled with a sense of pride whether because of their family connections or because
they feel they ha ve labored hard in the service of God, etc. But such a state of mind
will make it impossible for them to achieve this mastery. They should simply forget
about their pedigree or their spiritual achievements and imagine to themselves that
they were created today and that they are alone in the world with no family
connections whatsoever. In the same way they must banish all the other improper or
irrelevant thoughts which creep in while they are praying. Then they will experience
the true power which prayer confers. God's desire will be fulfilled, and He will have
great joy from this person's prayer. Abundant blessings will be drawn into the world
(97).
66) If someone is in trouble, those who pray on his behalf should avoid mentioning
his name, in case the harsh judgements are stirred up with even greater force, God
forbid (174).
67) Everybody offers up bad prayers at times. As the Rabbis said: `The thief at the
entrance of the breach calls on the Lord for help' (Berachot 63a). These prayers
confuse him when he stands up to pray good prayers. The remedy is to offer
hospitality to a Torah scholar (209).
68) Clapping our hands while praying makes it possible to express the praises and
titles with which we address and depict God in a fitting manner, and `gaze upon the
similitude of the Lord' (Numbers 12:8). The idea of clapping hands is also contained
in Ezekiel 10:21: `And the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.'
Through clapping one's hands, the prayers are merged with the written Torah and the
oral Torah (212).
69) Prayer has the power to change nature and to humble and crush the atheists and
disbelievers (216).

70) When you are saying the passage in the morning prayers which describes how `the
host of Heaven prostrate themselves before You' you should pray for anything you
need. At that moment the entire host of Heaven come to worship and praise God. This
is the time to ask God to command them to send you whatever you need. If you are
not well and you ne ed healing, have in mind that God should instruct them to channel
the necessary powers of healing into the bread you eat and the water you drink. The
same applies to everything you need (231).
71) When you reach the words `Praise the Lord from the Heavens, praise Him all His
messengers' (Psalm 148:1-2) you should rouse yourself and pray with real life and
fire. You are calling on all the angels, the seraphim, the ophanim and the chayot
hakodesh and all the worlds to offer praises to God (232).
72) Hearing another person praying with fervor can inspire you to pray with passion
yourself. In exactly the same way you can be aroused simply by hearing the words
you yourself are saying (270).
73) You may feel totally unable to open your mouth to pray or meditate because of the
materialism you are sunk in or because of your troubles, physical or spiritual. This is
precisely when you should make a special effort to stir yourself and call upon God
from the very midst of all these pressures. The truest inspiration comes when a person
makes the effort to arouse himself amidst troubles and difficulties. In almost every
case you will find that the relief God sends will be so intense that you will be able to
pray and meditate with true devotion and perhaps even reach the level of ruach
hakodesh, the spirit of holiness (279).
74) Usually people find it impossible to pray with real involvement and vitality and
with a sense of yearning for God because of a sense of inadequacy and dissatisfaction
with themselves. They are aware that their actions are far from good. Before you start
praying you should therefore put new life into yourself by searching until you find the
goo d points in yourself. No matter who you are, you must have done many mitzvot in
the past. Maybe there was an admixture of questionable motives, extraneous thoughts,
etc. But there are still good points for you to be happy about. When you gather them
all together it will give you a new vitality and you will be able to pray as you should
(282).
75) Whoever leads the prayers of the community has to have the ability to gather
together all the good points which are to be found in each member of the
congregation. All these good points will be merged together in the prayer leader, so
that when he stands up to pray it will be with all this goodness. A community which
finds such a prayer leader is fortunate indeed (Ibid.).

76) At the present time prayer itself is in exile because of our many sins. Prayer is
really something very exalted, but people treat it lightly. When they stand up to pray
all they want is to be through with it. Only when the three basic character flaws are
corrected -- the appetite for food, money and sex -- is prayer released from its exile,
an d then it is possible to attain true prayer. The need for doctors and medicines
disappears because prayer can channel healing powers into our very food and drink,
and then we can be healed with bread and water alone. Prayer such as this has the
radiance of Mashiach, and it brings under its sway the entire host of Heaven: the
planets, the constella tions and the highest of the angels. All are sustained by this
prayer; all of them are captivated by its grace and charm. Prayer such as this can bind
one with the roots of the souls of Israel -- with the most renowned of the true spiritual
leaders and all the souls that come under their wing. In the face of such prayer, the
false leaders, whose w hole influence comes from arrogantly pushing themselves
forward, lose all their power. A Jew who attains this level of prayer has dominion over
the very angels themselves -- and this is the ultimate destiny of the Jew and the reason
why he was created (II, 1:8-9).
77) There are three things which spoil our prayers. Firstly, an attitude of contempt for
other people. Secondly inadequate faith -- which is tantamount to idolatry. And
thirdly, lack of moral purity. Only when we rid ourselves of these shortcomings can
we achieve genuine prayer (Ibid. 10).
78) There are illnesses which do not manifest themselves openly. They remain hidden,
and no doctor can ever cure them. But a person who attains true prayer can be cured,
even if the disease is not manifest. He need never fall sick at all (Ibid. 11).
79) Perfect prayer depends on the quality of truth. This we achieve through praise and
acknowledgement of God and the study of Torah law. This is the main delight of the
World to Come (2).
80) The prayers of Israel give them strength and power. They cause all the harsh
decrees of God to be revoked, and then Israel are called by the name of the Lord
(Ibid.).
81) True prayer must be filled with the quality of love. Prayer is a plea for God's grace
and kindness. The ability to love depends upon understanding. When the forces of the
Other Side sap the strength of love, God forbid, it becomes flawed. Anger and cruelty
come in its place and understanding diminishes. Immoral desires become rampant. At
a tim e like this, prayer comes under the shadow of God's somber judgement, and the
forces of the Other Side sap its strength. It takes a leader of tremendous strength to
pray at such a time. The task is to release the vitality which has been captured by the
forces of the Other Side in order to restore things to their pristine state. When this

happens, it causes large numbers of people to convert, and the glory of God is exalted
and magnified. The power of prophecy comes into the world. Man's creative and
imaginative faculty is cleansed and he is able to attain perfect faith. Then he is worthy
of singing the song which is destined to be sung in time to come (8).
82) When one newcomer is added to a community of Jews -- for example when a
number of Jews are praying and one more soul is added to them -- the whole house of
prayer is enhanced beyond measure. The forces of holiness are multiplied and whole
new edifices are built in the highest realms of holiness. Awesome joy spreads over the
worlds above. The m outh cannot declare it nor the heart conceive it. Sin is forgiven
and healing comes into the world (Ibid. 6).
83) When irrelevant thoughts come into your mind while you are praying, you should
simply ignore them. In the end they will go away by themselves. Even if the same
thought comes again and again, simply remain firm and refuse to pay any attention.
Just concentrate your mind on the words of the prayer you are saying at the time. In
the end the irrel evant thought will simply go away (51).
84) When a person prays he must be so tightly bound to God that he does not notice
anybody else at all. He should think that there is nothing in the world except God, and
that he himself is the only creature in the world. All he should hear is what he himself
is saying before God. It is true that the ultimate goal is to surrender yourself so much
that you do not even hear yourself. But even if you have not attained this level, you
should at least not hear anybody else (103).
85) It is through prayer that we become attached to God. Prayer is the gate through
which we enter the path to God and it is through prayer that we can know Him (84).
86) It often happens that when a person is praying he begins to have feelings of
grandeur and pride. This is the `exile of the Shechinah.' But intense prayer has the
power to overcome these thoughts and false motives, and the Shechinah is released
from her exile and restored. The Holy One, blessed-be-He and the Shechinah are
unified through this. Intense prayer also causes God's oath to the patriarchs to be
renewed. It is as if He had made the oath just now (Ibid.).
87) Prayer helps for everything. Even if a person is unable to study Torah he will be
able to do so if he prays for it. Everything good can be attained through prayer: Torah,
devotion, holiness... everything good in all the worlds. Amen (111).
88) You must really force yourself to concentrate on your prayers. I disagree with the
people who say one should not try to force it. It is very hard to pray, and people are
usually not able to pray more than a portion of the prayers. But even if you sometimes

cannot pray at all, the effort you put into forcing yourself to pray is also very precio us
to God, even if you don't actually succeed in praying as you should. These efforts are
accounted as sacrifices, and this is the meaning of the verse: `But for Your sake we are
killed all the day; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter' (Psalms 44:23). This
refers to the effort we put into our prayers even if we find it impossible to pray. This is
a general principle in serving God. Even if we do not manage to serve Him in a way
that is fitting, the effort we put in is still very precious, and in the worlds above it is
accounted as a sacrifice (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 12).
89) You should be very careful to get up and pray early in the morning. As soon as the
first light of day begins to appear you should start praying without delay. You
shouldn't learn, and you certainly shouldn't do anything else -- work or business or the
like -- before you pray. And don't make the mistake of those who are overly concerned
with ev acuating their bowels and waste a lot of time on this. How much Torah and
prayer are lost because of this! They can also harm themselves physically and even
become ill. It is all very foolish and futile. It is one of the deceptions of the Evil One,
who appears in the guise of `extra strict devotions.' In actual fact, as long as a person
does not a ctually feel the need to relieve himself it is permissible for him to pray. Pay
no attention to the arguments of those who are overly strict in this. They have made a
big mistake. Even if there is a legal source for the stricter view the majority opinion is
not to be strict. And you can be sure that the Sage who takes the stricter view had no
inte ntion of legitimizing mere foolishness. All too often the people who are
unnecessarily strict in this miss the time limit for reciting the Shema and the Amidah,
and even afterwards they suffer from a lot of distractions while trying to pray. Pay no
attention to any of it. You can rely on the majority ruling. Most of the Tzaddikim in
our times have advised us to pay no attention to it at all (Ibid. 30,31).
90) Sometimes you may feel absolutely no enthusiasm at all for your prayers. When
this happens you have to manufacture the enthusiasm as it were. It is the same as
when a person works himself up into a temper until he becomes genuinely angry. The
same applies to praying. You must work yourself up until you are warm and your
heart begins to burn wi th enthusiasm for the words of the prayers. In the end you will
feel this fire genuinely. The same applies to being happy. Even if you find it
impossible to be truly happy through following the advice we have given about joy
(See Simcha), you should pretend to be happy and eventually you will come to
genuine joy. This applies especially to being h appy when you are praying. You must
be very careful about this, and if necessary you should follow this idea of pretending
until you feel the real thing. It is a good thing to make it a habit to sing the words of
the prayers to a joyous melody (74).
91) What is true prayer? Simply to say `Blessed art Thou, O God...' according to the
simple meaning of the words. Just concentrate on the plain meaning of the words and

listen to what you are saying. You should not try to follow the Kabbalistic devotions
of the ARI even if you have started to study his writings. The only people to whom
these devot ions apply are those who have already attained such a level that for them
these devotions are the plain meaning of the words! This is the level of the truly great
Tzaddikim. But all other people should simply concentrate on the straightforward
meaning of the prayers (Likutey Moharan II, 120; Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 75).
92) Even if you find it totally impossible to pray you should still force yourself to say
the words with absolute simplicity -- as if you were a little child at school. You should
say the words just like this, without any sophistication. Say a few words and simply
try and listen to what you are saying and pay attention to the words. You should con
centrate your thoughts intently so that you are not distracted by anything outside. All
your thoughts should be concentrated on the words of the prayer. You should go
through the prayers in order until in the end you will most likely be inspired and you
will be able to pray with great passion and yearning. Only you should not make a test
out of th is (Ibid.).
93) As a general rule, to achieve anything holy you must throw all your strength into it
and use whatever ingenuity you can to succeed. This applies especially to prayer,
which is on a supremely high level. Even if you don't succeed, don't be put off. You
can still try to say some psalms or one of the other prayers with sincerity. If you can't
man age this either, what then? You must hope for God's help -- perhaps in the
fullness of time you will attain sincere prayer. Follow this path confidently and you
will achieve everything good (Ibid.).
94) You should be able to feel another person's troubles in your own heart. This is
especially true when many are suffering. Cry out to God and pray for them (Ibid. 39).
95) Good news can enable you to say psalms (Ibid. 97).

PRIDE AND HUMILITY:

1) The humility of the Tzaddik brings him to the level of Nothing. This is what gives
him the power to atone for sins (4:7).
2) A person who is truly humble becomes stripped of all his material aspects and
merged with the Infinite. He then attains the awareness of how everything that
happens to him is only for his benefit. To know this is to taste the life of the World to
Come (Ibid. 9).
3) Pride brings poverty (Ibid. 8).

4) Humility is the foundation of true repentance. The essence of repentance is to feel

your own lowliness and insignificance, to be aware of the wrong you have done, and
to understand that even the suffering and murderous opposition you may have to
encounter in your quest for the truth are perfectly just (6:2).
5) A person may have fasted a great deal and undergone harsh personal discipline and
self-mortification. Even so, he should not arrogantly assume that he has attained the
level of a Tzaddik, with the power to bring about redemptions or to accomplish great
feats through prayer. If he examines himself carefully he will see that in spite of all his
fasting and asceticism, his physical desires are still firmly lodged in his body -- not
only his own desires, but even the lust his father had at the time he was conceived. As
soon as he recognizes this he will be overcome with trepidation and he will no longer
delude himself with the thought that he is a Tzaddik. Instead he will turn to the true
Tzaddik to ask him to intercede on his behalf; he will bind his own prayers to the
Tzaddik, and in this way he will restore prayer to its rightful place, which is with the
true Tzaddikim. They alone understand the secret of prayer and the way to elevate
prayer. God yearns for the prayers of the Tzaddikim and sends an eloquent flow of
words to their lips (10:4).
6) There are certain arrogant people who not only refuse personally to go to the
Tzaddikim to ask them to pray on their behalf, but who also try to prevent others from
going as well. Such people deprive God of the prayers of the Tzaddikim for which he
yearns so strongly (Ibid.).
7) Pride is a form of idol-worship. The way to crush it is by drawing closer to the
Tzaddikim (Ibid. 5).
8) To break one's pride is the foundation for attaining wisdom, long life and vitality.
The severe face which God shows is sweetened, and one attains faith, joy, the
understanding of Torah in its revealed and hidden aspects, and ruach hakodesh, the
spirit of holiness (Ibid. 11).
9) A person who is arrogant cannot even open his mouth. He lacks the faculty of
speech and is unable to speak words which radiate with light. When words of Torah
pass across his lips, not only do the words themselves fail to radiate within him and
draw him to improve, worse still, the Torah itself becomes coarsened and dimmed on
his lips (11:2).
10) Arrogance and sexual immorality are connected. A person who succeeds in
resisting temptation and extricating himself from pride will attain the light that will
illumine his path to repentance. In the end he will reach an understanding of the
depths of Torah (Ibid. 3).

11) There is a form of humility which is the ultimate in arrogance. This is when a
person acts humbly because he knows that people look down upon those who flaunt
themselves. All he wants is to gain their respect and approval. His humility is for
show: he really wants honor. It takes a good deal of intelligence and self-examination
to rid yourself of pride: you must cleanse yourself of it completely. As our Sages said:
`Be very, very lowly in spirit' (Avoth 4:4). The exile of the Jews from our land was
caused by `seven idolatrous temples' (Gittin 88). This is a reference to pride. Even
today people are still chasing after honor and prestige, and this is why the exile has
still not ended (Ibid. 7).
12) Torah can only be acquired with meekness. There are four distinct areas where
you must break your pride: you must be humble before those who are greater than
you, before those who are on your own level, and before those who are less than you.
And at times -- if you are the smallest of the small -- you must make yourself humble
even in front of yourself: you must look upon yourself as if you were on a lower level
than you actually are (14:5).
13) There are many different things which make people arrogant. You should be very
careful about all of them. Intelligence, power and material possessions are the three
main things which give people a sense of superiority. You must rid yourself of any
trace of arrogance you may have in these three areas. Whatever intelligence, power or
wealth you have been blessed with should give you a sense of meekness and humility
(Ibid.).
14) The more you succeed in breaking your pride the greater your attainments in
Torah will be. You will have the power to draw those who are far from God closer,
and then the glory of God will be exalted and magnified. When glory is taken from the
hands of those who have abrogated it to themselves and restored to God alone, the
awe of God spreads. Through awe you can attain harmony within yourself, and this is
the way to discover true prayer and to achieve universal peace, peace in all the worlds
(Ibid.).
15) Arrogance can actually cause a person to be imprisoned (Ibid. 22).
16) There are times when people generally fail to guard their tongues. The danger then
is that even those who are righteous and God-fearing will succumb to feelings of
pride. It is essential for every individual to keep a careful watch on himself and ask if
the honor and prestige he enjoys are really justified. Otherwise he runs the risk of
falling into arrogance. Pride is the cause of the `Exile of the Shechinah' (58:10).
17) The less importance a person attaches to himself, the more drawing power he has:
he is able to draw down the Shechinah to the lowest worlds to dwell with us. This was

God's desire from the day He created His universe. Such a person has the power to
draw men closer to the service of God, and he can channel blessing and goodness to
the Jewish people. And he himself is able to draw closer to the Tzaddik (70).
18) Experiencing the sanctity of Shabbat is one of the ways of attaining true humility,
which means to seeing one's own lowliness and understanding the greatness of the
Jewish people and being willing to sacrifice oneself for them, like Moses did (79).
19) A person should look upon himself as if he were less than he really is. That is true
humility. And at the very least he should not look upon himself as if he is more than
he really is (Ibid.).
20) When a person is meek and lowly, no one will ever be able to shake him or push
him from his place. No one can take away his livelihood, God forbid (Ibid.).
21) Humility protects against sexual temptation. Pride arouses it (130).
22) One of the ways of ridding yourself of pride is to celebrate the festivals with openheartedness and joy, and to honor them in the most lavish manner you can afford
(135).
23) If someone is humble, it is a sign that he is bound to the Tzaddik, because being
close to the Tzaddik breaks one's pride (Ibid.)
24) When a person is so humble that he is literally nothing, he can attain Torah and
greatness at the same time. Otherwise it is hard for the two of them to dwell together
(162).
25) When a person is arrogant, it is a sign that he will end up in trouble. The opposite
is also true: a person who is humble and lowly will come to great honor (168).
26) Whatever glory and greatness any kingdom or leader or ruler may possess, their
true basis lies in humility. The greater the humility of the ruler or leader, the more his
power and dominion will spread (Likutey Moharan II, 16).
27) Most people have very mistaken ideas about what it is to be humble. You must be
very careful not to fall into the trap of false modesty. Pray to God about this and ask to
be worthy of true humility in accordance with His desire (38).
28) In the resurrection which is destined for the future, the part of each person that
will be restored to life is the modest, humble part and that alone. The indescribable

bliss of the eternal life of the World to Come cannot be experienced by anyone except
inasmuch as true humility and meekness are found within him (72).
29) At the root of every single Jew there exists an aspect of the humility and lowliness
of Moses. Every limb of the body is suffused with them. However they are hidden and
concealed to the point that they are `dead' as it were, and for this reason the average
person does not consciously experience them at all, and he is far from being humble
and lowly in the way Moses was. But as a person draws closer to the Tzaddik -- when
he sees the Tzaddik, and especially when he hears Torah from his lips -- he is able to
develop a sense of genuine shame and to achieve repentance. The humility and
lowliness concealed in him will then come to life, and he will attain the true humility
which is the gateway to enduring life in the World to Come.
30) We must pray and plead with God to make us worthy of true humility and
lowliness. We really have no conception of what humility is. The aim is certainly not
to be slovenly and act as if we consider ourselves worthless. Humility is the source of
the life which is in every single limb. Humility is the life of the world to come and the
essence of its joy (Ibid.).
31) If things are not going well for a person, he should understand it as a sign that
there is still some residue of pride within him. He must repent and lower himself and
bring himself to the level of Mah? -- `What?' Then things will begin to go well for
him (82).

PURIM:
1) Our joy and clapping and dancing on Purim make us worthy of receiving the Torah
in its two aspects, revealed and hidden. For the great revelation that came about
through Mordechai and Esther was `receiving the Torah.' Through this we are able to
fulfill the mitzva of counting the Omer in the proper way. The kelipah of Haman the
Amalekite (may h is name be blotted out) is crushed. The force of pride, idolatry and
atheism is broken. Great faith, holy wisdom and true life and length of days are
brought into the world. The severity of God's harsh judgements is sweetened, and all
the harsh decrees against Israel are revoked (10:8).
2) Purim is a preparation for Pesach. Through the mitzvah of Purim we are protected
from chametz on Pesach (Likutey Moharan II, 74).

REDEMPTION:

1) When a person is sick, a redemption is the prerequisite of any cure. Only after the
redemption has been made does the Torah give the doctor permission to cure (Likutey
Moharan II, 3).
2) When a person fills the mouths of the Sages with wine, it is accounted to him like a
redemption (I, 41).
3) Rising for the midnight prayer has the same power as a redemption (149).
4) It is a good practice always to give money for a redemption. This is the way to
sweeten the power of harsh judgements at all times and be saved from them. Even
when nobody in the house is sick and you have no particular problems, it is still good
to present for a redemption in order to prevent any problems or sickness, God forbid
(Chayey Moharan, Avodat Hashem 92).

REPENTANCE -- Returning to God:

1) To make amends for one's sins and rebuild what was damaged, the role of the
Tzaddik is of paramount importance. Anyone who wants to attain the ultimate good
must make every conceivable effort to draw close to the true Tzaddik and his
followers. He must pour out his heart before the Tzaddik and confess his past actions.
Then all his sins will be forgiven. The sins one commits are engraved on one's bones.
Each sin corresponds to a certain combination of letters. When a person commits a
particular sin, an evil combination is inscribed on his bones corresponding to the
letters of the negative commandment of the Torah he has transgressed. Because of this
the words of that commandment are cast into tum'ah, the realm of impurity. The
powers of holiness are sent into exile among the forces of the Other Side, and the evil
combination inscribed on his bones exacts vengeance from him. But when he
confesses before a Sage, the letters inscribed on his bones are released, and what was
damaged can be completely restored (4:5).
2) When a Jew is moved to repent through a feeling that a small hint of impurity is
spoiling his prayers and devotions, his repentance has an effect even on those who are
totally wicked and who have become completely alienated from their Jewish roots
because of their evil deeds. They, too, become part of the Holy Throne and return to
God, helping His servants to construct their holy edifice (Ibid.).
3) The true sign of a person who has returned to God is that he can hear himself
insulted and remain silent. He can endure even the most murderous abuse with
patience. Through this he reduces the blood in the left side of his heart (the seat of the

animal soul) and slaughters his evil inclination. He will be worthy of partaking of the
glory of God (6:2).
4) Before a person returns to God, he has no being. It is as if he has not yet been
created. Because it would have been better for him not to have been created at all. But
when he comes and purifies himself in order to return to God, he puts himself in order
and prepares to become a being. This element of preparation for becoming -- coming
into being, as it were -- explains why the Divine Name which is associated with
repentance is Ehyeh, `I shall be' (Ibid.).
5) When someone wants to purify himself and return to God, they tell him `Wait!'
(Yoma 38b-39a). It is true that he should hurry to release his soul and flee from the
darkness. But he shouldn't be discouraged and depressed when he sees how far he is
from true prayer and other holy devotions. It is a necessary part of the process that he
should wait. In the end he will be worthy of making amends completely, and all will
be restored. Understand this well (Ibid.).
6) Repentance never stops. It is a continuing movement. Even at the very moment that
a person is saying `I have sinned, I have transgressed, I have rebelled, etc.' it is still
impossible for him to say the words with complete sincerity without a single
extraneous motive. Thus he must repent for his earlier repentance -- namely the flaw
in his previous confession (Ibid. 3).
7) Even when a person knows that he has achieved perfect repentance he must still
make amends for his earlier repentance. For what he achieved then was good only in
proportion to the perception of Godliness he had at the time. But now, after his
repentance, his perception has undoubtedly been heightened. Compared with his
present perception, the earlier perception turns out to have been grossly materialistic.
Therefore he must repent for the levels he achieved earlier -- because he degraded the
true exaltedness of the Creator to the level of materialism. Happy is the man who
achieves true repentance (Ibid.).
8) There are three aspects to repentance: seeing with the eyes, hearing with the ears
and understanding in the heart (cf. Isaiah 6:10). Repentance involves all of them. One
must use one's eyes to look towards the ultimate goal and purpose of this world, and
concentrate on it with all one's heart. He must set himself to travel there and nowhere
else. And he must use his ears to listen carefully to everything that our holy Rabbis
said. Then he will be able to return to God (7).
9) The essence of teshuva, repentance, is achieved through humility. One has to make
oneself into nothing -- like a wasteland which people trample over. He must pay no
attention whatsoever to opposition or to the contempt with which people may treat

him. He should train himself to be silent and to be able to hear himself insulted
without replying. One such as this is worthy of the name `wise' and he will attain
perfect repentance -- the `Crown,' which is the summit of the Sefirot. This is the way
to true and enduring glory, the glory of God (6).
10) When a person wants to return to God he must become an expert in the halachah,
the law (halachah literally means `going'). Two kinds of skill are needed: in the
`running' and the `returning' (cf. Ezekiel 1:14). These two expressions correspond to
the rising and falling which King David speaks of in the Psalms: `If I ascend to
Heaven, You are there, and if I make hell my bed, behold there You are (Psalms
139:8). This means that a person who wants to return to God must gird his loins and
keep firmly to the pathway of God regardless of whether he makes progress (`if I
ascend to Heaven') or suffers reverses (`if I make hell my bed'). If he makes progress
and reaches a particular level of spirituality -- be it high or not so high -- he should
still not stop here and content himself with his achievement so far. In his case the skill
he needs is to know and believe that he must still advance further. This is the skill of
the `running.' On the other hand, even if he falls to a lower level -- and even if he falls
into the lowest pit of Hell, God forbid -- he must still not despair in any way,
regardless of his condition. He should remain firm and search for God, pleading with
Him and begging Him to help in whatever way he can. Even in the lowest pit of hell
God is present, and even from there it is possible to be attached to Him. As King
David said: `If I make hell my bed, behold, there You are'. The skill he needs now is in
the `returning.' The only way to achieve true repentance is with these two skills.
Indeed, it takes extraordinary skill to understand that it is necessary to struggle all the
time in order to serve God. One has to aim constantly for a higher level while at the
same time never allowing oneself to fall in any way or become despondent and
discouraged. Someone who acquires these skills will be able to walk the path of true
repentance, and God's right hand will be open wide to receive his repentance. He will
attain to the glory of God, and Man will be placed upon the throne. Happy is he (Ibid.
4).
11) There are certain Torah scholars who are highly learned but have not begun to
repent, and on the contrary, they resist the Tzaddikim and take issue with them. The
reason for this is that their motives for learning Torah are not pure. They want prestige
and influence, and they like to feel important and take issue with everything. Their
learning simply develops their subtlety, making them more and more insidious. The
Torah is double-edged, `For the ways of the Lord are just, the righteous walk in them,
and sinners stumble in them' (Hosea 14:10). Their expertise in the oral Law merely
opens their mouths to speak arrogantly and contemptuously against the Tzaddik.
However there exist certain great Tzaddikim who understand the Torah concepts
which are the source of the ideas they are using against the Tzaddikim. These great

Tzaddikim have the power to elevate these ideas and make out of them halachot, legal
rulings (12:1).
12) When those who were far from holiness draw closer -- whether they are proselytes
who convert, or Jews returning to their roots, for they too were `outside' -- God's glory
is exalted through their drawing closer, and His Name is glorified in the upper and the
lower worlds. Glory is raised to its root and through this peace spreads over the whole
world (14:2).
13) When a person is completely humble and lowly he can reach such a level of
attainment in Torah that his very learning can bring radiance to the roots of the souls
of Israel, which are to be found in the Torah. He has the power to radiate even to those
who are very distant, even to the sinners and those who are farthest removed from
Torah. He can arouse them and encourage them to return to God. No matter how
greatly a person may have sinned, as long as he is still called by the name of Israel he
is still a Jew in spite of his sins, and the radiance of the root of his soul can be
transmitted to him wherever he may be by means of the study of Torah. Then he will
return to God (Ibid. 3-5).
14) Even when those who were distant from holiness are roused to return to the light
of Torah, they are still very far away and they may experience tremendous obstacles.
It takes enormous effort for them to strip themselves of their `filthy garments'
(Zechariah 3:4). These `filthy garments' are as difficult a barrier as a river which it is
impossible to cross. If you want to draw closer, do not be discouraged if you find
yourself confronted by all kinds of obstacles. This is inevitable, because all these
obstacles stem from the `filthy garments' -- the sins of the past. It takes great efforts to
strip off these `filthy garments' and throw them aside. At times the experience is very
bitter. But in the end all the obstacles and barriers which separate you from holiness
will disappear (Ibid. 5).
15) We have to make amends even for the sins we committed unwittingly. Through
this we attain perfection in the Holy Tongue, which is tikkun habrit (Ibid. 19).
16) Teshuva means to return a thing to the place from which it was taken -- to restore
it and return it to its root. Now wisdom is the root of everything. This is why you must
guard your mind and your wisdom against alien ideologies and extraneous thoughts,
not to speak of evil temptations. The reason for all the sins and transgressions which
people commit and all their shortcomings is that their thoughts are impure. They are
not careful to guard their thoughts and avoid overstepping the bounds of holiness.
When a person protects his thoughts and his wisdom, he can remedy everything and
return to God (35).

17) Teshuva depends upon the heart -- more specifically, the thoughts in the heart. You
must be firm and avoid all evil thoughts. Think only good thoughts. Focus your heart
on the purpose of life. Think up plans and strategies for coming closer to God. Then
you will be worthy of attaining the Hidden Torah of the Ancient One -- the inner
secrets of Torah, which are the essence of the joy of the World to Come (49).
18) More than any other times of the year, the months of Tishrei and Nissan are the
times for teshuva. The Redemption is destined to take place in Nissan, and it will
come about only through teshuva (Ibid. 6).
19) You must be `like a strong man running his course' (Psalms 19:6) because even if
you have succeeded in repenting and making amends for the damage you did, you
must still make up for all the good deeds which you could have done but didn't all the
time you were rebelling against God. You must be extra enthusiastic and run extra fast
in order to make up for what you failed to do then (Ibid.).
20) An action is not an action until it is carried through from the realm of possibility
to that of actuality. This applies equally to mitzvoth and good deeds and to sins. A
mitzvah is not complete until it has been brought from potentiality to actuality. It must
be realized in actual fact. When a potential mitzvah is made actual, this is literally the
`creation of the universe' -- because the mitzvah sustains the entire universe.
Conversely in the case of sin, when a person merely contemplates the possibility of
sinning in his mind, the sin is still potential. If he then makes the potential actual and
commits the sin in practice, God forbid, he is totally wicked and might as well be
dead. He destroys himself and the whole world. Because the entire creation of the
world is brought about through the process of emerging from potentiality to actuality
by the hand of God. Every single sin therefore spoils the totality of all the worlds and
all the holy names of God. The only remedy is teshuva -- because when one
experiences genuine regret for one's sins and abandons them, the damage that was
done can be repaired and the repair of all the worlds is carried through from
potentiality to actuality (66:2).
21) Repentance out of love has the power to efface every trace of sin, and then one
can pray and learn with a clear mind in a state of expanded consciousness. He can
pray as he should and learn and understand rapidly and expand and refresh his mind
every day (74).
22) Each individual must see to it that he is not responsible for holding up the coming
of Mashiach. He must make amends for what he did in the past and return to God with
all his heart, and this way he will make sure that Mashiach is not prevented from
coming because of his sins (79).

23) True repentance depends on Torah: when a person labors so hard in his studies
that he reaches the level where he can understand one thing from another and produce
original ideas for the sake of Heaven alone, this is perfect repentance (74).
24) If a person feels genuine pain for having sinned -- if he `circumcises the foreskin
of his heart' and feels true contrition for what he did and returns to God with all his
heart -- then the hearts of all the drops that left him -- his actual children and the drops
that went elsewhere, God forbid -- will also be circumcised in the `foreskins of their
hearts.' They too will feel the pain of their degradation. They will all be aroused and
rise with a thunderous noise and return to God (141).
25) The difference between being alive and dead only has any meaning for someone
caught up in his appetite for food and drink. For him death is a reality. It is different
for the Tzaddik who has conquered his inclination and is always in complete control
of himself, even in things which are permitted to him. The Tzaddik is always alive,
even after his death. For him there is no difference between death and life (144).
26) A person should take pity on his soul while he is young and hurry to return to God
before he becomes old. In his youth he still hears the voice of Torah crying out every
day and calling on men to return. This `voice of Torah' is all the thoughts of teshuva
which rise in a person's mind continually. But once he becomes old it is harder for him
to return (205).
27) There is such a thing as words of teshuva, as it is written: `take with you words
and return to the Lord' (Hosea 14:3). We must talk and talk before God until we pour
out our words like water and attain true repentance. The way to achieve this is with
the three `lines of truth': prayer (to pray in truth and with sincerity), true Torah and
true partnerships and marriage bonds. It is through praise and thanks to God and the
study of Torah law that we can attain this: they are the essence of the joy of the World
to Come (Likutey Moharan II:2).
28) You must understand that the Jew is completely remote from sin. He has no
connection with sin at all, so exalted is the subtle spirituality of his inner essence. This
is why sin is such a heavy burden for the Jew. It is impossible to bear it even for a
single day. It is worse than any other suffering in the world. A person must take pity
on himself and try to repent of his sins and pray to God to help him find a leader who
will show him true love, enlighten him with wisdom and draw him from his sins.
There is no love greater than this (7:3).
29) The only way to attain complete teshuva is by passing through all the places one
had been before teshuva -- and obviously this will vary for each individual, depending
on what he went through in the earlier part of his life. When he passes through them

and encounters the very same temptations that he experienced before, he must turn his
head aside and control his inclination without repeating what he did in the past. This is
the essence of perfect teshuva. There is no other way (49).
30) An essential element in teshuva is shame. We must feel a deep sense of shame
before God. We can come to this through seeing ourselves with the true Tzaddik (72).
31) If you want to accomplish complete teshuva you should make a habit of reciting
the psalms. They are a great help to teshuva. There are many obstacles to teshuva.
Sometimes people feel no inclination to return to God at all -- they are simply not
interested. There are certain people for whom the gate of teshuva is closed. There are
others who simply do not know how to reach the gate that is right for them -- the path
they need in order to return to God. There are also other barriers which prevent people
from accomplishing teshuva. One can waste away one's whole life and die without
teshuva, God forbid. But reciting the psalms is a great help. Even a person who feels
no enthusiasm at all for teshuva can experience an awakening if he recites the psalms.
No matter who you are, you can always find yourself in the psalms you are reciting.
This will arouse you and help you find the gate of repentance which is appropriate for
your soul. You will be able to open the gate and attain perfect repentance, and then
God will return to you and show you love. This is why during the month of Elul and
the Ten Days of Repentance all Jews recite the psalms. But this is something one
should do throughout the year in order to accomplish teshuva (73).
32) Repentance helps for every conceivable sin, even the most serious sin of all -- the
deliberate emission of seed in vain, or other forms of grave immorality. When the
Zohar says that teshuva does not help in the case of a person who wastes his seed, the
meaning is not what it appears on the surface. The truth is that as our Sages said,
`there is nothing which stands in the way of teshuva.' (Yerushalmi Peah l:l;
Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10:1; Rambam, Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Teshuva 3:14; Zohar
II, 106a; Tosefot on Baba Metzia 58b). But perfect teshuva can only be attained with
the help of the true Tzaddikim (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 71).

ROSH CHODESH -- The New Moon:

1) The force which draws all the worlds to return to God has its root on Rosh
Chodesh, the New Moon. On Rosh Chodesh the desire to return to God is felt over the
entire creation. Even the sinners in hell cannot escape a certain feeling of contrition.
They are drawn a little closer to God and feel a flicker of regret. They are forced to
acknowledge the truth and feel ashamed of their wrongdoing (10:9).

ROSH HASHANAH -- The New Year:

1) Anyone who hears the sounding of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah from a man of
true piety can be assured that he will not be afraid of thunder the whole year (5:3).
2) The blasts of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah revitalize the soul and intelligence of
every Jew. Each one receives a new soul and a new level of understanding, each
according to his level. This new soul and vision are drawn from the inner countenance
of God (35:6).
3) The blasts of the Shofar sweeten the severity of God's judgement (42).
4) The purpose of sounding the Shofar is to arouse men from their sleep and prevent
them whiling away their days in slumber. When people are aroused from their sleep,
the power of speech bursts forth with tremendous strength. This in turn leads to trust,
and those who were barren give birth. Then men are brought to the true fear of
Heaven and rele ased from sexual lust and the futility of superficial attractions and the
`charm that deceives' (cf. Proverbs 31:30). Instead they attain `fullness of days' in
holiness: they learn to lengthen every day of the rest of their lives by adding ever
greater holiness and purity. This brings them true spiritual riches and the ability to
reach the very he ights of contemplation and perception of God. All of this is possible
through hearing the blasts of the Shofar from the Tzaddikim, who understand how to
accomplish these tikkunim (60:9).
5) It is customary to go to the Tzaddik to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is
first and foremost the Day of Judgement. But no matter how great the severity of the
judgement and no matter where in the world it threatens, everything is sweetened
when Jews gather around the Tzaddik on Rosh Hashanah. With so many Jewish souls
gathered together and merged in abundant love, a wonderful joy and delight come into
the world (61:7).
6) To explain more about the importance of celebrating Rosh Hashanah with the
Tzaddikim, you must understand that the sweetening of harsh judgements comes
about when thought is purified and sanctified. This can only be achieved through
being attached to the Tzaddik. Rosh Hashanah is the source of the harsh judgements
of the entire year. The way to sweeten them is by purifying our thoughts. It is in order
to attain sanctity in thought that we journey to the Tzaddikim (211).
7) God gave Rosh Hashanah out of great kindness (Likutey Moharan II, 1:14).

8) Who is able to celebrate Rosh Hashanah? He who is worthy of binding himself to

the roots of the souls of Israel (Ibid.).
9) The effect of Rosh Hashanah is to strengthen faith. There are great gatherings of
Jewish communities everywhere. Especially significant are the gatherings of Jews
around the true Tzaddikim. Through these gatherings, all the different facets of faith
expressed in all the different souls are joined together in a common whole. They are
refined, un ified and elevated. The sparks of new intuitions and perceptions flash
forth. New levels of understanding begin to develop. The process continues during the
Ten Days of Repentance, when we work on ourselves and strive to return to God. The
sparks of intuition and perception are embodied in the mitzvah of tefilin, which are
the `seal of holiness' a nd an aspect of tikkun habrit (see Tefillin). Yom Kippur is the
climax of the process. The `seal of holiness' is perfected, and the flashes of intuition
and perception reach their fullest development. Following this, on Succot the
illumination which must be drawn into the world is that of Joy. Through joy we can
elevate all the food we eat to prev ent it from disturbing our dreams and causing
impure experiences at night. On Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Solemn
Assembly, the spiritual work is to bring integrity to the faculty of judgement. If the
judges are not honest it can cause unclean occurrences at night. All the tikkunim
which have been mentioned here are also brought about whenev er the followers of a
spiritual leader gather at his side. Rosh Hashanah is the main time for such gatherings
because the source of the entire process of tikkun is to be found then. In fact the very
details of the Rosh Hashanah ritual, and in particular the different notes blown on the
Shofar, all have the power to bring about these tikkunim. Thus the first note we blow,
Tekiah, has the effect of strengthening faith. The second, Teruah, causes new
intuitions and perceptions to flash forth. And through the third note, Shevarim, we are
protected from having distrubed dreams and being corrupt in our judgements. This
preserves us from impure experiences at night (5:15).
10) On Rosh Hashanah you must force yourself to put all your power and strength
into your prayers, and you must bind them to the true Tzaddik. The Tzaddik is the real
`strong man': through his spiritual powers he is able to offer his prayer in such a way
that the prayer itself is on the level of `judgement.'
And this is precisely the form of prayer that is necessary on Rosh Hashanah. Through
this it becomes possible to extricate from the forces of the Other Side all the holy
lifeforce which they have snatched from the Jewish people and swallowed: all the
prayers, the acts of kindness and the wisdom of the Jews... The forces of the Other
Side are compelled to vomit them out from their very innards. This is brough t about
through the strength of the prayers of this '>> 'strong man,' the Tzaddik. Then the
glory of God is revealed in its fullness through the converts who attach themselves to
the faith of Israel. Prophecy and true faith enter the world and false ideologies are

destroyed. This is a foretaste of the wonderful renewal of the world which is destin ed
to come about in the future. In the new order, the force of nature will be nothing. The
world will be governed through the providence of God alone, with miracles and
wonders. Then we will be worthy of hearing the sound of the song and the melody
which will break forth in time to come. This will be the chief delight of the World to
Come (8:11).
11) During the Days of Awe it is a good thing when you can weep profusely like a
child. Throw aside all your sophistication. Just cry before God, cry for the diseases of
the heart, for the pains and sores you feel in your soul. Cry like a child before his
father. Then you will be worthy of a beautiful etrog. The more profusely you weep the
more be autiful the etrog you will have for Succot. (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 87).
12) On Rosh Hashanah you must be wise. This means that you should be careful to
think only good thoughts. Then God will be good to us and give us a good year. On
Rosh Hashanah you must be joyous... and on Rosh Hashanah you must weep (Ibid.
21).
13) On the first day of Rosh Hashanah people should be very careful to speak as little
as possible. The greater the person the more careful he must be (Ibid.).
14) The day before Rosh Hashanah is a good time to present a redemption (Ibid. 214).

SHABBAT:
1) The custom of washing in hot water in preparation for Shabbat is tikkun habrit. The
same is true of the practice of reading over the weekly Torah portion twice in the
Hebrew and once in the Aramaic Targum (Likutey Moharan I, 19:5).
2) Shabbat observance is the foundation of genuine faith. All the acts of charity and
other good deeds that we do are invested with radiance and perfection only in virtue
of the Shabbat, because Shabbat is the very embodiment of faith. Charity has the
power to bring an abundance of blessings and holy influences into the world, but they
only become manifested in actuality because of the Shabbat. As the embodiment of
faith, Shabbat is the fountain of blessings. Shabbat brings everything in the world to
its ultimate perfection. Without Shabbat, and the faith it brings with it, all things are
lacking. This applies also to our Da'at, the understanding we have of Godliness and
our knowledge of Torah. True wisdom and the understanding of Torah can blossom
only through the influence of Shabbat and of faith (31:2).

3) In order to experience the essential holiness of the Shabbat, namely true faith, it is
necessary to observe the Holy Covenant in purity. There is a deep connection between
Shabbat and the Covenant, which explains why it is customary to go to spend Shabbat
with Tzaddikim. The holiness of the Tzaddikim derives from the fact that they guard
the Covenant in purity, in all its aspects. People try to spend Shabbat with them in
order to experience the true holiness of Shabbat and deepen their faith (Ibid. 3).
4) One should try to draw the holiness of Shabbat into the six working days of the
week and sanctify them also. The more the weekdays are invested with holiness, the
more the forces of evil -- the `filthy serpent,' the `end of all flesh,' the `raging
stormwind' etc. -- are subdued. Through this, speech becomes elevated (38:7).
5) By making a vow and carrying it out immediately you can come to experience the
true joy of Shabbat, oneg Shabbat. The main joy of Shabbat comes from the food we
eat in purity and holiness at the three fixed meals and at other times during Shabbat. It
is a mitzva to eat all kinds of fine foods and special delicacies. Those who truly
experience the joy of Shabbat can by their very eating on Shabbat reach spiritual
levels which they could only otherwise achieve by fasting. They can conquer anger
and reach such levels of understanding that the radiance of God shines in their very
faces. All their enemies simply fall away before them (57:4, 6).
6) How precious and holy is the act of eating on Shabbat. It is completely suffused
with Godliness without the slightest hint of impurity. The forces of the Sitra Achra,
the `Other Side,' have no share at all in the Shabbat food. Anger is conquered and the
force of wild passion is uprooted and cast aside. Love and peace reign supreme (Ibid.
5, 6).
7) It is also necessary to give generously to charity. Then you will find a profound
peace. The experience of the joy of the Shabbat food, together with acts of charity,
brings about peace that `has a mouth.' There is one kind of peace that `has no mouth.'
That is the state of peace existing between people who are nevertheless unable to
speak to each other. But peace which `has a mouth' is the state of perfect peace where
men talk to one another. For the lips are invested with a wonderful illumination when
we eat on Shabbat (Ibid. 7).
8) On Shabbat the double portion of bread -- lechem mishneh -- which the Tzaddik
enjoys is a double portion of Torah -- mishneh Torah. Shabbat is a favored time for
developing original Torah ideas: `two for every one.' Shabbat spreads its influence
over all the worlds and sends the light of its radiance to every level, bringing healing
to the soul and the body (58:5).

9) The radiance which Shabbat brings into the world stirs men to return to God out of
love. When this happens, relief and healing are granted to the righteous in place of the
trials and suffering they had to endure previously. People come to see them in a new
light, they begin to understand the true greatness and beauty of their souls, and they
start to treat them with respect and dignity. In the individual also, the greater his
purity, each on his own level, the greater the radiance and splendor that will shine
from his soul, and the higher his standing will be in men's eyes. The greater his
personal worth and purity, the more he will be able to absorb the teachings which the
Tzaddik gives over on Shabbat in all their originality and freshness (Ibid. 7).
10) Through observing the Shabbat fittingly, the forces of evil and the kelipot, the
`husks,' are destroyed. The way to reach such a level of Shabbat observance is by
making an effort to bring people closer to God and through secluded prayer and
meditation before God, examining oneself and bringing oneself to a reckoning for all
one's actions (59:1, 3).
11) Shabbat, the World to Come and truth are in essence all one concept. Through it
the wicked are brought down and the true greatness of the Tzaddikim and those who
are genuinely pious is revealed. When this happens the whole world draws closer to
God and men begin to call upon His blessed Name. The faculty of speech becomes
perfect. Speech becomes holy and people experience true prayer (66).
12) A person who experiences the holiness of Shabbat can attain true purity -- which
means to understand his own lowliness and to be so aware of the greatness of Israel
that he is prepared to sacrifice his very life for them, as Moses did (79).
13) On Shabbat everyone experiences a certain enhancement of their perception of
Godliness, and through this their capacity to give love to their fellow creatures
becomes greater. For a person's capacity to give love is related to the degree of his
perception. And when he offers love to others, he in turn receives love from Heaven
(119).
14) We eat on Shabbat not to gratify our physical appetites, but in order to open the
channels of blessing for the other six days of the week (276).
15) Preparing special delicacies for Shabbat is the main way of honoring the Shabbat.
The food of Shabbat is very precious: it has a unique holiness. We partake of
Godliness itself. It is good to have ample to eat on Shabbat. This in itself can make up
for having desecrated the Sabbath in the past (125; 277).
16) The good deeds and mitzvot which we perform during the six working days of the
week lack the power to rise up and go before God until the coming of Shabbat. Then

they all ascend and come before God Himself, and He has great delight from them -even from the mitzvot of ordinary people, which may be lacking the proper degree of
care and concentration with which the divine commandments should be carried out.
As all these good deeds and mitzvot ascend, the path to God is opened wide. It is our
eating on Shabbat which actually brings about this ascent (Ibid.).
17) `And he begot a son. And he called his name Noah, saying: 'This one will comfort
us in our work and in the toil of our hands...' ' (Genesis 5:28-29).
Shabbat is called a son, Noah. It brings joy to the highest and the lowest. It brings
comfort and happiness to all, and relief from harshness and depression. All the
mitzvot which we perform on the six weekdays have a certain heaviness about them.
But on Shabbat they are elevated and raised up from this heaviness, and they become
suffused with joy. The holiness and joy of Shabbat can also be drawn into the six
working days. This comes about through the praise and thanks we give to God, and
also when we devote ourselves to the study of Torah law. This is the way to
experience the joy of Shabbat on the weekdays also. Then we can have joy in God and
perform all the mitzvot in joy even on the six working days. Those who reach this
level are granted a vision of the simple unity which underlies all the diverse
phenomena of the world. Everything is simply an expression of God's unity. There is
nothing more wonderful than to attain this vision. It is something very precious in all
the worlds above. Even in God's eyes it is precious (Likutey Moharan II, 2:5, 6).
18) The joy of Shabbat is really the gateway to true freedom. Through it you can reach
the highest levels in the knowledge of God, free of all distractions and confusion.
These levels of knowledge must be founded on genuine fear of God without any hint
of foolishness. There are many kinds of fear. When someone is afraid of some earthly
power or authority, this is `fallen' fear. Genuine fear of God, which is bound up with
the knowledge of God, elevates us from the hold of `fallen' fear (17).
19) You should be very careful to feel nothing but joy on Shabbat. There is nothing to
compare with the greatness and holiness of Shabbat. This is explained in many places
in our sacred literature, for example the Reishit Chokhmah, (by R. Eliahu de Vidas)
where the subject is discussed at the beginning of the section on `Holiness.' Study this
section very carefully. What is written there about the holiness of Shabbat will kindle
a burning desire within you to celebrate Shabbat with true joy. For joy is the key to
honoring the Shabbat. You must never betray the slightest hint of depression or
anxiety on Shabbat. Treat yourself to all kinds of delights: the food you eat, what you
drink, your clothes... whatever you can afford. The food of Shabbat is completely
holy. It is purely spiritual and filled with Godliness. It rises to a place which is totally
different from that of the food of the six working days. Make the effort to feel the joy
of Shabbat and you will find true happiness (Ibid.).

20) To attain to the holiness of Shabbat is to reach the ultimate in knowledge, which is
to reach the boundaries of the unknown (83).
21) Shabbat is one of the names of God. Shabbat is the light of the eyes which
illumine the Holy Temple and the whole world. This is why those who observe the
Shabbat will have their eyes opened and they will have the power to see into
themselves and judge how far they have reached in their spiritual journey. They will
be able to repent for all their failings and come to recognize the true greatness of the
Creator. They will have the power of vision over the entire universe. They will be
drawn to the innermost point of truth, the true Tzaddik and those with genuine fear of
Heaven. Their minds will be opened. It will be as if they are engaged in rebuilding the
Holy Temple.
22) Through the merit of Shabbat the homes of Jews are saved from being burned
down, God forbid (67).

SIGHING:
1) The sighs and groans of a Jew are very precious. When a person is lacking
something, sighing and groaning can bring wholeness and completeness. But only if
he is close to the Tzaddik who is the guide and leader of the age. The breath of the
sigh is drawn from the breath of life with which God created the world. When a thing
is incomplete, it is really lacking in life-force - the breath of life which keeps it in
existence. When a person breathes long and deep, he draws new life. But the breath of
life is in the Torah. The Tzaddik is totally bound to the Torah. Therefore the breath of
life is with the Tzaddik. From him we can draw the breath of life for our groans and
sighs, and bring wholeness and completeness where before they were missing (8:1,2).
2) A person may be praying with great devotion or at the height of meditation and then
suddenly in the middle he falls from his level. It is a sign that there is some flaw in his
faith. He should feel broken and ashamed. How could he fall from heaven to earth?
He should arouse tender pity for himself to the point where he literally sighs. This
sigh will bring him back to his level (108).
3) How precious when you sigh out of longing for something holy. The sigh you let
out because you are far from holiness breaks the bond of impurity which was trapping
you. Now you can bind yourself with the cord of holiness. But the opposite is true
when you sigh with desire for something wrongful, God forbid (109).
4) One sigh of regret for your sins and the distance which separates you from God is
worth more than many fasts and other forms of selfmortification. The sighs you let out

when you want something holy can actually break the force of your bodily instincts.
Then the soul can draw nearer to the body and communicate to it something of her
own perception of God (Ibid.).

SIMPLICITY:
1) To take on the yoke of Heaven we must abandon all of our own sophisticated ideas
and walk in the path of purity and simplicity. The Holy Torah is the only true wisdom.
All other ideas are nothing in comparison (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 5; 308).
2) People should throw aside all their sophisticated ideas and serve God with purity
and simplicity. Action is the main thing, not study, and you should see to it that your
practical achievements are greater than your intellectual development. It is obvious
that this applies to the `wisdom' of the average person, which is nothing but
foolishness. Without doubt this has to be thrown out completely. But it even applies to
genuine wisdom. When it comes to serving God, even someone whose head is filled
with genuine wisdom should put it all aside and serve God with purity and simplicity.
At times it may even be necessary to behave in a way that seems mad in order to serve
God. We may have to do things which seem crazy for the sake of carrying out His
will. We may have to roll about in all kinds of mud and mire in order to serve God and
fulfill His commandments. This does not apply only to things which are explicitly
mitzvot. Anything which God desires to be done is called a mitzva. It may be
necessary to throw oneself into the mud and m ire to carry out a certain action that
will be pleasing to God. When one's love of God is strong enough, he becomes a
`precious and beloved son,' and God will show him abundant love and compassion
and permit him to investigate the hidden store-chambers of the King, until he will
learn the deepest secrets of all -- why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper, and
so on. He will be worthy of the secrets of Torah and he will be able to raise up
`judgement' out of the deep and restore it (Likutey Moharan II, 5:15).
3) Someone who follows his own ideas can easily fall into all kinds of traps and get
into serious trouble, God forbid. Too many people have been led astray by their own
wisdom. They themselves have sinned, and they have caused many others to sin as
well. All because of their fallacious `wisdom.' The essence of the Jewish religion is to
follow the path of purity and simplicity without sophistication: simply to make sure
that God is present in everything one does. Have no thought at all for your own honor
and glory. The only question is whether God's glory will be enhanced. If so, do it; if
not, then don't. This way you will never stumble (Ibid. 12).
4) Besides simplicity and purity, you should understand that there is no need to search
for specially strict practices to take upon yourself. To think that you should is an

illusion: it is simply one of the devices of the Evil One to deter you from serving God.
Such practices are not part of serving God. As our Sages said: `The Torah was not
given to the ministering angels' (Kiddushin 54a). It was given to men of flesh and
blood. These exaggerated practices can put you off completely. The greatest wisdom
of all is not to be wise at all. It is simply to be pure and straightforward (Ibid. 44).
5) Sophistication can be very harmful. Thinkers are easily trapped in their own
wisdom. Keep well away from the wisdom of those selfimportant people who believe
they know great truths about serving God. Their wisdom is nothing but foolishness.
All their sophistication is quite unnecessary in serving God. The main thing is to be
pure and simple a nd to have pure faith in God and His Tzaddikim. True, you have to
be careful that you are being pure and simple as opposed to idiotic. But sophistication
is entirely unnecessary. Simplicity, purity and faith can bring you to great joy (Ibid.).
6) The greatest sophistication is to avoid sophistication (Ibid. 83).
7) You should be careful to follow the simple devotions and customs of Israel: singing
songs on Shabbat and at the conclusion of Shabbat, and similar practices. It is good to
recite many prayers and supplications -- such as those printed in the large prayer
books. People think it is clever to ridicule these practices. But they are wrong. The
essen ce of Judaism is simplicity and purity, without sophistication at all (Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom 155).

SPEECH -- Its power for good or evil:

1) Idle pursuits and abusive, slanderous language bring one to poverty. The remedy is
to give charity to Torah scholars: this brings wealth (4:8).
2) The way to study Torah is by speaking the words out loud. The words will then
become a light which will illuminate for you all the places where you must repent and
make amends. Eventually you will achieve perfect repentance, and then you will come
to understand the very depths of Torah (11:1).
3) You must strive to sanctify the way you speak until your words are the words of the
`Holy Tongue.' Speak many words of Torah. Say many prayers and make many
entreaties before God. Talk to Him; plead with Him. And at the same time be careful
to avoid any falsehood and derogatory comments about other people. If you are
careful about the way you speak it will help you to achieve personal sanctity and to
guard the Holy Covenant. And the more you purify and sanctify yourself the more you
will be able to perfect the way you speak (19:3).

4) Words which are neither listened to nor accepted cannot be called `speech' at all.
The way to discover the true meaning of the gift of speech is through speaking the
praises of the Tzadikim. This is the complete tikkun for speech (29:1,2).
5) Speech is the vessel with which we receive the flow of blessings. According to the
words, so is the blessing. One who attains perfection in the way he speaks, can receive
abundant blessings by means of the vessels formed by his words. This is the reason
why when we pray, we must actually pronounce the words with our lips (34:3).
6) Speech is the breath of the lips of the Holy One, blessed-be-He. To abuse it is to
make it into a wild blast, the `raging stormwind' (Psalms 148:8). This `raging
stormwind' is the `great accuser,' the source of all the trials and challenges which
confront man. This wild spirit wastes away man's very flesh. It is the root of all the
slander and falsehood and evil which people speak about each other. It is called the
`end of all flesh' (Genesis 6:13) because it works for the destruction of man's flesh and
life. All this comes from abusing the faculty of speech (38:2).
7) It is a great thing if you persevere in learning Torah in spite of poverty or other
trials and pressures and difficulties. This is the way to achieve perfection in your
speech. A thread of lovingkindness will be drawn down over you (Chagigah 12b) and
the forces of stern justice and impurity ranged against you will be thrust aside. Your
speech will become cleansed and elevated. The words will flow out in song and praise
to God, you will pray with strength and fire, and your heart will be aroused to serve
God with true devotion. In the end you will be worthy of speaking the pure truth
before God, the truth in your heart will flow forth, and you will be filled with a fiery
passion to return to God (Ibid. 4-5).
8) Empty words devoid of holiness give strength to the temples of idolatry. The hand
of falsehood is strengthened and the exile deepens. All contact with the spirituality of
the Land of Israel becomes lost. Truth is concealed, divisiveness and strife multiply.
The Shechinah is locked in strife with her children, exiled as they are from their land
and the table of their Father. But words of holiness put strength into the hand of Truth
(45).
9) Talking in a derogatory way about other people reinforces the power of fantasy and
illusion within us. When people use bad language and speak derogatorily about others,
their Da'at, understanding, is taken from them and they fall from the love of God into
animalistic passions and desires. The source of these passions and desires is in the
faculty of fantasy and imagination, which is part of man's animal nature. It feeds upon
falsehood and slander. It is directly opposed to the faculty of memory, through which
we keep the true facts of our situation and our eternal destiny in the forefront of our
minds. Those who abuse language fall instead into `forgetfulness,' which is `death to

the heart' because their heart dies within them and they never remember that the true
goal of our life in this world is the eternal life of the World to Come. People like this
are dead even in their lifetime, because they have no conception of their true goal and
purpose (54:5).
10) Excessive greed for food and drink causes speech to go into `exile.' The words
become trapped in the constriction of the throat. One who is a glutton is unable to say
a single word before God. The remedy for this is fasting (62:5).
11) There are many different kinds of degenerate speech: talking unfairly and
untruthfully about other people; telling people what their friends and acquaintances
said about them or did to their disadvantage; telling lies; cynicism and sarcasm;
flattery; embarrassing people publicly; obscene talk; unnecessary remarks and so on.
Worst of all is when people cast aspersions on the Tzadikim and on those who are
honest and God-fearing. Talk like this gives wings to the primordial serpent. It flies
through the world wreaking havoc. This `serpent' is the sophistry of the philosophers
and other apostles of atheism. Today this has spread throughout the world and is
gaining ever-increasing prestige and power. But words of holiness form wings for the
domain of the holy (63).
12) You must struggle until you are serving God with every drop of blood you
possess. You must speak many words of Torah and prayer until all the blood within
you is transformed into these holy words. Then you will find peace, and the spirit of
strife and contention will be broken. For contention and rivalry have their source in
the drops of blood with which a person has not yet served God (75).
13) Words of Torah and prayer have the power to raise up the fallen sparks and restore
and renew all the fallen worlds. The one who speaks them is accounted as if he had
created Heaven and Earth and all the worlds afresh. We must speak only words of
holiness and nothing else. Then the sparks will be raised up, the worlds will be
restored, and Mashiach will come (Ibid.).
14) You must speak words of Torah and prayer to the point where your body becomes
totally nullified, as if it literally did not exist. To achieve this you must develop true
awe of Heaven. This will bring you peace and harmony, and the world will be filled
with blessing (Ibid.).
15) Words of holiness -- Torah and prayer -- are a very high concept. Holy words are
the Shechinah, the Divine Indwelling, because the kingship of God and the truth of
His existence is revealed through them. Holy speech is the `breath of Mashiach.' It is
ruach hakodesh, the Holy Spirit, and it includes the concepts of the revival of the dead
and of the unification of the Holy One, blessed-be-He, and the Shechinah (78).

16) Speech is a `mother of children' (Psalms 113:9). Just as a mother always stays
with her child and never forgets him even if he goes to the filthiest of places, so the
power of speech never leaves a person even if he finds himself in the filthiest of
places. Even one who is sunk in the lowest of levels can always remind himself of
God's presence if he speaks words of holiness: Torah and prayer. Regardless of his
situation, he should make an effort to speak words of Torah and prayer, to meditate
and speak to God, and to discuss religious matters with his teacher and his friends.
Then he will always be able to remind himself of God's presence regardless of how far
he may be from God, even if he falls to the `filthy places.' The faculty of speech will
never desert him, and he will never be able to forget God. Understand the tremendous
power of speech. This idea can save you from destruction (Ibid.).
17) Speech derives from the Divine aspect of Gevurah, which denotes strength and
severity. Therefore all speech must be sweetened through studying Torah and speaking
words of goodness and holiness. This is the reason why we must be so careful to avoid
any form of degenerate speech, especially derogatory comments about other people.
More than anything else this applies to the way we talk about the Tzaddik. To cast
aspersions upon the Tzaddik arouses the force of severity in the world, and can cause
the Tzaddik to fall from his level if he lacks sufficient force to sweeten it. He may
even die because of this, and then the harsh forces are sweetened by the departure of
his soul from the world.
18) When a person sits down and starts discussing somebody else it is a `day of
judgement,' for he is in effect sitting in judgement on his neighbor. You must be very
careful about this. Take a good look at yourself and ask if you are worthy to pass
judgement on your friend. Judgement belongs to God, as our Rabbis said: `Do not
judge your neighbor until you come into his place' (Avoth 2:5). Who really knows the
place of his neighbor and who can come there aside from God alone? (Likutey
Moharan II, 1:14).
19) Trust is the foundation of perfect speech: when we acknowledge God, praise Him
and learn His law, all the lines of truth spread their radiance throughout the different
aspects of speech and bring it to perfection (2).
20) Speech has tremendous power. Speak many words of Torah, say many prayers,
and make all kinds of appeals and entreaties to God. More than anything else, talk to
God in your own words. If you are determined and make a practice of this every day
of your life, you will certainly attain the ultimate good both in this world and in the
World to Come.

SUCCOT

1) The mitzvah of succah can bring us to experience the radiance of God's abundance
through ruach hakodesh, the spirit of holiness. This experience is a special state of
enlightenment granted to certain people when they are worthy of contact with levels
of Godliness that transcend the levels of attainment they have reached through their
own efforts. For there are levels of Divine wisdom that are granted to people simply
through God's beneficence, without their having to work to acquire that level
specifically. Indeed man's whole task in this world is to work on himself until he is
worthy of being granted these transcendental levels. This is the true joy of the World
to Come (21:3).
2) The merit of the mitzvah of succah brings purity of heart. When your heart is pure
it is easy to express yourself before God. You will always find new and original words
and prayers (156).
3) The succah is a segulah for having children. The succah brings relief from strife
and divisiveness. Falsehood is cast aside and truth gains the upper hand. The true
Teacher of the age is revealed, and the whole world comes to return to God and `serve
Him with one consent' (Zephania 3:9) (Likutey Moharan I, 48).
4) Intense prayer, the Land of Israel, and the mitzva of succah are in essence one
concept. The three ideas are interdependent (Ibid.).
5) A person who is negligent in fulfilling the mitzva of succah closes himself off from
the beneficence that God bestows upon men. Instead he falls to the level of an animal,
receiving only what animals receive. This causes the death of cattle and other animals
before their proper time, God forbid (266).
6) A person who fulfills the mitzva of succah fittingly can engage in building without
running the risk of being harmed. Building is a dangerous occupation, but the precept
of succah gives protection (Ibid.).
7) From the succah comes Torah. Therefore when we enter the succah we become
suffused with Torah (Ibid.).
8) The mitzvah of the four kinds, the lulav, etrog, hadassim and aravoth, brings about
a relevation of Da'at, the knowledge of God. Through the mitzvah of the four kinds
we can come to realize how the whole earth is filled with God's glory. We can see
Godliness everywhere, even in the languages of the gentiles. People on every level,
even the lowest, can come to acknowledge God and draw closer to Him. This mitzva
helps us to bind our hearts to the knowledge of God and in this way to bring the heart
under our control. This is what brings us to love God, and through loving God we
show the truest love to ourselves. Then we can rise to receive the light of the love

which is in Da'at. This is the `hidden light' stored up for the righteous. Through
glimpsing it, the hidden Tzaddikim and the hidden Torah are revealed, and abundant
peace spreads forth in the world (33).
9) The etrog derives its beauty from the true Tzaddik. He is the `head of the house'
over the entire world. It follows that if you acquire a fine etrog which has all the
marks of beauty, you will be worthy of drawing close to the Tzaddik. You will be
merged in him and your eyes will be opened. It works the other way also: if you are
close to the true Tzaddikim, you will be worthy of a beautiful etrog, and in this way
you will be able to fulfill this precious and awesome mitzvah fittingly (Likutey
Moharan II, 67).
10) You should search far and wide for a fine etrog that has all the marks of beauty.
You must weep and cry on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to be worthy of such an
etrog. It is impossible for us to understand the great preciousness and profound
holiness of the mitzva of etrog. The human mind is simply unable to fathom it. Know
that by fulfilling this mitzvah in all its beauty you will be worthy of bringing closer
the day when our holy Temple will be rebuilt in splendour and glory. May it be God's
will to rebuild it speedily in our days, Amen (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 87).
11) For a discussion of Hoshanah Rabbah and Simchat Torah, see Likutey Moharan I,
74.
12) Shemini Atzeret brings about the tikkun of Judgement. In essence this is a tikkun
for the holy Covenant (See Rosh Hashanah 9).

TEFILIN:
1) The straps of the tefilin are a protection for faith against the parasitic forces of evil.
They protect the mind and the soul, and fresh wisdom and a fresh soul are drawn from
the inner light of God's countenance (35:9).
2) A person should constantly search himself to see if he is attached to God. The
tefilin are the sign of attachment (38:1).
3) The way to experience the true sanctity of tefilin is by sanctifying and purifying
speech, which is achieved by learning Torah even when one is poor or under great
pressure. When a person is overwhelmed with darkness and suffering and still makes
an effort to study Torah, he elevates the faculty of speech and he will be able to speak
to his Maker with strength and fire and pour out his words in truth. He will understand
his own insignificance and the utter greatness of the Creator, and he will be filled with

shame at the greatness of his sins against the Master and Ruler of the Universe, the
Root of all the worlds. His shame will show on his very face, and then he will be
worthy of the light of tefilin, which are the sign of attachment to God (Ibid. 2,4,5).
4) Tefilin are the `radiance of God's countenance.' They are the true glory of Israel.
The are `life' and `truth,' the source of wealth and all blessings. Abuse of the tefilin
brings poverty, contempt and shame and puts one in mortal danger, God forbid (47).
5) The tefilin strengthen the memory -- the awareness that the goal of this world is the
World to Come and that one must constantly expand one's intellect so as to understand
the messages God sends every day in order to draw men closer to Him (54:3).
6) The more efforts a person makes to break his immoral desires, the more receptive
he becomes to the holiness of tefilin. It is those who are truly righteous and Godfearing, the `guardians of the earth' who fulfill the mitzvah of tefilin to perfection. The
full force of immoral temptations is unleashed against them with a fury and could
even bring them to waste their seed and be stamped with the seal of the forces of the
Other Side, God forbid. But they steel themselves against them, totally separating
themselves from any such thoughts, and they elevate the seal of the evil husk until it
becomes transformed into the seal of holiness -- the tefilin, which embody the
radiance of the sparks of wisdom, whereby one knows and acknowledges the Divinity
and Kingship of God. The light of the seven faithful shepherds shines, corresponding
to the seven heads of the two shins' on the tefilin (one with four heads, the other with
three). Thus the significance of the tefilin is that we have to draw down the radiance
of God and strive for ever-deeper understanding of Godliness. But there are necessary
limits to the human intellect, and these must also be observed. The tefilin are the
tikkun for this, enabling us to deepen our understanding while remaining within the
bounds of holiness. Even in our striving to draw close to the radiance of Godliness, it
is forbidden to go beyond the boundaries and `break through' (cf. Exodus 19:21).

THOUGHTS AND FANTASIES:

1) Make sure that you don't allow your mind to become chametz -- leavened. Don't
dwell on bad thoughts or desires at all. These thoughts are rooted in the side of death.
If they come into your mind, just reject them and push them out completely, because
ultimately they ruin the mind and make it impossible to pray properly and experience
genuine joy. You should try and avoid even the merest hint of thoughts like this. You
should be as carful about it as we are to avoid even the merest speck of chametz on
Pesach. Evil thoughts are the leaven in the dough, and the law regarding leaven on
Pesach is that we must destroy it completely so that it can neither be seen nor found.
Purify your mind and empty it of any thoughts like this (Likutey Moharan 5:4).

2) A person can't always stop bad thoughts from entering his mind in the first place.
But he does have the power to reject them once he becomes conscious of them. This is
something very important, because it is the way to make amends for sins he may have
committed earlier in his life. Perfect repentance has to balance the original sins
exactly, and this is literally what happens here. Before, when he sinned, it was because
the temptation entered his mind and he succumbed to it. Now the thought is in his
mind again, but this time he rejects it. So don't feel discouraged if you find all kinds of
temptations and fantasies continually pressing in on your mind. They are actually
providing you with the opportunity to repent and make amends for the damage done
in the past. Today you have the power to master your thoughts and temptations. When
you do so, the sparks of holiness which fell because of your earlier transgressions are
released, and you are able to purify yourself. Your mind and your voice will be
purified and you will find harmony and peace. This peace can bring the whole world
back to the service of God (27:8).
3) When a person admits unholy thoughts to his mind, the holiness of his mind is
reduced in direct proportion to the space occupied by these degraded thoughts. If you
stick a pole in a river bed, all kinds of dirt and filth gather round it. In the same way,
all kinds of bad characteristics develop because of these unholy ideas, and the mind is
assailed with desires and temptations. In fact all the sins a person does are ultimately
caused by the unholy ideas he originally admitted to his mind. To achieve true
repentance, you must rid your mind of these thoughts. The mind is the soul, and when
a person sanctifies his mind, he elevates and returns everything to its root. This is the
essence of repentance (35:1).
4) Unholy thoughts are the `folly of the heart.' When a person dwells on such thoughts
his heart becomes sullied and the `foreskin of the heart' grows thick. The `void' of the
creation is spoiled, and it is as if this person had damaged the whole world. But when
he thinks good thoughts, the creation is restored. When a person purifies his heart and
expels all unholy thoughts from his mind, thinking only good thoughts, he can bring
about real miracles (49:1).
5) A person's entire destiny for good or ill depends on the thoughts in his heart. The
thoughts and ideas in the heart are the basis of the heart's `inclinations' -- the good
inclination and the evil inclination. Good thoughts are the good inclination, bad
thoughts are the evil inclination (Ibid.).
6) When a person expels all the unholy thoughts from his heart and thinks only good
thoughts about ways of serving God, then he has founded his strength on the `rock of
my heart' (Psalms 73:26) and he will succeed in reaching the level where `my heart is
void within me' (Psalms 109:22). He will be able to develop his character to
perfection and take on the yoke of heaven with a perfect heart. He will be worthy of

true prayer and perfect repentance, and bring about unification in the worlds above
and the worlds below. The hidden Torah of the Ancient One will be revealed, the
forces of evil will be destroyed and the forces of holiness will be elevated. Israel will
be blessed with vitality, abundance and prosperity (Ibid.).
7) All the thoughts which pass through the mind are always expressed in words. At the
moment one thinks a thought, `the lips move' (cf. Yerushalmi Berachoth 7a). He may
not actually feel this, but as the Zohar explains, there is always a movement, however
subtle. Every thought that a person can think must be expressed in words, however
subtly (66:4).
8) Many people experience very strong mental distractions while they are trying to
pray. These can be immoral fantasies or even thoughts about idolatrous worship.
There are even cases where people see vivid images of idolatrous objects or else they
experience overwhelming temptations the very moment they stand up to pray. They
try to push the thoughts out of their minds by tossing their heads from side to side. But
the harder they try the more the thoughts press in. This is in the nature of thoughts like
these. The more worked up you get about trying to push them out of your mind, the
more they insinuate their way in. The best way to deal with them is simply to ignore
them. Act as if you were completely unconcerned. Refuse to listen. Carry on with
what you were doing, studying, praying, working or whatever. Pay no attention to the
thoughts or fantasies at all. Don't keep on looking round to see if they have gone
away. Just carry on with what you are trying to do. In the end they will go away of
their own accord. But you should understand that this method is only a temporary
measure. In the long term the task is to sanctify and purify your body. To achieve this
you must go to the Tzaddikim to learn the paths of truth. Thoughts like these will then
disappear completely (72).
9) If you allow yourself to be depressed about these kinds of thoughts it simply feeds
them with more fuel. It is no good being upset or afraid of them. Just don't pay any
attention to them. Try and be cheerful. Elsewhere we discuss the way to be happy
always (see Simcha) Eventually these thoughts will disappear automatically. Don't
keep on testing to see if they are still there. It won't help if you keep on turning round
to look. Just don't pay any attention to them at all (Ibid.).
10) The Torah distinguishes between the animals which are pure and those which are
impure. The `pure animals' are pure thoughts, and `impure animals' are impure
thoughts. The battle between the different thoughts in a person's mind is a battle
between the pure and the impure animals. Heaven allows them to carry on fighting
because God has great pleasure when He sees a man struggling hard to defeat these
`wild animals' (233).

11) The simple fact is that it is impossible for two thoughts to be in the mind at one
and the same time. It is therefore an easy matter to rid yourself of bad thoughts by
being quite passive. Simply don't think them. Think something else instead: think
about Torah or devotion to God, or even about your work, and so on. If you just turn
your mind to something else the bad thoughts and fantasies will go away
automatically (Ibid.).
12) Thought is a very elevated level. One who wishes to think only thoughts of
holiness and ascend to the world of thought must be completely silent. Even saying
something good and noble would spoil the thought. But even when a person is
completely silent, there are still many distractions which confuse the mind. He still
has to purify his thoughts. The way to do this is through hearing and telling stories of
the Tzaddikim (234).
13) Sexual fantasies are the prime source of all impurity. They are as strong a source
of pollution as a dead body. Charity gives some protection against these fantasies, but
one should never rely on this and permit oneself to talk freely with women. One
should say only what is essential. The merit of the charity he gives will then save him
from harm (242).
14) There are certain fantasies which derive their strength from a particular husk
which is extraordinarily tough. It is very difficult to escape from them. Even if you try
to shut your eyes the thought appears wherever you turn. Charity gives protection
against these thoughts (Ibid.).
15) Whenever you find bad thoughts and fantasies pressing in on your mind, don't be
depressed. Try extra hard to turn aside from them. The effort itself is very precious
and brings about a great tikkun (Likutey Moharan II, 5:7).
16) A person's thoughts are in his power completely. He can turn them in whatever
direction he wants. It may be that at times your thoughts run wild and fly to areas you
ought to keep away from. It is still within your power to take them in hand, even
against their will, and direct your thoughts to the true path. Thought is just like a horse
which turns aside from the road and tries to go in the wrong direction. The rider
controls the horse with the bridle and forces it to go in the right direction. As soon as
you see your thoughts pulling in the wrong direction, take them in hand and bring
them back to the right direction (Ibid. 50).
17) It is impossible to form any conception of the preciousness of good thoughts -thoughts of Torah and devotion. Out of thoughts such as these there are formed perfect
objects which will exist for all time. From this alone you can understand the true evil
of unholy thoughts, God forbid (53).

18) You should aim for the level of Mah -- `What?' This means binding yourself and
your thoughts to God at all times in order to draw Godliness over yourself. If you do
this, all the battles and difficulties in your life will melt away and everything will go
your way. The Hebrew word for `thought' is machshavah, which bears the meaning of
`think what?' -- chashov-mah. That is to say, you must draw Mah? into your mind and
bind your thoughts to God at all times. The gematria of Mah is: 45. This is equivalent
to the gematria of the name of God when all the letters are written out in full.
19) You must be very careful about what you think: a thought can literally take on a
life of its own (46).
20) Thought is man's highest aspect. It is more elevated than vision, the sense of
hearing, and in fact everything. With thought it is possible to climb ever higher. This
is why you must be so careful about what you think (Ibid.).
21) Sometimes a thought -- a good idea, or a glimmer of perception -- can pass
through your mind and shine there for a moment and then fly away again. It takes
great strength to run after the thought and chase it until you catch up with it (58).

THE THREE FESTIVALS: PESACH,

SHAVUOT, SUCCOT:
(see also Pesach; Omer and Shavuot, and Succot)
1) The joy we have on the three major festivals can give us a share in the Inner Light
of God. This brings new life to the soul and the mind, through which we gain our
perception of God (30:6).
2) The truest joy comes from fulfilling the mitzvot, God's commandments. The more a
person forms some estimate of the true greatness of God, the greater the joy he is able
to feel with every mitzvah he performs. He begins to realize how privileged he is to
perform the will of the Holy One, blessed-be-He, who alone is, was and will be to all
eternity. The joy of all the mitzvot we perform throughout the year is collected
together, as it were, on the three festivals. This is what makes up the joy of the
festival. All the good points of all the mitzvot performed throughout the year are
joined together and concentrated in the festival, and the joy becomes truly palpable. If
we make an effort to search for the holy joy which is to be found in performing the
mitzvot on the other days of the year, then this `festival joy' will be accessible to us
every day of the year. But on the actual festivals themselves, the joy is something
special. The Torah itself commands us: `and you shall rejoice in your feast'

(Deuteronomy 16:14). The joy of the festivals themselves is made up of the joy of all
the mitzvot of the whole year. There are no limits to this joy (Ibid.).
3) One of the ways of breaking your pride is by honouring the festivals fittingly and
celebrating them with joy and delight, with delicacies and fine clothes, whatever you
can afford (135).
4) When you celebrate the festivals fittingly it is equivalent to going to visit your Rav
and receiving his teachings. This is true even if you are physically miles apart! It
works the other way around also. The more you bind yourself to the Tzaddik, the
more you can experience the holiness of the festivals. Through this the forces of
holiness are released from the grip of the kelipot, the husks, and restored to their true
position. The power of evil and the rule of the heathens is thus overturned and
destroyed (Ibid.).
5) On the festivals we should return to God out of joy. On each of the festivals the
world is brought to judgement, as our Sages have taught (Rosh Hashanah 16). A time
of judgement is a time for returning to God. Through repentance the forces of holiness
are released from the hold of the kelipot and the final redemption brought nearer
(Ibid.).
6) When a person is walking along and suddenly slips and falls so that everyone
laughs at him and makes him feel embarrassed, it is a sign that he was not as joyous as
he should have been on the festivals (235).
7) There are many different ways of honoring the festivals: with fine food and drink,
with beautiful clothes, with pure and holy thoughts, with joy and open-heartedness,
and so on. Through honoring the festivals you can attain to the knowledge of God and
you can draw this knowledge down into the heart, which is the seat of passion and
desire. The three main desires which are the root of all others are the desire for riches,
the sexual appetite and the impulse to eat. Each one of the festivals has the power to
counter one of these desires. Pesach counters the desire for wealth, Shavuot the sexual
instinct, and Succot the impulse to eat excessively. It is because the festivals have
these special powers that one should be so careful to celebrate them with the proper
respect. This is the way to be freed from these desires. Every Jew has the task of
subduing and refining these aspects of his character. When he succeeds, he is open to
experiences which are truly prophetic, and he can attain genuine prayer and true
healing, and see the sparks of Mashiach. In the end he will come to rule over the
angels, which is the very purpose for which the Jew is created and the ultimate destiny
of Israel (Likutey Moharan II, 1).

8) The festival days cry out, proclaim and reveal the Will -- God's Will, which rules
over all. There is no such thing as the `inevitability of nature.' Every festival
commemorates the awesome signs and miracles which God performed on our behalf,
all of them contrary to nature. Pesach commemorates the going out of Egypt. Shavuot
recalls the giving of the Torah. And on Succot we remember the clouds of glory with
which we were surrounded in the wilderness. Through these awesome signs and
wonders it was revealed that everything comes about through the Will of God alone.
There is nothing inevitable about nature at all. Only you must take care to direct your
ear and heart to the holy message which is thus proclaimed. The more carefully you
attend to this message the greater the festival joy you will attain. The way to attain this
joy is through acts of charity and kindness (see Tzedakah). This is why we should
give generously to charity before every festival in order to experience the true joy of
the festival (4:6).

TORAH STUDY:
1) Through studying Torah all our prayers and requests are accepted and the favor and
standing of the Jewish people are enhanced in the eyes of whoever they have need for,
materially and spiritually (1:1).
2) Studying Torah with all your might gives power to the forces of holiness and
strengthens the good inclination against the evil inclination (Ibid.).
3) If you labor in the study of Torah you will be able to understand the hints and
meanings contained in all the different things in the world and use them as a means of
coming closer to God. Even if you find yourself in a place of darkness where you
might think it hard to draw close to God, true wisdom will radiate to you and you will
be able to draw close to God even from there (Ibid.).
4) Nobody sins unless he is overcome by the `spirit of folly' (Sotah 3a). The sins and
damage a person may have done literally make him mad. This is why the majority of
people suffer from all kinds of quirks and idiosyncrasies. The remedy is to study
Torah intensively. The Torah consists entirely of the names of the Holy One, blessedbeHe, and i t has the power to crush the evil inclination and banish all the madness
and folly which cling to a person because of his sins (Ibid.).
5) One of the most subtle devices of the evil inclination is that rather than starting off
by trying to persuade a person to do a blatant sin, it dresses itself up as if it wanted to
persuade him to do an actual mitzva. But Torah study develops the sharpness and
intelligence which will help you escape these devices (Ibid.).

6) Torah and prayer give strength to one another and illuminate each other (2:6).
7) When a person studies the gemara by night, a thread of lovingkindness is drawn
down over him and he can free himself of all his impure motives for Torah learning
desire for recognition, etc. Gemara study by night is a protection against the spiritual
harm caused by unholy music, which can otherwise make it very difficult to serve
God. But with this protection he will discover the power of holy music and be able to
attach himself to God through music and song. This strengthens the forces of holiness
and gives him the power to control whatever he wants. He will be able to achieve the
level of prophecy (3).
8) Studying the codes of Torah law gives us the ability to distinguish between good
and evil and separate them from one another (This is because the essence of the
halachah is to distinguish between pure and impure, kasher and passul etc...) Thus the
evil contained in the four cosmic elements which are the source of the various human
character tra its is banished. This is the way one can achieve perfection, and then
whatever one prays for will emerge from potentiality to actuality and one's request
will be fulfilled. Those who oppose him with obstacles and barriers will be cast down
to the ground (8:6,7).
9) Reaching the correct legal decision depends upon prayer (Ibid.).
10) When studying Torah it is necessary to articulate the words and say them aloud.
Then the words themselves will illumine all the places where we have to repent, and
in the end we will be able to achieve perfect repentance, which will outbalance all our
sins. This is a continuous process: with each act of repentance we advance from level
to leve l until we emerge from our own low level and are able to comprehend the true
depths of Torah (11:1).
11) But it is only possible to receive this illumination from the words of the Torah if
we first break our pride and pretensions, which give us false motives for Torah study
to acquire prestige or be able to boast or attain rabbinic office etc. The degree to
which we succeed in this depends on our moral purity (Ibid. 2,3).
12) When people study Torah for extraneous motives, especially the Oral Torah the
gemara and the legal codes it gives them an opening to speak disparagingly about the
true Tzaddikim. This is why there is opposition to the Tzaddikim from certain scholars
(12:1).
13) Before a person sits down to study he should understand that at the very moment
he is learning, the Tzaddik in the Garden of Eden will be listening to his voice. He
must therefore bind himself to the Tanna Mishnaic teacher or Tzaddik who first

revealed the Torah teaching which he is studying in order that their two souls may
`kiss' and be atta ched to one another. This brings great joy to the Tanna, and through
this the student sitting learning will be able to return to God and put fresh life into all
the days of his life that were spent in darkness. But this can only come about when he
studies Torah for its own sake with the intention of fulfilling God's commandment to
study Torah whic h is equal to all the other commandments put together and to fulfill
the Torah he learns. But when someone learns because he wants to be considered
clever, etc.., he is worse than a carcass of a dead animal (which is forbidden to be
eaten unless it was ritually slaughtered) and he will certainly not be able to attach
himself to the spirit of the T anna. He will never see the truth. He will turn into an
enemy of the true Tzaddik and cause the exile of the Shechinah, because the oral
Torah is in exile on the lips of this so-called Torah scholar (Ibid.).
14) When one learns for the right motives and studies the words of a Tanna, one
restores the soul of the Tanna to his the Tanna's body (Ibid.).
15) It is a good practice to study legal rulings in conjunction with the B'er HaGolah,
the commentary which gives the Talmudic source of each ruling, in order to mention
the name of the Tanna or legal authority who originated the ruling in question and so
attach oneself to his spirit (Ibid.).
16) The study of Torah in holiness and purity makes it possible to arouse the sinners
of Israel and converts to return to God. But it is only possible to achieve this when one
is absolutely humble (14:3-5).
17) Whenever a person learns Torah and this applies especially to a Torah scholar he
must aim to send light into the root of their souls. Then he will be able to arouse even
those who are far from God the wicked and the proselytes and draw them closer to
Him. He will be worthy of having a son who is learned in Torah. But when a person's
learning is not on such a level, his son will not be learned in Torah (Ibid. 3,4).
18) Through meditation and self-examination, in which one judges oneself and all
one's actions, it is possible to attain fear of God, which is the means to understand the
revealed aspects of Torah and attain true humility. This is the foundation of genuine
prayer, where one nullifies one's very being and material existence. Then he can
understand the hidden aspects of Torah, which is the light treasured up to be revealed
in the future. Happy is he that attains this. (15).
19) It is only possible to understand the secrets of Torah if you `make your face black
as a raven's' (Erubin 54)and act just like the raven to its young. You must nullify your
materialistic aspects completely, as if you were simply not in the world (Ibid.).

20) The secret aspects of Torah are called `holy' and `no common man shall eat
thereof' (Leviticus 22:13) only His holy ones and those who are close to Him (Ibid.).
21) When Torah is drawn into the world, God's providence is drawn over us. The
closer a person is to Torah the more completely God's providence is drawn over him
(13:4).
22) There are times when the way to observe the Torah is by bittul Torah, neglect of
Torah. It is impossible to be constantly occupied with Torah and devotion without
interruption. There are times when one has to make a break and `neglect' the Torah in
order to go out and deal with everyday matters. This stops the forces of the Other Side
from ris ing up with disturbances and distractions and destroying one's mind
completely, God forbid. Periodic neglect of Torah is an inescapable necessity. Only
when Mashiach comes will there never be any need to interrupt one's devotions (16).
23) When a person wants to receive new insights into Torah he must first arouse
himself with words hot as flaming coals: he must pour out his prayer before God, and
then God's love will be aroused for him and the Supreme Heart will be opened and a
stream of words will pour forth. By means of these words, new insights will come
from this same sourc e (20:2).
24) In the prayer a person makes before discoursing on Torah, he must plead with God
and beg Him to open His hand out of generosity alone. He should never demand
anything as of right, as if he were entitled to something in virtue of his own merits. He
should stand before God like a poor beggar. He should also bind himself with the
souls of his lis teners. Then his prayer will be a joint prayer, and `the prayer of the
community is never spurned.' (Berachot 8a) It will surely be accepted, and each of
those present will then have a share in the Torah he reveals (Ibid.).
25) Through the merit of the Torah which is drawn into the world in this way you can
succeed in coming to the Land of Israel (Ibid. 6).
26) When a person studies Torah without gaining new insights it is because the
wisdom of the Torah is concealed from him like an embryo in the womb. He should
cry out in his prayers and as he learns. Then he will give birth to wisdom (21:7,8).
27) When someone studies Torah without understanding what he is learning or
gaining any new insights, God Himself has great joy from his learning, but even so, he
should make no attempt to teach publicly. But when God bestows understanding on a
person and grants him original ideas, it is right and fitting that he should reveal what
he has learned to others and bestow his understanding upon the Chosen People. He
should share his own good with others (Ibid.).

28) Be very careful not to listen to Torah lectures from scholars lacking in integrity.
They are `Jewish demons' (cf. Zohar III, 253) who receive their Torah from the
demons who are in possession of the fallen Torah. Their discussions may seem very
remarkable and they are usually well received by the mass of people. Their style is
florid and ornat e: they give elaborate examples and seemingly profound explanations.
But there is nothing to be gained from them. Their Torah has no power to direct men
on a good path. On the contrary, it leads people into doubts and disbelief and they end
up despising those who are truly religious (28:1).
29) The remedy for this is to open the doors of your house to genuine Torah scholars
and offer them hospitality. This is the way to develop true faith and lovingkindness
and to nullify yourself before God, as it is written: `I am a worm and not a man'
(Psalms 22:7). This will give you the strength to confront the opposition and banish
the doubts and disbelief they foment. Then you will be able to sift out the good that is
in their Torah and elevate it (Ibid. 3).
30) You have to be assertive and determined if you want to acquire Torah. You must
be `bold as a leopard' (Avoth 5:24) in the service of God. Pay no attention whatsoever
to those who put obstacles in your way or try to ridicule you. The quality of your
boldness and determination will be reflected in the Torah you learn. One whose
boldness expresse s a determination to acquire genuine holiness will gain new insights
and find new horizons in the Torah. But someone whose boldness is really a form of
pride and arrogance stemming from the Other Side and who lacks genuine respect for
men of piety will not gain true insights into Torah. The Torah he will acquire will be
from the forces of the Othe r Side. And the quality of his prayer will reflect the quality
of the Torah he learns (30:8).
31) To achieve complete fulfillment one must be developed in one's character and
learned in Torah at one and the same time. Our Sages said that `an ignoramus will
never be a saint' (Avoth 2:6). On the other hand, to be learned by itself is useless. It is
possible to be learned and completely wicked, and when a person is unworthy the
Torah becomes an elixir of death for him. But when a person is both learned in Torah
and saintly in his actions he is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts. He shapes the letters
of Torah for good and brings life and goodness into the world. One who mistakenly
believes that the main thing is to be learned alone is like `Acher' (R. Elisha ben
Abuya, the notorious s cholar-turned-disbeliever of the Talmud) who `uprooted the
saplings' (Chagiga 14b) (31).
32) There are times when even a perfect Tzaddik who is both learned and saintly falls
from his level because it is impossible to remain on the same level constantly. When
this happens, it is no good for him to try to fortify himself with the thought of the
great learning he still retains. He must work on his character and behavior, not his

Torah i ntellect. He should strengthen himself in the fear of Heaven and work on the
good points which are still within him (Ibid.).
33) The Torah and the Tzaddikim are the source of peace: peace within the Jewish
people as a whole and peace in each individual. It is no good for a person to be at war
with himself. There must be a harmony between his various traits, and he must also
develop a harmonious approach to life so that it will make no difference to him
whether things ar e good or seemingly bad: in everything he will find only God (33:2).
34) Extraneous ideologies are darkness and folly compared to the wisdom of Torah.
Through fasting and giving charity to causes in the Land of Israel we become worthy
of the wisdom of Torah, which elevates the soul and fills it with love, light and life,
and the harsh judgements are sweetened (35:1).
35) The world cannot endure nor can the harsh judgements be sweetened except
through the merit of the breath of little children studying Torah. Every person has a
duty to search out a good, upright, Godfearing teacher and beg God to help him find
one in order not to let the holy breath of the children be corrupted by a bad teacher
(37:4).
36) When a person studies Torah in spite of all the pressures of hardship and poverty,
the Torah he learns draws a thread of love over him and banishes all his opponents
and all the forces of impurity. Speech is cleansed and elevated to its source, and he
becomes worthy of expressing himself before God with words of heat and fire which
flow from t he heart in truth (38:4).
37) When a person sharpens his mind by studying Torah, his intellect is sharpened and
his awareness of the greatness of the Creator is expanded. This will make him even
more ashamed of his sins and shame is the essence of repentance. He will be worthy
of the light of tefilin, which is a ray of the light of God's inner countenance and a `tree
of li fe' (Ibid. 5).
38) Deficient faith brings neglect of Torah, resulting in exile and wandering (40).
39) Even in learning Torah there has to be a certain limit, a level of sufficiency and
contentment. One can easily become confused by wanting to learn more than one is
able to. He sees how much there is to learn and wants to learn the entire Torah while
standing on one leg. He may end up being so bewildered that he actually learns
nothing at all. You must be content for your learning to be within the limits of what is
possible for you, because `it is not for you to complete the task' (Avoth 2:21) (54:3).

40) Heaven and earth are recreated afresh when new innovations of Torah are born.
This is the source of all the blessings in the world. But there are certain original
conceptions which are purely a product of the imagination. The Torah student is more
at risk from the deceptions of the imagination than anyone else. His misconceptions
may appear ve ry attractive and convincing because the whole power of the
imagination is to make one thing seem like another, and therefore these
misconceptions have a strong semblance of truth. Inasmuch as they are Torah they do
contain some good, but this is outweighed by the bad which is in them, and original
concepts like these cause famine in the world and have an adverse effect on one's
livelihood. One must pray to God to be saved from them. The remedy is to be very
careful neither to speak nor listen to lashon hara, malicious slander. Also be sure that
you are always happy, because the main reason for the fantasies and temptations
created by the imagination is depression. Therefore the way to ove rcome them is by
being happy (Ibid. 6).
41) Devotion to Torah brings vitality and length of days. The Torah is made up of the
names of the Holy One, blessed-be-He. When we speak words of Torah we are calling
upon the Life of Life, blessed be His name, and thus we draw long life and vitality
from him. This is why we have to study Torah aloud and actually form the words on
our lips. This is how we call upon God and draw long life and vitality from Him
(56:3).
42) A person who devotes himself to Torah can give guidance even to those who are
far from him, despite the fact that he does not know exactly what they need and that
they may not even be physically present. His learning and devotion to Torah cause
those who are distant to hear the voice of Torah clearly. For the Torah cries out
constantly and dec lares: `How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness?' It
is only that her voice is not heard because Godliness has been so heavily concealed as
a result of our many sins. Today God is hidden from us in a `concealment within the
concealment' the double hiding referred to in the prophecy of haster astir panai, `I
shall surely hide My face ' (Deut. 31:18). But devotion to Torah causes that which is
concealed to be revealed, and even those who are distant can then hear the voice of
Torah raised in warning, and they can all return to God (Ibid.).
43) Certain kinds of people are very far indeed from God and have virtually leapt
away from the One who is the place of the whole world. There are other cases of
people who once had a period of closeness to God but now they have forgotten about
it. And then there are those who still remember God but whose strength has become
too weak for them to b e able to conquer their evil inclination. But the power of the
Torah is so great that those who study it in truth can cause its warning voice to be
heard by all these different kinds of people (Ibid.).

44) When you study Torah you must draw out `judgements of truth' from what you
learn. That is, you should try to derive practical directives as to how to live, both for
yourself and for those who are under your influence, regardless of whether they are
few or many. You will be able to do this if you have faith in the Sages (61:1).
45) There are many holy books in existence today, and many more are destined to be
printed in the future. The world needs all of them, and it is wrong to cast aspersions on
any of them. They are all firmly based upon the Written and Oral Law. It is
philosophical works based on speculation and false ideology that you should keep
away from, no matte r who they might be written by. But all books which are in
accordance with the Holy Torah that we received on Mt. Sinai are very precious, and
they are all necessary for the world. One who scoffs at them will be subject to the
judgement of boiling excrement, and he will never succeed in gaining any practical
guidance from the Torah he studies. He will never be sure about anything. He will
constantly be afflicted with doubts in whatever he does until he repents and revises his
view of these holy books. And when he does, the harsh judgements in the world will
be sweetened by means of the Holy Torah. The very perfection of the Torah depends
upon the abundance of books concerned with the oral Law (Ibid. 5).
46) A person who introduces new and original Torah concepts and whose intention is
for the sake of Heaven must have faith in himself. He needs to have faith that God has
great joy from his innovations. He should never be dispirited. He should always be
diligent in his studies and see to it that he is constantly developing new ideas. He
should note them down and write books about them. Then all the harsh judgements in
the world will be sweetened (Ibid.).
47) Studying the legal codes has the power to strike at the very roots of strife and
contention. (A legal decision represents the resolution of all the arguments on the
subject between the Sages.) By striking at the roots of strife, the divisiveness
manifested in the lower worlds is dissipated, and so also is the turmoil which the evil
inclination stirs up in the heart. This turmoil expresses itself in the form of all the
doubts and problems about faith which rise persistently in a person's heart and divide
him from God to the point that he finds it impossible to pray as he should. The main
reason why people find it hard to pray with the proper devotion is that their faith is not
perfect. If a person knew and believed with all his heart that the entire world is full of
God's glory and that God stands over him while he is praying and listens to his every
word, he would certainly pray with tremendous fervor and would make sure that he
concentrated on every word he was saying. It is only because people are not entirely
firm in their f aith that they are not as enthusiastic as they should be about their
prayers. This is because of the turmoil stirred up in the heart by the evil inclination.
The remedy is to study the legal codes, which puts this turmoil to rest and brings
peace. The heart is no longer divided, and one can serve God with all one's heart with

both inclinations. Th e gates of wisdom will be opened to him and he will know how
to reply to the atheist in his heart. He will be worthy of praying with all his heart
(62:2).
48) When a person labors in Torah until he succeeds in knowing and understanding it,
his soul will be healed and elevated to its source, all the harsh judgements will be
sweetened, and a `tree of life' will be planted in the worlds above that has the power to
heal everything. Through his labors all the worlds are sustained and renewed and the
glor y of God is revealed in the world. This is the goal of man's work, that the glory of
God should be magnified (74).
49) If a person labors in Torah even without understanding what he is studying, it is
still very good. All the words rise up to the higher worlds, and God takes joy in them
and makes them into `willows of the brook' (Ibid.).
50) Without Torah it is impossible to live. At times a person burns with a fiery passion
for God, but the passion is excessive and could engulf him completely. But Torah
study has the power to cool the flames and allow him to survive. There are other times
when a person burns with desire for the temptations of this world. The fire of his
passions could burn his entire body. But learning Torah protects him against this. The
fire within him is extinguished and he can live. Torah is therefore the source of all true
life (78).
51) True repentance depends on Torah. A person must labor in the study of Torah until
he is able to understand one thing from another and make original contributions for
the sake of Heaven. This is perfect repentance, and then all the letters had
combinations which fall within this person's portion in all the worlds will be restored
to their true root and brought back from the scattered places to which they were
banished. He will become a new person. His mind will become settled, and he will
arouse God's love for him to the point that God Himself will `pray' for him in His pure
compassion He will stir up His abundant love and send complete salvation (105).
52) When a person studies Torah it is a good thing to paraphrase what he is learning in
the language he understands. This is a benefit to the whole world (118).
53) No matter what a person is learning he should find himself in it: he should derive
a personal lesson from what he is learning and recognize his own insignificance and
lowliness. This is a sign that he wants to perform the will of God (121).
54) When someone unworthy discourses on Torah he may be subjected to sexual
temptations. It is a grave sin for one who is unworthy to discourse on Torah even to
one other person, let alone a group (134).

55) When a person is studying a Torah concept originally introduced by a Tanna or a

Tzaddik, he should imagine the form of the Tzaddik or the Tanna standing before him.
This can protect him from forgetfulness (192).
56) One who feels the sweetness of Torah will be saved from becoming a widower
(199).
57) A person who wants to gain new insights and introduce new concepts in Torah,
must weep profusely beforehand to prevent the forces of the Other Side and the husks
from having any share in these innovations (262).
58) There are people whose Torah teachings are broad below but narrow above. They
are broad below because these people expound at great length. But above they are
narrow because in the upper worlds nothing remains except a mere spark. On the
other hand the Torah discourses of the true Tzaddikim may seem very slim and narrow
below, but in the world s above they are very broad. Happy are they. The same applies
to their power to arouse men to repentance (279).
59) Even a simple person who sits with a book and examines the letters of the Torah
carefully can perceive new concepts and real wonders. But don't make a test out of
this (281).
60) One has to literally steal time from one's business and other activities in order to
study Torah. Even someone who is burdened with many obligations and duties cannot
be so pressed that it is impossible for him to snatch some period each day to devote to
Torah (284).
61) Every Jew must spend a portion of his time every day studying the law codes.
This applies under all circumstances. It is a very serious matter, and no one should
ever miss his daily session. Even in an emergency, when he has no time for example,
if he is traveling he should still learn at least one paragraph of the Shulchan Aruch,
even from so mewhere other than the place he has reached in his regular daily study
routine. Do not let a single day of your life go by wihtout studying something from
the Shulchan Aruch. Under normal circumstances when you are not under pressure, go
through each of the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch in turn until you have
finished them all. Then go back to the beginning and start again. Follow this practice
all your life. It is a great remedy for all the damage caused by sin. The study of the
legal codes sifts the good from the bad. It is the ultimate remedy (Rabbi Nachman's
Wisdom 29).
62) Through the study of the Shulchan Aruch you will be worthy of becoming `master
of the house' and ruler over all the earth. The gates of the Garden of Eden will be

raised up and you will attain to the Upper Wisdom and the Lower Wisdom, which
make up the delight of the Garden of Eden (286).
63) When little children first go to school and commence the study of Torah, they start
with the first words of Leviticus. It is from here that they receive the holy breath of
their lips which is untainted by sin with the help of the Tzaddikim of the generation
(282).
64) The study of halachot, legal rulings and especially making original contributions
is the `joy of the World to Come.' Giving birth is made easy and people are saved
from all their troubles (Likutey Moharan II, 2).
65) One who prevents scholars from studying will be stricken with diseases of the feet
(Ibid. 3).
66) When a person teaches Torah in public and his words are heard by unworthy
students it can cause drought and imprisonment (60).
67) Honor of the Torah is the source of the blessing of rain (Ibid.).
68) If you want to devote yourself to Torah study unflaggingly, be careful never to
speak against a single Jew. Do your best to seek out merit and worth in every Jew. A
particular individual may seem to you to be wicked. But you should still make an
effort to find some good points in him, and then he will no longer be wicked! When
every Jew is lov ely and pleasant in your eyes you will be able to apply yourself to
Torah continuously (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 91).
69) The study of the Zohar can give you enthusiasm for all your sacred studies. The
very language of the Zohar is precious and can arouse you to serve God (Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom 108).
70) Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who wrote the Zohar, invested the Aramaic language
with such sanctity that even other things written in Aramaic have the power to arouse
you to God (Ibid. 109).
71) The Torah possesses a unique pleasantness. The main thing is to be worthy of
tasting this pleasantness and sweetness. You can attain this if you break your pride
completely. Never take credit for yourself, give all the credit to God alone. Also
through giving charity, especially charity for causes in the Land of Israel, you can
draw from the `mentality of the Land of Israel' and thereby taste the sweet
pleasantness of the wisdom of the Torah (Likutey Moharan II, 71).

72) One who is truly devoted to the Torah can learn the future from it (35).
73) When one studies the books of the true Tzaddikim he must concentrate hard in
order to understand the remarkable originality of their teachings and to find their true
depth and sweetness. For as soon as their words are put into the form of a book it
causes a great concealment of their light. Even the highest and most remarkable Torah
teachings become obscured and hidden as soon as they are put into a boo k, and the
purity of their light is covered over. The book cover alone sets up a great barrier
against the light. When you study from a book you must pay extra attention to
discovering the greatness of the original ideas contained in it (36).
74) Those who study Torah should be sure always to produce original ideas. Torah
thoughts are a great remedy for immoral fantasies. When a man has union with his
wife he should meditate on the words of the Torah (Likutey Moharan II, 105, 106).
75) When you study subjects connected with tragedy, such as the laws of mourning
etc. go through these sections very rapidly (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 8).
76) The power of the Torah is very great. Someone who labors in Torah continuously
will have the power to bring about miracles. It is possible to achieve this even without
being familiar with mystical devotions. The main thing is to study the legal codes until
you know how to make legal rulings. In previous eras there were many leading sages
who w ere able to bring about miracles merely by virtue of the fact that they devoted
themselves to Torah study day and night (Likutey Moharan II, 41).
77) The power of the Torah is strong enough to release one from one's sins. No matter
how trapped a person might be, if he simply makes it his business to set a regular time
for Torah study every day without fail then he will be able to emerge from the hold of
his evil past through the great strength which comes from the Holy Torah (Rabbi
Nachman' s Wisdom 19).
78) Even if a person learns and later forgets, it is still very good. In the future world
everyone will be reminded of everything he learned, even if he forgot it. Still, it is
certainly better if one can remember all the words of the Holy Torah (Ibid. 26).
79) It is good for a person to visit all the different places in the Torah during his
lifetime. He should learn all the holy books of the Torah: the Five Books of Moses
themselves, the writings of the prophets and the rest of the Tanach, the Talmud and all
the legal authorities, all the holy books of the Zohar, all the Midrashim, the writings of
t he ARI HaKadosh and all the other holy books. Then when he reaches the World to
Come he will be able to boast that he visited all parts of the Torah. Don't be put off
and say it is too difficult to cover all this. You don't have to finish everything in a

single day. If your soul loves the Torah and you make a regular habit of studying you
will be able to finish everything we have mentioned and more and even go back over
them several times. This has been proved by the many Torah scholars of past ages
who were authorities on the Talmud and knew all the other holy books virtually by
heart. They achieved everything through their unflagging application to study. Every
person of learning can ach ieve this if he wants. But he should still take the time to
pour out his prayers before God and converse with Him each day. There is time for
everything for Torah, prayer and all the other devotions. The most important thing is
to be sure to learn all the legal codes and finish them several times over (Ibid. 28).
80) When a person is thinking about a Torah idea and wants to find a new angle he
must go over the verse or the subject in question again and again. He must knock on
the door persistently until it opens for him (Ibid. 58).

TRAVEL:
1) In the periods when the people ignore attempts to criticize them and offer them
spiritual guidance, the end result is exile, expulsion from the lands they are living in,
and bitter wandering (Likutey Moharan I, 22:1).
2) Before going on a journey, one should give money to charity. Then nothing will
delay him or trouble him on the way (31:4).
3) All the traveling a person has to do is because of flaws in his faith in God. Such
flaws are actually a form of idolatry. At times traveling can be a tikkun for these
flaws, and this removes the force of anger from the world and draws down the
influence of love (40).
4) Neglect of Torah causes exile (Ibid.).
5) A person may spend his life as a `fugitive and a wanderer' (Genesis 4:14) and at
times he may come to places which are very far from God the homes of the wicked, or
even the homes of heathens. Even so a Jew has the power to elevate all these places to
God. He should simply do his part and bring himself as close as he can to God
regardless of where he may be (II, 76).
6) When a person has heart there is nowhere that presents an insufferable barrier
against his serving God. It is no excuse to say that in a certain place the barriers are so
great that it is impossible to serve God. When a person has a heart, all the places in the
entire world are his (56).

7) Whenever you are on a journey, make sure that you go to the mikveh. The mikveh
has the power to save us from murder (Chayey Moharan, Avodat Hashem 30).

TRUST:
1) Those with deep trust in God are the `organs of conception and birth,' as it were.
Everything that is born in this world, all the blessings that flow into it, everything
comes about through trust. The way to develop trust is through listening to the stories
of the Tzaddikim. There are many people who sleep away their days. They need to be
aroused, and the way to arouse them is by showing them the radiance of Torah. But
because they are asleep, it could be damaging to expose them to the full light of Torah
too suddenly. The Tzaddikim veil the wisdom of the Torah in stories which have the
power to arouse those who are asleep. These people are literally like the dumb. They
are totally incapable of uttering a single holy word. But when they are roused from
their sleep, the power of speech is liberated. Then they begin to speak with
tremendous force. Holy speech strengthens our trust in God. Those who were barren
are able to give birth and attain true awe of Heaven (60:6-8).
2) When you trust in God and you look to Him alone for all your needs, a vessel is
formed with which you can receive His blessing. What you need will be sent to you as
and when you require it (76).
3) There are higher and higher levels of trust reaching to Infinity. The greater a
person's wisdom and understanding the deeper his trust. The more trusting he is, the
more generous he will be in giving charity. Charity is the gateway to the perfection of
the faculty of speech, which is the essence of man's superiority over the animals (225).
4) Besides trust in God there is the trust of the Other Side, which is `trust in a trickster'
(Proverbs 25:19). The making of marriage bonds in holiness and purity causes this
false trust to be broken like a piece of earthenware. This is the meaning of the custom
of breaking a piece of earthenware at the marriage ceremony (60:8).
To explain the concept of trust a little more fully: the essence of genuine trust is
summed up in the words of the Psalm: `Trust in God and do good' (Psalms 37:3). One
should never let oneself be diverted from Torah study, prayer or devotion because of
worries about not having enough to live off. A man should continue to serve God in
the confidence that God will always send him whatever he needs. Not everyone has
such absolute trust that they are prepared to separate themselves completely from the
concerns of this world. But even those engaged in business or work of some kind must
make sure to fix regular times for Torah study, to pray at the appropriate times, and to
carry out all their other religious obligations. They should not allow themselves to be

pushed off course by worries about earning a living. They should trust in God to give
them their livelihood. When it comes to giving charity and helping others or paying
whatever is needed for the various mitzvoth, they should trust that God will provide
them with whatever they need and bless them in the merit of their deeds. Sometimes
people are aware that their behavior is not what it should be and they feel that their
ways do not find favor in God's eyes. Still, they should not let this feeling become a
barrier to trusting in God. No one should say, `Who am I to trust in God and rely on
His help seeing that I have done so much that was wrong.' God is good to all: `His
love never fails, nor does His kindness cease' (from the Amidah). A person may be
small in his own eyes, but he should not let this worry him. He should remain firm in
his trust no matter who he may be. The main thing is that he should always have in
mind that his intention is for the sake of Heaven. This is the meaning of genuine trust
in God. It is the complete opposite of the false confidence that leads people into
wrong-doing, be it stealing, cheating, forging documents, lying, smuggling contraband
or whatever - in the hope that God will protect them and help them succeed and not
get caught. This kind of confidence is the trust of the Other Side, `trust in a trickster'
(Proverbs 25:19). It is no better than a broken potsherd which cannot be repaired.
Even if a person simply takes big business risks and borrows heavily to do so, trusting
that God will bring off the business venture, this is also the trust of the Other Side.
Even if a person's business is not on a large scale he should still trust that God can
give him whatever income he needs. Anyone with intelligence will understand from
what we have said that the way to avoid the trust of the Other Side, which is contrary
to the teachings of the Torah, is to remain firm in genuine trust in God, regardless of
his own opinion of his merits.

TRUTH AND FAITH:

1) In essence, redemption is dependent on faith. The root cause of the exile is simply a
lack of faith (Likutey Moharan 7:1).
2) Faith, prayer, miracles and the Land of Israel are all one concept. They are all
dependent upon each other (Ibid.).
3) There are people who attempt to give natural explanations for all the miracles
which take place. They are atheists who have no faith in miracles. When all such
people have disappeared and faith will have spread throughout the world, then the
Mashiach will come. Because the redemption depends upon faith (Ibid.).
4) The only way to attain faith is through truth. Faith is only applicable in the case of
something which cannot be understood rationally. Where one can understand
something rationally there is no question of faith being involved at all. But there are

certain things which can never be understood rationally. How can one come to have
faith in the things one must believe in? Faith depends upon truth. If you will only
search for the truth with complete honesty you will eventually realise that you must
have faith in God, in the true Tzaddikim and in the holy Torah. You will realize this in
spite of the fact that such faith is not something that is susceptible to our rational
understanding, bound as our rational faculties are by the material nature of our
existence. If you think about things with uncompromising honesty you will get a
glimmer of understanding that this really is the truth. Reason will not help here. You
need faith that is strong and total. Understand this well (Ibid. 2).
5) The only way to find truth is to draw closer to the Tzaddikim and follow their
guidance. Do not turn aside from their words either to the left or the right. Then the
truth will be engraved within you and you will achieve genuine faith. By the same
token, keep well away from bad influences. Pay no attention to the suggestions of
those who are the enemies of the truth, who raise every kind of question about the
truth. You can succeed in this through observing the mitzvah of tzitzit, the fringes.
(See Tzitzit 1). Tzitzit are a hedge against immorality which is directly contrary to the
Holy Covenant between God and the Jewish people and is one of the strongest forces
which can undermine truth. The guidance and advice of worthless people actually
breeds immorality. Through observing the mitzvah of tzitzit you will be able to purify
yourself and observe the Covenant, which is the foundation of faith. All the teachings
of the Tzaddikim are bound up with this (Ibid. 3).
6) Pray with strength and put all your force into the letters of the prayers. Through this
you attain faith (9:1).
7) The people who deny that miracles are possible and claim that everything that takes
place has a natural explanation can actually witness a miracle themselves and still try
and glaze over it and explain it away. Naturally, this attitude of mind is very damaging
to religious faith. It is harmful to prayer, and people's understanding of the true
significance of the Land of Israel becomes obscured. All this contributes to the
lengthening of the exile (Ibid. 2).
8) The less faith there is, the more the face of God is concealed and the more fiercely
His anger burns. At such times the Tzaddikim shy away from accepting positions of
authority and honor and the world is left without true leadership. But if people learn to
hold their anger in check and to break the force of anger by showing love instead, then
God's own anger will be sweetened. The true Tzaddikim will again be willing to
accept roles of leadership and honor and the world will be ready for the true leader
who has the power to bring each person to his own complete fulfillment (18:2).

9) Nobody should accept a position of leadership and authority unless he has attained
the ultimate level of faith. There are people who believe in God but still have a trace
of superstition within them. People like this should never bcome leaders. Then there
are those who pride themselves on their devotion to the good of the world. They claim
that this is their motive for seeking power. But really they are interested in the
prestige. The devotion they claim to have is simply a rationalization. When people
like this gain power it can result in a terrible godlessness, the negation of faith. But
Heaven takes pity on the world and these people are deprived of the reins of power
(Ibid., 3).
10) Make sure that you never let your faith become weakened. A person whose faith is
weak is unable to accept honest criticism. This is very damaging to the cause of peace
because it results in all kinds of aggressiveness, exile and conflict. The end result is
godlessness and idolatry, false ideologies and false religions. True faith is the
foundation of everything. It is the seal of holiness. You must guard it well because
through doing so you are protecting holiness itself (22:1,2).
11) To attain complete faith you must come to the true Tzaddikim of our era. They
alone have the power to explain and communicate the authentic faith of the Jewish
people to our generation, and therefore they are the ones who bring faith to the people
of this age. They can do this because they have achieved the summit of holiness
(Ibid.3).
12) Faith and truth are a shining face. They are joy and life. They are the gateway to
the length of days. But falsehood shortens the days of man's life. Falsehood is death
and idolatry, a dark-face (23:1).
13) All the noble qualities of the soul depend upon faith. Faith is the foundation and
source of all holiness.
14) Even a person who attains a certain level of religious insight and understanding
must take good care to ensure that the perception he has is suffused with faith.
Intellect alone is not something to rely upon (24:6).
15) There are people who have an extensive knowledge of Torah yet they lack
personal worth. The teachings of people like this stem from `fallen Torah'. Their
influence can have devastating effects. It can cause people to reject even the most
basic tenets of faith. Those who remain firm to their belief in God find themselves
under attack and exposed to ridicule and contempt. When such a situation develops,
the remedy is to open your doors to genuine Torah scholars and offer them hospitality.
This is one of the ways of coming to genuine faith, and the hold of those who oppose
the faith and look down upon believers will be broken (28:1-3).

16) Charity is only perfect when it is combined with faith. The same is true of all the
blessings which flow into the world through acts of charity. They are only perfect
when there is faith. Faith is the source of blessings. Keeping the holy Shabbat, which
is called the `source of blessings' is the foundation of faith (31:2).
17) All things depend upon faith for their perfection. Without faith, nothing is
complete. Even the Torah itself, which is the source of true wisdom, has perfection
only through faith. Faith is the foundation of the whole Torah. It is the basis of
everything (Ibid.).
18) When a person is asleep he enters the category of `faith', and this refreshes his
intellect, which is the manifestation of his soul. The refreshment a person gains from
sleeping can help him to attain new levels of religious awareness and perception of
God. He can actually receive a new soul from the light of God's countenance (35:3-5).
19) Any flaw in people's faith is tantamount to idolatry. Because of this the rains are
withheld (Taanith 8) and the world has no contentment or peace. No one helps his
neighbor. Everyone is for himself, and because of the lack of cooperation people have
to travel from place to place in order to find a livelihood (40).
20) Truth is the source of genuine wealth. Anyone who spurns the truth will come to
poverty in the end and people will despise him. But one who endeavors to live
truthfully will receive abundant blessings (47).
21) Falsehood damages the eyes, physically and spiritually. When a person tells lies it
stirs up all the impurities in the blood and he falls into depression. The resulting tears
are very harmful to the eyes. The blood of dishonest people is loaded with impurity.
To speak the truth you must first purify the blood (Ibid.).
22) Falsehood is evil and corrupt. A person who is false casts God's protective care
from himself. But a person who is truthful will enjoy God's care and protection in all
ways (Ibid.).
23) There is only one truth but a whole multitude of lies. You can only say one truth
about any given object: just what it is and nothing else. Silver is silver and only silver.
Gold is gold and only gold. But lies can be multiplied without end. Silver can be
called copper...or tin...or lead...or any other name you can think of. That is why the
truth will come out in the end and all the current opposition to the true Tzaddikim will
disappear. The basic cause of this opposition is the terrible spread of falsehood
everywhere. Where the truth is acknowledged to be only one there is no place for
opposition. So the truth will remain and endure forever because the truth is one: that

God is one. In the end all the lies and falsehood will pass from the world and this one
truth will remain. For `the truth of the Lord is for ever' (Psalm 117:2) (Ibid.).
24) Your goal should be to become merged with the One and to connect `after the
Creation' with `before the Creation' to make a unity which is all good and all holy. To
join `after the Creation' with `before the Creation' means constantly to connect the
created world in which we live with the transcendent realm which is beyond Creation
and its source, and which alone gives this world its meaning. If you want to achieve
this, guard yourself from falsehood and speak only the truth. Be perfectly truthful then
you will become merged with the One, because the truth is one (Ibid.).
25) The gates of holiness are opened through faith (57:8).
26) We only speak of faith when the one who believes does not know why he
believes. But even so, for the believer himself the thing he believes in is perfectly
clear and obvious to him, as if he saw it with his own eyes. This is because his faith is
so strong (62:5).
27) One of the ways to develop faith is through working to draw those who are far
from God closer (Ibid. 3-5).
28) When people lack absolute faith they can fall into the trap of confusing the means
with the ultimate cause. They may think they believe in God as the ultimate cause of
everything. But in practice they put their trust in the means. For example they believe
that their livelihood is totally dependent on their business activities and the energy
they put into them, as if without them God would not have any other means of
providing them with their sustenance. In effect they believe that their business
activities are the source of their livelihood and not just the intermediate factor. Or they
may believe that it is the medicine which causes the cure, as if without it God would
not have any other means of sending healing. Once people believe this they inevitably
become preoccupied with the means -- chasing after the right medicaments, throwing
themselves into their work, and so on -- and they forget to turn to God, the root of all
things and the ultimate cause. It is true that we do have to concern ourselves with the
means. But we must not make the mistake of confusing the means with the ultimate
cause and put our faith in the intermediary. We must have faith in God alone (Ibid 6).
29) Everything we do -- praying, learning Torah, carrying out the mitzvoth -- has one
fundamental aim: to reveal the kingship of God (77).
30) If you are very strong in your faith you will eventually reach understanding of
what you believe in. The stronger your faith the greater your understanding will be. At
the outset you have no option but to have faith because you cannot understand the

matter rationally. Through faith you will come to understand it. Except that then there
will be new, more exalted levels which are still hidden from you and beyond your
ability to understand rationally. Here again you will have to make the effort to believe.
You must always have faith in the levels that are hidden from you. In the end you will
understand them also. And so the process goes on. The main thing is that your faith
must be so strong that it spreads to all your limbs. This faith will bring you to true
wisdom (91).
31) One who always wants to be victorious is very intolerant of truth. The truth may
be staring him in the face. But because he is determined to win at all costs he ignores
it completely. If you want to find the real truth you must rid yourself of the urge to
win. Then you will be able to see the truth if you wish (122).
32) Faith contains the power of growth. A person with perfect faith will grow and
develop in his devotion to God no matter what he may have to go through. Regardless
of the obstacles or difficulties he may encounter, nothing will throw him off course.
He will accept whatever he experiences with patience. People who are put off by the
obstacles and difficulties which confront them when they try to serve God have a
certain lack of faith. They are left with a feeling of heaviness and depression, a lack of
enthusiasm. Why is it that people don't make real efforts to draw closer to those who
lead lives of piety and justice? If they really had faith they would run to them as fast
as they could. Why do people not pray properly? If they had genuine faith, they would
really believe that God stands over them while they are praying and hears every word
that emerges from their lips. Then they would pray with tremendous fire and yearning.
But instead they are listless and depressed. It is because they lack this real faith. That
is why they are far from the Tzaddikim, from the pious and just, and from true
devotion to God. When a person has genuine faith nothing can stand in his way. No
matter what happens he will grow in the service of God (155).
33) Controversy and divisiveness can cause even God-fearing people to start having
doubts about their beliefs. The answer is to be silent. And to leave the battle to the
Lord (251).
34) A person should be so honest that when he carries out the mitzvot and all their fine
details it is for the sake of God alone. Even if he were completely alone with no one to
watch him, he would still carry them all out scrupulously. Being free of the slightest
hint of dishonesty, he would never do anything merely to impress others (Ibid.).
35) When troubles strike, God forbid, it is because the truth has become flawed. A
person with troubles must be very careful not to become ensnared in error and
falsehood because of them (II 2:4).

36) At all times one should give thanks to God for everything one experiences, and
especially when one is released from danger. This, combined with the study of the
law, will cause truth to radiate in his speech. He will be able to perfect all aspects of
his speech. Perfection in speech comes only through truth. He will pray in truth -- and
this is perfect prayer. He will be worthy of learning Torah from a true teacher who will
give true guidance in the path of truth. He will find his true partner in life and true
partners for his children. The way to attain all this is through thanks and
acknowledgement of God and the study of the law. In this way one can draw the
blessing, and holiness and joy of Shabbat into the other six days of the week. Then the
simple unity which underlies all the diverse phenomena of this world will be revealed,
and one will believe and know how all the different things in the world stem from the
blessed unity of God. To know this is very precious. Even in God's eyes it is
something wondrous and precious (Ibid.).
37) When people's faith in God is weak all kinds of false doctrines and beliefs gain
influence. But when their faith in the truth is strengthened, these ideologies lose their
grip and become discredited. Even the nations who were far from God abandon their
fallacies and come to believe in the truth. They may not actually convert. But although
they remain in their place, they acknowledge God and believe and know that there is
One who was the First, blessed-be-He. At times, however, they do actually convert
and become proselytes (Ibid.).
38) Faith is attained through attachment to the Tzaddik who has attained the level of
ruach hakodesh, the holy spirit. Through this ruach hakodesh man's faculty for
symbolic thought is refined and cleansed, bound up as it is with the power of
imagination and fantasy. Only then can he attain perfect faith in God and in the
constant renewal of the world. This is the foundation of everything. The whole world
depends on it (8:7,8).
39) Faith depends on a person's mouth. We must say we believe: say it out loud! As it
is written in the Psalms (89:1) `I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.'
When a person has a crisis of faith, or even passing doubts, it is very good if he says
out loud: `I believe.' Just expressing your faith in words is itself one kind of faith.
Through doing this you can come to genuine faith (44).
40) In the same way one should also be very careful never to say anything which
implies even a slight lack of faith, let alone complete disbelief. Even if you believe in
your heart, you should never express disbelief even as a joke, or even if you are only
quoting someone else in order to ridicule them. It is very wrong to do this and it is
very damaging to your faith. Even as a joke it is forbidden to say anything which
implies disrespect of God (Ibid.).

41) It is far better to have even simple-minded faith than to believe in nothing at all.
When your faith is simple-minded you may even believe certain things which are not
true. But at least you will also believe in the truth. If you reject all simple-mindedness
you may end up rejecting everything and you will become totally cynical. Then you
won't even believe in the truth (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, 103).
42) Perfect faith is when you believe in God without any sophistication at all, without
signs or miracles, speculation or philosophy. Your faith should be simple and pure,
like that of women and simple folk (Ibid. 33).
43) There are people who are well versed in Torah and still have no belief in God.
They are diseased. The name for their disease is Raasan (a type of leprosy. See
Ketuboth 77b). Make sure that you keep well away from these people. The rabbis
warned us that the very breath of their mouths can be harmful to honest people and it
can arouse their sexual desire. Such scholars are themselves usually sexually immoral
(Ibid. 106).
44) When you take such joy in Torah and mitzvoth that you literally dance for joy, it
will strengthen your faith (Likutey Moharan II, 81).
45) When a person is in a state of `constricted consciousness' and weak in his faith,
this is the time for difficult devotions such as fasting etc. But someone with total faith
can serve God with all things. Because `God does not act like a despot over His
creatures' (Avodah Zarah 3a) (86).
46) Faith is accounted as charity (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, 44).
47) The power of faith is very great. Through faith and simplicity alone, with no
sophistication whatsoever, you can reach the level of Desire, which is beyond even
that of Wisdom. Your desire for God will be so strong that you simply do not know
what to do because of the great longing. You cry out with yearning (Ibid. 32).
48) There are certain cases where people are riddled with doubts about their faith
because they were not conceived in holiness. Added to this is the effect of their own
misdeeds, because there are certain sins which cause people to lose their faith. A
person who finds these thoughts entering his mind should be ashamed and brokenhearted, and he should cast them out of his mind completely (Ibid.).
49) A person with faith has a very good life. Without faith there is no life at all. No
one in the world can be free of troubles and hardships of one kind or another, because
`Man was born to struggle' (Job 5:7). But a person who has faith can find comfort
even when he has to endure pain and suffering. He knows that God loves him and

intends everything for his own ultimate good, to purify and cleanse him. For
everything that God does is for the best. But the sophisticated disbeliever has no one
to turn to when trouble strikes. He can find comfort nowhere. There is nothing to
encourage him. This is why he has no life at all. He walks without God and he does
not come under His protective care. But through faith your life can be good always
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, 102).
50) True faith in the unity of God comes through the Tzaddikim. They are the tip of
the letter dalet of the word echad, which means One (Tikkuney Zohar, 21, 55b;
Likutey Moharan 10:5).

TZADDIK:
1) Whenever you pray you should have in mind that you bind yourself to the
Tzaddikim of the generation. They alone know how to elevate each prayer to its
proper place (Likutey Moharan I, 2:6).
2) In order to travel the path of holiness it is necessary to break all your bad
characteristics. All the different character traits in a person stem from the four basic
elements. You must speak out your heart before a Torah scholar and confess all your
sins. The Sage will explain and clarify the way you need to go in accordance with the
root of y our soul (4:8).
3) There are three different stages involved in drawing closer to the Tzaddikim. By
working through each stage it is possible to achieve the perfect tikkun. The first stage
is seeing the Tzaddik, which negates the bad characteristics stemming from the
mineral and vegetable elements: laziness and its related characteristics on the one
hand and evil passions and desires on the other (Ibid).
4) The second stage is when one gives charity to the Sage. This releases him from the
bad characteristics stemming from the animal and human elements: idle pursuits and
malicious gossip on the one hand, and pride and its ramifications on the other (Ibid.).
5) The third stage is verbal confession before the Sage. It is through this that the Sage
can direct you on the path of righteousness in accordance with the root of your soul.
This is the most important stage, because through verbal confession you can be saved
from everything (Ibid.).
6) Each time you are with the Sage you should talk out everything in your heart. It is
through this that you will come to be merged with the Ein Sof, and attain the
knowledge that everything that happens to you is for your own ultimate good. Before

we attain this knowledge, life gives the appearance of being a mixture: some
experiences seem good and others bad, and we bless God accordingly. For the good
we bless Him as `He who is good and does good.' For the bad we bless Him as `the
true Judge' But in time to come, when we will understand that all our experiences are
only for good, we will no longer make this distinction. We will bless God for
everything as `He who is good and does good' (Pesachim 50a). To attain this level is
to have a foretaste of the World to Come (Ibid. 9).
7) When a person confesses before a Sage, all his sins are forgiven (Ibid. 3).
8) If you care about yourself, pay no attention whatsoever to the various
disagreements between the great Tzaddikim. The fact that the Tzaddikim argue with
one another should not be a reason for raising doubts about fundamental matters of
faith. You must have faith in all the Tzaddikim. If you find their arguments cause you
to have doubts, you sho uld take the very arguments themselves as a personal
mesSage directed at you to prompt you to examine yourself and see what you are
doing with your life. The doubts you have stem not from their disputes but from
something you have done to your own mind. Their arguments are a way of alerting
you to the fact that you yourself have harmed your mind w ith impure thoughts and
actions. If you hadn't, you would never have found their arguments problematic in the
first place, and you would have had no doubts or questions about the Tzaddikim at all.
The purpose of their disputes is to benefit you and to help you remember where you
are holding in the world. If you allow yourself to succumb to doubts, they will drive a
wedge between you and your own stake in the true life of the spirit, which the
Tzaddikim themselves embody. You will be the loser, because this is the penalty for
abusing the precious drops of your divine intelligence with impure thoughts and
deeds, and `None that go with her return, neither do they attain to the paths of life'
(Proverbs 2:19). If you are foolish and fail to understand this you run the risk of
becoming completely alienated from the Tzaddikim and you will end up losing your
reward in the World to Come. But if you care about yourself you will take these
arguments and the doubts they arouse in your mind as a warning to bring you to your
senses. You will ref lect on your true situation in the world, and you will realize that
these arguments have been sent as a test, which you must withstand by paying no
attention whatsoever. Use this very test as a way of drawing closer to the Tzaddikim,
because any hopes you have of finding fulfillment in life depend upon their guidance.
You should understand that th e main purpose of all the arguments between the
Tzaddikim is only to create a trial for the benefit of those who according to the
dictates of strict justice should really be rejected for having abused the drops of their
divine intelligence. If they stand up to the trial and ignore the disputes, acknowledging
the gravity of their previous wrongdoin g, they will be able to draw closer instead of
being rejected. Because of their wrongdoing, the only way they can now be drawn
closer is by being tested. The truth is that God loves mercy and desires that those who

are distant from Him should be drawn closer in spite of their being unworthy. But the
only way they can be drawn closer is through bei ng subjected to this test (5:4).
9) Draw close to the Tzaddikim and walk in the paths they guide you along. Follow
their teachings, and then the truth will be inscribed within you and you will attain true
faith and prayer and be worthy of coming to the Land of Israel and seeing miracles.
This is how the redemption will come (7:3).
10) `Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;
lest they, seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears and understanding with
their heart, return and be healed' (Isaiah 6:10). Before a person draws close to the
Tzaddik, his heart is fat, his ears are heavy, etc. This means that his heart and ears are
shut and his eyes are blind to the truth. He is unable to come to his senses and return
to God. But when he binds himself to the Tzaddikim and follows their guidance, his
heart, his eyes and his ears are opened. He sees, hears and understands the truth and
becomes worthy of returning to God (Ibid. 5).
11) No matter what a person needs or is lacking in life, whether livelihood, health or
anything else, it can only be provided through the help of the true Tzaddik and
Teacher he is attached to. The reason is that the fulfillment of what we are lacking is
through sighing and groaning. The sighs of a Jew are very precious, because through
them he dr aws down the spirit of life and this alone has the power to make up for the
deficiency and provide what is necessary. The source of the spirit of life is the Torah,
and therefore it can be received only from the Tzaddik, who is totally bound to the
Torah (8:2).
12) The enemies of the Tzaddik draw their life-spirit from the prince of the side of the
kelipot, the husks. Because the kelipot and the forces of the Other Side have their own
leader whose role is a kind of mirror-image of that of the Teacher on the side of
holiness. For `God made the one corresponding to the other' (Ecclesiastes 7:14). The
forces of the Other Side have their moment of greatness, because the life-spirit they
draw from their leader, the so-called `raging stormwind' (Ezekiel 1:3) is very powerful
when at full force. But this is only for a short time. In the end it is totally spent and
exhausted and ravages the body and soul of all who are caught in its hold. That is why
they are called `dead' even in their lifetime, because they do not possess the true lifespirit of holiness which is drawn into the world by the Tzaddikim alone (Ibid. 3).
13) The Tzaddik hears the sighs of all who are attached to him, for he is the source of
the life of each one (Ibid. 8).
14) The true Tzaddikim atone for sins, as it is written: `but the wise man will bring
atonement' (Proverbs 16:14) (Ibid. 4).

15) It is vital for a person's prayer to rise through the gate of his tribe. But it takes
great merit to be worthy of this. That is why one must bind one's prayer to the Tzaddik
of the generation. He alone understands how to direct each prayer to the appropriate
gate and elevate it (9:2).
16) The Tzaddikim have the power to elevate prayer so that the power and kingship of
God is revealed to all the inhabitants of the universe, even to those who are very
distant, the wicked and the heathens. The true greatness of the Holy One, blessed-beHe, is revealed when even those who were very distant, even the heathens, come to
recognize that there is one God who controls and rules the entire universe. Whenever
a person has a problem -- for example if someone at home is sick -- he should go to
the Tzaddikim and ask them to plead for mercy on his behalf. God receives great
satisfaction from this, because He yearns for the prayers of the Tzaddikim. The secret
of true prayer is known onl y to the Tzaddikim (10:2-4).
17) Pride is a form of idolatry. But closeness to the Tzaddikim undermines the pride
within us and brings us to perfect faith and ruach hakodesh, holy inspiration. We can
then experience a wonderful joy. We literally clap our hands and dance for joy. The
harsh judgements are sweetened and we can attain wisdom, life, length of days and
understandin g of both the revealed and hidden Torah (Ibid. 5).
18) There are people who are very learned in Torah but speak very disparagingly
about the Tzaddik. Yet this is also a part of God's plan. He throws a great Tzaddik
down into the mouth of this scholar in order that the Tzaddik should be able to release
the Shechinah -- that is, the Torah sheb'al peh, the oral Torah -- from its exile in the
scholar's mouth. The Tzaddik forms laws out of his words and brings about great and
awesome unifications (12).
19) You should search after a Tzaddik who has the power to gather in the souls and
elevate them. Then your soul will be elevated with the others and renewed, and
through this Torah will be brought down into the world and revealed. You must plead
with God again and again to make you worthy of finding such a Tzaddik. He has the
power to cleanse you of the blemishes caused by your desires and impulses and
actually elevate them. When a person has a certain lust, the desire itself is a blemish
which embitters the soul, as it is written, `she was bitter in her soul' (Samuel I, 1:10)
and `her soul was bitter' (Kings II, 4:27). The soul becomes dissipated and does not
radiate. It is a `hungry soul ' (Psalms 107:9). But by coming to the Tzaddik, a
complete tikkun can be achieved. The Tzaddik has the power to purify and elevate
even a person's negative desires together with his positive, holy yearning, as it is
written, `The hungry person He fills with good' (Psalms Ibid.). `He will satisfy your
soul in drought' (Isaiah 58:10) and `He will renew your youth like the eagle's' -- which
is to say that all the days of your youth, which were passed in darkness, will be

renewed. The wrongs will be corrected and you will be worthy of the name Man.
One's body is also elevated and renewed when he comes to the Tzaddik (13:5,6).
20) Each of the different people who come to the Sage of the generation has a certain
yearning for good within him. The Tzaddik elevates all these good intentions and
renews the souls of those who come to him. It is this that makes it possible for the
Tzaddik to reveal the Torah which he teaches when they are all assembled. Every
single one of the m thus has a share in this Torah, each in accordance with his
yearning, and through this his soul is renewed. Each individual must see to it that he
works on himself and comes to the Tzaddik with the best intentions and a powerful
yearning for God. Then his soul will be renewed with even greater strength. We also
heard from the Rebbe that the most important moment is when the Sage is preparing
himself to deliver his lesson. This is the time for those who are present to look into
themselves and examine their lives and search for the yearning for God which is
within them. The Tzaddik will then be able to take each one by the hand and raise him
from his present level and renew him for good (I bid.).
21) From this you can understand the tremendous difference between being physically
present to hear the Tzaddik teaching and merely hearing about his lesson at second
hand. When a person is physically present he actually has a share in the lesson and his
soul is renewed. There are also many other differences, as explained elsewhere (Ibid.).
22) Through going to the Tzaddik God's providence is drawn into the world (Ibid. 4).
23) The greater the number of souls gathered about the Tzaddik to hear his lesson and
receive Torah, the more the breath of wickedness which blows over the earth is
curtailed and nullified. The `breath of wickedness' is made up of all the arguments put
forward by the atheists when they see that the just suffer and the wicked prosper (Ibid.
6).
24) It is a good thing when those who went to the Tzaddik to hear his teachings
subsequently give each other encouragement in their spiritual growth and deepen their
love for one another. This is a sign that they went to the Tzaddik in the right spirit and
their new vitality is for good (Ibid.).
25) There are people whose souls are severely damaged. Even when they come to the
Tzaddik they are still sunk in all their bodily desires and have not moved away from
the profane and closer to the sacred by even a single hair's breadth. It might seem an
impossible task to elevate these souls and renew them like an unborn child in the
womb. But the re is a Tzaddik who has reached the most awesome of levels and who
does have the power to elevate even souls which are as severely damaged as these. He
can renew them like a newly-formed child growing in the womb. A person who is

aware of what he has done to his soul and who wants to take himself in hand and
return to God should plead and beg of G od to take pity upon him and make him
worthy of drawing close to such a Tzaddik. Happy is he who finds such a Tzaddik
(Ibid.).
26) Only through the Tzaddik of the generation is it possible to attain true awe and
love of God. When a person is unable to experience true awe and love, it is because
the light of the Tzaddik is hidden from him. It is true that the light of the Tzaddik
radiates in all the worlds -- and especially in this world. But for this individual there is
n o light at all because of the intensity of his own darkness. He could be in the same
place as the Tzaddik and even sitting right next to him and still not taste or understand
or see the great light which radiates from the Tzaddik and could bring him to attain
the true and enduring goal (17:1,2).
27) This is because of his wrongdoing. As a result his divine intelligence has become
clouded over with foolishness and bankrupt ideas. He looks at himself as a
sophisticated person who needs to raise various questions and entertain doubts about
the Tzaddik. All these doubts and questions are completely senseless. His wrongdoing
has left his mind clouded and dull and the light of the Tzaddik is hidden from h im.
This is why he does not have genuine awe and love of God (Ibid.).
28) When a person gives charity to the Tzaddikim and to poor people who genuinely
deserve it, it restores and clarifies his mind and enables him to see the light of the
Tzaddik and thus attain true awe and love (Ibid. 5).
29) Everything has a purpose, and this purpose itself serves another purpose, which is
even higher. The most important thing of all is the ultimate goal to which everything
leads: the joy of the World to Come. This is the final goal of the entire Creation. But
no one except the Tzaddikim can in any way conceive of this ultimate purpose. To the
ext ent that a Jew is rooted in the soul of the Tzaddik he too can attain some
conception of this goal -- depending on how far he has succeeded in breaking his
anger with love. If he succeeds, he will come to a level where he can use everything in
this world as a means of attaining this goal (18:1,2).
30) There are times when the Tzaddikim refuse all positions of authority and
leadership and they are unwilling to guide the world. They attribute their
unwillingness to their own smallness, saying they are not fitted to guide the world.
But in reality their reluctance is an expression of God's anger and the hiding of His
countenance, which comes a bout as a result of people's lack of faith. But by breaking
the force of one's own anger, God's anger itself is sweetened and the Tzaddikim accept
positions of authority. The world then finds a true leader who will guide it with love
(Ibid.).

31) People ask why it is necessary to travel to the Tzaddik and hear what he has to say
directly. Is it not enough to study the mussar literature, which deals with spiritual
development? In fact there is a very big difference, because someone who hears the
Tzaddik himself receives the words of the Holy Tongue in all their fullness, and
through the awe which is aroused within him he can subjugate and nullify the basis of
all evil, which is the sexual impulse. Then he can achieve purity and observe the
Covenant completely. Tikkun habri t is the tikkun for everything. But one who only
hears at second hand, and especially one who merely reads a book, remains far from
all this (19:1,9).
32) There is a great difference between one who learns from a book and one who
hears from the lips of the Tzaddik himself. In the case of a person who was present to
hear the Tzaddik in person, his soul was bound with the Tzaddik when the Tzaddik
offered his prayers immediately before beginning the Torah lesson. This person
therefore has a share i n the Torah that was then revealed. Because the prayer of the
Tzaddik brings about a great concentration of holiness in the worlds above, and every
prayer which stems from many souls brings about even greater holiness and stirs the
Supreme Heart so as to draw an even greater illumination of Torah into the world.
Everything depends on the numbers o f people present. The evil in those who were
present at the time of the lesson is subdued through the goodness in the Sage giving
the lesson. He releases them from the power of the forces of the Other Side and brings
them into the sphere of holiness (20:4).
33) A person who is present when the Tzaddik teaches Torah in public will be worthy
of coming to the Land of Israel and overcoming all opposition and obstacles (Ibid.).
34) The Holy One, blessed-be-He, is strict with the Tzaddikim to a hair breadth. If the
Tzaddik makes the slightest false move -- even no more than a hair breadth -- he has
no power to draw Torah into the world (Ibid. 5).
35) It is not possible to attain perfect faith, which is the basis of everything and the
summit of holiness, except through being close to the Tzaddikim. It is the Tzaddikim
who foster the authentic faith of Israel among the people of their generation. But the
only way to draw close to them is with boldness and determination. There are certain
typ es of people who put up all kinds of obstacles and barriers so as to prevent others
from drawing closer to the point of truth. The source of their power is in the arrogant
selfassertiveness of the forces of the Other Side. This is why it is essential for
whoever wants to overcome these barriers to be bold and forceful in pursuit of
holiness. Thi s is the only way to attain holiness. The way to acquire forcefulness is
through joy. It is this that gives one the confidence not to feel ashamed and deterred
because of other people's mockery and contempt. He must be `bold as a leopard'
(Ethics of the Fathers 5:24) against them (22:4).

36) When a person is bound to the Tzaddik he can free himself of the desire for
wealth, which is a form of idolatry and death, and then he will be free of the bitterness
of the world, all the worries and struggles involved in earning a living and making
money. Most people's lives are consumed with such troubles. But the one who is
bound to the Tza ddik will have joy. He will be content with his portion, and the light
of the countenance of the King of Life will radiate upon him. But the opposite is also
true. One who opposes the Tzaddik will fall ever deeper into the desire for wealth, and
he will constantly be sunk in all the bitterness which goes with it. His days will be
spent in the race for profit. Only through the strength of the true Tzaddik who
observes the Covenant perfectly is it possible to be released from anxiety about
money (23:2).
37) Man's whole purpose is to gain a perception of God. This is only possible through
the help of a truly great Tzaddik. The Tzaddik must be on the highest of levels in
order to be able to communicate such perceptions at a level where people can have
some grasp of them. One should search hard to find a Tzaddik like this and pray to
God earnestly t o be worthy of drawing close to him. The only way to gain any
perception of God at all is by means of `contractions,' through which the subject is
brought down to the level where the mind of man can have some grasp of it. The
Tzaddik knows how to present such perceptions in a way that makes this possible. He
has the insight to understand how best to introduce the subject and explain all the
different things that must be explained in order to enable the individual to grasp it,
regardless of his level. Only through the guidance of the true teacher is it possible to
reach a perception of Godliness (30:1,2).
38) You must look for the greatest possible teacher. Only a teacher who is on the
highest of levels can convey to you a true perception of God in all its radiance. The
lesser the person and the lower his level, the greater the teacher he needs. What he
needs is a kind of master craftsman who has the skill to clothe the Highest Wisdom,
the percepti on of Godliness, in a form communicable to one as low down and far
away as he is. The sicker the invalid, the greater the doctor he needs. So don't delude
yourself and say: `It will be sufficient if I find someone simple and upright,
respectable and known to be God-fearing. Why do I need to set my sights high and
attach myself to such a great Tzaddik? Let me at least make a start by emulating this
person here.' Many people make this mistake. Don't you. On the con trary, the more
you realize how low you are and how far you are from God, the more you need to
draw closer to the true teacher. Do not be content until you aspire to the highest of
levels (Ibid.).
39) We should accept the criticisms of the Tzaddikim submissively, even if they
sometimes speak to us in a way that seems abusive. We should realize the great pain
they endure because of us. It is obvious that all our wordly activities and everyday talk

are evil from their point of view. But even the part of our lives that we would consider
the mo st holy and precious -- our prayers and devotions -- are also evil as far as they
are concerned, mixed up as they are with improper thoughts and other distractions.
They are a great strain for the Tzaddikim, which is why at times they are very abusive
in the way they criticize us. We must take their criticisms to heart. Then we will be
worthy of G od's love, and through this we will have the power to overcome false
ideologies and heathen domination and elevate true wisdom and understanding to
their proper place so as to attain the perception of Godliness (Ibid. 7).
40) The Talmud (Chagiga 14b) tells us about the four sages who entered the Pardes,
the hidden wisdom of the Torah. There are also four corresponding types among those
who draw close to the true Tzaddik. Rabbi Akiva entered the Pardes in peace and
departed in peace. Similarly there is the follower of the Tzaddik who succeeds in
learning the true pa th and follows it to attain perfect righteousness. Ben Azai `gazed
and went mad,' and Ben Zoma `gazed and died.' Similarly there are those who become
over-excited in their devotion to the Tzaddik and they can even die or go out of their
minds as a result. Nevertheless, even people like this still come into the category of
the righteous, of whom it is written, `the righteous will walk in them' (Hosea 14:10).
But there is a fourth kind corresponding to `Acher' (R. Elisha ben Abuyah) who ended
up an atheist. So it is with one who becomes alienated from the Tzaddik and leaves
him, and ends up as an enemy maliciously slandering the Tzaddik. `Acher', says the
Gemara, `uprooted the saplings' -- h e influenced others to follow his own ideas. The
true Tzaddik necessarily has the same powers that the Torah itself possesses: `It is an
elixir of life and an elixir of death' (Kiddushin 30b). It is in the hands of those who
follow the Tzaddik to draw from him what they wish, as it is written, `The righteous
will walk in its paths and the sinners will stumble' (Hosea Ibid.). One who follows the
Tzaddik can receive guidance about the right path to follow and the way to return to
God, so long as he truly desires it. But if not, he will find himself on a tortuous path,
because there is a basic impurity in his heart. To be sure, he will find in the Tzaddik
what he wants -- namely an excuse to turn to total atheism and be completely
separated from God. For `sinners will stumble in them.' (31:9).
41) Your devotion to the Tzaddikim and Torah will bring you to love God in all places
and all situations, not only when things are good but even when they are bad. You will
be at peace with yourself and at peace with the world. Within, you will have perfect
harmony. And whatever is sent to you from the outside world, whether it is good or
bad it w ill make no difference to you, you will always find God in it. Love and peace
will reign between you and your friends, and in all Israel (33:1).
42) The true Tzaddik is the common `point' that includes all the individual points to be
found among the whole Jewish people. This is why it is of fundamental importance to
be attached to the Tzaddikim and to talk to them about serving God. The holy point

contained within them -- which includes and comprehends all the other good points -gives th em the power to arouse your heart and send light into your soul. You should
also discuss religious matters with your friend. Because every single Jew possesses a
unique good point which is not found in any other, and from which his friend can
receive inspiration. Each person must receive from every other, as it is written: `and
receiving one from the other' (Targum on Isaiah 6:3). It is also necessary for each
individual to talk directly with his Maker in order for the good point within his own
self to be revealed and radiate from his mouth to his heart. This is to destroy the
`foreskin of the heart' -- the physical lusts and desires. They are called the `shame of
the heart,' which break the heart of man (34:4) .
43) Power is in the hands of the Tzaddik. He can achieve whatever he wants. As our
Sages said: `God asks, 'Who rules over Me? The Tzaddik does' ' (Moed Katan 16b).
The power of the Tzaddik is devoted to sending light into the hearts of the Jewish
people and arousing them to serve God (Ibid. 2).
44) The light of the face of the Tzaddik can give you new intelligence and
understanding, and create a new soul in you. Intelligence and understanding are the
soul. What is the `face' of the Tzaddik? It is the new face of the Torah which the
Tzaddik reveals, and this is the source of the new soul and intelligence one receives
from the light of the face of the saintly (35:5).
45) When the Tzaddik reveals Torah he creates new souls in his listeners, each one
according to his level and grasp (36:5).
46) It is a very good practice always to give money to Tzaddikim and other pious
people for a redemption. This is the way to sweeten the power of harsh judgements at
all times and be saved from them. Even when one has no specific problem, God
forbid, it is still always good to give money for a redemption in order to sweeten the
harsh judgements an d avoid the onset of any problem (Chayey Moharan, Avodat
Hashem 92).
47) When one `fills the throats of the learned with wine' it is the equivalent to
presenting a redemption, and the harsh judgements are sweetened (Ibid.).
48) When a person has faith in the Torah Sages and believes that everything they say
and do is far from being simple and straightforward but contains deep secrets, this
brings about the sweetening of harsh judgements (42).
49) When a person makes a beautiful garment for a Tzaddik, it sweetens the harsh
judgements (Ibid.).

50) It is a fundamental principle that one should have faith in the Sages and be
punctilious in showing them the honour and reverence due to them. Even if he has the
impression that they are acting contrary to the Torah, he should still have absolute
faith that they are really acting in complete accordance with the Torah. Because the
Torah was ent rusted to the Sages of each generation to interpret in accordance with
their wisdom. That is why one must cast aside one's own pretensions to intelligence
and understanding and rely on the Sages alone (57:1).
51) The cure for every disease is dependent upon the Torah. Now the Torah has been
entrusted to the Sages, and we have been commanded to listen to them and not to turn
aside from their words either to the right or the left. Anyone who derides the words of
the Sages and refuses to believe in them because he thinks they are in conflict with the
writ ten Torah will be afflicted with a disease which has no cure, and he will die from
it (Ibid.).
52) The remedy for someone who has lost his faith in the Sages is to make a vow and
fulfill it immediately. Through this his faith in the Sages will be restored and he will
be healed, and the light of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will radiate
within him. He will be able to experience the true delight of the Shabbat, which is to
eat the Shabbat food in holiness. This is the way to break the force of one's anger and
humble and overthrow all one's enemies and opponents. The stronghold of the forces
of the Other Side will fall, the Mashiac h will come and the stronghold of holiness
will be rebuilt (Ibid. 2).
53) The true Tzaddik is `Moses,' who was himself the embodiment of the three
forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Tzaddik is thus the channel for the influx
of the three kinds of blessing which come into the world: `the well,' `the cloud of
glory' and `the manna': drink, clothing and food, respectively. The Tzaddik constantly
fights God's wars, because he struggles against the husk of Amalek, the negation of
the Holy Covenant and the source of all impurity. It is the Tzaddik who humbles
Amalek and all the other enemies who pursue those who are weak among the Jews.
The Tzaddik gives these Jews streng th and helps them to start serving God and purify
themselves. The Tzaddik himself receives a double share of blessing, the two loaves
(lechem mishneh) of Shabbat, which means the double share of original Torah
teachings (mishneh Torah) which the Tzaddik gives over on Shabbat, `two for every
one.' This brings healing to all in both body and soul, a nd the world is aroused to
return to God out of love. Healing comes to the pious, and people begin to respect
them. Then there is a share for everyone in the original Torah teachings -- the hidden
Torah -- which the Tzaddik reveals on Shabbat (58).
54) When you have faith in the Sages, your mind will be purified and your intellect
clear. You will be able to derive a personal lesson for yourself from everything you

learn in the Torah and develop the right habits and practices in serving God. You will
know how to act in every situation, and you will be able to guide all who come under
your inf luence. But those who lack faith in the Sages must suffer ther torments of the
flesh, the `superfluities.' Stinking vapors rise up to their brains and distort and confuse
all their thoughts. Far from being able to learn the right way to live, all their Torah
studies give them the exact opposite of the truth. They never have a clear idea about
anyt hing. They are constantly afflicted with doubts and pulled in all directions at
once. When a person has no faith in the Sages, his heart becomes as filthy as a privy,
all his thinking is warped, and he never knows how he should act in any situation
(61:1).
55) The obstacles and difficulties which a person encounters from others are sent to
him because his faith in the Sages is weak. It may be that he does not fully accept that
the great Tzaddikim were the true Sages, and he regards their holy words and writings
as being at best of merely incidental interest. He may even go as far as to make fun of
t hem and scoff. The weaker his faith, the greater the obstacles and difficulties he will
have to encounter. Their purpose is to rouse him to reflect. One should realize that
one's problems and difficulties are in exact proportion to one's lack of faith in the
Sages. Accordingly he can learn from them to what extent he needs to strengthen his
faith. Then he will see the true significance of their writings and understand that all of
them are necessary. He will be cleansed of the filth in his heart and learn the right way
to lead his life. The bitterness of his life, with its pressures and problems, will be
sweetened, and all the harsh judgements will be softened (Ibid. 5).
56) Every time you visit the Tzaddik, see to it that you come to him afresh. It is no
good if this visit is exactly the same as the last -- as if it were merely the second visit
in a series. When you come to him now it must be a unique occasion. Always begin
everything afresh. The main thing is the beginning (62) \
57) You should understand that the Tzaddikim have different ways of relating to their
followers at different times. Sometimes the Tzaddik may draw very close to people,
but to others he conceals himself and makes himself very distant. He may not merely
keep himself apart and remain way above them, making it impossible for them to
draw closer. At t imes it can even happen that questions and doubts are raised about
him, and his followers become confused and uncertain about the way he treats them.
But this is all for their benefit. Don't be put off by it: it is all for your own good (63).
58) There is a certain meadow in the worlds above in which all the souls are nurtured.
These souls depend upon the master of the field to labor in order to restore them. One
who wants to take pity on his soul should pray and plead with God all his life to be
worthy of drawing close to this Tzaddik, the master of the field, who watches over

each on e in order to bring him to the ultimate goal, which is absolute unity and
perfection (65).
59) To be present at the moment when a Tzaddik leaves this world is a very great
thing even for someone who is not one of his pupils. At such a moment there is a great
and powerful revelation, which is for the good of all who are present, making them
worthy of long life. But the pupils of the Tzaddik themselves receive a supremely
powerful revelation -- so much so that at this moment they can receive a double share
in the soul of their teacher, as long as they are as closely bound up with him as
branches on a tree. The bond must be so strong that even when they are distant from
him they can still sense when he is making progress and when he is having setbacks.
With his double share in the spirit of the Tzaddik, it can happen that the pupil has an
even greater power to pray with intensity and work wonders than his teacher. Even so,
all his power comes from the soul of his master (66:1).
60) One should try very hard to be with his teacher at all times. This will make it
possible for him to receive a double share in his teacher's spirit (Ibid.).
61) The true greatness of the Tzaddikim and their followers will only be revealed in
the future, on the great and awesome day of judgement. The whole world will then see
their greatness and radiance: happy are they and happy is their lot. How great is the
good stored up for them. The whole world will then witness the fall of the wicked, for
this will be the great Day of Judgement, when each individual will be brought to
judgement for every detail of every action in his life. Nothing will be passed over,
because God forgets nothing. Then the world will see the difference between the
righteous and the wicked -- between those who were worthy of drawing close and
binding themselves to the true Tzaddikim and those who fought and opposed them.
The whole world will then turn to God, even the nations of the world, and all will call
upon the name of God. When a person prays truthfully to God alone with no ulterior
motives (for example to impress men w ith his intense religiosity) then he can have a
foretaste of the World to Come even in this life. He will witness the fall of the wicked
even in this world, and all will be forced to return to God. Through this the holiness of
speech becomes perfected, which makes it possible to bring things from potentiality to
actuality: that is, to achieve all the holy tasks one yearns to accomplish (Ibid. 3).
62) It is through the Tzaddik that we draw `cool waters' to revive the soul when it is
weary. Then we can be worthy of praying with all our heart, as it is written, `All my
bones will say, Lord, who is like unto Thee?' (Psalms 34:10). This is true prayer. The
difference between hearing Torah from the Tzaddik himself and merely learning from
a book is that one who hears the Tzaddik himself receives from him the `cool waters'
which revive the soul. But one who merely learns from a book does not always know
how to restore his soul when it is weary (67:8).

63) The true Tzaddik has a kind of gravitational power to draw the whole world closer
to God and His Torah. Why is it then that people are far from the Tzaddik instead of
being drawn to him? The reason is because there is a counter force which works
against the pull of the Tzaddikim. For there is a class of men whose words and deeds
create a barri er which keeps people far from the Tzaddik. The main strength of this
counter force lies in people's pride and pretensions. They believe it will bring them to
indignity and disparagement if they draw closer to the truth. One who desires the truth
has to lower himself and remember his own insignificance. He has to consider
everything that has happe ned to him since he came into the world and think of his
failures and shortcomings. When a person genuinely feels his own smallness the truth
will be revealed to him. The gravitational draw of the Tzaddik will prevail over the
countervailing force, and he will be drawn to the Tzaddik with tremendous enthusiasm
(70).
64) The smaller a person makes himself, the greater his `drawing power' -- his power
to draw the Indwelling Presence of God down into the world until He dwells with us.
The same applies if he wants to draw blessings down upon Israel. And similarly, the
smaller a person makes himself, the closer he is to the drawing power of the true
Tzaddik (Ibid. ).
65) One who gives charity to a truly humble Tzaddik is blessed immediately (Ibid.).
66) It is very hard to be famous (71).
67) There are certain Tzaddikim who take afflictions upon themselves of their own
accord for the sake of the Jewish people. Because of this they receive a very exalted
spiritual blessing (Ibid.).
68) Even one who prays and studies constantly can never know how to serve God
except if he is close to the Tzaddik (76).
69) There are times when the Tzaddik talks to people about secular topics, and this is
very beneficial for them, because the secular conversation of the Tzaddik has the
power to give them a connection with true Wisdom, namely Torah. There are certain
people who are so far from Torah that it is not possible to draw them closer with
words of Torah a s such. The only way is through worldly conversations. The Tzaddik
uses them as a garment in which to clothe and veil his Torah teachings. And at times
the Tzaddik himself can sharpen his mind and freshen himself with this kind of
conversation (81).
70) The opposition which the great Tzaddikim endure enables them to draw down
blessings without stirring up the Accuser (88).

71) The fact that it is necessary to visit the Tzaddik in person and that learning from
books is insufficient is actually mentioned explicitly in the Torah (Exodus 17:14ff.)
`And the Lord said to Moses: Write this as a memorial in the book and place it in the
ears of Joshua.' Moses was to speak with Joshua face to face, because the important
thing is to hear the words from the lips of the Tzaddik himself. The Midrash
comments on Moses' words to the Children of Israel, (Deut. 9:1) `Hear O Israel, you
are to pass over the Jordan this day.' What made him say to them 'Hear O Israel' now?
The Rabbis explained it with a parable about a king who gave his bride two pearls.
When one of them got lost the king said to her, `You ha ve lost the one. Make sure that
you guard the other.' God's `marriage' with Israel was sealed with Israel's declaration
of `We shall do, then we shall hear.' When the Children of Israel made the golden calf
they lost the `we shall do.' Therefore Moses said to them, `You have lost the 'we shall
do.' Take care that you guard the `we shall hear' -- `Hear O Israel.' No book has the
power to move a person like the words he hears from the mouth of the Tzaddik
himself. This hearing is the `we shall hear' which Israel still has (120).
72) The basis of everything is to be bound to the Tzaddik of the generation completely
and to accept everything he says as correct, whether it is a major or a minor thing.
One must turn neither right nor left from what he says, but simply abandon his own
ideas as if he knows nothing except what he receives from the Tzxadik. So long as a
person ret ains even a residue of his own independent way of thinking he has not
attained fulfillment and he is not truly bound to the Tzaddik (123).
73) When a person simply believes in the Tzaddik and draws closer without even
receiving anything from him, this in itself is very good because his very faith and
closeness have the power to consume the evil within him and convert it to the very
substance of the Tzaddik himself. The one condition is that his intention should be for
the sake of Hea ven. Somebody who goes to the Tzaddik for some other reason will
never gain anything from the relationship (129).
77) The Shabbat one spends with a Tzaddik is like a fast (167).
78) A man's task in life is to rid himself of the spirit of folly which clings to him and
fills his heart. When he is bound to the true Tzaddik and loves him with a spiritual
love, he will soon rid himself of the spirit of folly and break the stubbornness of his
heart (177).
79) One who has genuine faith in the Tzaddikim will constantly witness great wonders
from them, because the true Tzaddikim are full of wonders. Someone who believes in
them and pays attention to their words will find that everything that happens
subsequently was already hinted at in what they said (186).

80) Before a person emerges into the air of this world he is taught and shown
everything he will have to accomplish in this life. But as soon as he enters the air of
the world, he immediately forgets it and everything is lost. That is why he must
journey to the Tzaddik -- to search for what he has lost. Because everything that all
the inhabitants of the world have lost is to be found with the Tzaddik (188).
81) All the words which are spoken against the true Tzaddik and his followers are
actually beneficial both materially and spiritually (181).
82) When a person hears something said by the true Tzaddik, and especially when he
sees him at the moment he says it, he receives something of the inner life and wisdom
and soul of the Tzaddik. But he must beware of forgetfulness, because if he is not
careful he will forget it all. If he tries to remember the words of the Tzaddik exactly as
he said them and then repeats the lesson one hundred and one times in order to fix it in
his mind, and if when he tells anyone what the Tzaddik said he tells them in the name
of the Tzaddik and sees the image of his face before him, then it is as if the Tzaddik
himself were saying the words. But this is true only when the memory of the
experience is genuinely very strong (192).
83) When a person hears an original Torah teaching at the moment the teacher reveals
it for the first time, he will remember it well. But if he does not hear it from the
teacher himself, or even if he hears it from him later and not when it was first said, he
can easily forget it (Ibid.).
84) The righteous are persecuted by the wicked and suffer pain and anguish as a
result. But this is something brought about by God in order to bring the righteous man
to reflect on himself and examine his deeds. The wicked turn out to be guardians
preventing the righteous from falling into materialism (208).
85) The opposition which confronts the Tzaddikim is really an advantage because it
acts as a cloak against their being revealed and avoids unnecessary attention. The
opponents of the Tzaddikim themselves would dearly like to cover them up
completely and get rid of them altogether, God forbid. But God does not abandon
them or deliver them into thei r hands (Ibid.).
86) It is impossible to achieve a clear mind and pure thoughts except through being
bound to the Tzaddikim. This is the main way in which harsh judgements are
sweetened. This is why it is essential to be with the Tzaddikim on Rosh Hashanah
(211).
87) The ability to speak derives from one's bond with the Tzaddikim (212).

88) Even those who are far from the Tzaddik receive vitality and radiance from him
(224).
89) Stories about the Tzaddikim, their lives and achievements have a wonderful power
to purify a person's thoughts and sweeten the harsh judgements, releasing him from all
his troubles. But the only people who can really tell stories about the Tzaddikim are
those who know how to distinguish between light and darkness: that is, between
stories abou t the genuine Tzaddikim and those about wicked men and liars. The way
to achieve this is through the Land of Israel (234).
90) The true Tzaddik is the source of all blessings. Therefore whenever a person is far
from the Tzaddik, his own blessing comes to him only with great difficulty. There are
even cases where a person can die because of money that comes to him, and the
money itself may still be lost instead of being inherited by his children. All this is
because of his distance from the Tzaddik (240).
91) Stories about the great Tzaddikim have the power to move a person in his very
heart and kindle a flame of passion for God. Many of the greatest Tzaddikim have
said that their main awakening came through stories about the Tzaddikim, which
made their hearts burn for God and gave them the encouragement to struggle with
their devotions until they achieved what they did. Happy are they (248).
92) It is impossible to gain any true conception of what the Tzaddik is in himself. He
is totally beyond our grasp. It is only through seeing his followers that one can gain
some understanding of his awesome greatness. When one sees that they are men who
have achieved great things and who follow God's path in truth, then one can
understand the greatness of the Tzaddik himself (140).
93) Whenever you need guidance you should turn to the true Tzaddik. The harsh
judgements will be sweetened and the help you need will come in the end (143).
94) The Tzaddik has total control over his inclination. Even in what is permitted to
him he holds his desires in his hand. He lives for ever, even after death. For him there
is no difference between death and life (144).
95) Only with the help of the true teacher is it possible to attain perfect faith and
observe the Covenant completely, guarding one's mind in holiness and purity. This
will bring protection against impure experiences at night, and one's sleep will be pure
and holy. The only way to purify the five senses is by coming to the Tzaddik. By
seeing the T zaddik, the sense of sight is purified, because simply to see the Tzaddik
with one's own eyes is a great thing. The sense of hearing is purified when one listens
to the guidance of the Tzaddik. One may have to go through many difficulties before

reaching the Tzaddik, and without them it would be impossible to come and draw
from his holy wisdom. Al l the difficulties have the effect of purifying the sense of
smell. One's sense of taste is purified when one tastes the pleasantness of the
Tzaddik's words. And his sense of touch is purified through all the expenses he has to
meet from his own pocket out of the fruits of the labor of his hands in order to reach
the Tzaddik. The main time for the followers of the Tzaddik to gather at his side is on
Rosh Hashanah, and it is then especially that the five senses are purified (Likutey
Moharan 5:15).
96) How great is the love that the true Tzaddik shows to Israel. His love is true love,
because his mission is to bring them to acquire holy wisdom and attain a perception of
God. Then they will understand that `The Lord, He is God' (I Kings, 18:39) and
emerge from sin. There is no love greater than this, because Israel is the Holy People,
and they are unable to bear the burden of sin for even a single day. The Tzaddik
understands the true greatness of Israel's holiness an d the subtle spirituality of their
essence. He understands how totally distant they are from sin. Indeed, the Jew has no
connection with sin whatsoever. That is why the Tzaddik is willing to sacrifice
himself completely in order to release the Jewish people from sin, pleading with God
to forgive them. The Tzaddik kows how to show love without in a ny way harming the
person who receives it and without giving love to those upon whom it is forbidden to
take pity. The Tzaddik must also strive to leave a legacy of his wisdom for all the
generations to come. His ultimate perfection after he leaves the world depends upon
this. For even if the Tzaddik were to ascend to the highest realms after his passing, he
would be short of perfection if he only dwelled above. It is necessary for the Tzaddik
to radiate even in the lowest realms. He must see to it that he leaves behind him a son
and a pupil who have received his holy wisdom and who will radiate it to the world in
each generation until eternity.
The Tzaddik understands the best way to talk to each person individually. He knows
how to make a fence to his words -- to be silent where silence is called for -- in order
to prevent his listeners raising questions and seeking answers in areas where it is
forbidden to enter. The Tzaddik has the power to send light to those who `dwell above'
and al so to those who `dwell below.' To those who `dwell above' and have achieved
high levels, the Tzaddik shows that they really know nothing about the Holy One,
blessed-be-He, for `What knowest thou? What have thy searchings achieved?' (Zohar
Bereshith 1b). It is different with those who `dwell below' and who are sunk in the
very earth itself, in degradation and despair. The task of the Tza ddik with them is to
show them that God is still with them at their very side. The Tzaddik must fortify
them and save them from despair.
The Tzaddik brings all the worlds together, causing the highest to merge with the
lowest and the lowest with the highest. He sustains them all through the greatness of

his strength, and thus draws down blessings from the source of Desire. Any `man of
strength' can receive these blessings through the Tzaddik, and then, when he is eating,
he will receive an illumination of Desire, a longing and yearning for God which is so
powerful that he doesn't even know what it is he desires.
The only way to achieve anything spiritually is with the help of the Tzaddik and his
followers, who draw from his holy wisdom. Think carefully about your life and your
purpose and see to it that you take care of your own best interests. You must beg and
plead before God with `threefold tears' to let you be worthy of finding the truth and
finding a true guide who has genuine love and who will release you from your sins
and lead you to the spiritual goals we have mentioned (Likutey Moharan II, 7).
97) There are things which the true teacher only hints at to his pupils with his hands.
Because certain things cannot be explained directly, they can only be conveyed with
hints. It is through these gestures with his hands that the Tzaddik draws down the
influx of blessing (Ibid. 10).
98) The true leader of each generation always possesses the spirit of prophecy. Even
in our times, when prophecy has ceased, the Tzaddik necessarily possesses a form of
holy spirit which the rest of the people do not have and which is equivalent to ruach
hakodesh and the prophetic spirit. It is this prophetic spirit of the Tzaddik which
makes it possible to purify the image-making faculty, which is the source of
imagination and illusion, in order to distinguish what is imaginary from what is true
and attain perfect faith. Everyone must do his utmost to search after such a leader and
draw close to him in or der to attain this faith. Because faith is only complete to the
extent that one has cleansed oneself of illusion and falsehood. Genuine faith is the
belief that God perpetually renews the work of Creation and that He created the world
and brought it into existence out of absolute nothingness. The secret of the world's
renewal can never be understo od intellectually. It can only be grasped through faith -the faith we receive from the true Tzaddik. Do not deceive yourself and think it is easy
to find such a guide. You have to hunt and search and pray to God and beg Him to
make you worthy of discovering a guide who will help you attain perfect faith.
Because there are false leaders too, and when people follow their guidance they
absorb false ideologies and mistaken beliefs. When a person finds a true guide and
attains perfect faith, he will be worthy of experiencing the renewal of the world that is
destined to take place in time to come, and he will hear the melody and song which
will be sung in the future when God renews His world. This is the melody which will
be played on seventy-two strings. It is the source of all the goodly scents in the world,
and of true awe. This melody is the essence of the reward of the Tzaddikim in time to
come. Happy is the one who is worthy of this (8:7, 8, 10).

99) Being close to the Tzaddik thwarts the power of the corrupt serpent. But false
leaders strengthen it, God forbid (Ibid. 8).
100) The true Tzaddikim have the power to lift depression and heaviness from the
hearts of the Jewish people. Only then can their hearts burn with passion for God. But
at times a person's heart can burn too strongly for God. This is also not good. This is
caused by the `raging stormwind' (Ezekiel 1:3) which is also called `Destruction.' The
Tzaddikim have to watch over this and subjugate the `raging stormwind,' in order to
ensure that the intensity of passion is not excessive and that each Jew tempers his
passion for God and keeps it within bounds (9).
101) There is a paradox which arises from the very fact that there are Tzaddikim who
have reached the most awesome levels and who at times make extraordinary
statements and even appear to boast. And indeed they are capable of formidable feats:
they have the power to serve God with everything in the world, even when they eat
and drink and so on. There are Tzaddikim who can achieve a redemption through their
eating alone. The paradox is that just because there are Tzaddikim like these, there are
also false Tzaddikim who vaunt themselves and push themselves forward as if they
were able to achieve simila r feats. Some of them are even leaders and they deceive
people into thinking there is nothing they cannot do. Because of the fact that there
really are true Tzaddikim who do have these powers, the false Tzaddikim seem to bear
some resemblance to them, just as the ape bears a certain resemblance to a human.
These false Tzaddikim are the `false prop hets.' But in reality they are a benefit to the
genuine Tzaddikim. The reason is that there are people who make charitable donations
and yet they are thoroughly wicked and adulterous. Their charity would harm the true
Tzaddik. So it is good for him that there are false Tzaddikim to whom people like this
can give their charity. God tricks these peo ple into making their donations to the false
Tzaddikim and thus the true Tzaddik is saved from their charity (15).
102) The true Tzaddik receives the speech of his holy lips from those who give charity
(Ibid.).
103) Don't be worried or disturbed if you find you have various doubts and questions
concerning the true Tzaddikim. The Tzaddikim resemble their Creator. Just as there
are necessarily questions and problems concerning the Creator, and none of them can
in any way detract from His greatness, similarly there are also necessarily questions
and problem s concerning the Tzaddikim (52).
104) The higher the level of the Tzaddik the greater his ability to keep in touch with
the world, to watch over it and understand it. This is the opposite of what people
suppose. They imagine that because the Tzaddik is so great he must be remote from
the world (58).

105) The Tzaddik repents on behalf of Israel. Therefore the closer people are to him
the easier it is for them to repent and return to God. Because the Tzaddik repents for
them (66).
106) The true Tzaddik is the pride and glory and delight of the whole world. He is, as
it were, the `Master of the House' over the whole world, and the `Master of the House'
over the House of God, which is the Holy Temple. The Tzaddik sends light into the
Holy Temple and the whole world, because he is the light and splendor and glory of
the world. When the Tzaddik becomes revealed and magnified throughout the world,
the Name of God is thereby glorified. The greater the name of the Tzaddik the greater
the glory of God. Whoever is truly merged with this name, which is the glory and
spendor and true delight of the whole world -- whoever draws close to the Tzaddik
and is sub sumed under his name -- through this, his eyes are opened and he can begin
to examine himself and see where he stands in the various facets of his character.
Then he can return to God and cleanse himself of all his evil characteristics. He will
be worthy of perceiving the greatness of the Creator and of looking at the whole world
with clear vision , because his eyes and his mind are opened by the true Tzaddik, who
sends light to the whole world (67).
107) On the other hand, when the name of the true Tzaddik becomes concealed and
removed from the world and fame and prestige go to a false leader who does not have
the Name of God within him at all, then God Himself is diminished and concealed, as
it were, because of this. All kinds of occult religions spring up as a result, cults which
depend upo n the forces of darkness. The world is visited with terrible afflictions and
conflagrations, and the very light of our eyes is withdrawn. It is as if the Holy Temple
were in ruins and ashes and the precious Children of Israel were tossed out into the
street. This was the lament of Jeremiah: `How is the gold become dim. The hallowed
stones are pour ed out at the head of every street. The precious sons of Zion,
comparable to fine gold. How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the
hands of the potter?' (Lamentations 4:1,2).
The remedy is to rise every night at midnight to mourn over the destruction of the
Holy Temple. The main thing is for each person to weep and mourn over his own sins,
because they are the obstacle holding up the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, and
because of them he is regarded as if he himself had destroyed it. Perhaps in his first
incarnation he was indeed one of those who was responsible for the destruction of the
Holy Temple. When a person rises every night at midnight to mourn over this, he will
be regarded as if he was one of those who are making every effort to rebuild the Holy
Temple, and this will bring a remedy for all the ills we mentioned above (Ibid.).
108) The true leader of the generation must be a Tzaddik on the highest of levels. He
must be separated from sexual desire to the utmost degree and in absolute holiness.

Then he is worthy of being the leader of Israel, and he merely has to look into the soul
of each Jew for it to radiate and shine. This is how the Tzaddik can give every Jew a
share of true greatness, each in accordance with the radiance of his soul, and then each
one is able to innovate and create new and original concepts of Torah. He too can
sanctify himself and separate himself from sexual desire. Then it is possible to attain a
genuine sense of shame and thereby repent and return to God. This will bring true
humility, which is the enduring life of the World to Come. But when Israel is without
such a leader, God forbid, then the whole world falls into confusion. Anyone who
wants to can push himself forward and as sume the leadership which is what we are
seeing today because of our many sins (72).
109) The sign of a person who has been to the Tzaddik is that he has a sense of shame
and humility. This comes from having heard words of Torah from the lips of the
Tzaddik. For the Torah which a true Tzaddik teaches inspires a sense of shame which
is the source of genuine repentance, and it is through this that one attains true humility
(Ibid.).
110) Simply to look at the face of Tzaddikim is a very great thing. How much more so
when one is worthy of speaking to him, and even more than this, when one hears
Torah from his lips. But simply seeing him is very good in itself (75).
111) Happy is the one who is worthy of drawing close to a true Tzaddik in his lifetime
happy is he and happy is his lot! Because afterwards, when he is dead, it will be hard
indeed to draw close. The Evil One has made it his mission to confuse the world.
Today's young people have an unparalleled yearning for God the like of which was
never seen in earlier times. But they do not know who they should follow. You must
plead with God to be worthy of drawing near to the true Tzaddik (78).
112) The only reason why a person is sent into this world is to reach the true goal. The
soul is unable to achieve this goal, namely to know and acknowledge the Creator,
except by coming into this world. And in this world it is impossible to attain that goal
except through the help of the true Tzaddik, the Moses of the generation. This Tzaddik
has the power to use every creature in the world in order to enlighten us and give us
an understanding of the ultimate goal. In our time we are fully aware that our level is
very low and that none of us has attained spiritual beauty. But even we can still find
enlightenment through the strength of the true leader, and he has the power to bring us
to our goal. You must plead with God and beg him with `threefold tears' t o take pity
on us and send us a true leader and a faithful shepherd who will give us true wisdom
and perception using everything in the world to do so. In the end we will be able to
attain the goal for which we were sent into the world (39).

113) There is chametz leaven in a person's heart which induces him to have doubts
about the leading Sages of his time, deciding that `This one is all right, that one is no
good,' etc. But through tikkun habrit this leaven is expelled from the heart (83).
114) Everything in the entire world every object and every idea has to be bound to
God. Whoever fails to do so is the `whisperer' who `separates familiar friends'
(Proverbs 16:28), because he separates the Leader of the world from His creation.
This is the cause of the blemish of the moon and the exile of the Shechinah. No matter
where a person is or what position he finds himself in he must bind his mind to the
Torah and to God from that very place. It is possible to achieve this through the true
Tzaddikim, because when they talk about worldly matters they do so in a way that
binds everything to God. The everyday conversation of the Tzaddik is very precious.
It has the power to bind every thing to God, even those who are very far. The harsh
judgements are annulled, guilt is transformed into merit, and all is light and perfection
(91).
115) It is written of the future: `To grasp the ends of the earth and shake the wicked
from it' (Job 38:13). But somebody who is close to a true Tzaddik will hold onto him
firmly, and he will be left in his place without being cast off with the wicked (Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom 22).
116) The pity one should have for the souls in the World to Come is unimaginable.
Because there are souls which are left literally naked. They cry out bitterly but there is
no one to take pity for pity will not help them. But one who is close to the Tzaddik
can run to him and receive clothing for his soul (Ibid. 23).
117) It is impossible to imagine the greatness of one who is worthy of giving charity
to a true Tzaddik (Ibid. 24).
118) One who speaks against the Tzaddik is actually speaking against God and is
called an `atheist' (Ibid. 38).
119) One who ignores the words of the Sages can go mad because of it (Ibid. 67).
120) If a person is not bound to a true Tzaddik, all his devotions are nothing but
twisting and turning and pretending to be something he isn't as if an ape were
pretending to be a man. Service of God is nothing without the true Tzaddik (Ibid.
111).

TZITZIT -- The Fringes:

1) The mitzvah of tzitzit is a safeguard against immoral temptations. The tzitzit have
the power to protect us from the `suggestions of the serpent' the negative ideas of
those who are far from God's service and who put obstacles in the way of people who
want to draw closer to the truth. Then it becomes possible to follow the guidance of
the Tzaddikim and their followers, who are the `guardians of the Covenant.' This is
the way to find truth and faith, to become worthy of true faith and of coming to the
Land of Israel and witnessing miracles. Then the redemption will come. Whatever one
needs will be given in abundance, and in his study of Torah he will be able to
understand whatever he learns.Because of the greatness of the mitzvah of tzitzit you
should be very careful to perform it properly. When you wrap yourself in the holy
tallit and recite the blessing, have in mind that you would like to be worthy of
achieving all these goals (7:4).
2) Tzitzit is the embodiment of the ruach chaim, the life-spirit which animates
everything holy. In the merit of this mitzvah we will be provided with whatever we
may be lacking. When a Jew is in need of something and sighs with a deep breath, he
draws his breath from the life-spirit of Torah, which is the source of creative power
and can therefore provide whatever is lacking. The sighs and groans of a Jew who
yearns for holiness have the power to curb the life-spirit which gives vitality to the
husks and which is called ruach seara a `raging whirlwind' (Ezekiel 1:4). In this way it
is possible to shake off the evil in one's character and leave only the good. The wicked
will be crushed and cast down to the earth (8:8).
3) The mitzvah of tzitzit is a manifestation of the sovereignty of God.Through it, the
supremacy of the forces of the Other Side is crushed. But the Jewish people, who are
bound to the side of holiness, receive all their vitality from there and draw down
abundant blessing and wealth without end (49:7).
4) If you are careful about the mitzvah of tzitzit and perform it properly you will be
able to achieve true prayer and return to God whole-heartedly.The harsh judgements
will be sweetened, and the secrets of Torah will be revealed to you (Ibid.).
5) Every day God sends hints and mesSages to each person in order to draw him
closer. One should strive to expand his mind in order to understand them. On the other
hand there is a certain limit beyond which it is forbidden to delve and speculate on the
meaning of these hints. It is dangerous to overstep this limit. The mitzvah of tzitzit
creates the necessary frame within which the mind must work. This explains why we
put on the tzitzit before we lay the tefilin. First it is necessary to erect the frame so as
not to go beyond the boundary. Only then is it safe to expand the mind so as to
understand the hints God sends. This understanding is embodied in the tefillin (54).

UNDERSTANDING:
1) True understanding is in the heart. Even the heathen nations possess understanding
but not in their heart. The heart must be filled with awe. It is not enough to
acknowledge God in the mind alone. It is necessary for one to draw his understanding
down into the heart and to be so aware of the Creator that one's heart is filled with
awe and fear of the greatness of God and one is aroused to serve Him with true
devotion in the knowledge of His utter exaltedness. The way to achieve this is through
meditation, through examining oneself and weighing all one's actions. This is the path
to the `light that is treasured up for the just' (15).
2) If people feel they have problems and difficulties in life or that they are lacking
certain things they need, be it sufficient income, children, physical health or whatever,
the reason for their feeling is that they lack true understanding. When understanding is
perfect, nothing is lacking. The essence of the eternal life of the future is bound up
with the degree of understanding that will exist then. All will have knowledge of the
Creator, and through this they will all be merged in His unity and live eternally just as
God does. It is through knowing Him that we become merged with Him, and this is
the main joy of the World to Come. For this reason a person should be very careful to
guard his thoughts in purity and holiness and to avoid any bad thoughts. He should
think only about Torah and devotion, and should constantly aim to attain higher levels
of perception of God. Everything depends on this (21:11).
3) In order to attain Da'at, understanding (see 15), you must sanctify your lips, your
nostrils, your eyes and your ears. Guard your lips from all falsehood. Sanctify your
nostrils with the fear of Heaven, as it is written: `...he will scent the fear of God'
(Isaiah 11:3). Use your ears to listen to the words of the Sages and have faith in what
they say. Lower your eyes and avert them from evil. Then you will attain perfect
understanding and through this your heart will burn with passion for God. Because it
is through the activity of the mind that passion is born in the heart. The more one
thinks about Torah and devotion, the more one's heart becomes fired for God. The
deeper one's understanding, the more one's passion burns. This passion purifies the
heart and prevents it from being inflamed with evil desires, which merely pollute it.
When a person's heart is pure, he will never be at a loss for words when he speaks to
God. He will always find new words and new approaches (Ibid. 2; see also 156).
4) The way to sanctify the nostrils is through meekness and humility. You must be
patient and not allow anger to burn within you even if people treat you badly. The way
to sanctify the ears is with loyalty and discretion. If people tell you a secret, be sure to
keep it and not reveal it to anyone (21:6).

(The biblical expression for anger is a burning in the nostrils.)

5) One who sanctifies these seven `lights of the head' can attain awesome levels of
perception of God. These heights of understanding are a blessing from God which is
bestowed from above without any preliminaries and introductions. This is the gift of
ruach hakodesh, the holy spirit (Ibid. 2).
6) There are certain questions which trouble many people, such as the problem of how
free will can exist if God knows the future. It is necessary to realize that it is beyond
the capacity of the human mind to understand these matters. The answers to such
questions lie in a sphere of wisdom that is so transcendent that the human mind is
unable to attain it. This wisdom can never enter the human mind. It encompasses the
mind from outside. One who apprehended this wisdom would not be human at all, he
would be an angel. It is precisely the fact that we do not understand these questions
about free will that actually gives us the freedom we have. In time to come, when
men's minds will expand and the secrets of free will and providence will be revealed,
free will as such will disappear. Man's mind will emerge from its limits and he will
become like an angel with free will (Ibid. 4).
7) When a person lacks respect for the Tzaddik, the light of wisdom and
understanding is hidden from him. He will never have original Torah ideas or reach
new perceptions. He is no better than a dead person (Ibid. 6).
8) There are times when understanding can be very elusive. It is very good then to cry
out as one prays or studies. In this way fresh understanding and insight are born (Ibid.
7).
9) The mind is man's very essence. Wherever a person's thoughts are, that is where he
himself is -- all of him. This explains why it is so important to avoid all bad thoughts.
Otherwise that is where your place will be. You must force yourself to think good
thoughts so that you will be worthy of knowing and understanding God. Then your
place will be with Him: you will be merged with Him. The greater your perception of
God the more you will become merged with him, and then you will achieve eternal
life (Ibid. 11).
10) Lack of understanding strengthens the hold of the Divine face of severity and
harsh judgement, giving rise to anger and unkindness. This is why sick people, who
are under the sway of harsh judgements and constricted consciousness, are so often
filled with anger. Expanding one's understanding helps to sweeten the harsh
judgements: then anger and unkindness are dissipated and in their place comes
lovingkindness. A person who has understanding realizes that God is wholly good and
therefore all the experiences that are sent to him are for his own good (Ibid.).

11) The very prosperity and greatness of the nations of the world will in the end turn
out to be for our own ultimate good. It may be impossible to understand this at the
present time: we cannot deny the realities of our situation and our experiences. But in
the future, Da'at, understanding will grow to the point where even the nations of the
world themselves will know and understand that all the greatness and advantages they
enjoy today are really for our own benefit (Ibid.).
12) Understanding and perception of Godliness give hope and consolation in times of
trouble. They constitute the very essence of the life of the World to Come, and they
are the source of all its bliss. In time to come the whole world will be purified and all
will become worthy of knowing God, even the nations of the world. As it is written:
`For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God like the waters cover the sea'
(Isaiah 11:9). But there will be a great difference between the understanding they will
attain and ours. Even within the Jewish people itself there will be great differences
between the various Tzaddikim, and even more so between the just and the wicked.
The perceptions granted to each one will depend on the struggles and bitterness he
endured in this world for the sake of God. These Tzaddikim will become `burned' by
these perceptions in the sense of being stirred and aroused by them, even though they
seem very simple in the eyes of the Tzaddik who attained them in this world. In the
World to Come his own perceptions will be unimaginably greater. Similar distinctions
will exist on all the different levels. Understand this well and be warned. Make sure
that you prepare yourself for the eternal life of the World to Come. `If you bec>> ome
wise, the wisdom is yours...' (Proverbs 9:12) (Ibid.).
13) A person who fills his mind with thoughts of Torah and devotion will always
attain higher and higher levels of understanding. He will have nothing to fear from
lurking evil and accusers. The forces of evil will flee from him. He will not be afraid
of them at all (Ibid.).
14) The month of Elul is especially propitious for attaining new levels of
understanding which are still beyond you. When you succeed in bringing these levels
within the range of your comprehension you will then see further horizons beyond
you. In this way you form new garments for your soul and you will be saved from all
evil (Ibid.).
15) When a person performs a mitzvah, this mitzvah has the power to arouse all the
worlds and draw them closer to God, and blessing spreads over all the worlds. The
essence of the blessing which flows from the upper worlds is wisdom and the vision
of Godliness. As the blessing descends to the lower worlds, the effect it has on each
individual depends on the strength of his desire for God. One who wishes to develop
spiritually should always aim to draw this blessing down upon himself. But he must
also be sure that his intellectual vision is infused with faith. It is no good to rely upon

wisdom alone. The spiritual blessing of wisdom and understanding which descends
through the fulfillment of the mitzvot expands the boundaries of man's intellect until
he is worthy of perceiving the light that is beyond the nefesh, ruach and neshama
which make up the soul. This is the light of the Infinite which cannot be perceived
through the understanding itself but only through the performance of the mitzvot in
joy. It can only be `attained, yet not attained' (Zohar I, 65a) (24).
16) Each individual must strive to free himself from the power of fantasy and
imagination and acquire true wisdom. It is no good to follow one's animal instincts or
the attractive images they evoke in the mind. He should pursue wisdom alone, which
is completely opposed to impulse. The power of impulse derives from the faculty of
fantasy and imagination. Animals also have this faculty, and therefore they also have
these desires. Such desires are nothing more than the stubbornness of the heart, and
one who follows them is literally like an animal. A man must free himself from
stubbornness and break his heart of stone. He must follow intellect alone (25:1).
17) A person may succeed in breaking the hold of his desires and fantasies and
thereby establish his commitment to a life founded on wisdom. But his intellect is still
only potential. He must bring it into actuality by using it to think deeply about how to
serve God. 'When he succeeds in attaining the ultimate level of wisdom that man can
acheive, he will have won eternal life for himself after his death. Because the only
thing that is left to a person after his death is the holy wisdom he aquired through his
Torah and devotion (ibid.).'
18) When a person's words lack understanding, they lack goodness, and then they will
neither be heard nor accepted. They do not come into the category of `speech' at all.
For speech that is not heard or accepted is not worthy of the name `speech' (29:1).
19) The way to develop the faculty of speech is by recounting the greatness of the
Tzaddikim, their achievements, their levels and so on. Praising the Tzaddikim
enhances our power of understanding, and the faculty of speech then receives from
this understanding. Now our words contain goodness, and they will therefore be heard
and accepted. This is the comprehensive tikkun for the faculty of speech (Ibid. 2).
20) Each individual must strive to reach the understanding of how the whole earth is
full of God's glory. There is no place devoid of God. He fills all the worlds and
transcends all the worlds. Even a person whose business activities involve him in
contacts with non-Jews should not try to excuse himself. He cannot claim that it is
impossible for him to serve God on account of his being constantly surrounded by
gross materialism due to his business involvements. Godliness can be found
everywhere: in all material things, and even in the languages of the non-Jews. Without

Godliness they would not be able to exist or endure at all. It is only that as the levels
become lower Godliness is more `contracted' and veiled in many garments (32:2).
21) This means that even if you are sunk in the very lair of the `husks' on the lowest of
all levels, even if you believe you are so far from God that it is impossible for you to
draw closer, you can still find Godliness even in the place you have sunk to. Even
there you can attach yourself to Him and return to Him in perfect repentance. God is
not far away even there. It is only that in the place where you are, the veils are thicker
(Ibid.).
22) A person who masters his evil inclination and subdues it is really like an angel of
the Lord of Hosts, and he can find letters of Torah even where materialism is rampant.
Even when he is in contact with non-Jews and sees their behavior, he is aware of the
Godly vitality -- the letters of Torah -- which are clothed in it. The secrets of Torah,
the hidden Torah of the Ancient of Days, will be revealed to him. He will taste the
light of the love which is beyond time and beyond finitude, and he will attain a
perception of the light and goodness which are hidden away -- the hidden Torah and
the hidden Tzaddikim (Ibid. 3).
23) As one goes from level to level and draws closer and closer to God, his knowledge
and understanding of God will become greater and greater, and his ability to love God
will grow more and more (Ibid. 4).
24) Each individual must bind his heart to his understanding. Every Jew knows in
general terms that God exists. By rights the mere fact that he knows this should be
enough to make him subdue all his animal impulses and bad character traits. But `the
evil are under the sway of their hearts' (Bereishith Rabbah, 34) and the heart is the
seat of all the passions and character traits of the individual. This is why it is so
important to bind one's heart to one's understanding. When a person is in control of his
heart, all his passions and impulses and character traits will be under the sway of his
understanding, the part within him that knows God and is aware of how the whole
earth is full of His glory. As he develops this awareness he should be able to break and
eliminate all his impulses and then he will be worthy of the light of love which is
within Da'at, understanding. This is the hidden light, which is the hidden Torah and
the hidden Tzaddikim (Ibid. 7).
25) Wisdom is the root of all things. This is why one must guard his mind from all
extraneous ideologies. True wisdom has as its goal the pursuit of perfection. The
wisdom that is necessary for this is the holy wisdom of the Torah, which is concerned
with Godliness. All other idea-systems are futile -- they cannot really be called
wisdom at all (35:1).

26) From the time a person is born his understanding is in a state of contraction. It
only starts to grow when he begins to use it to think about how to serve God. But
when a person admits alien thoughts and ideologies into his mind, the holiness of his
mind and soul is diminished in direct proportion to the space occupied by the alien
ideas. All kinds of negative character traits develop from this alien mentality and
cluster around it (Ibid.).
27) This is why one must be so careful to protect one's mind and not allow alien
thoughts and ideologies to enter. The way to achieve true repentance and make
amends for all one's sins is to make a determined effort to expel all alien thoughts
from one's mind. The mind is the manifestation of the soul. When a person sanctifies
his mind -- and therefore his soul -- everything becomes elevated and restored to its
source. This is the essence of repentance (Ibid.).
28) It is not sufficient merely to guard yourself from alien ideas. You must always try
to bring new vitality into your mind, and in this way your soul will be revived and
refreshed. For the mind is the manifestation of the soul (Ibid. 2).
29) None are more prone to the attacks of the evil inclination, the `primordial serpent,'
than those who study the Torah. Because of their deeper understanding and the higher
level of their souls, the evil inclination makes redoubled efforts to insinuate itself
within them and make them sin. It is therefore essential for them to guard their minds
from evil thoughts, because these are the basis on which the evil inclination builds
(Ibid. 1).
30) The mind -- and therefore the soul -- is renewed through sleep. When the mind is
tired from exertion, sleep refreshes it. While one is asleep, the mind -- that is, the soul
-- enters into the category of faith. This is expressed in the words of Lamentations
(3:22,23): `His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your
faithfulness' (Ibid. 3).
31) There are different kinds of sleep. There is physical sleep, which gives rest to the
mind. Learning Torah may also be considered as `sleeping' in relation to intense
devotion to God through prayer, meditation and contemplation. `Learning' here refers
to the study of the simple meaning of Torah. There are people who involve themselves
in very intense devotions. When their minds become tired from the high level of their
devotions, they should turn to the study of Torah on the level of the literal
interpretation, and for them this is a kind of `sleep.' Another kind of `sleep' is business
activity when conducted in faithfulness and with integrity. When a man conducts his
business affairs with the requisite faithfulness and integrity, his mind and soul are
thereby refreshed, acquiring fresh illumination from the Inner Light of God. In all
these different kinds of `sleep' the essential thing is always faith, and it is necessary to

guard one's faith very carefully. Then, when his mind becomes tired, he can infuse it
with fresh life through his faith by turning to one of these kinds of `sleep.' In the case
of material sleep in the literal sense one can actually feel how the mind has been
renewed. And because, as we have said, the main thing is faith, before going to sleep
we have to bind ourselves with our faith. This is the reason we recite the Shema
before retiring to sleep at night. When we do so, we should say the words with intense
concentration in order to bind the soul with faith during the hours of sleep. The soul
will then be refreshed, as it is written, `New every morning; Great is Your faithfulness'
(Lamentations 3:23). Our sleep will bring us a new mind and a new soul from the
Inner Light of God. This binding of the soul with faith also applies to those who turn
to the study of Torah in its simple interpretation as a form of relaxation from the
intensity of their devotions. When their minds begin to become distracted and they
can no longer remain attached to God through intense devotion, they should lay aside
their efforts and bind themselves to faith in simplicity. They should study the simple
sense of the Torah without a him closer every moment. This holds true of every single
person, no matter who he may be andf what situation he is in (54:2).
37) But caution is necessary when thinking about these matters. It is necessary to keep
within certain limits, and one should not delve too deeply. Otherwise there is a danger
of passing beyond the bounds of holiness. It is dangerous to fly off into speculation. A
person should keep within the bounds of human understanding and expand his
horizons steadily. He should not try to go beyond his own level, because `that which is
too wonderful for you, you must not search out' (Chagiga 13a) (Ibid.).
38) Tall people are usually foolish (55:6).
39) Don't be over-sophisticated. Being clever, or even wise, is no good unless you act
correctly in your practical life. In order to draw closer to God the most important thing
is a steadfast heart. The main source of the heart's strength lies in good deeds. A
person whose mental attainments outweigh his practical actions lacks the strength of
heart needed to keep his intellect within the bounds of holiness. His intellect can
easily lead him astray and cause him to sin. Worldly wisdom, as opposed to the
wisdom of the Torah, is futile. The worst thing of all is philosophy. One should simply
abandon all one's pretensions to wisdom and defer to the men of truth who follow the
path of truth as we know it by tradition from our Rabbis of blessed memory (Ibid.).
40) There is nothing in the world that does not contain Godliness, however hidden it
may be. There are two degrees of concealment. The first is simple concealment; the
second is `the concealment within the concealment.' When God is hidden with one
concealment it is hard indeed to find Him, but still, with great effort and searching it is
possible, because at least one knows that God is hidden from one. But at the time of
the `concealment within the concealment,' even the fact that God is hidden is itself

concealed. The individual has no idea that God is concealed from him, and then it is
hard indeed to find Him. The concealment of Godliness comes about through sin.
When a person sins once and then repeats his sin a second time, the sin becomes
permissible in his eyes. This is what causes the first concealment. But if one sins more
and more, God forbid, one falls to the level of `the concealment within the
concealment.' Nevertheless, even within `the concealment within the concealment'
Godliness is present, because without His life-force nothing in the world could exist at
all. Through devotion to Torah it is possible to strip away all the veils and reveal that
God is present even when `the concealment within the concealment' is most intense.
Then the unremitting cry of the Torah is heard at last: `How long, ye thoughtless, will
ye love thoughtlessness?' (Proverbs 1:22). In the end one will be able to return to God
no matter where one may have fallen to (56:3).
41) The greater one's Da'at, understanding, the easier it is for one to make a living.
The more one lacks understanding, the more one must struggle and labour for one's
income (Ibid. 6).
42) The more understanding, the more peace. For strife, anger and unkindness are
rooted in lack of understanding. The more understanding the more love, kindness and
peace. Through this comes healing (Ibid.).
43) When a person is angry his understanding is withdrawn and the image of God
disappears from his face. He no longer has the face of a man (57:6).
44) In order for a man's understanding to develop, he must pay attention to three
things; he should teach what he knows to others and draw them under the wings of the
Shechinah. He must cultivate the fear of sin over and above his learning. And he must
be careful about the way he communicates what he knows to others in order that his
words will be words of grace. For `The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious'
(Ecclesiastes 10:12). Then his words will not be despised. His understanding will
bring him the three blessings of food, drink and clothing (58:5).
45) One whose understanding is developed to perfection has the power to draw even
the weakest among Israel to the service of God and to crush the enemies who chase
after them and oppress them. He has the power to expound original Torah ideas on
Shabbat -- `two for every one' (Ibid.).
46) The bliss of the World to Come lies in the praise and thanks we will give to the
great and blessed name of God. It is through knowing and acknowledging God that
we come as close to Him as it is possible to come. The more we know and
acknowledge God, the closer to Him we become. In the future everything else will be

of no account whatsoever. The only thing left will be to give thanks and praise to God
and to know Him (Ibid. II, 2).
47) The essential part of man is his Da'at, understanding. A person without
understanding is not a person at all. He is not worthy of the name `man.' He is nothing
more than a wild animal which resembles a man. The most important aspect of
understanding itself is the understanding one has of the Holy Torah: to know that God
exists and has power and control over all the world, and to carry out His will and
fulfill His commandments. A person who is worthy of attaining this understanding
will be saved from all sin and transgression. For `one only transgresses if the spirit of
folly enters one' (Sotah 3a). A person who is aware of God at all times will certainly
be saved from sin (7:2,3).
48) The main reason why people are far from God is that they are not clear-headed. It
is essential to think about the purpose of this world, with all its desires, distractions,
etc. There are the desires which are bound up with the body, and then there are the
other desires -- for prestige and honor etc. -- which are not directly concerned with the
satisfaction of bodily functions. Think what is the purpose of everything, what is the
ultimate goal. Then you will surely return to God (10).
49) If you are always happy you will be able to achieve a clear, settled mind. Joy
settles the mind and then you can control it as you wish. You can reflect on the
ultimate purpose of life. But when a person is depressed, his intellect and
understanding go into `exile' and it is very hard for him to concentrate. Depression is a
terrible obstacle to serving God (Ibid.).
50) A person with complete understanding knows that time in this world is really
nothing. The sensation of time stems from deficient understanding. The greater one's
understanding, the more one sees and understands that in reality time does not exist.
We can actually feel how time flies like a passing shadow and a cloud that will soon
disappear. If you take this to heart you will be free of worries about mundane matters
and you will have the strength and determination to snatch what you can -- a good
deed here, a lesson there -- in order to gain something that is truly enduring out of this
life. You will gain the life of the eternal world, which is completely beyond time (61).
51) True humility is when a person uses his intelligence to keep well away from any
kind of sophistication. It takes both wisdom and great effort to make oneself like an
animal (83; Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 15).
52) You must be very worthy to be able to meditate for a given time each day and
regret what you must. Not everybody has such clarity of mind. You must make sure
you set aside a time each day when you can reflect calmly on everything you are

doing and the way you are behaving and ask if this is the right way to spend your days
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 47).

WILL AND DESIRE:

1) The soul of the Jew is actually formed through the yearning and desire which he
feels for God and his good intentions to serve Him. No matter what his level, each
individual has a desire to reach a higher level. It is through this yearning that his holy
soul is formed (31).
2) But in order for his soul to come from potential to actual existence he must express
his yearning and longing in words. This is the means by which he will make his desire
into a reality and accomplish what he wants. This is why it is so important to speak to
God every day and articulate your desires and good intentions with your lips. You
should speak about your inadequacies and shortcomings and how you yearn for God
to help you in them. You should plead with God. Beg Him to take pity on you and
satisfy your yearning and longing for Him. This is the way to succeed in making the
potential into an actual fact and achieving what you need to accomplish (Ibid.).
3) The letters of the written Torah are without vowels. It is through speaking them
aloud that we give them a shape whether for good or for evil. The yearning which a
person has for goodness for God gives shape to the letters of Torah for good. The
Torah becomes an elixir of life, and such a person brings good into the world.
Conversely a person's bad desires give the opposite shape to the letters of Torah, and
for him it becomes an elixir of death, for `sinners stumble in them' (Hosea 14:10).
This brings evil into the world (Ibid.).
4) The yearning and longing for something holy are themselves very precious. They
are the means by which the soul is brought into being, and it reaches completion
through speech. The soul that is thus created can even enter the body of a wicked
person and bring him to return to God. On the other hand the desire for something evil
can cause great damage. The soul that is brought into being by evil desires can at
times even find its way to a Tzaddik and this can cause him to sin, God forbid (Ibid.).
5) A person may be totally unable to study Torah whether because he is an ignoramus
or because he is without a book, on a journey or in the desert, etc. But if his heart
burns with desire and yearning to learn, the very desire and longing he has are
`learning from a book' (142).
6) When a person has any desire except to do what God desires, it gives strength to
the forces of the Other Side. A man must nullify his own will to the point where he

has no will and desire for anything except what God desires whether that he should
have wealth and children or not, God forbid. It should be the same with everything
else he wants. He should desire only what God desires. This makes God alone the
King (177).
7) The main thing is the will and desire. It may be true that everyone wants to serve
God. But not all desires are equal. There are many gradations and distinctions. Even in
one and the same person at different times and even from moment to moment there
are all kinds of differences. The main thing is that a person should have the desire and
the longing. He should yearn for God... and meanwhile pray... and learn... and carry
out the mitzvot (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 51).

YOM KIPPUR -- The Day of Atonement:

1) The Day of Atonement contains all days and gives life to all days. On this day the
heart is subdued. Our desire is for God alone. All kinds of disputes, spiritual or
material, are resolved. Peace comes, bringing happiness and joy (179).
2) Yom Kippur concludes the process whereby the `seal of holiness' is secured and
protected (See Rosh Hashanah 9).
3) On Yom Kippur we appeal to God to `Forgive!' This cry of `Forgive!' opens up the
gate of the holiness of Chanukah, with its theme of the consecration of the Holy
Temple (see Chanukah 4).
4) There is a custom of referring to the day after Yom Kippur as `the Name of God.'
This is because the true greatness of God is revealed after Yom Kippur. On Yom
Kippur God is reconciled with Israel and forgives them for all their sins. As a simple
consequence, all harsh decrees and punishments are lifted, and it is through this that
God's greatness is revealed (Likutey Moharan II, 66).