Azamra / Rabbi Nachman: Who He Was - Part 15
אזמרה
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/azamra/1/15

Segment 1
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47. A person should find himself within the words of Psalms. Tehillim (Psalms) was written with Divine Inspiration and includes within it each individual’s personal struggle, whatever he may be going through at any given time. [Likutay Moharan vol. 2, 125; Outpouring of the Soul 1]

Segment 2
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48. Rabbi Nachman revealed that saying the following ten chapters of Psalms together serves as a Tikun Klali – a general rectification: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150. [Likutay Moharan vol. 1, 205; vol. 2, 92; Sefer Hameedoas, Nocturnal Emission 5, Words of Rabbi Nachman 141; Life of Rabbi Nachman 59, 162, 184, 225. “General Rectification” - Likutay Moharan 29]. Many Jews say these every day.

Segment 3
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49. “Even when people are serving idolatry, nevertheless, deep down, they are all submissive to G-d and serving Him, only it is taking place in a greatly concealed realm.” [Likutay Moharan 56]

Segment 4
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50. Immersion in a mikvah redeems a person from all hardships, and purifies from all impurities and from all sins, for the mikvah draws down extremely lofty awareness and supernal kindness and compassion. [Likutay Moharan 56]

Segment 5
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51. Philosophies and intellectual wisdoms are not needed at all. Only pure and simple faith. Sophistication can greatly damage a person. Devotion to G-d is not even with real wisdom, only with pure and simple faith! It is even necessary in the devotion to G-d, to act and do things that appear foolish or silly, as it says in Proverbs (5) “in his love he constantly errs foolishly,” even to roll in all types of mud and mire for the service of G-d and His blessed commandments, even just for a nuance of fulfillment of the Divine Will, to bring our Father in Heaven nachas (enjoyment). Through this one merits to understand the most hidden ways of G-d – even why bad things are brought upon the righteous and the wicked enjoy privileges. One is granted to unrestricted access to G-d's treasure houses. [Likutay Moharan vol. 2, 78; also see the Legendary Tale of the Sophisticate and the Simpleton]

Segment 6
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52. The greatest wisdom of all wisdoms is not to be wise at all, rather to be pure and honest with simplicity. [Likutay Moharan vol. 2, 44]

Segment 7
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53. A person shouldn’t take upon himself added stringencies, as our Rabbis taught ‘The Torah was not given to angels.’ Stringencies can make one fall from the service of Hashem. Rabbi Nachman testified on himself that he himself had no stringencies, not even regarding Passover (where the Code of Law recommends stringencies). [Likutay Moharan vol. 2, 44]

Segment 8
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54. It is incumbent upon every single Jew to study Halacha (Jewish law) every day without allowing a single day to pass without it. Even if he is held back for he didn’t have time, he should study at least one section of “Shulchan Aruch” no matter which one, even if it is not in the place he is holding during his usual order of studies. For a Jew must learn at least some law in Shulchan Aruch every single day, all the days of his life. If he is not held back due to extraneous circumstances, he should have a set study in Shulchan Aruch each and every day, in order, from the beginning to the end. When he finishes he should go back and do it again. In this way he should accustom himself his entire life. For it is a very very great fixing of the soul. [Words of Rabbi Nachman 29]

Segment 9
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55. When there are harsh judgments on the Jewish people G-d forbid, through dancing and clapping ones hands, the judgments are sweetened. [Likutay Moharan 10]

Segment 10
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56. When one sings the words of prayer and the song resonates with great clarity and purity, he dresses the Shechina (Divine Presence) with luminous clothing in the colors of the rainbow. This appeases the Divine wrath. [Likutay Moharan 42]

Segment 11
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57. When we clap our hands during prayer it awakens the 28 letters that the world was created with, which parallel the 28 joints in the hands. The air that is expelled, dispels and banishes the impure atmosphere of the lands of the nations, and the air that is drawn in, welcomes and ushers in the pure atmosphere of the Land of Israel. [Likutay Moharan 44]

Segment 12
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58. It is a great thing to hear music from a holy person playing on an instrument for the sake of Heaven. Because through this, false fantasies are dismissed, the spirit of depression is dispelled, and the person merits happiness. Through this the memory is preserved, that is, the memory of the World to Come, and a person is able to understand the hints that Hashem is constantly hinting to him everyday. Furthermore, through this a person can reach the level of the spirit of prophecy and divine inspiration, and he will be able to pour out his heart like water before Hashem. [Likutay Moharan 54]

Segment 13
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59. The Blessed Holy One constantly constricts His G-dliness from utmost infinity to the most finite center point of this physical world, and He sends to each person; thought, speech, and deed, according to the person and according to the time and place. He enclothes within the thought; speech and deed, hints, in order to bring the person close to His service. Therefore, a person needs to delve his mind into this and expand his consciousness in order to understand what the hints are in their details which Hashem is sending to him in the thoughts, words, and deeds of this day according to the specific circumstances he finds himself in. In business or work, and in everything that Hashem sends to him each day, he needs to delve and expand his mind in it, in order to understand the hints of Hashem. [Likutay Moharan 54]

Segment 14
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60. When a Jew turns to G-d to speak to Him in a personal fashion, G-d so to speak drops everything to give this Jew His complete attention. Thus, if G-d forbid there was a bad decree being enacted, it will be postponed or abolished. [Words of Rabbi Nachman 70, Adir Bamurom 242-3]

Segment 15
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61. You need to know that just as evil arrogance is a very bad character trait, so too a person needs to have holy arrogance. Because it is impossible to come to the true tzaddikim or to draw near to holiness without arrogance, as our rabbis taught (Ethics of Our Father), “Be bold as a leopard.” [Likutay Moharan 22:11]

Segment 16
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62. A person needs holy arrogance, holy chutzpah. He should be bold as a leopard against the people who are preventing him and mocking him. He shouldn’t subjugate himself before them, and he shouldn’t be embarrassed in front of them at all. Even though it seems that they are tzaddikim and they are better than him, and even if it is true that they are better than him, even so, since his intentions are for Heaven, and they want to confuse him, and block him from the path of life, he needs to strengthen himself with holy arrogance against them. And even against one's own Rabbi, a person needs this boldness, in order to be strong to say whatever he needs to and not be embarrassed. On this it is said, “a timid person cannot be a learned person.” [Likutay Moharan 271]

Segment 17
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63. Anyone who wants to enter into the service of Hashem, the only way possible is to be like Avraham who considered himself to be the only one in the world. That is, he should not pay attention to anyone who is preventing him from coming close to Hashem, whether it be his father, mother, in-laws, wife, children, etc. or anyone else in the world who mocks him and tries to prevent him from serving Hashem. He should not pay attention to them at all, rather he should follow the verse “Avraham was one” (Yichezkel 32) As if he is the only one in the world. [Likutay Moharan vol. 2, an addendum after the introduction]

Segment 18
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The Tzadik (Saint)

Segment 19
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64. Rebbe Nachman would often tell his students about the great level that he reached in order to get them jealous and inspire them to serve Hashem like he did. One time someone responded to him, “Who can possibly reach the level of the Tzaddkim like yourself, certainly you were all created with really great souls.” Rebbe Nachman answered him in a stringent manner; “This is the main problem with you all, that you think the greatness of the Tzaddikim are due to their high level of soul, that is not true, every single person can reach my level and be exactly like me. It all depends on effort and honest work.” [Words of Rabbi Nachman 165]

Segment 20
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65. The world says that a person doesn’t need to seek greatness. I say that you must certainly seek greatness. Investigate and seek out only the greatest Tzaddik. [Words of Rabbi Nachman 51]