אות-מח

Multiple daily sessions of hisbodidus. Sighing. Lifting the heart. Speaking to the limbs. Speaking exhaustively.

To one person, Rabbainu o.b.m. ordered that he should do hisbodidus, one period in the day, and one period in the night. Once Rabbainu o.b.m. asked one of his followers if he was accustomed to groaning and sighing, which is called 'krechtzin', when he does hisbodidus. And he replied (to him), “yes.” And Rabbainu o.b.m. said to him, “When I make a groan or a sigh, if I am holding my hand on the table at the time of the sigh, then is it impossible afterwards for me to lift my hand from the table, and I need to wait some time (hour) until my strength is restored (see Brachos 58b, and Likutay Moharan 22 and 109, and in the additional handwritten torahs published at the end, Rabbainu uses the word NeNaCh - sighing). Once Rabbainu o.b.m. grasped the rav, the tzaddik, Rabbi Shmuel Isaac o.b.m. against his heart, and said to him, “Because of a little blood such as this (i.e. the vascular of the heart) you will abolish this world and the next world.” And in Yiddish, “Ibber a bisselleh blit zulst uhn verin dey velt uhn yenne velt; krechtz dus ois,” accustom yourself to sigh a lot before Hashem Yisburach, until you are relieved of this blood, and put down the evil in it, and you merit to the aspect of (Psalms 109:22), “And my heart is hollow inside of me.”

Once, Rabbainu o.b.m. spoke with Rav Yaakov Yosef regarding the service of Hashem, as was his practice always, and he told him a parable of a king who sent his son far away to learn wisdoms. Afterwards the son came to the king's house erudite in all the wisdoms. Once, the king commanded the son to take a certain extremely large stone (like a millstone) and carry it up to the higher floors of the house, and probably the son was unable to carry and lift the stone, because it was a very large and heavy stone. And the son was anguished for not being able to fulfill the desire of his father the king, until the king revealed to him afterwards his purport, and said to him, “Is it conceivable to you that I would command you something so arduous like this to take the stone as it is and carry it and lift it; are you able to do such a thing with your great wisdom?! Rather my entire intention was that you should take a sledgehammer and bash and break apart the stone into small pieces, and in this way you would be able to bring it up to the higher floor.” Similarly, Hashem Yisburach commanded us (Lamentations 3:41) that we lift our hearts up to hands (stretched out) to G-d in heaven, and our hearts are very large and heavy stone (heart), and it is impossible to lift by any means, just, by taking a hammer, which is speech, and through this it is possible to bust and break apart the heart of stone, and then we are able to lift it to Hashem Yisburach, and understand (this). Another time Rabbainu o.b.m. spoke about the necessity to engage abundantly in the recital of Psalms, and entreaties, and beseeching, and hisbodidus etc.. And the rav, the tzaddik, Rabbi Yuddel zatza”l asked him, “How does one garner heart (meaning to say, how does one merit that the words will be with arousal of the heart)?” Rabbainu o.b.m. answered him, “Tell me, by which tzaddik did you receive arousal of the heart? The main thing is the speaking with the mouth, words of entreaty and beseeching, and the arousal of the heart will come of itself.

(Life of Rabbi Nachman, article 441).

To one of his greatest followers, in the youth of this follower he instructed him, that during his hisbodidus he should speak a great deal individually with all the limbs of his body, and he should explain to them that all the desires of the body – (are) emptiness, for behold the end of every man is death, and the body is brought to burial, and all the limbs will decay and rot etc., and additional words similar to these. And he practiced this for some time, and afterwards he spoke with Rabbainu o.b.m. and he apologized before him that his body doesn't listen or feel whatsoever all his argumentation and words with it. Rabbainu o.b.m. said to him, “be strong in this matter and do not let up from this, and you will see afterwards what will be from these words.” And he heeded his advice and fulfilled his words, until he merited afterwards, that every single limb which he spoke to individually was so drawn to his words, to the extent that mamash (-actually) all the life would leave the limb he was speaking with, and remained with out any vitality or sensation. And this he saw empirically in his external limbs such as his fingers and toes and so forth, until he began to speak with his inner organs which are vital, such as the heart and so forth, he needed to be very succinct in order that his life wouldn't expire mamash, as mentioned. And I heard that once, this person spoke with those close to him about how this world isn't anything, and what is the tachlis (-purpose, end) of all the matters of the body etc. as mentioned above, and in the middle of speaking he fainted and began to die (and in Yiddish: he remained weak), and with ardent effort he revived and returned to life. And he said then that he merited through the holiness of Rabbainu o.b.m. to this (spiritual) level that whenever he reminds himself well of the fear of (Heavenly) retribution and the end and the tachlis of all the matters of this world, then all his limbs, even the smallest of his toes, feel mamash like they are already lying (in the grave) and rotting etc., to the extent that he needs to greatly bolster himself to retain his life inside of him, (so) that his soul does not depart mamash, as mentioned above. And I heard in the name of Rabbainu o.b.m. that he said to several other people as well, “Because your body is very coarse and strong with desires, therefore darft eer <you must> un dulen <badger/burden/exhaust> with holy words regarding the tachlis.” And accordingly it is understood that it is also necessary to speak with oneself at great length in the matter of encouragement, so that he shouldn't abate completely, Heaven forbid (And see above, article 16). (Life of Rabbi Nachman, article 442).

Additionaly it is brought down there (Life of Rabbi Nachman, article 545), that once, our teacher the rav, Rabbi Nussun zatza”l said to our Master and Leader, Rabbainu Hakadosh (-the holy) zatza”l, complaining (Psalms 69:4), “I have become exhausted with my calling out (to You), my throat has become parched (hoarse), my eyes longing disappointed, hoping to my G-d.” And our Master and Leader, Rabbainu zatza”l lifted his hands slightly and said in a soft tone, “If so, what can be done?” That is to say, for certainly it is forbidden to have suspicion of Him Blessed He, and certainly Hashem is righteous. Afterwards he (Rabbi Nachman) said to him, “Behold, if King David r.i.p. said, 'I have exhausted myself with my calling out (to You), my throat has become parched (hoarse)', it literally was so, that he had called out so much until he was mamash (-actually) fatigued and exhausted with his calling, and his throat was mamash parched (hoarse), literally, but you, thank G-d, are still strong etc..

Likutay Aitzoas Homilies which talk about prayer and hisbodidus as they are written in the book Likutay Aitzoas (A Collection of Advice/remedies) which flow out from the wondrous teachings that are in the book Likutay Moharan (Collection of Our Master and Leader, the Rav, Rabbi Nachman) volume one. And I recorded by each article its source, from which torah (-teaching) it originates, so that if the reader desires to know the material in their root and their substantiation, he can read inside the book Likutay Moharan itself.