אות-סא

Doubts in the heart are removed through learning halacha Through learning the decisions of the halachic (-relating Jewish law) authorities (poaskim) one merits to pray properly, with all his heart. For in truth, if a person would know and believe with a complete heart that the whole world is full of His glory, and He blessed He stands above him during the prayer and listens, hears, and heeds every single word of the prayer, certainly he would be very particular to say his words with kavana (-intention, meaning, and concentration), and he would pray with great passion, but because his heart is divided, in the aspect of (Hosea 10:2) “their hearts are divided (from Me),” and he is not strong in this knowledge with a complete heart, because of this he is not so particular, and does not put his heart to pray with kavana. And all of this stems from the problems and heresy which are in the heart, which are the aspect of the quarrel ('division' – same root as “divided” above) of the evil inclination (yetzehr hurra) which is in the heart. Therefore the tikun (rectification) for this is learning the decisions of the halachic authorities, for through this the quarrel of the evil inclination which is in the heart, is neutralized in its root (Likutay Aitzos ends here stating: and through this one merits to pray properly, truthfully with all his heart), because the root of the quarrel of that evil inclination which is in the heart is in the evolution, step by step, degeneration from holy discord ('division'), which is the disputes ('division') between the Tana'im (Sages of the Mishna) and the Amoaru'im (Sages of the Talmud), which this one forbids and this one permits, and through learning the decisions of the halachic authorities one rectifies the discord which is in holiness, as mentioned, for the final halachic decision is the harmony and reconcilement of the dispute between the Tana'im and Amoaru'im, and therefore through this the dissent of the evil inclination which is in the heart, is also neutralized, and one merits a straight heart, that his heart will not be divided (upon him), just, believing that Hashem Yisburach hears all the words of the prayer, and then he merits to pray properly. And this is (Psalms 119:7), “I will praise You with a straight heart {laivuv},” 'laivuv' (heart in Hebrew is laiv, and can also be with an additional 'uv', our Sages denote meaning from this seeming redundancy) precisely, with both inclinations (as our Sages o.b.m. (Brachos 54a) inferred on the verse (Deuteronomy 6:5), “with all your heart {livuvichu}” - with both of your inclinations). When? (continuation of the verse), “when I learn the laws of Your righteous justice,” see there. (Likutay Moharan, torah 62). [The transcriber says: From here there is support to what is brought down previously, article 30, from his holy words, that these two matters, namely to pray and express one's words before Him blessed He, and also the learning of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), are general practices for each and every man, every single day of his life, because according to what was mentioned above, they are contingent upon each other].