אות-עא

Sweetness of prayer and interference from people and from foreign thoughts

Everyone, according to their rectification of the bris (-circumcision-covenant) and according to his connection to the true tzaddikim who guard the bris, so too he can taste the sweetness in the words of the prayer. And then “a lion alights to eat his offering (Tikunay Zohar, tikun 3 of the 11 posterior tikunim),” that is, his prayer; but on account of the defection of the bris, he is is in the aspect of bitter water etc., and then he cannot taste the sweetness of the words of the prayer, and then “a dog alights to eat his offering,” that is, his prayer. And know, that the brazen faced of the generation, they (distinctly) are the dogs which stand (against) and oppose the prayers of the Israelite who still has not amended his bris completely (Likutay Aitzos, prayer 48-9; Likutay Moharan, torah 50).

[Upon this, the book Likutay Aitzoas (Collection of Advice), in the entry of prayer, article 49, writes: And from here you can understand how great is the sin of those who oppose the prayer of an Israelite and desire to confuse his prayer, for even though this person who is praying has not yet merited to rectification of the bris, and consequently was beset with this dispute, which is the aspect of “a dog alights etc.” as mentioned above, but the opposers are not vindicated because of this from their punishment, for they uproot their souls from holiness and set themselves to be called by the designation of actual dogs, may the Merciful One save us, in the aspect of (Isaiah 56:11), “and the dogs brazen with desire,” through this that they oppose his prayer, even though he did not reform his bris completely as mentioned above, for certainly a person has to exert himself to pray with all his might even though he is the way he is, and (he) cannot feel the sweetness of the words of the prayer, and also, the exertion itself is very precious, for regarding this it says (Psalms 44:23), “Because for Your sake we are killed all day etc.,” as is explained elsewhere (Likutay Moharan vol. 2, torah 46, and see Words of Rabbi Nachman article 12) in his words o.b.m.]. And behold it is further understood from his words o.b.m. in Likutay Moharan, volume one, torah two, that whoever defects the bris, prayer is taken from him by means of an insurgency of foreign thoughts which come to confuse his prayer, and so it is written there in torah thirty, that all the befuddlement in the world, and all the trivialities, and all the confusion that a person has throughout the day, whatever time it may be, absolutely everything comes specifically during the prayer, and makes itself heard specifically then, to confuse the person during his prayer, in the aspect of (Psalms 106:2), “Who (can) tell[s] over the mighty acts of Hashem?” That is, whoever says over the mighty acts of Hashem during the prayer, then (continuation of the verse), “make{s} heard all his teheelah {praise?; tuhulah – confusion!},” meaning, that he makes heard to himself all his mixed up sentiments and all his confusion. Because “teheela” (-praise) is a term for disarray and confusion, like it is written (Job 4:18), “and in his angels he puts obfuscation <tuhulah>,” therefore extremely great surmounting is necessary during the prayer, over these confusions and foreign thoughts that come and rise in one's heart, particularly then.

And there is (written) in his words o.b.m., in Likutay Moharan volume two, torah 122, regarding foreign thoughts during prayer, that every foreign thought is a husk (klipa) with full stature, as is brought down (see Poras Yosef page 50), and when a person stands to pray in order, and doesn't pay attention to the foreign thoughts, then in the progression of his prayer he knocks them down; to this one he severs a hand, and to this one he severs a leg, and so forth with the other limbs. This is allegorical to the enterprise of war, when it is necessary to go and pass through many killers and ambushers, and (when) he is valiant and passes through them, then on his way he fells them; to this one he severs a hand, as he proceeds on course, and knocks him down, and to this one, a leg etc.. And so it is mamash (-really) with the enterprise of prayer, when one prevails to pray in order and not give any regard to the foreign thoughts, then he kills them or cuts them up limb by limb as mentioned above.

And so it is additionally exposited in his words o.b.m. (Likutay Moharan, vol. 1, torah 72), that one need not look upon them at all, and not look behind him at all, (he should) just go in order in his prayer, and through this they will depart automatically. And if he doesn't ignore them, then on the contrary, they will engulf him even more, like a person running away from something, and he side-glances off handedly on the thing he ran from, then this thing bears down upon him even more, so it is mamash (-exactly) in the matter of the thoughts.

And so it is exposited further in his words o.b.m. (Likutay Moharan vol. 2, torah 50) that thought is in the hands of the person to incline it as he wills. And even if his thought is already accustomed to go out of bounds plentifully, even still it is in the hand of the person to direct it each time to the straight (-proper-just) way, for it impossible by any means for there to be two thoughts simultaneously, see there. Therefore, certainly when one strengthens to think only of the words of the prayer, certainly the foreign thought will be cast away. And see in Likutay Halachos (Laws of Tefillin, law 6:32) that this is the aspect of the (offering of the) Oamehr (Biblical measurement) of Barley (brought on the second day of Passover), which one needs, after leaving Egypt (-every year on the first day of Passover), to count the days to (-from) the Oamehr, that is because the barley, which is fodder for animals, which is the aspect of the power of imagination, from which all the confusion, and (improper) rumination, and all the foreign thoughts which are the aspect of hairs ('si-u-roas', same base as barley – 'si-oa-rim') which are from the excess of the brain(s), as is known (see the Lurianic Kabalistic works: Mivoa Shi'urim 5:1:13, and Aitz Chaim 13:5 principle 2. And see Likutay Moharan 67:6). All of these are in the aspect of the Oamehr and measurement, just like a vessel that can hold a certain measurement, and it is impossible to put more than this into it, likewise the brain is a vessel which cannot be loaded except with one thought, and more than this is impossible to charge it concurrently. And this is barley ('si-oa-rim') which has the same etymology as hairs ('si-u-roas'), which are the thoughts, as mentioned above. And this is (a construct of) what we count the days to the Oamehr (-from the day of it's offering till the holiday of Shivuos 50 days later), that is because days are the life of a person, for all the days of a persons life are included in days and in time, and the essence of life is the intellect of the brain, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 7:12), “the intellect gives life,” and all the thoughts are from there, and they are all in the aspect of the Oamehr and measurement.

And therefore after leaving Egypt it is necessary to bring an Oamehr of Barley, and wave it, and count the days of sfeerah (-counting) from that day, because the main purification from the putrid contamination of Egypt, which is the nakedness of the land (Genesis 42:9,12), defection of the bris (-circumcision, covenant), is through purification of the thought, as is known (see Likutay Moharan, torah 36:5, and the introduction to the Tikun Haklali (-General Rectification). And in Keheelas Yaakov – for beena (-understanding) is called thought (machshuva), and the Exodus from Egypt is from the realm of the jubilee which is beena), and through the mitzva of the Oamehr of Barley and the days of the sfeerah (-counting) it is possible to merit to clarify the imagination, from which come all the thoughts and confusion, and to draw upon oneself holiness, that he should guard himself, at least from now, to grasp his thought so that it doesn't go outside, and that he should know well, that it is impossible by any means for there to be two thoughts together, and the brain is just an oamehr, and measurement, and vessel which cannot have placed into it, just, one thought. And therefore it is possible to flee from the bad thoughts just by shev vi'al taaseh (“sit and don't do” – inaction), that is, not to think that (foreign) thought, rather set one's thought well, in the words of his prayer, and through this certainly the bad thought will be pushed away, as mentioned above.

And see in the book “Ullim LiTroofah” (Leaves for Healing, letters 312-3), where it is written: And the indication of the Oamer of Barley should not pass from your mind. And with this a person is strengthened also regarding hisbodidus and conversation between himself and his Maker. And it writes there: And the main thing is not to overly think of the past or the future, just to look at the tachlis (-ultimate purpose) at that hour, and do what you can, that which will bring you success for eternity, for every single word of Torah, and prayer, and conversation between oneself and his Maker, everything is the soul's success, wondrous success which is infinite, “no eye has seen etc. (Isaiah 64:3).” And especially since we see that the baal duvur (litigator – Satan) does his thing, may the Merciful One save us, we are obligated to do our part, to speak between oneself and his Maker, to express his words before Him blessed He, and through this one draws upon himself radiance and holiness of the good point he has inside, to bind it to his heart with a tight and strong knot etc., see there, and through this he will merit to remove from his heart all the degradations, which are the bad desires and bad loves which break a person's heart, in the aspect of (Psalms 69:21), “degradation broke my heart,” as mentioned above in article 57, see there.

Articles Regarding Hisbodidus From The Books of Likutay Halachos