אות - קכ

Once he rebuked us to pray with intention and with force, as is explained at great length in his books (251) — that one must compel oneself greatly toward prayer and pray with all one's strength. And he said: your prayer in force and intention is like what I did when I pulled the rope with the anchor while I was on the ship. For when he was on the ship, there was once an emergency situation where they were compelling all the people of the ship to pull the aforementioned rope with all their strength, and I was pulling with all my strength — but in truth I put in no real force, it was only for show. For I was compelled to appear before them as if I were pulling with all my strength. So too is your prayer with force and intention — meaning that even now we do not truly put all our strength into the prayer.

251. RAK: See above 66, 74, 75. See below 293.

I heard in his name that he said: if he had not waited in trust for Hashem's salvation, he would already have been a traveling and wandering person like all those who travel and wander about for their livelihood as is the current custom. And his intent was regarding the conduct of the household in livelihood, clothing, and other household needs — which for most people are often lacking. For example: this one lacks simple clothing, and there are those who lack respectable clothing, or a dwelling etc. One must wait for Hashem's salvation and not force the moment (Eruvin 13b) to fill the deficiency immediately. Rather one must wait until Hashem has mercy.

And he said about himself the aforementioned matter: that if he had not waited — for example, when something was lacking, if he had forced the moment that it be so specifically at once — he would have needed to borrow and become a debtor until he would have been compelled to be a traveler and wanderer. As we know about travelers — they are always compelled to travel the province because they are always debtors.

And this matter must be very well known. And one must learn and greatly accustom oneself to this. For every person is lacking much — even householders and great wealthy men — all the more so those of medium means, even the important and the great. And one must be content with little and conduct one's household according to the time and circumstance. And if it seems to him that he needs clothing, or for his wife and children (252) — even though it is necessary for him, he should not force the moment by borrowing and running up a tab and becoming a debtor. Rather he should wait until his time comes. And it is better to endure hardship even in food — all the more so in clothing and dwellings etc. — and not to be a debtor. And it is better to be indebted to oneself or to the members of one's household in clothing than to be indebted to the storekeeper or to others. For in all matters of livelihood one must wait until the time comes, as mentioned. As it is written (Psalms 145:15): "The eyes of all look toward You, and You give them their food in its time."