1. The Tzadik, (the Righteous)
2. The Evening Prayers
3. Prayers Before Going To Sleep
4. Making An Account
5. The Midnight Lament
6. Remembering the World to Come
7. Starting the Day
8. Preparing for Prayer
9. Mikvah (The Ritual Bath)
10. The Morning Prayers
11. Jewish Law
12. Speaking With G'd
13. Rabbi Nachman's Teachings
14. Psalms
15. Likutel Tefillos
16. Structured Study
17. Eating
18. Business Affairs
19. Charity
20. Disseminating Rabbi Nachman's Teachings
21. Sanctifying the Seven Lamps
22. Joy
23. Repentance
24. Loving Your Friends
25. The Afternoon Prayers
26. Rosh HaShanah
27. The Land Of Israel
Based on the teachings of the Holy Rebbe, the Tzadik,
Foundation of the World, the Hidden Light . . .
RABBI NACHMAN OF BRESLOV, ZY"E
. . . And on the teachings of his Holy Disciple, the Genius
and Incredible Light to whom no secret remained hidden . . .
RABBI NOSAN OF BRESLOV, ZY"E
Written by one of the great Breslov Chassidim who died
[a martyr] by sanctifying G'd's Name in the world, HK"D
RABBI YITZCHOK BRIETER, ZT"L
At nightfall, recite the following passage. Behold, I desire to serve G'd in truth, faith and joy. Therefore, I attach myself along with all of my thoughts, words, and actions of the day to the true tzadikim. -- And specifically to 'The flowing brook, the source of wisdom,' [Proverbs 18:4] our rebbe, Rabbi Nachman ben Faiga -- the tzadik who is the foundation of the world." [His teachings reveal the foundations and roots of the entire Torah -- which is Itself the blueprint of Creation]
Before each of the formal prayers, say, "Behold, I attach myself in my prayers, to all the true tzadikim in our generation, as well as to all the holy tzadikim who rest in the earth. -- And specifically, to our holy rebbe, 'The flowing brook, the source of wisdom," [Proverbs 18:4] Rabbi Nachman ben Faiga, etc."
Pray slowly and with all of your strength, with proper feeling, and in
joy. Let your voice sound pleasant, and pronounce the words clearly,
being especially careful to say G'd's Names with fear and respect. The
evening prayers have special power to weaken any harsh judgements
decreed against you. They will give you the strength to stand strong in
the war against depression and suffering which plague most people. This
is what is meant by the verse: "G'd guards His people forever."' [The
evening prayers]
Say the prayers slowly, and in great joy -- just like the evening
prayers. The bedtime prayers will help you correct all of your faults
and mistakes, as well as all sexual blemishes, (improper thoughts and
ideas, etc.). This is due to the mystical teaching that all those who
recite the Sh'ma, (the most essential of these bedtime prayers), will be
worthy of defeating all evil forces. [Tractate Berachos 5a]
Thank G'd for all of the good which you merited to do today, and feel
remorse and guilt for all of your mistakes those of deed, speech and
thought. Then ask forgiveness and atonement from Him, and pray that He
help you to do His will from now on.
Arise at midnight to mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and the
concealment of the true tzadik's light and teachings. Mourn over your
sins -- both deliberate and unintentional, and over all of your bad
traits and lusts. These faults all delay the rebuilding of the Temple,
which will take place with Meshiach's arrival.
Try to find yourself and your life situation within the Psalms of the
Midnight Lament, and if you can, say them with a broken heart and in
tears.
Ask G'd to speed up the time of the redemption and salvation, as well as
that of your own personal salvation, for the Evil Urge is constantly
attempting our downfall on all levels.
The time of midnight is based on mystical traditions, and always starts
six clock hours after dark, and lasts for two hours. At this time, "G'd
frolics with the tzadikim in Paradise," [Zohar on Exodus 196a] and it is
a very favorable time.
When you awake from your sleep in the morning, say the following: "I
give thanks to You, O Living and Everlasting King, for You have restored
my soul to me in compassion. Great is Your faith." [Found in the
beginning of any traditional prayer book.]
Then remind yourself of the World to Come. Physical life is only a
passing world of vanity and illusion. In the future to come though,
there will be tremendous reward for all good done here, and G'd will
fulfill His promise to bring the dead back to life, for an eternal
Paradise here on earth.
Afterward, pray to G'd that He constantly help you to live in holiness
and purity. join forces with all of the tzadikim just as at other times,
as explained earlier.
Try to get up before the first signs of morning set in, since this is a
very opportune time to serve G'd and will help you have true faith in
Him. The great light of truth and wisdom will shine forth for you when
you follow this mystical custom. Many of the gates of holiness will be
opened for you as well -- which will help you to come even closer to the
Almighty.
When the light of day appears, look up and gaze at the heavens, for this
is also a deep rooted tradition, and causes all sorts of divine favor
and grace.
Try not to eat, drink or talk with anyone before you pray, but if you
must talk, then keep the conversation to a minimum. This will add grace
to your prayers, making them more favorable. When praying, you must put
all of your strength and feelings into the words, so it really does not
pay to weaken your soul's deep yearning for G'd by involving yourself
with others beforehand. It is also important to pray the whole service
at one time -- without making any interruptions. Encourage yourself, and
pour out your heart before G'd, for prayer is absolutely the greatest
form of expression.
Immerse in a mikvah every day, for it will add great sanctity to your
life and remove all of the impurity of past sin opening vast realms of
G'dliness to your reach. The mikvah protects from all sorts of torment
and suffering -- both physical and spiritual, and this is proved by the
verse; "The mikvah of Israel causes salvation in a time of distress."
[Jeremiah 17:3] (This is a play on the simple meaning of the verse where
"mikvah" refers to G'd -- the hope, (tikvah), of Israel.)
Pray early in the morning -- slowly and with feeling, just as you would
say the other prayers. Try not to interrupt yourself in the middle, and
avoid wandering about while you pray. Use a siddur because it is much
easier this way, and don't forget to answer "amen" and the other
responses when you are praying with a minyan -- and remember to answer
with feeling! This will help the whole world to merit the hidden light
from the seven days of creation, which shines forth in a new way every
day. Thus the meaning of the verse; "A new light will enlighten Tzion."
[The morning prayers]
Make it an inflexible obligation upon yourself to learn at least one law
from the codes every day of your life. This practice will completely
subdue all shades of disbelief and strife -- whether spiritual or
physical, from both yourself and the rest of the world. Study the Codes
of Law in order from the beginning. If you aren't learned enough to
study the large editions with all of the codifiers, then learn the more
basic versions, or those in English.
Encourage yourself with whatever means you can to be alone with G'd and
to talk with Him about whatever is on your mind and heart. Strive to
speak with Him in this simple way for at least an hour every day.
Tell Him about all of your adventures and confess your sins and
transgressions to Him -- whether planned or accidental. Converse with
Him just as you would speak with any other friend. Tell Him of all your
distress and suffering. Pray for the family and for all of our brothers
around the world. Don't be afraid to extend the conversation; mention
all the fascinating details and point out all of your claims well. Then
yearn and beg G'd to acknowledge your prayers and fulfill them -- all in
order to come close to Him. G'd says; "Open your mouth wide and I will
fill it." [Psalms 81:11]
Cry and sob too, and beg G'd to take pity on you. Thank Him for all the
great kindness He has shown you -- in a voice of song and praise.
Afterward, ask all of your desires of Him, whether spiritual or earthly,
and have faith, for this conversation brings G'd great pleasure -- even
if it comes from the most insignificant of people. It is even more
prized than the praise of the angels who inhabit the most ineffable
spiritual worlds. if you cannot find the words to begin a conversation,
then at least realize that your preparation and yearning, and the
struggle to find words is all very precious to G'd. Even if you are
unable to utter more than a single word the entire time you are
nonetheless absorbed in one of the most worthy of tasks.
Try to learn something from Rabbi Nachman's works every day, because
this will connect you to his very own ideas and outlook. His teachings
reveal the very foundations of the Torah, and will give you tremendous
power to continue the climb towards piety. Your individual study will
influence the entire world with the inspiration to repent and to also
renew themselves to search after holiness. This is true of all mitzvot,
especially that of learning Torah, but Rabbi Nachman's interpretations
and teachings have the most influence of all.
Say at least ten Psalms every day, since any ten will cause wondrous
spiritual corrections. Strive to find your own life story in the Psalms
as you say them, especially when the verse I praises G'd. -- That is,
imagine yourself as King David, and not merely as a narrator of his
words.
Say prayers from this holy work every day, and make up your own prayers,
also. For instance, pray that you merit to fulfill the advice of
whatever Torah you learn. This is what Rabbi Nachman meant when he said
that a person should turn Torah into prayer. Such practice brings G'd
tremendous pleasure, and every word will help you.
Establish set times to learn Torah, and study with great joy. Don't
interrupt your learning for anything that isn't of the utmost
importance. Also, learn with the intention that the Torah you learn help
you reach perfect faith in G'd. Search out advice revealing better ways
to serve Him. Explore new ideas and derive your own novelties of thought
from your study -- based on Rabbi Nachman's introductions if you can, since
this will bring you very close to G'd. In addition, it Will also
inspire many of our distant brothers to seek after G'd.
Eat slowly and with manners. Avoid anger and unnecessary talk. Learn
Torah at the table if you can, and try to contemplate holy thoughts
while you eat. Say the Grace After Meals with joy and feeling.
Eating gives extra strength to the body as opposed to the sublime powers
of the soul, so in order to counter this effect, inspire yourself with
yearning for G'd and with ideas of how to come even closer to Him while
reciting the Grace After Meals. Do this with life's other pleasures as
well. Have intention that whatever act you are involved in be done
because it is G'd's Will, and that the enjoyment cause G'd to unite with
the Divine Presence.
Carry out your work and money making affairs with faith in G'd. This
will help you to merit a greater understanding of His direct involvement
and supervision over the world.
Develop a strong belief in the fact that income is not governed by
natural law or luck, but solely by G'd's Will. G'd can provide for all
of us without any of our efforts, just as He did for our ancestors in
the desert. The reason He desires us to work and toil is to see whether
or not we will continue to serve Him when it appears that sustenance and
wealth come independently of His help -- by our own sweat and toil, G'd
forbid. Actually, our toil only inspires G'd to grant us a livelihood,
and the essential work rests on Him.
Separate charity from all the money you earn, irrelevant of how much it
may be. Donate the money for any orthodox Jewish cause. It is an
outstanding mitzvah to support the true tzadik's disciples and others
who are interested in his approach to Torah. Publishing his teachings is
a very worthy pursuit, too. Our intent is that his works be available to
all of the Jewish people at very low cost, and be commonplace in the
shuls and houses of study all around the world.
It is fitting to give at least 2% of one's earnings for such causes but
10% is a much worthier goal to strive for.
This is the foundation and central task, especially now -- at the epoch
of Meshiach. If every Jewish home had at least one publication of the
true tzadik, it would be that much easier to draw close to the "True
Path of Life." Therefore, this is the greatest goal and purpose there
is. This Job must be handled by the most dedicated disciples -- the
holy of the holy, and they must occupy themselves with it in purity,
with every last ounce of their strength.
We must all seek out ways to increase the circulation, and spread the
Rebbe's great fountains of wisdom to the entire Jewish world -- in order
to inspire all of our brethren back to their Father in heaven.
A person should sanctify himself by not looking in the wrong places, and
by turning his ears to the words of the sages. He should call to mind
the fact that G'd is constantly keeping His patience with us, and follow
His example by showing mercy on those he has a right to be angry with,
thereby sanctifying the nose. (In Hebrew, the word "af " means both nose
and anger. It is known that one can tell another's disposition by
looking at his nose." [Rashi on Exodus 15:8]) Sanctify your mouth by
speaking words of Torah and prayer, and guard yourself from evil talk.
This will cause you to merit a plentiful allotment from above, and
thoughts of great holiness. This is also hinted at quite clearly in the
Torah. When G'd instructed Moses and Israel to build the Tabernacle in
the desert, He said: "Build Me a Temple that I may dwell in them."
[Exodus 25:8.] -- In them, not merely in it. The menorah was one of the
vessels which stood in the Temple, and it had seven lamps, symbolic of a
person's own seven lamps: the two eyes; the two ears; the two nostrils
and the mouth. These seven have to be lit each day with the fire of
piety, just as the seven lamps of the menorah were lit each day by the
High Priest.
Try to be constantly happy and bubbling with life. Turn all depression
and stupor to joy and enthusiasm. Accept everything with love, and don't
allow yourself to fall into despair. Instead, encourage yourself with
your good deeds and special qualities when something spiritual bothers
you. if the cause of your troubles are physical, then find comfort and
joy in the mere fact that the suffering is not worse than it is. [See
Likutei Moharon 195 and 282] If you fall from your level of serving G'd,
then renew your trust in the great tzadikim and keep starting over and
over again, as if you never failed or even started serving G'd before.
Encourage yourself to believe that the purpose of all of your previous
failures was only to give you the occasion to begin anew.
If you really struggle to always start over again after every failure,
then G'd will surely help you and protect you from falling any more.
Make it a habit, as well, to serve G'd by singing, by being happy, and
by clapping your hands and dancing -- especially while you pray and learn
Torah.
Examine all of your deeds and words -- and even your thoughts, in order
to find hints which will arouse your soul to serve G'd. Hold your peace
with those who curse and insult you. Your silence will subdue the evil
which resides in the blood -- thereby securing atonement for all of your
sins, changing them to merits.
Nurture a deep love for the whole Jewish nation, especially those who
have been found worthy of becoming disciples of the true tzadik. Love
everyone according to his way, and speak of life's goal and purpose with
all those who are open. Every single Jew has a certain spark of good
unique to themselves, so try to gain wisdom from everyone.
Pray slowly, with joy and with feeling. These prayers will help you
elevate your whole day's work back up to G'd, and will help you gain
encouragement for tomorrow, inspiring you to serve G'd to perfection.
The afternoon prayers are especially fitted to this, as hinted at in the
Torah. ". . . And he (the priest), shall lay the burnt offering
(corresponding to the afternoon prayers), upon it (the altar)."
[Leviticus 6:5] It is explained in the Talmud: "With this sacrifice, the
whole day's Temple service was completed." [Tractate Yoma 33a] It says
in another verse: "When the sun sets, the person shall be clean."
[Leviticus 22:7] This reveals that the afternoon sacrifices had the
power to bring a person to perfection, and the afternoon prayers as
well -- since they were instituted as the substitute for the sacrifices
when the Temple was destroyed.2. The Evening Prayers
3. Prayers Before Going To Sleep
4. Making An Accounting
5. The Midnight Lament
6. Remembering the World to Come
7. Starting the Day
8. Preparing For Prayer
9. Mikvah (The Ritual Bath)
10. The Morning Prayers
11. Jewish Law
12. Speaking With G'd
13. Rabbi Nachman's Teachings
14. Psalms
15. Likutei Tefillos
16. Structured Study
17. Eating
18. Business Affairs
19. Charity
20. Disseminating Rabbi Nachman's Teachings and Ideas Throughout the
World
21. Sanctifying the Seven Lamps
22. Joy
23. Repentance
24. Loving Your Friends
25. The Afternoon Prayers