TORAH STUDY:
1) Through studying Torah all our prayers and requests are accepted and
the favor and standing of the Jewish people are enhanced in the eyes of
whoever they have need for, materially and spiritually (1:1).
2) Studying Torah with all your might gives power to the forces of
holiness and strengthens the good inclination against the evil
inclination (Ibid.).
3) If you labor in the study of Torah you will be able to understand the
hints and meanings contained in all the different things in the world
and use them as a means of coming closer to God. Even if you find
yourself in a place of darkness where you might think it hard to draw
close to God, true wisdom will radiate to you and you will be able to
draw close to God even from there (Ibid.).
4) Nobody sins unless he is overcome by the `spirit of folly' (Sotah
3a). The sins and damage a person may have done literally make him mad.
This is why the majority of people suffer from all kinds of quirks and
idiosyncrasies. The remedy is to study Torah intensively. The Torah
consists entirely of the names of the Holy One, blessed-be He, and i
t has the power to crush the evil inclination and banish all the madness
and folly which cling to a person because of his sins (Ibid.).
5) One of the most subtle devices of the evil inclination is that rather
than starting off by trying to persuade a person to do a blatant sin,
it dresses itself up as if it wanted to persuade him to do an actual
mitzva. But Torah study develops the sharpness and intelligence which
will help you escape these devices (Ibid.).
6) Torah and prayer give strength to one another and illuminate each other (2:6).
7) When a person studies the gemara by night, a thread of lovingkindness
is drawn down over him and he can free himself of all his impure
motives for Torah learning desire for recognition, etc. Gemara study by
night is a protection against the spiritual harm caused by unholy music,
which can otherwise make it very difficult to serve God. But with
this protection he will discover the power of holy music and be able to
attach himself to God through music and song. This strengthens the
forces of holiness and gives him the power to control whatever he wants.
He will be able to achieve the level of prophecy (3).
8) Studying the codes of Torah law gives us the ability to distinguish
between good and evil and separate them from one another (This is
because the essence of the halachah is to distinguish between pure and
impure, kasher and passul etc...) Thus the evil contained in the four
cosmic elements which are the source of the various human character tra
its is banished. This is the way one can achieve perfection, and then
whatever one prays for will emerge from potentiality to actuality and
one's request will be fulfilled. Those who oppose him with obstacles and
barriers will be cast down to the ground (8:6,7).
9) Reaching the correct legal decision depends upon prayer (Ibid.).
10) When studying Torah it is necessary to articulate the words and say
them aloud. Then the words themselves will illumine all the places where
we have to repent, and in the end we will be able to achieve perfect
repentance, which will outbalance all our sins. This is a continuous
process: with each act of repentance we advance from level to leve
l until we emerge from our own low level and are able to comprehend the
true depths of Torah (11:1).
11) But it is only possible to receive this illumination from the words
of the Torah if we first break our pride and pretensions, which give us
false motives for Torah study to acquire prestige or be able to boast or
attain rabbinic office etc. The degree to which we succeed in this
depends on our moral purity (Ibid. 2,3).
12) When people study Torah for extraneous motives, especially the Oral
Torah the gemara and the legal codes it gives them an opening to speak
disparagingly about the true Tzaddikim. This is why there is opposition
to the Tzaddikim from certain scholars (12:1).
13) Before a person sits down to study he should understand that at the
very moment he is learning, the Tzaddik in the Garden of Eden will be
listening to his voice. He must therefore bind himself to the Tanna
Mishnaic teacher or Tzaddik who first revealed the Torah teaching which
he is studying in order that their two souls may `kiss' and be atta
ched to one another. This brings great joy to the Tanna, and through
this the student sitting learning will be able to return to God and put
fresh life into all the days of his life that were spent in darkness.
But this can only come about when he studies Torah for its own sake with
the intention of fulfilling God's commandment to study Torah whic
h is equal to all the other commandments put together and to fulfill the
Torah he learns. But when someone learns because he wants to be
considered clever, etc.., he is worse than a carcass of a dead animal
(which is forbidden to be eaten unless it was ritually slaughtered) and
he will certainly not be able to attach himself to the spirit of the T
anna. He will never see the truth. He will turn into an enemy of the
true Tzaddik and cause the exile of the Shechinah, because the oral
Torah is in exile on the lips of this so-called Torah scholar (Ibid.).
14) When one learns for the right motives and studies the words of a
Tanna, one restores the soul of the Tanna to his the Tanna's body
(Ibid.).
15) It is a good practice to study legal rulings in conjunction with the
B'er HaGolah, the commentary which gives the Talmudic source of each
ruling, in order to mention the name of the Tanna or legal authority who
originated the ruling in question and so attach oneself to his spirit
(Ibid.).
16) The study of Torah in holiness and purity makes it possible to
arouse the sinners of Israel and converts to return to God. But it is
only possible to achieve this when one is absolutely humble (14:3-5).
17) Whenever a person learns Torah and this applies especially to a
Torah scholar he must aim to send light into the root of their souls.
Then he will be able to arouse even those who are far from God
the wicked and the proselytes and draw them closer to Him. He will be
worthy of having a son who is learned in Torah. But when a person's
learning is not on such a level, his son will not be learned in Torah
(Ibid. 3,4).
18) Through meditation and self-examination, in which one
judges oneself and all one's actions, it is possible to attain fear of
God, which is the means to understand the revealed aspects of Torah and
attain true humility. This is the foundation of genuine prayer, where
one nullifies one's very being and material existence. Then he can
understand the hidden aspects of Torah, which is the light treasured
up to be revealed in the future. Happy is he that attains this. (15).
19) It is only possible to understand the secrets of Torah if you `make
your face black as a raven's' (Erubin 54)and act just like the raven to
its young. You must nullify your materialistic aspects
completely, as if you were simply not in the world (Ibid.).
20) The secret aspects of Torah are called `holy' and `no common man
shall eat thereof' (Leviticus 22:13) only His holy ones and those who
are close to Him (Ibid.).
21) When Torah is drawn into the world, God's providence is drawn over
us. The closer a person is to Torah the more completely God's providence
is drawn over him (13:4).
22) There are times when the way to observe the Torah is by bittul
Torah, neglect of Torah. It is impossible to be constantly occupied with
Torah and devotion without interruption. There are times when one has
to make a break and `neglect' the Torah in order to go out and deal with
everyday matters. This stops the forces of the Other Side from ris
ing up with disturbances and distractions and destroying one's mind
completely, God forbid. Periodic neglect of Torah is an inescapable
necessity. Only when Mashiach comes will there never be any need to
interrupt one's devotions (16).
23) When a person wants to receive new insights into Torah he must first
arouse himself with words hot as flaming coals: he must pour out his
prayer before God, and then God's love will be aroused for him and the
Supreme Heart will be opened and a stream of words will pour forth. By
means of these words, new insights will come from this same sourc
e (20:2).
24) In the prayer a person makes before discoursing on Torah, he must
plead with God and beg Him to open His hand out of generosity alone. He
should never demand anything as of right, as if he were entitled to
something in virtue of his own merits. He should stand before God like a
poor beggar. He should also bind himself with the souls of his lis
teners. Then his prayer will be a joint prayer, and `the prayer of the
community is never spurned.' (Berachot 8a) It will surely be accepted,
and each of those present will then have a share in the Torah he reveals
(Ibid.).
25) Through the merit of the Torah which is drawn into the world in this
way you can succeed in coming to the Land of Israel (Ibid. 6).
26) When a person studies Torah without gaining new insights it is
because the wisdom of the Torah is concealed from him like an embryo in
the womb. He should cry out in his prayers and as he learns. Then he
will give birth to wisdom (21:7,8).
27) When someone studies Torah without understanding what he is learning
or gaining any new insights, God Himself has great joy from his
learning, but even so, he should make no attempt to teach publicly. But
when God bestows understanding on a person and grants him original
ideas, it is right and fitting that he should reveal what he has learned
to others and bestow his understanding upon the Chosen People. He should
share his own good with others (Ibid.).
28) Be very careful not to listen to Torah lectures from scholars
lacking in integrity. They are `Jewish demons' (cf. Zohar III, 253) who
receive their Torah from the demons who are in possession of the fallen
Torah. Their discussions may seem very remarkable and they are usually
well received by the mass of people. Their style is florid and ornat
e: they give elaborate examples and seemingly profound explanations. But
there is nothing to be gained from them. Their Torah has no power to
direct men on a good path. On the contrary, it leads people into doubts
and disbelief and they end up despising those who are truly religious
(28:1).
29) The remedy for this is to open the doors of your house to genuine
Torah scholars and offer them hospitality. This is the way to develop
true faith and lovingkindness and to nullify yourself before God, as it
is written: `I am a worm and not a man' (Psalms 22:7). This will give
you the strength to confront the opposition and banish the doubts and
disbelief they foment. Then you will be able to sift out the good that
is in their Torah and elevate it (Ibid. 3).
30) You have to be assertive and determined if you want to acquire
Torah. You must be `bold as a leopard' (Avoth 5:24) in the service of
God. Pay no attention whatsoever to those who put obstacles in your way
or try to ridicule you. The quality of your boldness and determination
will be reflected in the Torah you learn. One whose boldness expresse
s a determination to acquire genuine holiness will gain new insights and
find new horizons in the Torah. But someone whose boldness is really a
form of pride and arrogance stemming from the Other Side and who lacks
genuine respect for men of piety will not gain true insights into Torah.
The Torah he will acquire will be from the forces of the Othe
r Side. And the quality of his prayer will reflect the quality of the
Torah he learns (30:8).
31) To achieve complete fulfillment one must be developed in one's
character and learned in Torah at one and the same time. Our Sages said
that `an ignoramus will never be a saint' (Avoth 2:6). On the other
hand, to be learned by itself is useless. It is possible to be learned
and completely wicked, and when a person is unworthy the Torah becomes
an elixir of death for him. But when a person is both learned in Torah
and saintly in his actions he is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts. He
shapes the letters of Torah for good and brings life and goodness into
the world. One who mistakenly believes that the main thing is to be
learned alone is like `Acher' (R. Elisha ben Abuya, the notorious s
cholar-turned-disbeliever of the Talmud) who `uprooted the saplings'
(Chagiga 14b) (31).
32) There are times when even a perfect Tzaddik who is both learned and
saintly falls from his level because it is impossible to remain on the
same level constantly. When this happens, it is no good for him to try
to fortify himself with the thought of the great learning he still
retains. He must work on his character and behavior, not his Torah i
ntellect. He should strengthen himself in the fear of Heaven and work on
the good points which are still within him (Ibid.).
33) The Torah and the Tzaddikim are the source of peace: peace within
the Jewish people as a whole and peace in each individual. It is no good
for a person to be at war with himself. There must be a harmony between
his various traits, and he must also develop a harmonious approach to
life so that it will make no difference to him whether things ar
e good or seemingly bad: in everything he will find only God (33:2).
34) Extraneous ideologies are darkness and folly compared to the wisdom
of Torah. Through fasting and giving charity to causes in the Land of
Israel we become worthy of the wisdom of Torah, which elevates the soul
and fills it with love, light and life, and the harsh judgements are
sweetened (35:1).
35) The world cannot endure nor can the harsh judgements be sweetened
except through the merit of the breath of little children studying
Torah. Every person has a duty to search out a good, upright,
God fearing teacher and beg God to help him find one in order not to let
the holy breath of the children be corrupted by a bad teacher (37:4).
36) When a person studies Torah in spite of all the pressures of
hardship and poverty, the Torah he learns draws a thread of love over
him and banishes all his opponents and all the forces of impurity.
Speech is cleansed and elevated to its source, and he becomes worthy of
expressing himself before God with words of heat and fire which flow
from t
he heart in truth (38:4).
37) When a person sharpens his mind by studying Torah, his intellect is
sharpened and his awareness of the greatness of the Creator is expanded.
This will make him even more ashamed of his sins and shame is the
essence of repentance. He will be worthy of the light of tefilin, which
is a ray of the light of God's inner countenance and a `tree of li
fe' (Ibid. 5).
38) Deficient faith brings neglect of Torah, resulting in exile and wandering (40).
39) Even in learning Torah there has to be a certain limit, a level of
sufficiency and contentment. One can easily become confused by wanting
to learn more than one is able to. He sees how much there is to learn
and wants to learn the entire Torah while standing on one leg. He may
end up being so bewildered that he actually learns nothing at all.
You must be content for your learning to be within the limits of what is
possible for you, because `it is not for you to complete the task'
(Avoth 2:21) (54:3).
40) Heaven and earth are recreated afresh when new innovations of Torah
are born. This is the source of all the blessings in the world. But
there are certain original conceptions which are purely a product of the
imagination. The Torah student is more at risk from the deceptions of
the imagination than anyone else. His misconceptions may appear ve
ry attractive and convincing because the whole power of the imagination
is to make one thing seem like another, and therefore these
misconceptions have a strong semblance of truth. Inasmuch as they are
Torah they do contain some good, but this is outweighed by the bad which
is in them, and original concepts like these cause famine in the world
and
have an adverse effect on one's livelihood. One must pray to God to be
saved from them. The remedy is to be very careful neither to speak nor
listen to lashon hara, malicious slander. Also be sure that you are
always happy, because the main reason for the fantasies and temptations
created by the imagination is depression. Therefore the way to ove
rcome them is by being happy (Ibid. 6).
41) Devotion to Torah brings vitality and length of days. The Torah is
made up of the names of the Holy One, blessed-be-He. When we speak words
of Torah we are calling upon the Life of Life, blessed be His name, and
thus we draw long life and vitality from him. This is why we have to
study Torah aloud and actually form the words on our lips. This
is how we call upon God and draw long life and vitality from Him (56:3).
42) A person who devotes himself to Torah can give guidance even to
those who are far from him, despite the fact that he does not know
exactly what they need and that they may not even be physically present.
His learning and devotion to Torah cause those who are distant to hear
the voice of Torah clearly. For the Torah cries out constantly and dec
lares: `How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness?' It is
only that her voice is not heard because Godliness has been so heavily
concealed as a result of our many sins. Today God is hidden from us in a
`concealment within the concealment' the double hiding referred to in
the prophecy of haster astir panai, `I shall surely hide My face
' (Deut. 31:18). But devotion to Torah causes that which is concealed to
be revealed, and even those who are distant can then hear the voice of
Torah raised in warning, and they can all return to God (Ibid.).
43) Certain kinds of people are very far indeed from God and have
virtually leapt away from the One who is the place of the whole world.
There are other cases of people who once had a period of closeness to
God but now they have forgotten about it. And then there are those who
still remember God but whose strength has become too weak for them to b
e able to conquer their evil inclination. But the power of the Torah is
so great that those who study it in truth can cause its warning voice to
be heard by all these different kinds of people (Ibid.).
44) When you study Torah you must draw out `judgements of truth' from
what you learn. That is, you should try to derive practical
directives as to how to live, both for yourself and for those who are
under your influence, regardless of whether they are few or many. You
will be able to do this if you have faith in the Sages (61:1).
45) There are many holy books in existence today, and many more are
destined to be printed in the future. The world needs all of them, and
it is wrong to cast aspersions on any of them. They are all firmly based
upon the Written and Oral Law. It is philosophical works based on
speculation and false ideology that you should keep away from, no matte
r who they might be written by. But all books which are in accordance
with the Holy Torah that we received on Mt. Sinai are very precious, and
they are all necessary for the world. One who scoffs at them will be
subject to the judgement of boiling excrement, and he will never succeed
in gaining any practical guidance from the Torah he studies. He
will never be sure about anything. He will constantly be afflicted with
doubts in whatever he does until he repents and revises his view of
these holy books. And when he does, the harsh judgements in the world
will be sweetened by means of the Holy Torah. The very perfection of the
Torah depends upon the abundance of books concerned with the oral
Law (Ibid. 5).
46) A person who introduces new and original Torah concepts and whose
intention is for the sake of Heaven must have faith in himself. He needs
to have faith that God has great joy from his innovations. He should
never be dispirited. He should always be diligent in his studies and see
to it that he is constantly developing new ideas. He should note
them down and write books about them. Then all the harsh judgements in
the world will be sweetened (Ibid.).
47) Studying the legal codes has the power to strike at the very roots
of strife and contention. (A legal decision represents the resolution of
all the arguments on the subject between the Sages.) By striking at the
roots of strife, the divisiveness manifested in the lower worlds is
dissipated, and so also is the turmoil which the evil inclination
stirs up in the heart. This turmoil expresses itself in the form of all
the doubts and problems about faith which rise persistently in a
person's heart and divide him from God to the point that he finds it
impossible to pray as he should. The main reason why people find it hard
to pray with the proper devotion is that their faith is not perfect.
If a person knew and believed with all his heart that the entire world
is full of God's glory and that God stands over him while he is praying
and listens to his every word, he would certainly pray with tremendous
fervor and would make sure that he concentrated on every word he was
saying. It is only because people are not entirely firm in their f
aith that they are not as enthusiastic as they should be about their
prayers. This is because of the turmoil stirred up in the heart by the
evil inclination. The remedy is to study the legal codes, which puts
this turmoil to rest and brings peace. The heart is no longer divided,
and one can serve God with all one's heart with both inclinations. Th
e gates of wisdom will be opened to him and he will know how to reply to
the atheist in his heart. He will be worthy of praying with all his
heart (62:2).
48) When a person labors in Torah until he succeeds in knowing and
understanding it, his soul will be healed and elevated to its source,
all the harsh judgements will be sweetened, and a `tree of life' will be
planted in the worlds above that has the power to heal everything.
Through his labors all the worlds are sustained and renewed and the glor
y of God is revealed in the world. This is the goal of man's work, that
the glory of God should be magnified (74).
49) If a person labors in Torah even without understanding what he is
studying, it is still very good. All the words rise up to the higher
worlds, and God takes joy in them and makes them into `willows of the
brook' (Ibid.).
50) Without Torah it is impossible to live. At times a person burns with
a fiery passion for God, but the passion is excessive and could engulf
him completely. But Torah study has the power to cool the flames and
allow him to survive. There are other times when a person burns with
desire for the temptations of this world. The fire of his passions
could burn his entire body. But learning Torah protects him against
this. The fire within him is extinguished and he can live. Torah is
therefore the source of all true life (78).
51) True repentance depends on Torah. A person must labor in the study
of Torah until he is able to understand one thing from another and make
original contributions for the sake of Heaven. This is perfect
repentance, and then all the letters had combinations which fall within
this person's portion in all the worlds will be restored to their true
root and brought back from the scattered places to which they were
banished. He will become a new person. His mind will become settled, and
he will arouse God's love for him to the point that God Himself will
`pray' for him in His pure compassion He will stir up His abundant love
and send complete salvation (105).
52) When a person studies Torah it is a good thing to paraphrase what he
is learning in the language he understands. This is a benefit to the
whole world (118).
53) No matter what a person is learning he should find himself in it: he
should derive a personal lesson from what he is learning and recognize
his own insignificance and lowliness. This is a sign that he wants to
perform the will of God (121).
54) When someone unworthy discourses on Torah he may be subjected to
sexual temptations. It is a grave sin for one who is unworthy to
discourse on Torah even to one other person, let alone a group (134).
55) When a person is studying a Torah concept originally introduced by a
Tanna or a Tzaddik, he should imagine the form of the Tzaddik or the
Tanna standing before him. This can protect him from forgetfulness
(192).
56) One who feels the sweetness of Torah will be saved from becoming a widower (199).
57) A person who wants to gain new insights and introduce new concepts
in Torah, must weep profusely beforehand to prevent the forces of the
Other Side and the husks from having any share in these innovations
(262).
58) There are people whose Torah teachings are broad below but narrow
above. They are broad below because these people expound at great
length. But above they are narrow because in the upper worlds nothing
remains except a mere spark. On the other hand the Torah discourses of
the true Tzaddikim may seem very slim and narrow below, but in the world
s above they are very broad. Happy are they. The same applies to their
power to arouse men to repentance (279).
59) Even a simple person who sits with a book and examines the letters
of the Torah carefully can perceive new concepts and real wonders. But
don't make a test out of this (281).
60) One has to literally steal time from one's business and other
activities in order to study Torah. Even someone who is burdened with
many obligations and duties cannot be so pressed that it is impossible
for him to snatch some period each day to devote to Torah (284).
61) Every Jew must spend a portion of his time every day studying the
law codes. This applies under all circumstances. It is a very serious
matter, and no one should ever miss his daily session. Even in an
emergency, when he has no time for example, if he is traveling he should
still learn at least one paragraph of the Shulchan Aruch, even from so
mewhere other than the place he has reached in his regular daily study
routine. Do not let a single day of your life go by wihtout studying
something from the Shulchan Aruch. Under normal circumstances when you
are not under pressure, go through each of the four sections of the
Shulchan Aruch in turn until you have finished them all. Then go back
to the beginning and start again. Follow this practice all your life. It
is a great remedy for all the damage caused by sin. The study of the
legal codes sifts the good from the bad. It is the ultimate remedy
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 29).
62) Through the study of the Shulchan Aruch you will be worthy of
becoming `master of the house' and ruler over all the earth. The gates
of the Garden of Eden will be raised up and you will attain to the Upper
Wisdom and the Lower Wisdom, which make up the delight of the Garden of
Eden (286).
63) When little children first go to school and commence the study of
Torah, they start with the first words of Leviticus. It is from here
that they receive the holy breath of their lips which is untainted by
sin with the help of the Tzaddikim of the generation (282).
64) The study of halachot, legal rulings and especially making original
contributions is the `joy of the World to Come.' Giving birth is made
easy and people are saved from all their troubles (Likutey Moharan II,
2).
65) One who prevents scholars from studying will be stricken with diseases of the feet (Ibid. 3).
66) When a person teaches Torah in public and his words are heard by
unworthy students it can cause drought and imprisonment (60).
67) Honor of the Torah is the source of the blessing of rain (Ibid.).
68) If you want to devote yourself to Torah study unflaggingly, be
careful never to speak against a single Jew. Do your best to seek out
merit and worth in every Jew. A particular individual may seem to you to
be wicked. But you should still make an effort to find some good points
in him, and then he will no longer be wicked! When every Jew is lov
ely and pleasant in your eyes you will be able to apply yourself to
Torah continuously (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 91).
69) The study of the Zohar can give you enthusiasm for all your sacred
studies. The very language of the Zohar is precious and can arouse you
to serve God (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 108).
70) Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who wrote the Zohar, invested the Aramaic
language with such sanctity that even other things written in Aramaic
have the power to arouse you to God (Ibid. 109).
71) The Torah possesses a unique pleasantness. The main thing is to be
worthy of tasting this pleasantness and sweetness. You can attain this
if you break your pride completely. Never take credit for yourself, give
all the credit to God alone. Also through giving charity, especially
charity for causes in the Land of Israel, you can
draw from the `mentality of the Land of Israel' and thereby taste the
sweet pleasantness of the wisdom of the Torah (Likutey Moharan II, 71).
72) One who is truly devoted to the Torah can learn the future from it (35).
73) When one studies the books of the true Tzaddikim he must
concentrate hard in order to understand the remarkable originality of
their teachings and to find their true depth and sweetness. For as soon
as their words are put into the form of a book it causes a great
concealment of their light. Even the highest and most remarkable Torah
teachings become obscured and hidden as soon as they are put into a boo
k, and the purity of their light is covered over. The book cover alone
sets up a great barrier against the light. When you study from a book
you must pay extra attention to discovering the greatness of the
original ideas contained in it (36).
74) Those who study Torah should be sure always to produce original
ideas. Torah thoughts are a great remedy for immoral fantasies. When a
man has union with his wife he should meditate on the words of the Torah
(Likutey Moharan II, 105, 106).
75) When you study subjects connected with tragedy, such as the laws of
mourning etc. go through these sections very rapidly (Rabbi Nachman's
Wisdom 8).
76) The power of the Torah is very great. Someone who labors in Torah
continuously will have the power to bring about miracles. It is possible
to achieve this even without being familiar with mystical devotions.
The main thing is to study the legal codes until you know how to make
legal rulings. In previous eras there were many leading sages who w
ere able to bring about miracles merely by virtue of the fact that they
devoted themselves to Torah study day and night (Likutey Moharan II,
41).
77) The power of the Torah is strong enough to release one from one's
sins. No matter how trapped a person might be, if he simply makes it his
business to set a regular time for Torah study every day without fail
then he will be able to emerge from the hold of his evil past through
the great strength which comes from the Holy Torah (Rabbi Nachman'
s Wisdom 19).
78) Even if a person learns and later forgets, it is still very good. In
the future world everyone will be reminded of everything he learned,
even if he forgot it. Still, it is certainly better if one can remember
all the words of the Holy Torah (Ibid. 26).
79) It is good for a person to visit all the different places in the
Torah during his lifetime. He should learn all the holy books of the
Torah: the Five Books of Moses themselves, the writings of the prophets
and the rest of the Tanach, the Talmud and all the legal authorities,
all the holy books of the Zohar, all the Midrashim, the writings of t
he ARI HaKadosh and all the other holy books. Then when he reaches the
World to Come he will be able to boast that he visited all parts of the
Torah. Don't be put off and say it is too difficult to cover all this.
You don't have to finish everything in a single day. If your soul loves
the Torah and you make a regular habit of studying you will be
able to finish everything we have mentioned and more and even go back
over them several times. This has been proved by the many Torah scholars
of past ages who were authorities on the Talmud and knew all the other
holy books virtually by heart. They achieved everything through their
unflagging application to study. Every person of learning can ach
ieve this if he wants. But he should still take the time to pour out his
prayers before God and converse with Him each day. There is time for
everything for Torah, prayer
and all the other devotions. The most important thing is to be sure to
learn all the legal codes and finish them several times over (Ibid. 28).
80) When a person is thinking about a Torah idea and wants to find a new
angle he must go over the verse or the subject in question again and
again. He must knock on the door persistently until it opens for him
(Ibid. 58).
ADVICE from RABBI NACHMAN
Online English translation of Likutey Etzot
A compendium of Rabbi Nachman's practical teachings on spiritual growth and devotion.
© AZAMRA INSTITUTE 5766 / 2006
