Reb Nachman's Approach to Prayer

(1) Hitbodedut is the highest asset and greater than everything. That is, to set aside for oneself at least an hour or more for secluding oneself in some room or a field, and, using claims and excuses, speak one’s piece with one’s Maker; using words that evoke favor, placate and conciliate in order to entreat and plead with God that He bring one closer to Him—to genuine Divine worship.

(2) This prayer and conversation should be in the language one normally uses, one’s native tongue, because it is difficult for a person to say everything he wants to say in the Holy Tongue. Also, being unfamiliar with that language, one’s heart is not moved by the words, as we are not accustomed to speaking Hebrew. But in our native tongue, in which we normally speak and converse, it is much easier and so more likely for one to feel contrition. This is because the heart is drawn to a person’s native tongue and closer to it, on account of his familiarity with it.

(3) And in one’s native tongue one can express oneself fully. Everything that is in his heart he should express and tell to God: be it remorse and repentance for the past, or pleas to genuinely merit drawing closer to God from this day forward, or the like; each individual according to his level.

(4) One should be very careful to make this a daily practice, at a scheduled time. But the rest of the day one should be happy, as mentioned above.

(5) The benefit of this practice is extraordinarily great. It is an extremely good path and guideline for drawing closer to God, because it is a universal guideline that encompasses everything.

(6) No matter what a person is lacking in worshiping God—even if he is totally and absolutely distant from God’s service—he should speak about it all and ask it of God, as mentioned above.

(7) Even if occasionally a person’s words are sealed and he cannot open his mouth to say anything at all to God, this itself is nonetheless very good. That is, his readiness and his presence before God, and his yearning and longing to speak despite his inability to do so—this in itself is also very good.

(8) Moreover, it is possible to make a conversation and prayer out of this itself. A person should cry out and plead to God about this very thing, that he has become so distant he is unable to even speak. He should beg God for compassion and grace, that He take pity on him and open his mouth so that he will be able to express himself before Him.

(9) And know! many, many renowned tzaddikim have related that they attained their high spiritual level only through this practice. The perceptive individual will understand by himself the great benefit of this practice, which rises higher and higher. Furthermore, it is a practice that is accessible to all people, from the least to the greatest. For anyone can make use of this practice and thereby come to a high level. Fortunate is the one who grabs holds of it.

(1) 2. In addition, it is good to turn the Torah into prayer. That is, when one studies or hears some Torah discourse from the genuine tzaddik, he should make it into a prayer. He should beseech God and plead with Him concerning each point mentioned in the discourse: When will he, too, be worthy of all this? How distant he is from it! And he should ask God to make him worthy of achieving all that is mentioned in the discourse.

(2) The wise person who desires truth, God will lead on the path of truth. And, understanding on his own one thing from another, [he will know] how to put this into practice in such a way that his words will evoke favor and be well-argued, placating God so that He will draw him closer to genuine Divine worship.

(3) This manner of conversation rises to a very high place, especially when one turns Torah into prayer, which results in very great delight on high.