In this sichah, Rebbe Nachman reveals to us how to grow and move forward in avodas Hashem, while maintaining our yishuv hadaas (clarity of mind) by not trying to do too much. On the one hand, it is always important for us to be normal. We have to be ourselves and act according to our capabilities. On the other hand, as Jews we should always try to come closer to Hashem and serve Him on a higher level, and many of us find ourselves stuck in place. Since we’re not used to going to a new shiur, learning an extra sefer, making time for hisbodedus every day, and so on, it’s very hard in the beginning. Our lives are already so full of obligations – kollel and/or work, family, etc. – that we can’t imagine how we could find time and energy to do more.
Without looking at the sefarim of Mussar and Chassidus, this wouldn’t be a problem. We could just make a routine of davening a quick Shacharis, listening to a shiur, going to work, spending time with family in the evening, and perhaps learning a bit more after Ma’ariv. Maybe this is what many other Jews around us do. This is what is considered normal. Life goes according to schedule.
Certainly, having a schedule is important, since it makes us calm and helps us to clear our minds. However, when we study this sichah or one of the many other places in the sefarim hakedoshim that discuss the obligation of a Jew in avodas Hashem, we see that there’s so much more to accomplish. There are so many more important sefarim to learn, tefillos to say, other avodos to do, and a deeper connection to mitzvos that we must try to achieve. With this, the holy words of these sefarim awaken us to strengthen our connection to Torah, tefillah, and mitzvos.
Nevertheless, most of the time, what we see in the sefarim seems to be way beyond our capabilities. It appears to us that they set the bar so high that there is no way that we will ever be able to reach it. Thus, we want to do something, but we can’t, so we get depressed and we go back to our daily routine with a sense of despair. Here, in this sichah, Rebbe Nachman teaches us the priceless secret to solving this problem that is crucial for us to achieve our purpose in this world.
