* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
216 years ago today, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov passed away. Let us learn a few of his thoughts, offering practical advice and guidance for each of us:
- "If you believe that you can damage, believe that you can repair” – Every one of us knows that it is possible to destroy, break, and damage — that is, to sin. We must believe to the same extent that it is possible to repair, connect, and return — through Teshuvah.
- "A person should never become old. A person must be continually be renewed” – The intention here is not about biological age, but rather consciousness. There are 80-year-olds who are young, and 18-year-olds who are old. At any age, people can and must renew themselves, start again, never despair, and thereby remain young.
- "It is a great mitzvah to always be joyful” – Joy is not a simple thing, but Rabbi Nachman emphasizes that joy is the foundation. We must make an effort to be joyful, to work on it, think about it, and find ways to bring joy to ourselves as well as to others.
- "One must find even within oneself a little good, for how could it be that in all one's days one never performed a commandment or a good deed" – Many quote Rabbi Nachman about finding good points in others and giving them the benefit of the doubt. But people must also find what is good in themselves. To know how to appreciate their good deeds, illuminate them, and so increase them.
- "Speak with God just as you speak with your teacher or friend" – Alongside the holy prayers written in the prayer book, Rabbi Nachman called on people to engage in personal seclusion (Hitbodedut) and speak with God just as one speaks with a teacher or a friend, in an open and free dialogue, straight from the heart.
These are just a few of Rabbi Nachman’s thoughts. You are invited to take one with you today and try to live by it.
In his memory.
