יום שלישי, ז׳ אב תשפ״וTuesday, July 21, 2026
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Rabbi Nosson Rossman is a rabbinic field representative for the Orthodox Union. He can be reached at nathanlrossman@gmail.com.
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Rebbe Nachman says, According to how holy and important the act is, the more barriers there will be in order to ensure that the act is done with the right level of desire.
Although their ancestor earned the throne because of a certain good deed, the inheritors cannot use similar merit to remain.
People will come to them and say, Here is food and water. Eat! Drink! But those outside will answer, No! No! We cannot use such food. What we need is the food of Torah and G-dly service (mitzvot).
When we believe that we can always change for the better, the light of Hashem can shine upon us, no matter how old we are.
Concerning the difficult questions raised about G-d, Rebbe Nachman often said: On the contrary, that is precisely how it should be.
If we desire a life of pleasure in this world and want to live at ease without troubles, we will be constantly frustrated.
Pray with great joy, even if this happiness is forced. Happiness is always a virtue, but it is especially so during prayer.
A confusing thought may enter your mind, but if you stand firm, G-d will send you another thought to encourage you.
The truth is that one must believe in the power of their mind and their soul, that they have the power to overcome any temptation, even that of immorality. Even the soul of the lowliest amongst us certainly has the power to stand up against the whole world with all its temptations.
Each person is destined from Above to be in a particular place at a given time. At that time and place, there is something holy that they specifically must accomplish in that place.
A ball cannot enter a stone wall and therefore bounces back from it. Likewise, when your friend does not gain anything from your words, they are reflected back to you. Thus, you are influenced by your own words.
All of your income is decreed from the beginning of the year. But what you spend for Shabbos and festivals is not included in the decree (Beitzah 16a). Even a simple family man enjoys Shabbos with his tasty food such as fish and broth.
In our sacred literature, we find that G-d gave us the power to forget so we can always appreciate the Torah just as we did the first time we learned it (Kohelet Rabbah 1:34).
While the non-Jewish world may need to engage in philosophical speculation in order to root out bad ideas, Rebbe Nachman assures us we need not do this.
Worldly pleasures are like sunbeams in a dark room. They may actually seem solid, but he who tries to grasp a sunbeam finds nothing in his hand. The same is true of all worldly desires.
The more you want to serve G-d, the more the Evil Inclination strives against you (Likutey Moharan I, 72). If you realize this, you can fight him with strategy (Proverbs 20:18, 24:6) and continually defeat him. With G-d’s help, you will be worthy of emerging victorious.
When a person wants to pray, they encounter many distractions. Still, they should give themselves over entirely to the task, exerting every effort to pray properly.
There are commandments and customs that involve morality. These are a way of life.
Where one can do something immediately, they should certainly act swiftly. Something holy – such as a mitzvah – should never be delayed even for a moment.
By consciously choosing each day to "give over" their lives and their will to G-d, they are able to stay clean and sober one day at a time.
Reb Noson explains that crying is an especially propitious means for arousing oneself to better serve G-d.
They breath the air filled with the words of their own speech and are influenced accordingly.
One may reach the level of realizing they know nothing, but only in a particular area and on a given level. There is still the next level, and this has not even been touched. The person does not know enough about the next level to even realize their ignorance.
A person must constantly be happy and serve Hashem happily.
I think it's safe to say that most of us have felt at times closer to Hashem than at others. We all experience ups and downs as we travel along our respective paths of Torah and mitzvos.
The enemy is constantly renewing its energy against us and we have to find a way to overcome it. The primary weapon we possess in this war is our prayers.
The Rebbe often took a small boat and by himself rowed along the river... He would still take it beyond the rushes where he could not be seen. It was here that he secluded himself in prayer before G-d. The Rebbe himself writes that it was here that he attained what he did.
The difference between the current era and the future messianic era is our ability to recognize Hashem's goodness within the bad. This is the meaning of Hashem's name currently lacking Oneness.
In the month of Tamuz it is necessary to elicit mindfulness in order to rectify the forgetfulness that came into being as a result of the Shattering of the Luchos (Tablets), which occurred in this month.
Rebbe Nachman is telling us we must never make demands during prayer. Requests are appropriate but they need to remain just that – requests.
I was the poor man who you tried to give the money to, and it was because of me that you buried it!
Rebbe Nachman understood the tricks of the yetzer hara. He understood that little voice in my head that told me, Today just isn't your day. Maybe tomorrow.
Rebbe Nachman tells us that the main source of exile is in the mind: When we become so confused and doubt-filled that we lack clarity and forget about G-d (II:21).
The litmus test is quite simple: What is our reaction when we hear someone insult or belittle us?
There are many different ways in which the mind's eye strays from the truth due to errors caused by the power of imagination – since the imagination can even delude a person with a 'good eye.'
The nature of Hashem's creation is such that when we encounter adversaries and difficulties in our lives, it is because there are accusing forces working against us in the spiritual worlds above due to our aveiros and misdeeds.
A person must turn away from sin in the same situation in which they previously failed. It's not enough for one's teshuvah to be theoretical.
Why is it that in our generation, which is on a much lower spiritual level, even the secrets of the Torah are easily available?
There is a spiritual principle that when any creature is in a state of distress, it will feel a powerful impulse to return to its source.
The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos says: Don't say, 'I will study Torah when I have time,' for perhaps you will never have time.
No matter where in the world you fall, you can easily come back to G-d. This is because of His unfathomable greatness. Nothing is beyond His power.
A rich person is always susceptible to the delusion that my strength and the power of my hand have produced this wealth for me (Devarim 8:17). Such arrogance makes true prayer, true connection with G-d, impossible.
The poor man's cabin had a view of the sea, and he sat there, constantly looking at the diamond and rejoicing. He was especially particular to do this during his meals since eating in good spirits is highly beneficial for digestion.
Words of holiness can bring repair and healing to the entire world; words of unholiness can bring ruin and destruction.
Okay, great. We get it. Prayer is pretty neat. But we need to know how we should pray and what we should pray for.
If one gives charity because of their compassionate nature, where is the avodah?
Impurity and moral decadence are all around us. Surely our souls are negatively affected and in need of spiritual healing.
Rebbe Nachman tells us that we must "revive" ourselves by focusing on our good points.
The name Moshe, a name that is rooted in kindness, is applied to the Torah itself, as it is called Toras Moshe – the Torah of Moshe.
Instead of becoming dejected because we think we have fallen from our previous spiritual level, we can now be encouraged by knowing that, in fact, just the opposite has occurred.
This "old age mentality" is something a person can have even as a young adult. Conversely, an older person can possess a fresh and enthusiastic mentality despite having lived through countless ups and downs.
Before his downfall, however, Napoleon's armies were legendary for their fighting ability. They seemed to be invincible. His soldiers were brave and disciplined.
If the consciousness is not purified, however, the forces of unholiness may attach themselves to the holy trait of compassion.
On a day when we are experiencing weakness and frustration, we must try, nevertheless, to acknowledge G-d's presence. Use whatever strength we have to perform some small act of goodness, even if it seems insignificant.
Sometimes, the motivation to grow spiritually comes from our respect for someone else – a tzaddik, a talmid chocham, or the like. But this can also be a mistake if we seek to imitate a leader of this stature.
The emotions of an angry person tend to run out of control. If he can take hold of his anger before it begins, all that tremendous energy will continue to flow, but in a different direction.
The funny thing is that just as we look at gnats in this world, so too are our lives regarded in the supernal worlds.
The Jew, who had a deep faith in Hashem, answered, My life is in G-d's hands. If He does not want me to die, you will not be able to kill me.
As long as a person doesn't give up, but instead strengthens themselves to start fresh each time no matter what happens, they are called a winner of the battle.
Rebbe Nachman is telling us that we can overcome any obstacle we face if we really want to. The lie of the yetzer hara is to tell us we can't.
Some people find very little inspiration in their prayers and Torah study. They may even put much effort into them yet never enjoy the fruits of their labors while alive in this world.
Imagine if a well-known atheist – say, Richard Dawkins for example, were to publicly announce that he was wrong about his atheism and that he had come to the realization that there is in fact a Creator. This would cause a massive kiddush Hashem (sanctification of G-d's name) that isn't possible for a tzaddik to accomplish.
As I got older and matured, however, I came to appreciate that we Jews carry out mitzvos with simplicity for no other reason than the fact that Hashem commanded us to in His Torah.
This raises the question, "Why?" Why would Jews from every background imaginable travel to a distant country to spend Rosh Hashanah at the grave of an early 19th century Hasidic master?
The only solution is to recommit ourselves to being completely honest. With Hashem's help we can make a fresh new start this year based on truth.
If we apply this idea to teshuvah we can see how the desire to "win" acts as a barrier to admitting our sins before Hashem.
You may be in some place when suddenly you have a thought of teshuva and a deep longing for G-d. Stop then and there in that very place, take a moment to focus on the thought and the feeling of longing.
"The more you draw yourself to G-d, the more you must realize how far you are from Him. When a person believes that he has succeeded in achieving closeness to G-d and understanding of Him, it is a sign that he does not know anything at all." (Likutey Moharan I, 63)
There is no shortage of examples throughout Jewish history showing the terrible consequences of ignoring this important principle.
Rebbe Nachman tells us that we must nevertheless persist with our service of Hashem and ignore the inner voice that tells us otherwise.
How are we to combat this destructive tendency to compare ourselves to others? The first step is to internalize the fact that we truly have no idea what someone else might be struggling with.
By viewing each day as a world onto itself and not worrying what the future may or may not bring, we make our service of Hashem much more manageable and increase the likelihood that we will be successful.
Tell Hashem about the obstacles you have to achieving your goal.
It goes without saying that a person is never allowed to use this idea as a premeditated excuse to engage in sinful behavior.
Even if you see that he is completely wicked, you must search and seek the little bit of good in him, wherein he is not wicked...
July 17, 2026 
