As we’ve mentioned before, a major pillar of Rebbe Nachman’s path is the importance of hisbodedus, pouring out our hearts before G-d: “It is the highest path!” (Likutey Moharan II, 25)
The Rebbe advises us to speak to G-d: alone, each day, in our own language – expressing our private, personal prayers.
According to the Zohar, the prayers of a poor person are more precious than all other prayers. A poor person knows that they need G-d’s assistance just to survive. They feel they are completely dependent on G-d, and so they “return the kingship to G-d with their prayers” (Zohar 1:168b).
A rich person, however, 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. But a poor person’s heart is humble and submissive to G-d, and hence their prayer can be untainted by arrogance.
According to Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, other types of poverty can also enable a person to pray with complete humility. When a person feels crushed and distant from G-d because of their sins, they are also “poor.” Their prayers can ascend very high, as long as they are an expression of humility (and not depression). “Hashem, look at what has become of me. See how futile my own efforts have been. I have nothing in the world except You. No one else can help me to improve. Please take pity on me…” Such prayers are very powerful!
Once, in the days of the Talmud (Berachos 6b), a severe drought gripped the Land of Israel. Rabbi Eliezer led the congregation in prayer and recited twenty-four berachos, but there was still no rain. When Rabbi Akiva led the congregation, however, he was answered immediately, and rain began to fall. People were amazed, for they knew Rabbi Eliezer was a great man, and he was also Rabbi Akiva’s teacher. Why were the student’s prayers answered, and not those of his rebbe?
The Arizal explained the story as follows: Rabbi Eliezer thought that it would be necessary to plead with G-d on the basis of his own merits, as well as those of his holy ancestors. Indeed, his merits were tremendous, and the merits of his forefathers were even greater, since he was a descendant of Moshe Rabbeinu himself. Nevertheless, his prayers were unable to reverse Hashem’s decree to withhold rain due to the sins of the generation. Why? Because Rabbi Eliezer appealed to G-d on the basis of his merits, and therefore his prayer was not in the category of “the prayer of a poor man,” as mentioned in the Zohar.
Rabbi Akiva, however, could not invoke the merit of his ancestors, for he was the son of converts. When he stood before the congregation, he felt as if he had absolutely no merit of his own. Hence his prayers were like that of a poor man and were the epitome of humility and self-effacement. This gave his prayers a special quality and made them effective in overturning the Divine decree to withhold rain.
May we all merit to humbly plead with Hashem, just as a poor man would, and thereby succeed in reaching our full potential.
