הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לְהַטּוֹתָהּ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁהוּא
Thought Is in Your Hands
A person's thought is in his own hands, to turn wherever he wants, for two thoughts cannot exist at once. Even when the mind wanders off to strange things, a person can turn it back, even by force, to the straight path, just like a horse that strays from the road and is pulled back by the reins.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לְהַטּוֹתָהּ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה, וְכַמְבֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵי מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּיַחַד כְּלָל,
וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לִפְעָמִים הוֹלֶכֶת מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ וּפוֹרַחַת וּמְשׁוֹטֶטֶת בִּדְבָרִים אֲחֵרִים וְזָרִים, הוּא בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַחֲזֹר וּלְהַטּוֹתָהּ בְּעַל־כָּרְחָהּ אֶל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, לַחֲשֹׁב מַה שֶּׁרָאוּי.
וְהוּא מַמָּשׁ כְּמוֹ סוּס שֶׁפּוֹנֶה מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ וְסָר לְדֶרֶךְ אַחֵר, שֶׁתּוֹפְסִין אוֹתוֹ בְּאַפְסָר וְכַיּוֹצֵא, וּמַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ בְּעַל־כָּרְחוֹ אֶל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, כְּמוֹ־כֵן בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתָפְסָהּ בְּעַל־כָּרְחָהּ לְהָשִׁיבָהּ אֶל הַדֶּרֶךְ הָרָאוּי:
Hebrew text: Likutei Moharan Tinyana - rabenubook.com via Sefaria (Public Domain) · Sefaria. Names of Hashem are written in the customary form.
Transcripts
1-minute recap
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty: thought is in your hands.
Your thought is in your hands, to turn wherever you want.
Like a horse that leaves the road: grab the reins, and bring it back.
Our own reflection: you hold the reins of your mind.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty. A short teaching about the mind, and a horse that wanders off the road.
A person's thought, Rebbe Nachman says, is in his own hands, to turn wherever he wants. Two thoughts cannot exist at the same moment, so whatever you bring in pushes the other out.
Even when the mind wanders and flies off to strange things, you can turn it back, even by force, to the straight path. It is just like a horse that leaves the road: you take hold of the reins, and bring it back.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. When your mind wanders in prayer or learning, don't despair and don't fight it. Take the reins, and turn it back, as many times as it takes.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Thought Is in Your Hands —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty. A short shiur in one part: thought is in your hands.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty. Grey is a verse or teaching he quotes. Green is our own explanation. The Hebrew is the public-domain text from Sefaria; the English is our own paraphrase.
Thought is in a person's hand, to turn it as he wishes, to the place he wants; as explained elsewhere, two thoughts cannot be together at all.
Even if sometimes his thought goes off, flying and wandering among other and strange things, it is in a person's hand to turn it back, even against its will, to the straight path, to think what is fitting.
It is exactly like a horse that turns from the road and goes off on another way: they grab it by the reins and the like, and bring it back, against its will, to the straight road. So too with thought: you can grab it, against its will, and bring it back to the proper path.
Our explanation. The mind holds one thought at a time. So you don't have to wrestle a stray thought; bring in a good one, and the other must leave. When it wanders again, pull the reins again.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. When your mind wanders in prayer or learning, don't despair and don't fight it. Take the reins, and turn it back, as many times as it takes.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 50, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.50
English: our own paraphrase of the Hebrew, written for these videos. It is not copied from any published translation.
Verses and teachings of the Sages appear only as Rebbe Nachman quotes them inside this Torah.
How the text is shown
The Divine Name is shown as ה' and voiced as Hashem. Other Names are written in the customary form (אֱלֹקִים, קֵ-ל, קָהּ, שַׁ-דַּ-י, אֲדֹ-נָ-י, אֶקְיֶ-ה, צְבָקוֹת). No full Name is written or voiced.
Parenthetical source references inside the printed Hebrew are left off the screen to save space; the citation line names the source instead.
Long paragraphs are shown in consecutive pieces. Every Hebrew word on screen is from the edition above; nothing is reworded.
Cards labelled EXPLANATION (green), and every line marked 'our own reflection — not a quote', are our own words, not quotations.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — Thought Is in Your Hands
Scene 3 · LM II:50 §1 · paragraph §1.1
הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לְהַטּוֹתָהּ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה, וְכַמְבֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵי מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּיַחַד כְּלָל,
EN (our paraphrase): Thought is in a person's hand, to turn it as he wishes, to the place he wants; as explained elsewhere, two thoughts cannot be together at all.
Scene 4 · LM II:50 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לִפְעָמִים הוֹלֶכֶת מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ וּפוֹרַחַת וּמְשׁוֹטֶטֶת בִּדְבָרִים אֲחֵרִים וְזָרִים, הוּא בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַחֲזֹר וּלְהַטּוֹתָהּ בְּעַל־כָּרְחָהּ אֶל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, לַחֲשֹׁב מַה שֶּׁרָאוּי.
EN (our paraphrase): Even if sometimes his thought goes off, flying and wandering among other and strange things, it is in a person's hand to turn it back, even against its will, to the straight path, to think what is fitting.
Scene 5 · LM II:50 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְהוּא מַמָּשׁ כְּמוֹ סוּס שֶׁפּוֹנֶה מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ וְסָר לְדֶרֶךְ אַחֵר, שֶׁתּוֹפְסִין אוֹתוֹ בְּאַפְסָר וְכַיּוֹצֵא, וּמַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ בְּעַל־כָּרְחוֹ אֶל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, כְּמוֹ־כֵן בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתָפְסָהּ בְּעַל־כָּרְחָהּ לְהָשִׁיבָהּ אֶל הַדֶּרֶךְ הָרָאוּי:
EN (our paraphrase): It is exactly like a horse that turns from the road and goes off on another way: they grab it by the reins and the like, and bring it back, against its will, to the straight road. So too with thought: you can grab it, against its will, and bring it back to the proper path.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵי מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּיַחַד כְּלָל,
Scene 3 · §1.3: כְּמוֹ סוּס שֶׁפּוֹנֶה מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ וְסָר לְדֶרֶךְ אַחֵר, שֶׁתּוֹפְסִין אוֹתוֹ בְּאַפְסָר
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לְהַטּוֹתָהּ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה,
Scene 3 · §1.3: כְּמוֹ סוּס שֶׁפּוֹנֶה מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ וְסָר לְדֶרֶךְ אַחֵר, שֶׁתּוֹפְסִין אוֹתוֹ בְּאַפְסָר