הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע נוֹקֵשׁ בָּאָדָם בְּכָל פַּעַם וּמְעוֹרְרוֹ
The Yetzer Knocks Again and Again
The evil inclination knocks on a person again and again, stirring him up; even when he refuses and turns away, it knocks a second, third and fourth time. But if he is firm and stubborn against it and does not turn to it at all, it gives up and leaves. So too with the stray thoughts that come to confuse prayer: be strong and do not look at them at all, and they depart.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע נוֹקֵשׁ בָּאָדָם בְּכָל פַּעַם וּמְעוֹרְרוֹ לְמַה שֶּׁמְּעוֹרְרוֹ. וְאַף אִם אֵין הָאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ לוֹ וּפוֹנֶה עֹרֶף מִמֶּנּוּ, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הוּא נוֹקֵשׁ בּוֹ עוֹד פַּעַם שֵׁנִי וּשְׁלִישִׁי וּרְבִיעִי וְיוֹתֵר. אֲבָל אִם הָאָדָם הוּא חָזָק בְּדַעְתּוֹ וְעַקְשָׁן נֶגֶד הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע, וְאֵינוֹ פּוֹנֶה אֵלָיו כְּלָל, אֲזַי הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע מִסְתַּלֵּק וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ.
וְכֵן בִּתְפִלָּה, בְּעִנְיַן הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת הַבָּאִים לְבַלְבֵּל, הוּא מַמָּשׁ כַּנַּ"ל, שֶׁהַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בָּאָה כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים, פַּעַם אַחַר פַּעַם, לְבַלְבֵּל. וְצָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת חָזָק לִבְלִי לְהִסְתַּכֵּל עָלֶיהָ כְּלָל בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן, וַאֲזַי תִּסְתַּלֵּק. וְעַיֵּן בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר מִזֶּה:
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 one: the yetzer knocks again and again.
The yetzer hara knocks again and again, even after you turn away.
Be firm and stubborn, don't turn to it at all, and it leaves.
Our own reflection: outlast it; don't even look at it.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty one. A short teaching about persistence: the yetzer's, and ours.
The evil inclination knocks on a person every time, stirring him up. Even if he doesn't listen and turns his back, it knocks again: a second time, a third, a fourth, and more.
But if a person is strong in his mind, stubborn against it, and doesn't turn to it at all, then it gives up and goes away. The same is true of the thoughts that come to confuse you in prayer: be strong, don't look at them at all, and they leave.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. When the same temptation or distraction knocks again and again, don't argue and don't look. Be stubborn, and it will tire before you do.
Full shiur
— Part 1: The Yetzer Knocks Again and Again —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty one. A short shiur in one part: the yetzer knocks again and again, and how to outlast it.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty one. 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.
The evil inclination knocks on a person every time, stirring him to what it stirs him to. Even if he does not listen and turns his back on it, it knocks again a second, third, fourth time and more. But if the person is strong in his mind and stubborn against it, and does not turn to it at all, it departs and goes away.
So too in prayer, with the thoughts that come to confuse: it is exactly the same. The thought comes many times, time after time, to confuse. One must be strong not to look at it at all, in any way, and then it will depart. See elsewhere about this.
Our explanation. The yetzer hara counts on our getting tired before it does. The answer is holy stubbornness: don't argue with it, don't even look at it. Outlast it, and it leaves.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. When the same temptation or distraction knocks again and again, don't argue and don't look. Be stubborn, and it will tire before you do.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty one.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 51, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.51
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 — The Yetzer Knocks Again and Again
Scene 3 · LM II:51 §1 · paragraph §1.1
הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע נוֹקֵשׁ בָּאָדָם בְּכָל פַּעַם וּמְעוֹרְרוֹ לְמַה שֶּׁמְּעוֹרְרוֹ. וְאַף אִם אֵין הָאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ לוֹ וּפוֹנֶה עֹרֶף מִמֶּנּוּ, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הוּא נוֹקֵשׁ בּוֹ עוֹד פַּעַם שֵׁנִי וּשְׁלִישִׁי וּרְבִיעִי וְיוֹתֵר. אֲבָל אִם הָאָדָם הוּא חָזָק בְּדַעְתּוֹ וְעַקְשָׁן נֶגֶד הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע, וְאֵינוֹ פּוֹנֶה אֵלָיו כְּלָל, אֲזַי הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע מִסְתַּלֵּק וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ.
EN (our paraphrase): The evil inclination knocks on a person every time, stirring him to what it stirs him to. Even if he does not listen and turns his back on it, it knocks again a second, third, fourth time and more. But if the person is strong in his mind and stubborn against it, and does not turn to it at all, it departs and goes away.
Scene 4 · LM II:51 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וְכֵן בִּתְפִלָּה, בְּעִנְיַן הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת הַבָּאִים לְבַלְבֵּל, הוּא מַמָּשׁ כַּנַּ"ל, שֶׁהַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בָּאָה כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים, פַּעַם אַחַר פַּעַם, לְבַלְבֵּל. וְצָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת חָזָק לִבְלִי לְהִסְתַּכֵּל עָלֶיהָ כְּלָל בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן, וַאֲזַי תִּסְתַּלֵּק. וְעַיֵּן בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר מִזֶּה:
EN (our paraphrase): So too in prayer, with the thoughts that come to confuse: it is exactly the same. The thought comes many times, time after time, to confuse. One must be strong not to look at it at all, in any way, and then it will depart. See elsewhere about this.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע נוֹקֵשׁ בָּאָדָם בְּכָל פַּעַם
Scene 3 · §1.1: אֲזַי הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע מִסְתַּלֵּק וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ.
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע נוֹקֵשׁ בָּאָדָם בְּכָל פַּעַם
Scene 3 · §1.1: אֲבָל אִם הָאָדָם הוּא חָזָק בְּדַעְתּוֹ וְעַקְשָׁן