הַבְּחִירָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּרְצוֹנוֹ. וַאֲפִלּוּ כָּל
Free Choice in Everything
Free choice is in a person's hands, to do as he wishes; a Jew can conduct everything by his own choice. For others there are things they are compelled to do, but for a Jew every single thing he does, even travelling somewhere, holds service of Hashem, and so he has choice over everything.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
הַבְּחִירָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּרְצוֹנוֹ. וַאֲפִלּוּ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים, הַכֹּל בְּיַד הָאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי לְהִתְנַהֵג הַכֹּל כִּרְצוֹנוֹ כִּבְחִירָתוֹ.
כִּי בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ בְּחִירָה בְּיָדָם עַל כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם. כִּי אֵצֶל אֲחֵרִים יֵשׁ דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם מֻכְרָחִים בָּהֶם, אֲבָל אֵצֶל אִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי, כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה, כְּגוֹן לִנְסֹעַ לְאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם וְכַיּוֹצֵא, יֵשׁ בּוֹ עֲבוֹדָה, וְעַל־כֵּן יֵשׁ לוֹ בְּחִירָה עַל הַכֹּל:
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 four: free choice.
Choice is in your hands, in everything.
Everything a Jew does, even a journey, holds service of Hashem, so he chooses in everything.
Our own reflection: every ordinary act is a real choice.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty four. A short teaching about free choice.
Free choice, Rebbe Nachman says, is in a person's hand, to do as he wishes. Everything is in the hand of a Jew, to conduct by his own choice.
Others have things they are compelled in. But for a Jew, every single thing he does, even travelling somewhere, holds service of Hashem. And so he has choice over everything.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. You are never just carried along. Even a trip, a meal, a conversation is a choice, and a chance to serve Hashem.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Free Choice in Everything —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty four. A short shiur in one part: free choice in everything.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty four. 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.
Free choice is in a person's hand, to do as he wishes. Even all things, everything is in the hand of a Jew, to conduct everything as he wishes, by his choice.
For in Israel's hands there is choice over everything in the world. With others there are things in which they are compelled; but with a Jew, every single thing he does, like travelling to some place and the like, holds service of Hashem; so he has choice over everything.
Our explanation. Because every act of a Jew can be service of Hashem, every act is a real choice. Nothing is just routine: even a journey is a choice of where to bring holiness.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. You are never just carried along. Even a trip, a meal, a conversation is a choice, and a chance to serve Hashem.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah fifty four.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 54, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.54
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 — Free Choice in Everything
Scene 3 · LM II:54 §1 · paragraph §1.1
הַבְּחִירָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּרְצוֹנוֹ. וַאֲפִלּוּ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים, הַכֹּל בְּיַד הָאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי לְהִתְנַהֵג הַכֹּל כִּרְצוֹנוֹ כִּבְחִירָתוֹ.
EN (our paraphrase): Free choice is in a person's hand, to do as he wishes. Even all things, everything is in the hand of a Jew, to conduct everything as he wishes, by his choice.
Scene 4 · LM II:54 §1 · paragraph §1.2
כִּי בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ בְּחִירָה בְּיָדָם עַל כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם. כִּי אֵצֶל אֲחֵרִים יֵשׁ דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם מֻכְרָחִים בָּהֶם, אֲבָל אֵצֶל אִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי, כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה, כְּגוֹן לִנְסֹעַ לְאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם וְכַיּוֹצֵא, יֵשׁ בּוֹ עֲבוֹדָה, וְעַל־כֵּן יֵשׁ לוֹ בְּחִירָה עַל הַכֹּל:
EN (our paraphrase): For in Israel's hands there is choice over everything in the world. With others there are things in which they are compelled; but with a Jew, every single thing he does, like travelling to some place and the like, holds service of Hashem; so he has choice over everything.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: הַבְּחִירָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּרְצוֹנוֹ.
Scene 3 · §1.2: אֲבָל אֵצֶל אִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי, כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה, כְּגוֹן לִנְסֹעַ לְאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם וְכַיּוֹצֵא, יֵשׁ בּוֹ עֲבוֹדָה,
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: הַבְּחִירָה בְּיַד הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּרְצוֹנוֹ.
Scene 3 · §1.2: יֵשׁ בּוֹ עֲבוֹדָה,