דַּע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הֵם מִקְּטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, עַל־כֵּן
Little Faith and Hard Devotions
Hashem makes no impossible demands, and one can serve Him with everything; the need for fasts and hard devotions comes from little faith. Just as in a time of persecution one must give one's life even over a small thing, because the faith itself is under attack, so when faith is small and blemished, hard devotions are needed. Heresy has no 'ruach' at all; complete faith is a long, patient spirit; little faith is the middle, a short spirit: 'from shortness of spirit and from hard labour'. Even tzaddikim can be of little faith.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
דַּע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הֵם מִקְּטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, עַל־כֵּן הֵם צְרִיכִים לְתַעֲנִית, דְּהַיְנוּ עֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת. כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יָדוּעַ, שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לַעֲבֹד הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכָל דָּבָר, כִּי אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בָּא בִּטְרוּנְיָא עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו (ע"ז ג),
אַךְ מַה שֶּׁצְּרִיכִין לִפְעָמִים לַעֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת, הוּא בִּבְחִינַת מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (זנהדרין עד:): בִּשְׁעַת שְׁמָד אֲפִלּוּ אַעַרְקְתָא דִּמְסָאנֵי יֵהָרֵג וְאַל יַעֲבֹר. נִמְצָא שֶׁאַף שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת אֵין רָאוּי שֶׁיֵּהָרֵג עַל זֶה, אַךְ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהוּא שְׁעַת שְׁמָד, וְהֵם מִתְגַּבְּרִים וְרוֹצִים דַּיְקָא לְהַעֲבִירוֹ עַל דָּת וְלַהֲבִיאוֹ לִכְפִירוֹת, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַל־כֵּן הוּא מֻכְרָח לִמְסֹר נַפְשׁוֹ אֲפִלּוּ עַל דָּבָר קַל.
וְהָעֲבוֹדָה־זָרָה וְהַכְּפִירוֹת הֵם בִּבְחִינַת (תהלים קלה): אַף אֵין יֵשׁ רוּחַ בָּהֶם – שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם שׁוּם רוּחַ כְּלָל. וְהַקְּטַנֵּי־אֲמָנָה הֵם בִּבְחִינַת מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ, שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹ מְמֻצָּע, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם אֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה, שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת מַאֲרִיךְ רוּחוֹ, כַּמּוּבָא בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר (בְּלִקּוּטֵי א סִימָן קנה), וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵינָם כּוֹפְרִים לְגַמְרֵי, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שׁוּם רוּחַ כְּלָל, רַק הֵם כְּמוֹ מְמֻצָּע, וְרוּחָם קְצָרָה, בְּחִינַת מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ.
וְזֶהוּ (שמות ו׳:ט׳): מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה – שֶׁמֵּחֲמַת שֶׁהֵם בִּבְחִינַת קֹצֶר־רוּחַ, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהֵם קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה כַּנַּ"ל, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה צְרִיכִין לַעֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת וּלְתַעֲנִיתִים כַּנַּ"ל. כְּמוֹ שֶׁבִּשְׁעַת הַשְּׁמָד שֶׁהִיא קִלְקוּל אֱמוּנָה לְגַמְרֵי, צְרִיכִין אֲפִלּוּ לִמְסֹר נַפְשָׁם מַמָּשׁ אֲפִלּוּ עַל דָּבָר קַל, כְּמוֹ־כֵן כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ קַטְנוּת וּפְגָם בֶּאֱמוּנָה, צְרִיכִין לַעֲשׂוֹת עֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת כַּנַּ"ל.
וְיֵשׁ כַּמָּה בְּחִינוֹת בִּקְטַנֵּי אֱמוּנָה. כִּי יֵשׁ אֲפִלּוּ צַדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סוטה מח:) עַל פָּסוּק: כִּי מִי בַז לְיוֹם קְטַנּוֹת – מִי גָּרַם לַצַּדִּיקִים וְכוּ' [י]:
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 eighty six: little faith, and hard devotions.
Hashem makes no impossible demands; a person can serve Him with everything. Why, then, do we sometimes need fasts and hard devotions? Because of little faith.
In a time of persecution, one must give one's life even over a small thing, because the faith itself is under attack. When faith is small, the work must be hard.
Little faith is a short spirit: not heresy, which has no spirit at all, and not complete faith, the long and patient spirit. Even tzaddikim can be of little faith.
Our own reflection: the more we trust Hashem, the easier the road becomes.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah eighty six. A short teaching on why hard devotions are sometimes needed.
One can serve Hashem with everything; He makes no impossible demands. So why are fasts and hard devotions needed? Because people are of little faith.
In a time of persecution, one must give one's life rather than change even a shoelace, because the enemy is set on tearing the faith away. A small thing becomes a test of everything.
Heresy has no ruach, no spirit, at all. Complete faith is a long, patient spirit. Little faith is in the middle: a short spirit.
So the verse says: from shortness of spirit and from hard labour. When faith is small, the work must be hard.
And there are many levels of little faith. Even tzaddikim can be of little faith.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Hard devotions make up for weakness in faith. The more we strengthen our trust in Hashem, the more simply we can serve Him with everything.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Little Faith, a Short Spirit and Hard Devotions —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah eighty six. A short shiur in one part: little faith, a short spirit, and hard devotions.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah eighty six. 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.
He begins: Know: because the world is of little faith, they need fasting, that is, hard devotions. For it is surely known that one can serve Hashem with everything, since the Holy One, blessed is He, does not come with impossible demands to His creations.
But the reason hard devotions are sometimes needed is like what our Sages said: in a time of persecution, even over the strap of a shoe, one must be killed rather than transgress.
So although in truth it is not fitting that he be killed over this, because it is a time of persecution, and they are overpowering and want precisely to turn him away from the faith and bring him to heresy, Heaven forbid, he must therefore give his life even over a light matter.
Idolatry and heresy are the aspect of 'nor is there any ruach, spirit, in their mouths': they have no spirit at all. And those of little faith are the aspect of 'shortness of spirit', which is like a middle,
that is, they do not have complete faith, which is the aspect of one who is long of spirit, as brought elsewhere; and even so they are not complete heretics, who have no spirit at all. They are only like a middle, and their spirit is short: 'from shortness of spirit'.
Our explanation. Rebbe Nachman draws three levels. Heresy has no spirit at all. Complete faith is a long spirit: calm, patient, able to wait for Hashem. Little faith is the middle: it believes, but its spirit is short, quick to lose patience.
He continues: This is 'from shortness of spirit and from hard labour': because they are in the aspect of shortness of spirit, since they are of little faith, they therefore need hard devotions and fasts. Just as in a time of persecution, which is a complete ruin of faith, one must truly give one's life even over a light matter, so too, when there is smallness and a blemish in faith, one must do hard devotions.
Our explanation, step by step. When faith is under total attack, in a time of persecution, even a small thing calls for giving one's life. When faith is small and weakened, hard devotions and fasts are needed. And with complete faith, a person can serve Hashem with everything, without impossible demands.
And finally: And there are several levels of little faith. For there are even tzaddikim who are of little faith, as our Sages expounded on the verse, 'for who has despised the day of small things': what caused the tzaddikim, and so on.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Hard devotions are not the goal in themselves; they make up for weakness in faith. When we strengthen our trust in Hashem, the road becomes simpler, and we can serve Him with everything.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah eighty six.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 86, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.86
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.
Notes
Part 1, scene 11: The Sages' teaching, briefly: the tzaddikim lost what was prepared for them in the World to Come because of their smallness, that they did not trust Hashem enough.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — Little Faith, a Short Spirit and Hard Devotions
Scene 3 · LM II:86 §1, on Avodah Zarah 3a · paragraph §1.1
דַּע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הֵם מִקְּטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, עַל־כֵּן הֵם צְרִיכִים לְתַעֲנִית, דְּהַיְנוּ עֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת. כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יָדוּעַ, שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לַעֲבֹד הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכָל דָּבָר, כִּי אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בָּא בִּטְרוּנְיָא עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו,
EN (our paraphrase): Know: because the world is of little faith, they need fasting, that is, hard devotions. For it is surely known that one can serve Hashem with everything, since the Holy One, blessed is He, does not come with impossible demands to His creations.
Scene 4 · LM II:86 §1, on Sanhedrin 74a–b · paragraph §1.2
אַךְ מַה שֶּׁצְּרִיכִין לִפְעָמִים לַעֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת, הוּא בִּבְחִינַת מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: בִּשְׁעַת שְׁמָד אֲפִלּוּ אַעַרְקְתָא דִּמְסָאנֵי יֵהָרֵג וְאַל יַעֲבֹר.
EN (our paraphrase): But the reason hard devotions are sometimes needed is like what our Sages said: in a time of persecution, even over the strap of a shoe, one must be killed rather than transgress.
Scene 5 · LM II:86 §1 · paragraph §1.2
נִמְצָא שֶׁאַף שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת אֵין רָאוּי שֶׁיֵּהָרֵג עַל זֶה, אַךְ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהוּא שְׁעַת שְׁמָד, וְהֵם מִתְגַּבְּרִים וְרוֹצִים דַּיְקָא לְהַעֲבִירוֹ עַל דָּת וְלַהֲבִיאוֹ לִכְפִירוֹת, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַל־כֵּן הוּא מֻכְרָח לִמְסֹר נַפְשׁוֹ אֲפִלּוּ עַל דָּבָר קַל.
EN (our paraphrase): So although in truth it is not fitting that he be killed over this, because it is a time of persecution, and they are overpowering and want precisely to turn him away from the faith and bring him to heresy, Heaven forbid, he must therefore give his life even over a light matter.
Scene 6 · LM II:86 §1, on Tehillim 135:17 · paragraph §1.3
וְהָעֲבוֹדָה־זָרָה וְהַכְּפִירוֹת הֵם בִּבְחִינַת: אַף אֵין יֵשׁ רוּחַ בָּהֶם – שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם שׁוּם רוּחַ כְּלָל. וְהַקְּטַנֵּי־אֲמָנָה הֵם בִּבְחִינַת מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ, שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹ מְמֻצָּע,
EN (our paraphrase): Idolatry and heresy are the aspect of 'nor is there any ruach, spirit, in their mouths': they have no spirit at all. And those of little faith are the aspect of 'shortness of spirit', which is like a middle,
Scene 7 · LM II:86 §1, on Likutei Moharan I, 155 · paragraph §1.3
דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם אֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה, שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת מַאֲרִיךְ רוּחוֹ, כַּמּוּבָא בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵינָם כּוֹפְרִים לְגַמְרֵי, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שׁוּם רוּחַ כְּלָל, רַק הֵם כְּמוֹ מְמֻצָּע, וְרוּחָם קְצָרָה, בְּחִינַת מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ.
EN (our paraphrase): that is, they do not have complete faith, which is the aspect of one who is long of spirit, as brought elsewhere; and even so they are not complete heretics, who have no spirit at all. They are only like a middle, and their spirit is short: 'from shortness of spirit'.
Scene 9 · LM II:86 §1, on Shemos 6:9 · paragraph §1.4
וְזֶהוּ: מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה – שֶׁמֵּחֲמַת שֶׁהֵם בִּבְחִינַת קֹצֶר־רוּחַ, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהֵם קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה כַּנַּ"ל, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה צְרִיכִין לַעֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת וּלְתַעֲנִיתִים כַּנַּ"ל. כְּמוֹ שֶׁבִּשְׁעַת הַשְּׁמָד שֶׁהִיא קִלְקוּל אֱמוּנָה לְגַמְרֵי, צְרִיכִין אֲפִלּוּ לִמְסֹר נַפְשָׁם מַמָּשׁ אֲפִלּוּ עַל דָּבָר קַל, כְּמוֹ־כֵן כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ קַטְנוּת וּפְגָם בֶּאֱמוּנָה, צְרִיכִין לַעֲשׂוֹת עֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת כַּנַּ"ל.
EN (our paraphrase): This is 'from shortness of spirit and from hard labour': because they are in the aspect of shortness of spirit, since they are of little faith, they therefore need hard devotions and fasts. Just as in a time of persecution, which is a complete ruin of faith, one must truly give one's life even over a light matter, so too, when there is smallness and a blemish in faith, one must do hard devotions.
Scene 11 · LM II:86 §1, on Zechariah 4:10 and Sotah 48b · paragraph §1.5
וְיֵשׁ כַּמָּה בְּחִינוֹת בִּקְטַנֵּי אֱמוּנָה. כִּי יֵשׁ אֲפִלּוּ צַדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה עַל פָּסוּק: כִּי מִי בַז לְיוֹם קְטַנּוֹת – מִי גָּרַם לַצַּדִּיקִים וְכוּ'
EN (our paraphrase): And there are several levels of little faith. For there are even tzaddikim who are of little faith, as our Sages expounded on the verse, 'for who has despised the day of small things': what caused the tzaddikim, and so on.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: דַּע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הֵם מִקְּטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, עַל־כֵּן הֵם צְרִיכִים לְתַעֲנִית, דְּהַיְנוּ עֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת.
Scene 3 · §1.2: בִּשְׁעַת שְׁמָד אֲפִלּוּ אַעַרְקְתָא דִּמְסָאנֵי יֵהָרֵג וְאַל יַעֲבֹר.
Scene 4 · §1.3: וְהַקְּטַנֵּי־אֲמָנָה הֵם בִּבְחִינַת מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ,
Scene 5 · §1.4: מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה
Scene 6 · §1.5: כִּי יֵשׁ אֲפִלּוּ צַדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה,
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: דַּע, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הֵם מִקְּטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה, עַל־כֵּן הֵם צְרִיכִים לְתַעֲנִית, דְּהַיְנוּ עֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת.
Scene 3 · §1.4: מִקֹּצֶר־רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה
Scene 4 · §1.5: כִּי יֵשׁ אֲפִלּוּ צַדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה,