עוֹד שָׁמַעְתִּי בִּשְׁמוֹ לְעִנְיַן מַעֲלַת הַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ
A New Road for Prayer
The accusers already know the long-established prayers and supplications and lie in wait along their roads, like robbers on a well-known highway. But a person's own conversation with Hashem is a new road and a new prayer, said fresh from the heart, where they are not found lying in wait so much. Even so, Rebbe Nachman strongly urged saying the other supplications too.
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1-minute recap
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
עוֹד שָׁמַעְתִּי בִּשְׁמוֹ לְעִנְיַן מַעֲלַת הַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ, שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁעַל תְּפִלּוֹת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת הַסְּדוּרוֹת מִכְּבָר, כְּבָר יוֹדְעִין מֵהֶם כָּל הַמְחַבְּלִים וְהַמְקַטְרְגִים, וְהֵם אוֹרְבִים עַל הַדְּרָכִים שֶׁל אֵלּוּ הַתְּפִלּוֹת, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים מֵהֶם מִכְּבָר.
כְּמוֹ, לְמָשָׁל, עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַכְּבוּשָׁה, הַיָּדוּעַ וּמְפֻרְסָם לַכֹּל, שָׁם אוֹרְבִים רוֹצְחִים וְגַזְלָנִים תָּמִיד, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים מִדֶּרֶךְ זֶה כְּבָר. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוֹלְכִין בְּנָתִיב וְדֶרֶךְ חָדָשׁ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹדָע עֲדַיִן, שָׁם אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים לֶאֱרֹב שָׁם כְּלָל.
כְּמוֹ־כֵן לָעִנְיָן הַנַּ"ל, כִּי הַשִּׂיחָה שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר הָאָדָם עַצְמוֹ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ, הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חָדָשׁ וּתְפִלָּה חֲדָשָׁה, שֶׁהָאָדָם אוֹמְרָהּ מִלִּבּוֹ מֵחָדָשׁ, עַל־כֵּן אֵין הַמְקַטְרְגִים מְצוּיִים כָּל־כָּךְ לֶאֱרֹב.
וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הִזְהִיר מְאֹד גַּם עַל אֲמִירַת שְׁאָר תְּחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת, כַּמְבֹאָר בִּדְבָרֵינוּ כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים:
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 ninety seven: a new road for prayer.
The accusers already know the familiar prayers, and they lie in wait along their roads.
Like robbers who wait on a well-known highway. On a new path nobody knows, they don't wait at all.
Your own words to Hashem are such a new road: a new prayer, from your heart.
Even so, he urged saying the set supplications too.
Our own reflection: say the prayers, and then add a few words of your own, on a road no one else has walked.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety seven. Why a person's own conversation with Hashem is a road the accusers do not know.
Rebbe Nachman spoke about the special worth of a person's own conversation with Hashem. The prayers, supplications and requests that were set down long ago are already known to all the destroyers and accusers.
Because they know them so well, they lie in wait along the roads of those prayers.
It is like a well-trodden highway that everyone knows. That is just where murderers and robbers always wait, since they know the road.
But when one walks a new path, a road not yet known, it doesn't occur to them to lie in wait there at all.
So it is with prayer. The words a person speaks himself, between himself and his Maker, are a new road and a new prayer, said fresh from his heart. So the accusers are not found waiting there so much.
And yet, Rebbe Nachman strongly warned to also say the other supplications and requests, as he taught many times.
Our own reflection: the set prayers are our shared highway; keep walking it. But each day, also open a small path of your own, in your own words.
Full shiur
— Part 1: A New Road for Prayer —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety seven. A short shiur in one part: why a person's own words to Hashem are a new road.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety seven. 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.
I heard more in his name, on the worth of conversation between oneself and one's Maker. He said that the prayers, supplications and requests that were arranged long ago are already known to all the destroyers and accusers, and they lie in wait on the roads of these prayers, because they have known them for a long time.
He gives a parable: As, for example, on the beaten road, which is known and famous to all, there murderers and robbers always lie in wait, because they already know this road. But when one goes on a new path and road that is not yet known, there they do not know to lie in wait at all.
So too in our matter: the conversation that a person himself speaks between himself and his Maker is a new road and a new prayer, which the person says from his heart, anew. Therefore the accusers are not found there so much, to lie in wait.
And even so, he warned strongly also about saying the other supplications and requests, as is explained in our words many times.
Our explanation. The set prayers are like a known highway, and the accusers wait along it. A person's own words to Hashem are a new road, made fresh from the heart, where they are not waiting. Yet the highway must still be walked: the set prayers stay.
Our own reflection, not a quotation. Walk the highway of the set prayers. Then open a new path, in your own words.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety seven.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 97, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.97
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 — A New Road for Prayer
Scene 3 · LM II:97 §1 · paragraph §1.1
עוֹד שָׁמַעְתִּי בִּשְׁמוֹ לְעִנְיַן מַעֲלַת הַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ, שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁעַל תְּפִלּוֹת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת הַסְּדוּרוֹת מִכְּבָר, כְּבָר יוֹדְעִין מֵהֶם כָּל הַמְחַבְּלִים וְהַמְקַטְרְגִים, וְהֵם אוֹרְבִים עַל הַדְּרָכִים שֶׁל אֵלּוּ הַתְּפִלּוֹת, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים מֵהֶם מִכְּבָר.
EN (our paraphrase): I heard more in his name, on the worth of conversation between oneself and one's Maker. He said that the prayers, supplications and requests that were arranged long ago are already known to all the destroyers and accusers, and they lie in wait on the roads of these prayers, because they have known them for a long time.
Scene 4 · LM II:97 §1 · paragraph §1.2
כְּמוֹ, לְמָשָׁל, עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַכְּבוּשָׁה, הַיָּדוּעַ וּמְפֻרְסָם לַכֹּל, שָׁם אוֹרְבִים רוֹצְחִים וְגַזְלָנִים תָּמִיד, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים מִדֶּרֶךְ זֶה כְּבָר. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוֹלְכִין בְּנָתִיב וְדֶרֶךְ חָדָשׁ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹדָע עֲדַיִן, שָׁם אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים לֶאֱרֹב שָׁם כְּלָל.
EN (our paraphrase): As, for example, on the beaten road, which is known and famous to all, there murderers and robbers always lie in wait, because they already know this road. But when one goes on a new path and road that is not yet known, there they do not know to lie in wait at all.
Scene 5 · LM II:97 §1 · paragraph §1.3
כְּמוֹ־כֵן לָעִנְיָן הַנַּ"ל, כִּי הַשִּׂיחָה שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר הָאָדָם עַצְמוֹ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ, הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חָדָשׁ וּתְפִלָּה חֲדָשָׁה, שֶׁהָאָדָם אוֹמְרָהּ מִלִּבּוֹ מֵחָדָשׁ, עַל־כֵּן אֵין הַמְקַטְרְגִים מְצוּיִים כָּל־כָּךְ לֶאֱרֹב.
EN (our paraphrase): So too in our matter: the conversation that a person himself speaks between himself and his Maker is a new road and a new prayer, which the person says from his heart, anew. Therefore the accusers are not found there so much, to lie in wait.
Scene 6 · LM II:97 §1 · paragraph §1.4
וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הִזְהִיר מְאֹד גַּם עַל אֲמִירַת שְׁאָר תְּחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת, כַּמְבֹאָר בִּדְבָרֵינוּ כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים:
EN (our paraphrase): And even so, he warned strongly also about saying the other supplications and requests, as is explained in our words many times.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁעַל תְּפִלּוֹת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת הַסְּדוּרוֹת מִכְּבָר,
Scene 3 · §1.1: וְהֵם אוֹרְבִים עַל הַדְּרָכִים שֶׁל אֵלּוּ הַתְּפִלּוֹת,
Scene 4 · §1.2: עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַכְּבוּשָׁה, הַיָּדוּעַ וּמְפֻרְסָם לַכֹּל, שָׁם אוֹרְבִים רוֹצְחִים וְגַזְלָנִים תָּמִיד,
Scene 5 · §1.2: אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוֹלְכִין בְּנָתִיב וְדֶרֶךְ חָדָשׁ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹדָע עֲדַיִן, שָׁם אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים לֶאֱרֹב שָׁם כְּלָל.
Scene 6 · §1.3: הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חָדָשׁ וּתְפִלָּה חֲדָשָׁה, שֶׁהָאָדָם אוֹמְרָהּ מִלִּבּוֹ מֵחָדָשׁ,
Scene 7 · §1.4: וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הִזְהִיר מְאֹד גַּם עַל אֲמִירַת שְׁאָר תְּחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת,
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: וְהֵם אוֹרְבִים עַל הַדְּרָכִים שֶׁל אֵלּוּ הַתְּפִלּוֹת,
Scene 3 · §1.2: אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוֹלְכִין בְּנָתִיב וְדֶרֶךְ חָדָשׁ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹדָע עֲדַיִן, שָׁם אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים לֶאֱרֹב שָׁם כְּלָל.
Scene 4 · §1.3: הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חָדָשׁ וּתְפִלָּה חֲדָשָׁה, שֶׁהָאָדָם אוֹמְרָהּ מִלִּבּוֹ מֵחָדָשׁ,
Scene 5 · §1.4: וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הִזְהִיר מְאֹד גַּם עַל אֲמִירַת שְׁאָר תְּחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת,