עוֹד אָמַר לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת
Speech Wakes the Heart
Speech has great power to awaken a person. Even when it seems one has no heart, speaking many words of awakening, supplication and request is itself the revealing of the heart and soul to Hashem, as in 'my soul went out when he spoke' (Shir HaShirim 5:6). Sometimes, after much speaking even without feeling, a great awakening of heart and soul comes afterwards.
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
עוֹד אָמַר לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת,
כִּי הַדִּבּוּר יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל לְעוֹרֵר אֶת הָאָדָם, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁנִּדְמֶה לְהָאָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ לֵב, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן כְּשֶׁיְּדַבֵּר הַרְבֵּה דִּבְרֵי הִתְעוֹרְרוּת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת וְכַיּוֹצֵא, זֶהוּ בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר הוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְגַּלּוּת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת לִבּוֹ וְנַפְשׁוֹ לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, בִּבְחִינַת (שיר השירים ה׳:ו׳): נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ, שֶׁהַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ הוּא הִתְגַּלּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהַלֵּב.
וְלִפְעָמִים עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר הַרְבֵּה, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּלֹא לֵב כְּלָל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן יָבוֹא אַחַר־כָּךְ עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת גָּדוֹל בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ. וְהַכְּלָל – כִּי הַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל:
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 eight: speech wakes the heart.
Speech has great power to wake a person up.
Even when it feels like you have no heart, keep speaking to Hashem: words of awakening, requests, supplications.
The speaking itself reveals the heart and soul, as the verse says: my soul went out when he spoke.
Sometimes the awakening only comes afterwards. The rule is: speech itself has great power.
Our own reflection: don't wait to feel it. Speak, and the feeling will find you.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety eight. On the power of speech to awaken the heart.
Rebbe Nachman said more to strengthen us in hisbodedus, and in saying supplications and requests.
Speech, he said, has great power to awaken a person. Even if it seems to him that he has no heart at all, when he speaks many words of awakening, supplications, requests and the like, that very speaking is a revealing of his heart and soul to Hashem.
As the verse says: my soul went out when he spoke. The speech itself is the soul and the heart coming out into the open.
And sometimes, by speaking a great deal, even entirely without feeling, a person afterwards comes to a great awakening of heart and soul.
The rule is this: speech itself has great power.
Our own reflection: when your heart feels closed, open your mouth. Talk to Hashem anyway; the words carry the soul out with them.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Speech Wakes the Heart —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety eight. A short shiur in one part: how speaking to Hashem awakens the heart, even when we feel nothing.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety eight. 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 said more on strengthening oneself in hisbodedus and in supplications and requests: for speech has great power to awaken a person. Even though it seems to the person that he has no heart, even so, when he speaks many words of awakening, supplications, requests and the like, the very fact that he speaks is an aspect of revealing the awakening of his heart and soul to Hashem;
He brings a verse: as in, 'My soul went out when he spoke': for speech itself is the revealing of the soul and the heart.
And sometimes, through speaking much, even though it is entirely without heart, even so he will afterwards come through this to a great awakening in heart and soul. And the rule is: speech itself has great power.
Our explanation. Speech is the soul coming out into the open. So the words can come first, before any feeling; and often, the feeling follows the words.
Our own reflection, not a quotation. When the heart feels closed, open your mouth. The feeling follows the words.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety eight.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 98, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.98
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 — Speech Wakes the Heart
Scene 3 · LM II:98 §1 · paragraph §1.1, §1.2
עוֹד אָמַר לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת, כִּי הַדִּבּוּר יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל לְעוֹרֵר אֶת הָאָדָם, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁנִּדְמֶה לְהָאָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ לֵב, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן כְּשֶׁיְּדַבֵּר הַרְבֵּה דִּבְרֵי הִתְעוֹרְרוּת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת וְכַיּוֹצֵא, זֶהוּ בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר הוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְגַּלּוּת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת לִבּוֹ וְנַפְשׁוֹ לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ,
EN (our paraphrase): He said more on strengthening oneself in hisbodedus and in supplications and requests: for speech has great power to awaken a person. Even though it seems to the person that he has no heart, even so, when he speaks many words of awakening, supplications, requests and the like, the very fact that he speaks is an aspect of revealing the awakening of his heart and soul to Hashem;
Scene 4 · LM II:98 §1, on Shir HaShirim 5:6 · paragraph §1.2
בִּבְחִינַת: נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ, שֶׁהַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ הוּא הִתְגַּלּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהַלֵּב.
EN (our paraphrase): as in, 'My soul went out when he spoke': for speech itself is the revealing of the soul and the heart.
Scene 5 · LM II:98 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְלִפְעָמִים עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר הַרְבֵּה, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּלֹא לֵב כְּלָל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן יָבוֹא אַחַר־כָּךְ עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת גָּדוֹל בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ. וְהַכְּלָל – כִּי הַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל:
EN (our paraphrase): And sometimes, through speaking much, even though it is entirely without heart, even so he will afterwards come through this to a great awakening in heart and soul. And the rule is: speech itself has great power.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: עוֹד אָמַר לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת,
Scene 3 · §1.2: כִּי הַדִּבּוּר יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל לְעוֹרֵר אֶת הָאָדָם, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁנִּדְמֶה לְהָאָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ לֵב,
Scene 4 · §1.2: נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ, שֶׁהַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ הוּא הִתְגַּלּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהַלֵּב.
Scene 5 · §1.3: אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן יָבוֹא אַחַר־כָּךְ עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת גָּדוֹל בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ.
Scene 6 · §1.3: וְהַכְּלָל – כִּי הַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.2: כִּי הַדִּבּוּר יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל לְעוֹרֵר אֶת הָאָדָם,
Scene 3 · §1.2: אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁנִּדְמֶה לְהָאָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ לֵב,
Scene 4 · §1.2: נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ,
Scene 5 · §1.3: וְהַכְּלָל – כִּי הַדִּבּוּר בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ גָּדוֹל: