אָמַר, שֶׁעִקָּר הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וְהַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ
With All the Soul, Like a Friend
Complete hisbodedus is when a person pours out his heart before Hashem so intensely, out of true pain, longing and yearning for Him, that his soul is bound to his body as if by a hair. So the Sages said (Taanis 8a) that a person's prayer is heard only if he places his soul in his hand. And when Hashem helps, hisbodedus becomes like a man speaking to his friend.
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
אָמַר, שֶׁעִקָּר הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וְהַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ בִּשְׁלֵמוּת הוּא, כְּשֶׁיְּפָרֵשׁ שִׂיחָתוֹ כָּל־כָּךְ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה סָמוּךְ מְאֹד שֶׁתֵּצֵא נִשְׁמָתוֹ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַד שֶׁכִּמְעַט יִגְוַע, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַד שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה נִשְׁמָתוֹ קְשׁוּרָה בְּגוּפוֹ כִּי־אִם כְּחוּט הַשֲּׁעַרָה מֵעֹצֶם צַעֲרוֹ וְגַעְגּוּעוֹ וְכִסּוּפָיו לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בֶּאֱמֶת.
וְכֵן מְבֹאָר בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תענית ח), שֶׁאָמְרוּ: אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם נִשְׁמַעַת, אֶלָּא־אִם־כֵּן מֵשִׂים נַפְשׁוֹ בְּכַפּוֹ וְכוּ' , הַיְנוּ כַּנַּ"ל:
וְאָמַר: הֲלוֹא כְּשֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עוֹזֵר בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, אֲזַי הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת הוּא כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ:
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 nine: with all the soul, like a friend.
Complete hisbodedus is pouring out your heart to Hashem with such longing that your soul hangs, as it were, by a single hair.
As our Sages said: a person's prayer is heard only when he places his soul in his hand.
And when Hashem helps, hisbodedus becomes like a man talking with his friend.
Our own reflection: give your whole self to the conversation, and ask Hashem to make it as easy as talking to a friend.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety nine. On hisbodedus at its most complete.
Rebbe Nachman said: the essence of complete hisbodedus, of conversation between a person and his Maker, is to pour out one's words before Hashem with everything one has.
So much, that he comes close, Heaven forbid, to his soul leaving him; until his soul is bound to his body by no more than a hair.
All this comes from the depth of his pain, his longing and his yearning for Hashem, in truth.
This is what our Sages meant: a person's prayer is heard only if he places his soul in his hand.
And Rebbe Nachman said: when Hashem helps in hisbodedus, then hisbodedus is like a man speaking to his friend.
Our own reflection: the deepest prayer holds nothing back, yet with Hashem's help it feels as natural as talking to a close friend.
Full shiur
— Part 1: With All the Soul, Like a Friend —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety nine. A short shiur in one part: hisbodedus with the whole soul, and hisbodedus like talking to a friend.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety nine. 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 that the essence of hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one's Maker, in its completeness, is when he pours out his words so much before Hashem that he comes very close to his soul leaving him, Heaven forbid; until he nearly expires, Heaven forbid; until his soul is bound to his body only as by a hair, from the depth of his pain, his longing and his yearning for Hashem, in truth.
And so it is explained in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, who said: a person's prayer is not heard unless he places his soul in his hand, and so on; that is, as above.
And he added: And he said: surely, when Hashem helps in hisbodedus, then hisbodedus is as a man speaks to his friend.
Our explanation. Complete hisbodedus is prayer with the whole soul, born of real longing for Hashem. It is not about harming oneself; it is about holding nothing back. And with Hashem's help, it becomes as easy as talking to a friend.
Our own reflection, not a quotation. Hold nothing back. Ask Hashem to help, and it becomes a talk between friends.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah ninety nine.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 99, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.99
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 — With All the Soul, Like a Friend
Scene 3 · LM II:99 §1 · paragraph §1.1
אָמַר, שֶׁעִקָּר הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וְהַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ בִּשְׁלֵמוּת הוּא, כְּשֶׁיְּפָרֵשׁ שִׂיחָתוֹ כָּל־כָּךְ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה סָמוּךְ מְאֹד שֶׁתֵּצֵא נִשְׁמָתוֹ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַד שֶׁכִּמְעַט יִגְוַע, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַד שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה נִשְׁמָתוֹ קְשׁוּרָה בְּגוּפוֹ כִּי־אִם כְּחוּט הַשֲּׁעַרָה מֵעֹצֶם צַעֲרוֹ וְגַעְגּוּעוֹ וְכִסּוּפָיו לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בֶּאֱמֶת.
EN (our paraphrase): He said that the essence of hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one's Maker, in its completeness, is when he pours out his words so much before Hashem that he comes very close to his soul leaving him, Heaven forbid; until he nearly expires, Heaven forbid; until his soul is bound to his body only as by a hair, from the depth of his pain, his longing and his yearning for Hashem, in truth.
Scene 4 · LM II:99 §1, on Taanis 8a · paragraph §1.2
וְכֵן מְבֹאָר בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, שֶׁאָמְרוּ: אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם נִשְׁמַעַת, אֶלָּא־אִם־כֵּן מֵשִׂים נַפְשׁוֹ בְּכַפּוֹ וְכוּ', הַיְנוּ כַּנַּ"ל:
EN (our paraphrase): And so it is explained in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, who said: a person's prayer is not heard unless he places his soul in his hand, and so on; that is, as above.
Scene 5 · LM II:99 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְאָמַר: הֲלוֹא כְּשֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עוֹזֵר בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, אֲזַי הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת הוּא כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ:
EN (our paraphrase): And he said: surely, when Hashem helps in hisbodedus, then hisbodedus is as a man speaks to his friend.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁעִקָּר הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וְהַשִּׂיחָה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ בִּשְׁלֵמוּת
Scene 3 · §1.1: שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה נִשְׁמָתוֹ קְשׁוּרָה בְּגוּפוֹ כִּי־אִם כְּחוּט הַשֲּׁעַרָה
Scene 4 · §1.1: מֵעֹצֶם צַעֲרוֹ וְגַעְגּוּעוֹ וְכִסּוּפָיו לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בֶּאֱמֶת.
Scene 5 · §1.2: אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם נִשְׁמַעַת, אֶלָּא־אִם־כֵּן מֵשִׂים נַפְשׁוֹ בְּכַפּוֹ
Scene 6 · §1.3: כְּשֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עוֹזֵר בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, אֲזַי הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת הוּא כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: מֵעֹצֶם צַעֲרוֹ וְגַעְגּוּעוֹ וְכִסּוּפָיו לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בֶּאֱמֶת.
Scene 3 · §1.2: אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם נִשְׁמַעַת, אֶלָּא־אִם־כֵּן מֵשִׂים נַפְשׁוֹ בְּכַפּוֹ
Scene 4 · §1.3: כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ: