בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ עוֹד
Alone with Hashem in Prayer
At prayer, as long as a person still senses someone else standing near him, it is not good; he should picture that there is no one there but himself and Hashem. Likutei Moharan I:55 describes a higher level: to be so nullified at prayer that one does not feel even oneself, for one stands in the King's palace, where there is only the King.
🎧 Listen to the full shiur
1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ עוֹד אָז אֵיזֶה אָדָם, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁשּׁוֹמֵעַ וּמַרְגִּישׁ שֶׁעוֹמֵד עוֹד אָדָם אֶחָד בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ, הוּא לֹא טוֹב. כִּי צָרִיךְ כָּל אָדָם בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ, שֶׁיְּצַיֵּר בְּדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא אֲנִי וְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַד.
וּבַמַּאֲמָר "אַבָּא שָׁאוּל וְכוּ' פַּעַם אַחַת רַצְתִּי אַחַר צְבִי וְכוּ'" (בסי' נ"ה), שָׁם מְבֹאָר בִּטּוּל גָּדוֹל יוֹתֵר בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁמְּחֻיָּב הָאָדָם לְבַטֵּל עַצְמוֹ כָּל־כָּךְ בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, עַד שֶׁלֹּא יַרְגִּישׁ אֲפִלּוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּלָל בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ, רַק אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַדּוֹ, כִּי אָז, בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, הָאָדָם עוֹמֵד בְּהֵיכַל הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכוּ', עַיֵּן שָׁם מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב שָׁם (באות ו): מִי הוּא, הֲלֹא יֵשׁוּתוֹ נִתְבַּטֵּל, וְאֵין כָּאן אֶלָּא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַצְמוֹ וְכוּ', עַיֵּן שָׁם:
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 one hundred and three: alone with Hashem in prayer.
While praying, if you still sense someone standing beside you, it is not good. Picture in your mind that there is no one here but you and Hashem.
Higher still: forget even yourself. At prayer you stand in the King's palace, and there is only the King.
Our own reflection: before you begin, take a breath and remember who is listening.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and three. Two levels of standing alone before Hashem in prayer.
Rebbe Nachman says: during prayer, as long as a person still hears another person, still senses that someone is standing there, it is not good. Every person at prayer should picture in his mind that there is no one there but me and Hashem alone.
In an earlier teaching, Likutey Moharan Torah fifty five, Abba Shaul and the deer, a greater self-nullification is explained: not to feel even oneself at all at prayer, only Hashem alone.
For at prayer a person stands in the King's palace. Who is he there? His own existence has fallen away, and there is only the King Himself.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. First let the room fall away, then let yourself fall away. What remains is you, speaking to the King.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Alone with Hashem in Prayer —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and three. A short shiur: standing alone with Hashem in prayer.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and three. 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.
Rebbe Nachman teaches: At prayer, as long as a person still hears someone else, that is, he hears and senses that another person is standing there while he prays, it is not good. For every person at prayer must picture in his mind that there is no one there but me and Hashem alone.
Our explanation. A person may stand in a full shul, yet his prayer is between him and Hashem alone. As long as he is aware of who is beside him, who is listening, how he looks, part of him is still facing people. The Rebbe asks us to picture that no one else is there.
He continues, pointing to an earlier Torah: And in the teaching 'Abba Shaul said, once I ran after a deer', a greater self-nullification at prayer is explained: a person must nullify himself so much at prayer that he does not feel even himself at all, only Hashem alone. For then, at prayer, a person stands in the King's palace. See what is written there: who is he? His very existence is nullified, and there is nothing here but the King Himself. See there.
Our explanation, step by step. First, there is no one else in the room. Higher, there is not even yourself. In the King's palace, there is only the King.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Before you pray, stop for a moment. Picture that it is just you and Hashem. Then let even yourself fall away.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and three.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 103, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.103
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 5: The bracketed references in the Hebrew point to Likutei Moharan I:55, section 6.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — Alone with Hashem in Prayer
Scene 3 · LM II:103 §1 · paragraph §1.1
בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ עוֹד אָז אֵיזֶה אָדָם, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁשּׁוֹמֵעַ וּמַרְגִּישׁ שֶׁעוֹמֵד עוֹד אָדָם אֶחָד בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ, הוּא לֹא טוֹב. כִּי צָרִיךְ כָּל אָדָם בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ, שֶׁיְּצַיֵּר בְּדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא אֲנִי וְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַד.
EN (our paraphrase): At prayer, as long as a person still hears someone else, that is, he hears and senses that another person is standing there while he prays, it is not good. For every person at prayer must picture in his mind that there is no one there but me and Hashem alone.
Scene 5 · LM II:103 §1, on Likutei Moharan I:55 · paragraph §1.2
וּבַמַּאֲמָר "אַבָּא שָׁאוּל וְכוּ' פַּעַם אַחַת רַצְתִּי אַחַר צְבִי וְכוּ'", שָׁם מְבֹאָר בִּטּוּל גָּדוֹל יוֹתֵר בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁמְּחֻיָּב הָאָדָם לְבַטֵּל עַצְמוֹ כָּל־כָּךְ בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, עַד שֶׁלֹּא יַרְגִּישׁ אֲפִלּוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּלָל בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ, רַק אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַדּוֹ, כִּי אָז, בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, הָאָדָם עוֹמֵד בְּהֵיכַל הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכוּ', עַיֵּן שָׁם מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב שָׁם: מִי הוּא, הֲלֹא יֵשׁוּתוֹ נִתְבַּטֵּל, וְאֵין כָּאן אֶלָּא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַצְמוֹ וְכוּ', עַיֵּן שָׁם:
EN (our paraphrase): And in the teaching 'Abba Shaul said, once I ran after a deer', a greater self-nullification at prayer is explained: a person must nullify himself so much at prayer that he does not feel even himself at all, only Hashem alone. For then, at prayer, a person stands in the King's palace. See what is written there: who is he? His very existence is nullified, and there is nothing here but the King Himself. See there.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא אֲנִי וְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַד.
Scene 3 · §1.2: עַד שֶׁלֹּא יַרְגִּישׁ אֲפִלּוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּלָל
Scene 4 · §1.2: מִי הוּא, הֲלֹא יֵשׁוּתוֹ נִתְבַּטֵּל, וְאֵין כָּאן אֶלָּא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַצְמוֹ
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא אֲנִי וְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַד.
Scene 3 · §1.2: וְאֵין כָּאן אֶלָּא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַצְמוֹ