שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֶחָד, שֶׁהִזְהִיר אוֹתוֹ, שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לְעַיֵּן בְּתוֹרָתוֹ
Finding Something New in Torah
Rebbe Nachman urged his followers to study his teachings and find something new in them; even if they missed his meaning, a chiddush in Torah is very good. Stray thoughts come from the imagination, and a chiddush, likening one idea to another, uses that power for holiness and repairs them. It is a great repair for the past, even a single new word, and a kindness to the souls of departed parents.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֶחָד, שֶׁהִזְהִיר אוֹתוֹ, שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לְעַיֵּן בְּתוֹרָתוֹ, וְיִרְאֶה לְחַדֵּשׁ בְּתוֹרָתוֹ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר, (כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְהִיר עַל זֶה לְכַמָּה וְכַמָּה מֵאֲנָשָׁיו).
וְאָמַר לוֹ: אִם תִּזְכֶּה לְכַוֵּן אֶל תֹּכֶן כַּוָּנָתִי בְּתוֹרָתִי – מַה טּוֹב, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא תּוּכַל לְכַוֵּן כַּוָּנָתִי, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן טוֹב מְאֹד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר בַּתּוֹרָה, כִּי הוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל לְהִרְהוּרִים. כִּי כָל הַהִרְהוּרִים בָּאִים עַל־יְדֵי כֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, וְעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמְּחַדְּשִׁין אֵיזֶה דָּבָר בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת מְדַמֶּה מִלְּתָא לְמִלְּתָא, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מְתַקְּנִין פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּרִים שֶׁבָּאִין עַל־יְדֵי הַמְדַמֶּה:
גַּם אָנֹכִי בְּעַצְמִי שָׁמַעְתִּי מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה פְּעָמִים, שֶׁהִזְהִיר מְאֹד לְחַדֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, וְאָמַר שֶׁהוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל מְאֹד מְאֹד עַל הֶעָבָר. וְאָמַר שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ דִּבּוּר אֶחָד לְבַד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ, הוּא גַּם־כֵּן טוֹב מְאֹד, כִּי הוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל מְאֹד.
גַּם אָמַר שֶׁהוּא טוֹבָה לְנִשְׁמַת אֲבוֹתָיו שֶׁכְּבָר נִסְתַּלְּקוּ:
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 five: the power of a new insight in Torah.
Rebbe Nachman urged his followers to study his teachings and find something new in them. Even if you miss his intention, a chiddush in Torah is very good.
Stray thoughts come from the imagination. A chiddush, likening one idea to another, uses that same power for holiness and repairs those thoughts.
He said it is a great repair for the past, even a single new word, and a kindness to the souls of one's departed parents.
Our own reflection: look for one new thought in what you learn today.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and five. Why finding something new in Torah is such a great repair.
Reb Noson heard from one of the Rebbe's followers that the Rebbe urged him to study the Rebbe's teachings closely and try to find something new in them. The Rebbe urged many of his people to do this.
The Rebbe told him: if you manage to reach the true meaning of my teaching, how good. But even if you cannot reach my intention, it is still very good to find something new in Torah.
Why? Because stray thoughts all come through the power of imagination, the medameh. And a chiddush in Torah is itself a kind of imagining: likening one thing to another. So through it, the damage those thoughts caused is repaired.
Reb Noson also heard it many times from the Rebbe himself: finding something new in Torah is a very great repair for the past, and even one single new word is very good.
The Rebbe added that it is also a kindness for the souls of one's parents who have already passed on.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. The imagination can wander, or it can build. Give it a verse or a teaching to work on, and let it find something new.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Finding Something New in Torah —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and five. A short shiur: the power of finding something new in Torah.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and five. 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.
Reb Noson writes: I heard from someone that the Rebbe urged him to make the effort to look into his teachings and try to find something new in them, as he urged many of his followers.
He told him: if you merit to reach the core of my meaning in my teaching, how good. And even if you cannot reach my meaning, still it is very good to find something new in Torah, for it is a great repair for stray thoughts. For all stray thoughts come through the power of imagination; and finding something new in Torah is likening one thing to another, so through it one repairs the damage of the thoughts that come through the imagination.
Our explanation. The koach hamedameh, the power of imagination, is the source of stray and improper thoughts. But a chiddush in Torah works through the same power: seeing that one idea is like another. When the imagination is used for Torah, the very faculty that caused the damage now repairs it.
And he adds: I myself also heard from his holy mouth many times that he urged us strongly to find new things in Torah, and said that it is a very, very great repair for the past. And he said that even one single word, when one merits to find it new, is also very good, for it is a very great repair. He also said that it is a kindness for the souls of one's parents who have already passed away.
Our explanation, step by step. A new insight in Torah repairs stray thoughts. It repairs the past. And it brings good to the souls of departed parents.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Learn a little, then ask yourself: what is new here? Write down one thought of your own. Even one word counts.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and five.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 105, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.105
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 — Finding Something New in Torah
Scene 3 · LM II:105 §1 · paragraph §1.1
שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֶחָד, שֶׁהִזְהִיר אוֹתוֹ, שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לְעַיֵּן בְּתוֹרָתוֹ, וְיִרְאֶה לְחַדֵּשׁ בְּתוֹרָתוֹ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר,
EN (our paraphrase): I heard from someone that the Rebbe urged him to make the effort to look into his teachings and try to find something new in them, as he urged many of his followers.
Scene 4 · LM II:105 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וְאָמַר לוֹ: אִם תִּזְכֶּה לְכַוֵּן אֶל תֹּכֶן כַּוָּנָתִי בְּתוֹרָתִי – מַה טּוֹב, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא תּוּכַל לְכַוֵּן כַּוָּנָתִי, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן טוֹב מְאֹד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר בַּתּוֹרָה, כִּי הוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל לְהִרְהוּרִים. כִּי כָל הַהִרְהוּרִים בָּאִים עַל־יְדֵי כֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, וְעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמְּחַדְּשִׁין אֵיזֶה דָּבָר בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת מְדַמֶּה מִלְּתָא לְמִלְּתָא, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מְתַקְּנִין פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּרִים שֶׁבָּאִין עַל־יְדֵי הַמְדַמֶּה:
EN (our paraphrase): He told him: if you merit to reach the core of my meaning in my teaching, how good. And even if you cannot reach my meaning, still it is very good to find something new in Torah, for it is a great repair for stray thoughts. For all stray thoughts come through the power of imagination; and finding something new in Torah is likening one thing to another, so through it one repairs the damage of the thoughts that come through the imagination.
Scene 6 · LM II:105 §1 · paragraph §1.3, §1.4
גַּם אָנֹכִי בְּעַצְמִי שָׁמַעְתִּי מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה פְּעָמִים, שֶׁהִזְהִיר מְאֹד לְחַדֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, וְאָמַר שֶׁהוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל מְאֹד מְאֹד עַל הֶעָבָר. וְאָמַר שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ דִּבּוּר אֶחָד לְבַד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ, הוּא גַּם־כֵּן טוֹב מְאֹד, כִּי הוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל מְאֹד. גַּם אָמַר שֶׁהוּא טוֹבָה לְנִשְׁמַת אֲבוֹתָיו שֶׁכְּבָר נִסְתַּלְּקוּ:
EN (our paraphrase): I myself also heard from his holy mouth many times that he urged us strongly to find new things in Torah, and said that it is a very, very great repair for the past. And he said that even one single word, when one merits to find it new, is also very good, for it is a very great repair. He also said that it is a kindness for the souls of one's parents who have already passed away.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: וְיִרְאֶה לְחַדֵּשׁ בְּתוֹרָתוֹ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר,
Scene 3 · §1.2: וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא תּוּכַל לְכַוֵּן כַּוָּנָתִי, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן טוֹב מְאֹד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר בַּתּוֹרָה,
Scene 4 · §1.2: שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת מְדַמֶּה מִלְּתָא לְמִלְּתָא,
Scene 5 · §1.3: שֶׁהוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל מְאֹד מְאֹד עַל הֶעָבָר.
Scene 6 · §1.4: שֶׁהוּא טוֹבָה לְנִשְׁמַת אֲבוֹתָיו שֶׁכְּבָר נִסְתַּלְּקוּ:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.2: טוֹב מְאֹד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר בַּתּוֹרָה,
Scene 3 · §1.2: מְתַקְּנִין פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּרִים
Scene 4 · §1.3: שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ דִּבּוּר אֶחָד לְבַד כְּשֶׁזּוֹכִין לְחַדֵּשׁ,