שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁאִישׁ אֶחָד שָׁאַל אוֹתוֹ: כֵּיצַד הוּא
Free Choice, Simply
Asked how free choice works, Rebbe Nachman answered simply: it is in a person's hands; if he wants, he does, and if not, he does not. Reb Noson recorded it because many people, used to their ways since youth, think they cannot change; but every person always has free choice in everything.
🎧 Listen to the full shiur
1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁאִישׁ אֶחָד שָׁאַל אוֹתוֹ: כֵּיצַד הוּא הַבְּחִירָה, הֵשִׁיב לוֹ בִּפְשִׁיטוּת: שֶׁהַבְּחִירָה הִיא בְּיַד הָאָדָם בִּפְשִׁיטוּת, אִם רוֹצֶה עוֹשֶׂה, וְאִם אֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה.
וְרָשַׁמְתִּי זֹאת, כִּי הוּא נִצְרָךְ מְאֹד, כִּי כַּמָּה בְּנֵי־אָדָם נְבוּכִים בָּזֶה מְאֹד, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהֵם מֻרְגָּלִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וּבְדַרְכֵיהֶם מִנְּעוּרֵיהֶם מְאֹד, עַל־כֵּן נִדְמֶה לָהֶם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם בְּחִירָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְאֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לְשַׁנּוֹת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם. אֲבָל בֶּאֱמֶת אֵינוֹ כֵן, כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יֵשׁ לְכָל אָדָם בְּחִירָה תָּמִיד עַל כָּל דָּבָר, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה עוֹשֶׂה.
וְהָבֵן הַדְּבָרִים מְאֹד:
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 ten: free choice, simply.
Someone asked Rebbe Nachman how free choice works. He answered simply: if a person wants, he does; if he does not want, he does not.
Habits since youth make people feel they cannot change. It is not so: every person always has free choice in everything.
Our own reflection: a habit is a path you walked, not a wall. You can choose again today.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and ten. A short answer about free choice, and why Reb Noson wrote it down.
Reb Noson heard that someone asked Rebbe Nachman: how does free choice work? The Rebbe answered him plainly: free choice is in a person's hands, simply. If he wants, he does; and if he does not want, he does not.
Reb Noson writes that he recorded this because it is very much needed. Many people are deeply confused about it. They have been used to their ways since their youth, so it seems to them that they have no choice and cannot change.
But in truth it is not so. Every person surely has free choice, always, about everything; as he wants, he does. And he ends: understand these words well.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Habit makes the old way feel like the only way. The Rebbe's answer is simple: you want, you do. Choose once, today.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Free Choice, Simply —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and ten. A very short shiur: free choice, simply.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and ten. 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 that a man asked him: how does free choice work? He answered him simply: free choice is in a person's hands, simply. If he wants, he does; and if he does not want, he does not.
He explains why he wrote it down: I recorded this because it is very much needed. For many people are very confused about this, because they have been used to their deeds and ways since their youth. So it seems to them that they have no free choice, Heaven forbid, and cannot change their deeds. But in truth it is not so. For surely every person always has free choice about everything, and as he wants, he does.
And he ends: Understand these words well.
Our explanation. The Rebbe could have answered with deep philosophy. Instead he answered simply: if you want, you do. The real obstacle is habit, which makes a person feel stuck. Reb Noson wrote it down so that no one would think his choice had been taken away.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Habit is not destiny. Pick one small thing and choose it today. You want, you do.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and ten.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 110, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.110
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 — Free Choice, Simply
Scene 3 · LM II:110 §1 · paragraph §1.1
שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁאִישׁ אֶחָד שָׁאַל אוֹתוֹ: כֵּיצַד הוּא הַבְּחִירָה, הֵשִׁיב לוֹ בִּפְשִׁיטוּת: שֶׁהַבְּחִירָה הִיא בְּיַד הָאָדָם בִּפְשִׁיטוּת, אִם רוֹצֶה עוֹשֶׂה, וְאִם אֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה.
EN (our paraphrase): I heard that a man asked him: how does free choice work? He answered him simply: free choice is in a person's hands, simply. If he wants, he does; and if he does not want, he does not.
Scene 4 · LM II:110 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וְרָשַׁמְתִּי זֹאת, כִּי הוּא נִצְרָךְ מְאֹד, כִּי כַּמָּה בְּנֵי־אָדָם נְבוּכִים בָּזֶה מְאֹד, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהֵם מֻרְגָּלִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וּבְדַרְכֵיהֶם מִנְּעוּרֵיהֶם מְאֹד, עַל־כֵּן נִדְמֶה לָהֶם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם בְּחִירָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְאֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לְשַׁנּוֹת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם. אֲבָל בֶּאֱמֶת אֵינוֹ כֵן, כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יֵשׁ לְכָל אָדָם בְּחִירָה תָּמִיד עַל כָּל דָּבָר, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה עוֹשֶׂה.
EN (our paraphrase): I recorded this because it is very much needed. For many people are very confused about this, because they have been used to their deeds and ways since their youth. So it seems to them that they have no free choice, Heaven forbid, and cannot change their deeds. But in truth it is not so. For surely every person always has free choice about everything, and as he wants, he does.
Scene 5 · LM II:110 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְהָבֵן הַדְּבָרִים מְאֹד:
EN (our paraphrase): Understand these words well.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁהַבְּחִירָה הִיא בְּיַד הָאָדָם בִּפְשִׁיטוּת,
Scene 3 · §1.2: נִדְמֶה לָהֶם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם בְּחִירָה,
Scene 4 · §1.3: וְהָבֵן הַדְּבָרִים מְאֹד:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: אִם רוֹצֶה עוֹשֶׂה, וְאִם אֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה.
Scene 3 · §1.2: כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יֵשׁ לְכָל אָדָם בְּחִירָה תָּמִיד עַל כָּל דָּבָר,