לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת לְבַל יִפֹּל הָאָדָם בְּדַעְתּוֹ מֵחֲמַת
Believe You Can Repair
To strengthen a person who was falling in spirit because of the many blemishes and damages caused by his deeds, Rebbe Nachman said: if you believe that one can damage, believe that one can repair.
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת לְבַל יִפֹּל הָאָדָם בְּדַעְתּוֹ מֵחֲמַת רִבּוּי הַפְּגָמִים וְהַקִּלְקוּלִים שֶׁקִּלְקֵל עַל־יְדֵי מַעֲשָׂיו, עָנָה וְאָמַר: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן:
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 twelve: if you believe you can damage, believe you can repair.
Sometimes a person looks at all the damage and all the blemishes his own deeds have caused, and his spirit falls. He feels there is no hope left.
To strengthen such a person, Rebbe Nachman said these short, famous words.
If you believe that you can damage, then believe that you can repair. Your deeds matter in both directions.
Our own reflection: the same faith that sees the damage can see the repair. Don't let the first without the second break you.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twelve. One sentence of strength for anyone weighed down by his mistakes.
The teaching speaks to a person in danger of falling in his own mind. He sees how much he has spoiled through his deeds, and he starts to feel there is no hope for him.
To strengthen him, Rebbe Nachman spoke up and said: if you believe that one can damage, believe that one can repair.
He already believes his deeds really count above. The Rebbe turns that belief around: if deeds matter enough to damage, they matter enough to repair.
Our own reflection, not a quotation. Teshuvah, a prayer, one good step, are just as real as the damage. Never stop at half the belief.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Believe You Can Repair —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twelve. A short shiur in one part: believe you can repair.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twelve. 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.
On the matter of strengthening oneself, so that a person should not fall in his mind because of the many blemishes and damages he has spoiled through his deeds,
Our explanation. The teaching speaks to someone who looks honestly at what he has spoiled, and whose spirit falls because of it. The Rebbe's answer is aimed at exactly that feeling.
And then he spoke up and said: If you believe that one can damage, believe that one can repair.
Our explanation. To believe that you can damage is already to believe that your deeds really count above. If they count for damage, they count for repair as well. The Rebbe asks us to hold both halves of the same faith.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. The same faith that makes us take our mistakes seriously should make us take repair seriously too. Teshuvah, a prayer, one good step, are just as real as the damage. Never stop at half the belief.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twelve.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 112, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.112
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 — Believe You Can Repair
Scene 3 · LM II:112 §1 · paragraph §1.1
לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת לְבַל יִפֹּל הָאָדָם בְּדַעְתּוֹ מֵחֲמַת רִבּוּי הַפְּגָמִים וְהַקִּלְקוּלִים שֶׁקִּלְקֵל עַל־יְדֵי מַעֲשָׂיו,
EN (our paraphrase): On the matter of strengthening oneself, so that a person should not fall in his mind because of the many blemishes and damages he has spoiled through his deeds,
Scene 5 · LM II:112 §1 · paragraph §1.1
עָנָה וְאָמַר: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן:
EN (our paraphrase): he spoke up and said: If you believe that one can damage, believe that one can repair.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת לְבַל יִפֹּל הָאָדָם בְּדַעְתּוֹ מֵחֲמַת רִבּוּי הַפְּגָמִים וְהַקִּלְקוּלִים
Scene 3 · §1.1: עָנָה וְאָמַר: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן:
Scene 4 · §1.1: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: לְעִנְיַן הִתְחַזְּקוּת לְבַל יִפֹּל הָאָדָם בְּדַעְתּוֹ מֵחֲמַת רִבּוּי הַפְּגָמִים וְהַקִּלְקוּלִים
Scene 3 · §1.1: עָנָה וְאָמַר: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל,
Scene 4 · §1.1: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן: