פַּעַם אֶחָד דִּבַּרְתִּי עִמּוֹ זַ"ל, וְהֵבַנְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה
Guard Yourself from a Stray Thought
Reb Noson recalls walking in silence with Rebbe Nachman, who wanted to reveal something he had grasped but found it hard. Then the Rebbe said in Yiddish that one must guard oneself very much from an improper thought, and Reb Noson understood that the Rebbe had just perceived how greatly such a thought harms, something impossible to put into writing.
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1-minute recap
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
פַּעַם אֶחָד דִּבַּרְתִּי עִמּוֹ זַ"ל, וְהֵבַנְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה חָפֵץ מְאֹד לְגַלּוֹת לִי אֵיזֶה דָּבָר מֵהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו שֶׁהִשִּׂיג, כְּדַרְכּוֹ תָּמִיד, אַךְ הָיָה קָשֶׁה עָלָיו. וְהָלַכְתִּי עִמּוֹ יַחַד בִּשְׁתִיקָה, כִּי לֹא דִּבֵּר עִמִּי מְאוּמָה, אַךְ בְּתוֹךְ זֶה יָצְאוּ מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ דִּבּוּרִים אֵלּוּ: סֶע הָאט אַ פָּנִים אַז מֶע מוּז זִיךְ פוּן אַ הִרְהוּר זֵייעֶר הִיטְן.
וְהֵבַנְתִּי אָז בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ וּמִתְּנוּעוֹתָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים בְּעֵת שֶׁדִּבֵּר זֹאת, שֶׁאָז נִתְגַּלָּה לוֹ בְּהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו הַנּוֹרָאוֹת עֹצֶם פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁפּוֹגֵם מְאֹד מְאֹד, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן.
וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְצַיֵּר זֹאת בִּכְתָב:
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 fourteen: guard yourself well from a stray thought.
Reb Noson tells of a time he was with Rebbe Nachman, who seemed to want to reveal something he had grasped, but found it hard.
They walked together in silence. Then, in Yiddish, these words came from the Rebbe: it seems one must guard oneself very much from an improper thought.
From his words and his gestures, Reb Noson understood that the Rebbe had just perceived how very great the damage of such a thought is.
And, he adds, it is impossible to put this into writing.
Our own reflection: even a passing thought matters. Guarding the mind is real avodah.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and fourteen. A short story from Reb Noson about a single sentence of the Rebbe.
Reb Noson writes: once I was with the Rebbe, and I understood he very much wanted to reveal something he had grasped, as was his way. But it was hard for him.
They walked together in silence. Then these words came from his holy mouth, in Yiddish: it seems that one must guard oneself very much from an improper thought.
From the Rebbe's words and movements, Reb Noson understood that he had just perceived how great the damage of an improper thought is, Heaven forbid.
And, Reb Noson ends, it is impossible to portray this in writing.
Our own reflection, not a quotation. A passing thought is not nothing. Guarding the mind, gently turning it to something good, is real service of Hashem.
Full shiur
— Part 1: Guard Yourself from a Stray Thought —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and fourteen. A short shiur in one part: guard yourself from a stray thought.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and fourteen. 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.
These are the words of Reb Noson, the Rebbe's student. Once I spoke with him, of blessed memory, and I understood that he very much wanted to reveal to me something of what he had grasped, as was always his way, but it was hard for him.
And I walked together with him in silence, for he said nothing to me at all. But in the midst of this, these words came out of his holy mouth: It seems that one must guard oneself very much from an improper thought.
Our explanation. The Rebbe's words were in Yiddish, the language he spoke every day, and they came after a long silence. Only a few words, almost in passing: one must guard oneself very much from an improper thought.
And I understood then, from his holy speech and from his holy movements as he said this, that at that moment there had been revealed to him, in his awesome perceptions, how great the damage of an improper thought is, Heaven forbid, that it harms very, very much, may the Merciful One save us.
And Reb Noson ends: And it is impossible to portray this in writing.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. The Rebbe's few words, said almost in passing, carried a whole revelation. A passing thought is not nothing. Guarding the mind, gently turning it to something good, is real service of Hashem.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and fourteen.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 114, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.114
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 — Guard Yourself from a Stray Thought
Scene 3 · LM II:114 §1 · paragraph §1.1
פַּעַם אֶחָד דִּבַּרְתִּי עִמּוֹ זַ"ל, וְהֵבַנְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה חָפֵץ מְאֹד לְגַלּוֹת לִי אֵיזֶה דָּבָר מֵהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו שֶׁהִשִּׂיג, כְּדַרְכּוֹ תָּמִיד, אַךְ הָיָה קָשֶׁה עָלָיו.
EN (our paraphrase): Once I spoke with him, of blessed memory, and I understood that he very much wanted to reveal to me something of what he had grasped, as was always his way, but it was hard for him.
Scene 4 · LM II:114 §1 · paragraph §1.1
וְהָלַכְתִּי עִמּוֹ יַחַד בִּשְׁתִיקָה, כִּי לֹא דִּבֵּר עִמִּי מְאוּמָה, אַךְ בְּתוֹךְ זֶה יָצְאוּ מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ דִּבּוּרִים אֵלּוּ: סֶע הָאט אַ פָּנִים אַז מֶע מוּז זִיךְ פוּן אַ הִרְהוּר זֵייעֶר הִיטְן.
EN (our paraphrase): And I walked together with him in silence, for he said nothing to me at all. But in the midst of this, these words came out of his holy mouth: It seems that one must guard oneself very much from an improper thought.
Scene 6 · LM II:114 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וְהֵבַנְתִּי אָז בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ וּמִתְּנוּעוֹתָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים בְּעֵת שֶׁדִּבֵּר זֹאת, שֶׁאָז נִתְגַּלָּה לוֹ בְּהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו הַנּוֹרָאוֹת עֹצֶם פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁפּוֹגֵם מְאֹד מְאֹד, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן.
EN (our paraphrase): And I understood then, from his holy speech and from his holy movements as he said this, that at that moment there had been revealed to him, in his awesome perceptions, how great the damage of an improper thought is, Heaven forbid, that it harms very, very much, may the Merciful One save us.
Scene 7 · LM II:114 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְצַיֵּר זֹאת בִּכְתָב:
EN (our paraphrase): And it is impossible to portray this in writing.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: וְהֵבַנְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה חָפֵץ מְאֹד לְגַלּוֹת לִי אֵיזֶה דָּבָר מֵהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו שֶׁהִשִּׂיג, כְּדַרְכּוֹ תָּמִיד, אַךְ הָיָה קָשֶׁה עָלָיו.
Scene 3 · §1.1: יָצְאוּ מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ דִּבּוּרִים אֵלּוּ: סֶע הָאט אַ פָּנִים אַז מֶע מוּז זִיךְ פוּן אַ הִרְהוּר זֵייעֶר הִיטְן.
Scene 4 · §1.2: שֶׁאָז נִתְגַּלָּה לוֹ בְּהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו הַנּוֹרָאוֹת עֹצֶם פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁפּוֹגֵם מְאֹד מְאֹד, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן.
Scene 5 · §1.3: וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְצַיֵּר זֹאת בִּכְתָב:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: וְהֵבַנְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה חָפֵץ מְאֹד לְגַלּוֹת לִי אֵיזֶה דָּבָר מֵהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו שֶׁהִשִּׂיג, כְּדַרְכּוֹ תָּמִיד, אַךְ הָיָה קָשֶׁה עָלָיו.
Scene 3 · §1.1: יָצְאוּ מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ דִּבּוּרִים אֵלּוּ: סֶע הָאט אַ פָּנִים אַז מֶע מוּז זִיךְ פוּן אַ הִרְהוּר זֵייעֶר הִיטְן.
Scene 4 · §1.2: שֶׁאָז נִתְגַּלָּה לוֹ בְּהַשָּׂגוֹתָיו הַנּוֹרָאוֹת עֹצֶם פְּגַם הַהִרְהוּר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁפּוֹגֵם מְאֹד מְאֹד, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן.
Scene 5 · §1.3: וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְצַיֵּר זֹאת בִּכְתָב: