הָיָה מְחַזֵּק אֶת אֲנָשָׁיו, שֶׁקָּבְלוּ לְפָנָיו בְּקֻבְלָנָא
A Little at a Time
Rebbe Nachman comforted followers who found prayer very hard. A convert treasures just being able to say the words up to Baruch She'amar, so be glad you can say them at all. Think that perhaps in this lifetime you only need to repair one section, and put all your strength into it; then the next. Don't take on the whole prayer at once: a little with intention, then a little more. In truth each person prays only his own part.
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
הָיָה מְחַזֵּק אֶת אֲנָשָׁיו, שֶׁקָּבְלוּ לְפָנָיו בְּקֻבְלָנָא גְּדוֹלָה, עַל שֶׁהֵם רְחוֹקִים מִתְּפִלָּה מְאֹד וְקָשֶׁה עֲלֵיהֶם מְאֹד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְהָיָה מְחַזֵּק אוֹתָם וּמְנַחֵם אוֹתָם בְּכַמָּה לְשׁוֹנוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא יִפְּלוּ בְּדַעְתֵּיהֶן בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה.
וְאָמַר, הֲלֹא אֵצֶל הַגֵּר שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר, כַּמָּה זְכִיָּה הוּא אֶצְלוֹ כְּשֶׁזּוֹכֶה לֵידַע אֲמִירַת הַתֵּבוֹת לְבַד עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר", עַל־כֵּן רָאוּי לְאָדָם לְנַחֵם אֶת עַצְמוֹ וּלְשַׂמֵּחַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל אֲשֶׁר עַל־כָּל־פָּנִים הוּא זוֹכֶה לוֹמַר הַתֵּבוֹת שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה.
וְשָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה מְדַבֵּר עִם אִישׁ פָּשׁוּט אֶחָד מֵעִנְיַן תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁקָּשֶׁה מְאֹד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְנָתַן לוֹ עֵצָה וְאָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁיַּחֲשֹׁב בְּלִבּוֹ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל כִּי־אִם עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר", כִּי אוּלַי הוּא צָרִיךְ בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה לְתַקֵּן רַק חֵלֶק זֶה מֵהַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי אוּלַי בַּגִּלְגּוּל הָרִאשׁוֹן כְּבָר הִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה שְׁאָר חֶלְקֵי הַתְּפִלָּה, רַק חֵלֶק זֶה עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר" הוּא צָרִיךְ עַכְשָׁו בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה, וְעַל־כֵּן יַכְנִיס כָּל כֹּחוֹ בָּזֶה הַמְּעַט לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר". וְאַחַר־כָּךְ כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְ"בָרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר", יַחֲשֹׁב: אוּלַי צָרִיךְ לְתַקֵּן חֵלֶק זֶה, כְּגוֹן מִ"בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר" עַד "וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִד", וְיִתְפַּלֵּל עוֹד אוֹתוֹ הַחֵלֶק בְּכַוָּנָה, וְכֵן לְהַלָּן.
וְהַכְּלָל – שֶׁלֹּא יְבַלְבֵּל דַּעְתּוֹ בַּתְּחִלָּה בְּכָל הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי יִהְיֶה קָשֶׁה וְכָבֵד עָלָיו, רַק יִתְאַמֵּץ בְּכָל פַּעַם לוֹמַר מְעַט מְעַט בְּכַוָּנָה, כִּי מְעַט יְכוֹלִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ עוֹד מְעַט וְכוּ' כַּנַּ"ל:
גַּם כְּבָר מְבֹאָר, שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת עַל־פִּי הָרֹב אֵין יְכוֹלִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל כָּל הַתְּפִלָּה בְּכַוָּנָה, רַק מְעַט, כִּי כָל אֶחָד מִתְפַּלֵּל אֵיזֶה חֵלֶק מֵהַתְּפִלָּה לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ, כִּי אִית מָארֵי דְּיָדַיִן וּמָארֵי דְּרַגְלִין וְכוּ', כַּמְבֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר:
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 twenty one: praying a little at a time.
His followers complained that prayer was very hard for them. Rebbe Nachman encouraged them, so they would not lose heart.
Think of a convert, overjoyed just to say the words up to Baruch She'amar. Be glad that you can say the words of prayer at all.
Tell yourself: maybe this lifetime I only need to fix this one part. Put all your strength into a little.
Don't take on the whole prayer at once. Say a little with intention, then a little more.
Our own reflection: one line said with heart is a real prayer. Start there.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty one. What do you do when prayer feels far away and very hard? Rebbe Nachman gives a gentle way in.
His followers came to him with a bitter complaint: we are very far from prayer, and it is very hard for us to pray. He strengthened and comforted them in many ways, so they would not fall in their own eyes.
He said: look at a convert. How precious it is to him when he first manages just to say the words, up to Baruch She'amar. So a person should comfort himself, and be happy, that at least he gets to say the words of prayer.
To a simple man who found prayer very hard, he gave advice. Think: maybe in this lifetime I only need to repair this one part of the prayer, up to Baruch She'amar. Maybe in an earlier life I already prayed the rest with intention. So put all your strength into this little part. When you reach Baruch She'amar, think the same about the next section, until Vayevarech David, and so on.
The rule: don't confuse yourself at the start with the whole prayer, which feels heavy. Each time, push to say a little with intention, because a little is possible, and then a little more.
In truth, most people cannot pray the whole prayer with intention anyway, only a part. Each person prays some part of the prayer according to his own level and root.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Don't measure yourself by the whole siddur. Pick one section today and give it your heart. Tomorrow, add a little.
Full shiur
— Part 1: A Little at a Time —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty one. A short shiur in one part: when prayer is hard, pray a little at a time.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty one. 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.
He used to strengthen his followers, who complained bitterly before him that they were very far from prayer and that it was very hard for them to pray. He would strengthen and comfort them in many ways, so that they would not fall in their own eyes because of it.
And he said: look at a convert who has converted. How great a merit it is in his eyes when he manages to know how to say just the words, up to Baruch She'amar. So it is right for a person to comfort himself and make himself happy, that at least he merits to say the words of the prayer.
And I heard that he was speaking with a simple man about prayer, that it was very hard for him to pray. He gave him advice and told him to think in his heart that he only needs to pray up to Baruch She'amar. For perhaps in this lifetime he needs to repair only this part of the prayer, and perhaps in his first lifetime he already prayed the other parts of the prayer with intention,
He continues: and only this part up to Baruch She'amar he must now pray with intention, in this lifetime. So he should put all his strength into this little, to pray with intention up to Baruch She'amar. Afterwards, when he reaches Baruch She'amar, he should think: perhaps I need to repair this part, from Baruch She'amar to Vayevarech David, and he will pray that part too with intention, and so on further.
And the rule is: he should not confuse his mind at the start with the whole prayer, because it will be hard and heavy for him. Rather, each time he should push himself to say a little at a time with intention, because a little one can pray with intention, and afterwards a little more, and so on, as said above.
Our explanation, step by step. Don't face the whole prayer at once. Give the first section, up to Baruch She'amar, all your strength, as if it were the only part you were sent to repair. Then take the next section in the same way, and the next, a little more each time.
It has also already been explained that in truth, most of the time, one cannot pray the whole prayer with intention, only a little. For each person prays some part of the prayer according to his own aspect, since there are masters of the hands and masters of the feet, and so on, as explained elsewhere.
Our explanation. Nobody prays the whole prayer with full intention. Each soul has its own part, like the different limbs of one body. So the part you manage to say with heart is not a failure; it may be exactly your share.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. If prayer is hard, you are not alone. Be glad you can say the words at all. Give one section your heart today, and add a little tomorrow.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty one.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 121, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.121
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 — A Little at a Time
Scene 3 · LM II:121 §1 · paragraph §1.1
הָיָה מְחַזֵּק אֶת אֲנָשָׁיו, שֶׁקָּבְלוּ לְפָנָיו בְּקֻבְלָנָא גְּדוֹלָה, עַל שֶׁהֵם רְחוֹקִים מִתְּפִלָּה מְאֹד וְקָשֶׁה עֲלֵיהֶם מְאֹד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְהָיָה מְחַזֵּק אוֹתָם וּמְנַחֵם אוֹתָם בְּכַמָּה לְשׁוֹנוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא יִפְּלוּ בְּדַעְתֵּיהֶן בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה.
EN (our paraphrase): He used to strengthen his followers, who complained bitterly before him that they were very far from prayer and that it was very hard for them to pray. He would strengthen and comfort them in many ways, so that they would not fall in their own eyes because of it.
Scene 4 · LM II:121 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וְאָמַר, הֲלֹא אֵצֶל הַגֵּר שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר, כַּמָּה זְכִיָּה הוּא אֶצְלוֹ כְּשֶׁזּוֹכֶה לֵידַע אֲמִירַת הַתֵּבוֹת לְבַד עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר", עַל־כֵּן רָאוּי לְאָדָם לְנַחֵם אֶת עַצְמוֹ וּלְשַׂמֵּחַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל אֲשֶׁר עַל־כָּל־פָּנִים הוּא זוֹכֶה לוֹמַר הַתֵּבוֹת שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה.
EN (our paraphrase): And he said: look at a convert who has converted. How great a merit it is in his eyes when he manages to know how to say just the words, up to Baruch She'amar. So it is right for a person to comfort himself and make himself happy, that at least he merits to say the words of the prayer.
Scene 5 · LM II:121 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְשָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁהָיָה מְדַבֵּר עִם אִישׁ פָּשׁוּט אֶחָד מֵעִנְיַן תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁקָּשֶׁה מְאֹד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְנָתַן לוֹ עֵצָה וְאָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁיַּחֲשֹׁב בְּלִבּוֹ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל כִּי־אִם עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר", כִּי אוּלַי הוּא צָרִיךְ בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה לְתַקֵּן רַק חֵלֶק זֶה מֵהַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי אוּלַי בַּגִּלְגּוּל הָרִאשׁוֹן כְּבָר הִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה שְׁאָר חֶלְקֵי הַתְּפִלָּה,
EN (our paraphrase): And I heard that he was speaking with a simple man about prayer, that it was very hard for him to pray. He gave him advice and told him to think in his heart that he only needs to pray up to Baruch She'amar. For perhaps in this lifetime he needs to repair only this part of the prayer, and perhaps in his first lifetime he already prayed the other parts of the prayer with intention,
Scene 6 · LM II:121 §1 · paragraph §1.3
רַק חֵלֶק זֶה עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר" הוּא צָרִיךְ עַכְשָׁו בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה, וְעַל־כֵּן יַכְנִיס כָּל כֹּחוֹ בָּזֶה הַמְּעַט לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה עַד "בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר". וְאַחַר־כָּךְ כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְ"בָרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר", יַחֲשֹׁב: אוּלַי צָרִיךְ לְתַקֵּן חֵלֶק זֶה, כְּגוֹן מִ"בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר" עַד "וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִד", וְיִתְפַּלֵּל עוֹד אוֹתוֹ הַחֵלֶק בְּכַוָּנָה, וְכֵן לְהַלָּן.
EN (our paraphrase): and only this part up to Baruch She'amar he must now pray with intention, in this lifetime. So he should put all his strength into this little, to pray with intention up to Baruch She'amar. Afterwards, when he reaches Baruch She'amar, he should think: perhaps I need to repair this part, from Baruch She'amar to Vayevarech David, and he will pray that part too with intention, and so on further.
Scene 7 · LM II:121 §1 · paragraph §1.4
וְהַכְּלָל – שֶׁלֹּא יְבַלְבֵּל דַּעְתּוֹ בַּתְּחִלָּה בְּכָל הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי יִהְיֶה קָשֶׁה וְכָבֵד עָלָיו, רַק יִתְאַמֵּץ בְּכָל פַּעַם לוֹמַר מְעַט מְעַט בְּכַוָּנָה, כִּי מְעַט יְכוֹלִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ עוֹד מְעַט וְכוּ' כַּנַּ"ל:
EN (our paraphrase): And the rule is: he should not confuse his mind at the start with the whole prayer, because it will be hard and heavy for him. Rather, each time he should push himself to say a little at a time with intention, because a little one can pray with intention, and afterwards a little more, and so on, as said above.
Scene 9 · LM II:121 §2 · paragraph §2.1
גַּם כְּבָר מְבֹאָר, שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת עַל־פִּי הָרֹב אֵין יְכוֹלִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל כָּל הַתְּפִלָּה בְּכַוָּנָה, רַק מְעַט, כִּי כָל אֶחָד מִתְפַּלֵּל אֵיזֶה חֵלֶק מֵהַתְּפִלָּה לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ, כִּי אִית מָארֵי דְּיָדַיִן וּמָארֵי דְּרַגְלִין וְכוּ', כַּמְבֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר:
EN (our paraphrase): It has also already been explained that in truth, most of the time, one cannot pray the whole prayer with intention, only a little. For each person prays some part of the prayer according to his own aspect, since there are masters of the hands and masters of the feet, and so on, as explained elsewhere.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁלֹּא יִפְּלוּ בְּדַעְתֵּיהֶן בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה.
Scene 3 · §1.2: לְנַחֵם אֶת עַצְמוֹ וּלְשַׂמֵּחַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל אֲשֶׁר עַל־כָּל־פָּנִים הוּא זוֹכֶה לוֹמַר הַתֵּבוֹת שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה.
Scene 4 · §1.3: יַכְנִיס כָּל כֹּחוֹ בָּזֶה הַמְּעַט לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה
Scene 5 · §1.4: מְעַט מְעַט בְּכַוָּנָה,
Scene 6 · §2.1: כָל אֶחָד מִתְפַּלֵּל אֵיזֶה חֵלֶק מֵהַתְּפִלָּה לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ,
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁלֹּא יִפְּלוּ בְּדַעְתֵּיהֶן בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה.
Scene 3 · §1.2: לְנַחֵם אֶת עַצְמוֹ וּלְשַׂמֵּחַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל אֲשֶׁר עַל־כָּל־פָּנִים הוּא זוֹכֶה לוֹמַר הַתֵּבוֹת שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה.
Scene 4 · §1.3: יַכְנִיס כָּל כֹּחוֹ בָּזֶה הַמְּעַט לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה
Scene 5 · §1.4: מְעַט מְעַט בְּכַוָּנָה,