Rebbe Nachman would encourage his followers who bemoaned to him that they were very far from prayer and that it was very hard for them to pray. He would encourage and console them in numerous ways so that they would not despair on account of this.

The Rebbe said: A convert considers it a great merit when he is worthy of knowing how to recite the words just till Barukh Sh’amar . One should therefore console himself and rejoice that he is at least privileged to recite the words of the [entire] service.

I also heard that he spoke about prayer with a certain ordinary person who had great difficulty praying. The Rebbe gave him advice and told him to think to himself that he needs to pray only till Barukh Sh’amar, since perhaps in this incarnation he has to rectify only this section of the service. It is possible that already in a previous incarnation he prayed the rest of the service with proper concentration, so that now, in this incarnation, all he has to pray with proper concentration is this section until Barukh Sh’amar . Consequently, he should invest all his energy into this modest amount, praying with proper concentration until Barukh Sh’amar. Then, afterwards, when he reaches Barukh Sh’amar, he should think that he may have to rectify from Barukh Sh’amar to Va’yevarekh David and so also recite that section with proper concentration, and so on.

The rule is that a person should not frustrate himself at the outset [by thinking] about the entire service, because it will then be difficult and burdensome for him. Rather, each time he should determinedly recite just a little with proper concentration—because a small amount can be said with proper concentration—and then afterwards, a little more, etc.

2. Also, it has already been explained that, actually, most people cannot pray the entire service with proper concentration, only a small part of it. For each person recites some section of the service commensurate with his level. There are “masters of the hands,” and “masters of the feet,” as explained elsewhere.