Shivchei HaRan Chapter 10
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
אַךְ עִקַּר עֲבוֹדָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עַל יָדָהּ זָכָה לְמַה שֶּׁזָּכָה; הָיָה רַק רִבּוּי הַתְּפִלּוֹת וְהַתְּחִנּוֹת וְהַבַּקָּשׁוֹת וְהָרִצּוּיִים וְהַפִּיּוּסִים, שֶׁהָיָה רָגִיל מְאֹד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְהָיָה מְרַצֶּה וּמְפַיֵּס אוֹתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכַמָּה מִינֵי תְּחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת שֶׁיְּזַכֵּהוּ בְּרַחֲמָיו לְקָרְבוֹ לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ.
The main way the Rebbe attained what he did was simply through prayer and supplication before God. He was very consistent in this. He would beg and plead in every way possible, asking that God have mercy and make him worthy of true devotion and closeness.
וְעִקַּר מַה שֶּׁהוֹעִיל לוֹ הָיוּ הַתְּפִלּוֹת שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵּל בִּלְשׁוֹן 'אַשְׁכְּנַז', שֶׁהָיָה רָגִיל מְאֹד לְיַחֵד לוֹ אֵיזֶה מָקוֹם שֶׁמָּצָא שֶׁאֵין שָׁם בְּנֵי אָדָם וְהָיָה מְפָרֵשׁ שִׂיחָתוֹ לִפְנֵי ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ בַּלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁמְּדַבְּרִים בּוֹ, (דְּהַיְנוּ בִּלְשׁוֹן אַשְׁכְּנַז).
What helped him most were his prayers in the language he usually spoke, which was Yiddish. He would find a secluded place and set it aside to express his thoughts to God.
וְהָיָה מְרַצֶּה וּמְפַיֵּס אוֹתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ וּמְבַקֵּשׁ וּמִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכַמָּה וְכַמָּה מִינֵי טְעָנוֹת וַאֲמַתְלָאוֹת שֶׁרָאוּי לוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁיְּקָרְבוֹ לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ, וְהָיָה רָגִיל בָּזֶה מְאֹד מְאֹד וְהָיָה מְבַלֶּה יָמִים וְשָׁנִים עַל זֶה.
Speaking in his own language, he would beg and plead before God. He would make use of all sorts of arguments and logic, crying that it was fitting that God draw him close and help him in his devotion. He kept this up constantly, spending days and years engaged in such prayer.
גַּם הָיָה מַטְמִין עַצְמוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי בֵּית אָבִיו, תַּחַת הַגַּג, שֶׁהָיָה שָׁם כְּמוֹ חֶדֶר בִּמְחִצָּה שֶׁל קָנִּים שֶׁמַּחֲזִיקִין שָׁם תֶּבֶן וּמִסְפּוֹא, וְשָׁם הָיָה מַטְמִין עַצְמוֹ וְהָיָה אוֹמֵר תְּהִלִּים וְהָיָה צוֹעֵק בְּלַחַשׁ לה' יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁיְּזַכֵּהוּ לְקָרְבוֹ אֵלָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ.
His father’s house had a small garret that was partitioned off as a storehouse for hay and feed. Here he would hide himself, chanting the Psalms and screaming quietly (see "His Wisdom" #16), begging God to make him worthy of drawing himself close to Him.
וְהַכְּלָל: שֶׁכָּל הַמִּינֵי בַּקָּשׁוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם שֶׁנִּמְצָאִים בְּאֵיזֶה סֵפֶר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַמָּצוּי בֵּינֵינוּ הַכֹּל כַּאֲשֶׁר לַכֹּל – לֹא הִנִּיחַ שׁוּם תְּחִנָּה וּבַקָּשָׁה שֶׁלֹּא אֲמָרָהּ כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה פְּעָמִים, הֵן תְּהִלִּים וְסֵפֶר "שַׁעֲרֵי צִיּוֹן" וְהַבַּקָּשׁוֹת הַנִּדְפָּסִים בְּהַסִּדּוּרִים הַגְּדוֹלִים וּשְׁאָר מִינֵי בַּקָּשׁוֹת וּתְחִנּוֹת, וַאֲפִלּוּ הַתְּחִנּוֹת הַנִּדְפָּסִים בִּלְשׁוֹן אַשְׁכְּנַז – כֻּלָּם לֹא הִנִּיחַ מִלְּאָמְרָם, וְהָיָה רָגִיל לוֹמַר כָּל הַתְּחִנּוֹת שֶׁאַחַר "מַעֲמָדוֹת" הַנִּדְפָּסִים אַחַר כָּל יוֹם וָיוֹם. וְהוּא הָיָה רָגִיל לוֹמַר כָּל הַתְּחִנּוֹת כֻּלָּם שֶׁל כָּל הַיָּמִים, בְּפַעַם אֶחָד.
Besides this, the Rebbe made use of every published prayer he could find. He went through all the books of prayers available, and there was not a prayer that he did not repeat countless times. He recited them all – the Psalms, the Sha'arey Tzion¹⁷ and the prayers printed in the large siddurim. He poured out his heart in every possible prayer and supplication, even those printed in Yiddish [for women]. Not a single one was omitted. The Rebbe also had the custom of reciting all the supplications following each day’s ma’amodot.¹⁸. He would say the prayers for all seven days of the week at one time.
footnotes: ¹⁷ "Gates of Zion," a book of devotional prayers compiled by the Kabbalist Rabbi Nathan Nata Hanover; first published in 1662. ¹⁸ A compilation of readings from the Bible and Talmud for each day of the week. In his prayer book, Rabbi Yaakov Emden states that nothing is known of the origin of the ma’amadot
גַּם הָיָה רָגִיל לִפְעָמִים לוֹמַר בַּתְּהִלִּים רַק הַפְּסוּקִים הַמְדַבְּרִים מִתְּחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת וּצְעָקָה לה' יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְהָיָה אוֹמֵר רַק פְּסוּקִים אֵלּוּ וְהַשְּׁאָר לֹא הָיָה אוֹמֵר. וְהָיָה אוֹמֵר כָּל הַפְּסוּקִים הָאֵלּוּ מִכָּל סֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים בְּפַעַם אֶחָד.
He also had the practice of chanting only the verses in Psalms that speak of prayer and the cry to God. He would go through the entire Book of Psalms in one stretch, saying only these verses and leaving out the rest.
וּמִלְּבַד כָּל זֶה, הָעִקָּר הָיָה, מַה שֶּׁהָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל מֵעַצְמוֹ, דְּהַיְנוּ מַה שֶּׁהָיָה רָגִיל לְדַבֵּר מִלִּבּוֹ לִפְנֵי ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ (בִּלְשׁוֹן אַשְׁכְּנַז), שֶׁהָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל וְטוֹעֵן לִפְנֵי ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכַמָּה וְכַמָּה מִינֵי טְעָנוֹת וּתְחִנּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת שֶׁאָמַר מִדַּעְתּוֹ וּמִלִּבּוֹ כַּנַּ"ל שֶׁיְּזַכֵּהוּ ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ.
Beyond all this, the main thing was his own prayers, emanating from his heart in his own language. He would pray and argue before God, making up petitions and arguments as he went along. He would beg and plead that God make him worthy of true devotion.
וְזֶהוּ הָעִקָּר מַה שֶּׁהוֹעִיל לוֹ לִזְכּוֹת לְמַה שֶּׁזָּכָה. כָּךְ שָׁמַעְנוּ מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ בְּפֵרוּשׁ.
Prayers such as these helped the Rebbe achieve his greatness. We heard this explicitly from the Rebbe’s own holy lips.