Ethical Ascent Through Prayer (2)

 

Last week, Rav Nachman of Braslav advised us that the road to higher living, morally and spiritually, is "hitbodedut" - prayer offered in an intimate setting in which man is aware of his being alone with the Creator.

 

Let us continue to study this technique. 

 

I would like to open with a question which so far we dealt with only briefly.  How, in fact, does hitbodedut achieve the goal of ethical ascent? On the face of it, it seems that we have no answer to this, any more than we have an answer to the general question of how prayers are answered.  Like all prayer, the effectiveness of hitbodedut is part of the mystery and the miracle of God's Providence.  But there are other answers which suggest themselves. 

 

One simple idea is that if a person truly entreats God for help in his religious life, he will automatically tend to take his religion more seriously.  An honest person cannot earnestly petition God for assistance, if he himself is not working to improve his situation.  But despite the logic in this argument, it does not appear in the Braslav literature I have seen.  And in view of Rav Nachman's lack of faith in autonomous human spiritual efforts, I don't think he would subscribe to it.

 

But there is something else to be said about this.  We saw Rav Nachman describe the experience of hitbodedut as an intense, perhaps painful spiritual yearning ("until he almost dies"), which requires concentrated, self-transcending effort.  Is this effort required merely in the same way that any prayer needs earnestness and sincerity? No, it clearly goes beyond that.  It appears that the object of the hitbodedut - spiritual change - is to a large extent attained in the context of hitbodedut itself.  The chemistry of spiritual growth is at work in the very dynamic of pouring out one's striving soul to God. 

 

If this analysis is correct, then so is the following corollary: the possibility of pouring out one's heart in hitbodedut is not assumed to be necessarily within one's power.  If God's help is the basis of all religious growth, and heart-felt "conversation" with God is the vehicle of this longed-for transformation, then God's active help must be sought for meaningful prayer to take place at all.  The key to the opening of the heart itself is not in our hands. 

 

In a way, this seems self-evident.  Do I expect to be able to converse with my neighbor whenever I want to? Doesn't he have to agree? Why should my deliberation with God be enabled whenever I so desire? But of course, there is a novel idea here that goes beyond the common-sense perception: GOD'S "cooperation," His consent to be addressed by me, is evidenced in MY ability to express myself with sincerity and depth.

 

The truth is that this idea is found well before Rav Nachman, and in fact before the Chassidic movement, in one of the classic works of Halakha.  Chazal (Berakhot 31a) quote a beraita on the subject of kavana (intention) in prayer:

 

Our Rabbis taught: He who prays must direct his heart towards Heaven.  Abba Shaul says, This is alluded to in the verse (Tehillim 10), "You will direct their heart, and Your ear will listen."[1]

 

Rav Yoel Sirkes, in his commentary Bayit Chadash on Tur Orach Chayim (98), asked: Since the need for kavana is mentioned in the verse, why does Abba Shaul call it only an "allusion?"  He answers:

 

Because the verse implies that a man does not have the power to direct his heart towards heaven, for it says, "YOU will direct their heart," implying that if You direct their heart then Your ear will hear, as Rashi explained.  In other words, it is in the hand of God to direct their heart so they should have kavana in prayer, and if not for the help of God, one would not be able to direct his heart.  But at the same time, there is an ALLUSION that a man ought to arouse himself and consciously decide to have kavana, and then God will certainly help him, because (as Chazal said), "One who desires to purify himself merits Divine assistance."

 

But there is an important difference between this and Rav Nachman.  While the Bayit Chadash gives us the feeling that Divine assistance is forthcoming as a rule, Rav Nachman is aware of the experience of the help being withheld.

 

BREAKING OUT OF MUTENESSS

 

This is the backdrop for Rav Nachman's treatment of the acute problem which is liable to beset the practitioner of hitbodedut.  He has set aside a quiet time, as Rav Nachman instructed, in a rustic environment - but the words won't come.  Last week we heard Rav Nachman's consolation: "This itself is very good."  Why is it good?  And how can we move on from loss of words to discover the ability to address God?  Rav Nachman continues (Hishtapkhut Ha-nefesh, 2):

 

[T]his state of readiness, that he is poised before Him and desires to speak but cannot, this itself is also very good.  And he can also make a speech and a prayer out of this itself; and about this situation itself he may cry out and beseech before God that he is so far gone that he can't even speak; and he may request from Him mercy [2] and entreaties, that He should have pity on him and open his mouth so that he may express himself in speech before God...

 

This last is certainly a helpful and insightful bit of advice.  But beyond throwing a life-line to the desperately tongue-tied, Rav Nachman has said that the state of muteness ITSELF is "very good."  He is implying that to move from helpless silence to spontaneous speech is not only overcoming a handicap, but a positive contribution which enhances the process of hitbodedut.  In light of what we said above, this can be understood.  The capacity to pour out one's heart is a gift of God.  When it appears after having been withheld for a time, the mitboded is pointedly aware of the Divine assistance.  He knows that the prayer itself contains an answer to the prayer.  One's yearning for deepening attachment to spirituality is ITSELF that deepening attachment.

 

Rav Nachman spells all this out in the following citation (93), and as we shall see, he actually goes further.  First of all, as opposed to the previous passage wherein Rav Nachman described one whose words are "SOMETIMES stopped-up," he now sees a more chronic situation as typical - "USUALLY it seems to him that his heart is not with him, and even if he does say something, it is without any feeling of the heart."

 

Therefore one first has to stand like a mute, and only desire and hope and look longingly on high in order that [God] should draw down upon him words as warm as fiery coals ... Before God one must stand poor and impoverished, like a mute who cannot open his mouth, to stand and hope and yearn ... until by this very means he merits afterwards to a great arousal, and speaks with warmth of sanctity, in the way described [in Tehillim chap. 39], "I am muted in silence, speechless of good," and afterwards - as a result - "My heart is hot within me; when I think, it burns with fire, and I speak it with my tongue."

 

The state of muteness is itself a silent prayer.  The mouth is immobile, but the spirit is turbulent with hope and heartache.  The answer to this silent prayer is the ability to pray verbally, the gift of words "warm like coals."

 

Rav Nachman realizes that it is difficult to hold out at length in the state of expectant non-prayer.  He addresses this difficulty with the aid of a concept to which he has frequent recourse - namely, that in matters of the spirit, premature haste ("lidchok et ha-sha'a") can be disastrous. 

Immediately when a person wants to draw near to God, he must be very careful to avoid reckless overstepping of boundaries and premature haste, God forbid, because this is what causes most setbacks.  It is in the same way that Israel was commanded at the giving of the Torah, "lest they overstep the boundaries" (Shemot 19:21).  But one must be patient and wait long for the salvation of God ... And one must only pray and beseech God a great deal.  But in this also one must beware of impatient haste in wanting his request to be granted immediately ... If God gives, He gives, but if not, one must continue to wait and pray...

This principle, now says Rav Nachman, applies not only to patience regarding the OUTCOME of prayer, but even regarding prayer itself.

But even with regard the words of prayer themselves, one cannot be prematurely hasty, as in the case of anyone who would like that at the moment he begins hitbodedut in order to express himself in speech before God, his mouth will be opened and will immediately speak perfectly, words as warm as fiery coals, and with great arousal.  But since not everyone merits this, and every time it seems to him that he has nothing to say and no arousal at all, he becomes lax... Therefore one should know well, that this too is premature haste, for it is impossible to draw out perfect speech without the silence and expectation which precedes speech.  Because first one has to be still and silent and only wait and yearn and pine and long for the favor of God, that He grant him perfect speech...

Here Rav Nachman says explicitly the capacity of prayer is God-given, and must be preceded by a period of silent hope and expectation.  The state of being at a loss for words or devoid of inner arousal, is not a quirk or chance misfortune, but a necessary preliminary stage. 

FOOTNOTES:

[1] I have translated the verse in keeping with Bayit Chadash, whom we will presently cite. Most commentators on Tehillim understand that the subject of "will direct" is not "You," but rather "the desire" mentioned in the beginning of the verse (not quoted in the beraita), "The desire of the meek You have heard, Hashem‎."

 

[2] This should probably be rendered "prayers for mercy," which is a frequent intent of the term "rachamim" when used by Chazal in Tractate Berakhot in the context of prayer.