In Touch with Yourself

Compiled and edited by Ziv Ritchie
 
 
The greatest joy in the world is when a person is really his own judge.
 
If a person can sit down and really, like, spy on himself, to know what he did, and what he has to do better, that means he is mamash in touch with himself.
 
Most of the time we do things and we ‘live through them,’ then we ‘read in the newspaper’ that we did it. But we never tell ourselves about it. It’s much better if we hear it from ourselves.Then it’s very deep. If something happens to you, and your best friend hears about it from someone else and not from you, then he’ll get angry; “Why didn’t you tell me?”  Can you imagine how angry our soul is, that we never told our own soul what we’re doing?
 
Suddenly Unexplainably Happy
 
Sometimes you walk along and suddenly you are so happy, yet you don’t know why. At that moment they declared in Heaven to give you something, even if it might not be until a hundred years from now. But your soul heard of the gift and was happy.
 
If someone asks you something, and you give him real, true advice, it fills you with joy.
 
Now Rebbe Nachman says something very amazing. If you are walking along in the street and suddenly you feel very happy, it’s because somewhere in the world a very holy soul was born. Way out [wild].
 
When you tell stories about holy people, and you tell other people that there are holy people in the world, it fills you with joy.
 
Kavod (honor)
 
What’s the utmost of a person’s own revelation? When do you reveal yourself the most? When is your honor shining from one corner of the world to the other? Rebbe Nachman says, the utmost of kavod [honor] is when your happy, when holy joy fills you.
 
There is something about a person, about the real, holy honor surrounding him… because joy comes from such a high place and also kavod comes from such a high place.
 
Understanding
 
Rebbe Nachman says if you don’t understand something, I guess you’re sad deep, deep down.
 
Then he says something very strong… What did the snake really do to Eve? How did the snake convince and get through to her? He says the snake made her sad. The snake said, “Wow, you can’t eat this tree.”  And she started being so sad.
 
Reb Nachman says, at the end, I want you to know that all this talk is really meaningless, because how can I tell you to be happy? It is up to everyone himself. But I am just begging you, be happy.
 
This is very deep…How can you understand what’s going on if you’re sad?
 
Tears open the gates, but joy breaks down the walls!
 
Wholeness of the Soul
 
How do I know if I haven’t yet lost the wholeness of my soul? I have a soul, and then there is the all-ness, the wholeness of me. How do I know if I still have this wholeness of my soul? It’s very simple. If I do something and I’m completely happy with it, then I know that my soul is whole, because joy comes from that wholeness of me.
 
You see, as much as I’m sad when I’m missing something outside of me, I’m also sad if I’m missing a little part of my soul. How can I be completely happy if part of me is missing? But if I’m completely happy, if I can for even one moment feel this complete joy, this means that my soul is still complete.
 
Love Other People
 
If you love other people, if everybody is OK in your eyes, you’re filled with joy.
 
I want you to know, the Baal Shem Tov says, that when I’m filled with joy I can meet my biggest enemy and I love him. Because I don’t care at all. He hates me, but who cares.
 
If you can still care if “this one hates me” and “that one likes me,” then you’re obviously not filled with joy, – because otherwise you wouldn’t care.
 
 
* * *
Excerpt from “Rebbe Nachman Says”, The Teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslev as Taught by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z”tl
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s books are available online at the Breslev Israel Store.