Exercise 3: Free Choice for the Future

Happiness is the basis of everything! Emuna cannot exist while in a state of sadness. Happiness is becoming close to Hashem, while sadness is becoming distant from Hashem. 

1. Continue praying to believe that Hashem loves you for 2 minutes, plus another 2 minutes praying to truly believe "ein od milvado" – everything comes from Hashem, and only from Hashem. 

2. Add another 10 minutes of prayer, asking Hashem to help you believe in free choice for the future. 

First let's explain the concept. Free choice is broken into 2 parts – the past, and the future. Before we discuss how free choice applies to the past (that's next week, don't jump ahead!), we have to first understand how free choice applies to the future. 

There is another rule you need to know: The way that a person wants to go, from Heaven, they are leading him. 

Why does the verse say, "they are leading him." Why is it plural, and not singular? Because the person's desires – meaning his prayers over a particular subject – are leading him. 

Now, we must add another important rule from Rebbe Natan of Breslev: "Wherever I see a lacking, either I see no prayer at all, or I see very little prayer." 

When we put these two items together, we come to the conclusion that in order to achieve something we want, we have to get the desire buried inside our hearts, out of our mouth in the form of prayer, and bring that will into action through the words of prayer. 

Sometimes people say, "Well, I really want to change in this or that way, but I just never manage." Remember the next rule: Nothing stands in the way of a strong will! Meaning, "if there is a will, there is a way." 

You want to change, but your will is not yet strong enough to actually change in function. In order to really change, you need to learn about the subject and pray about the subject, until your desire to change is so strong, that Hashem now helps you to actually make those changes in practice. 

Finally, remember another rule from the Gemara: "If Hashem does not help a person overcome his Evil Inclination, he cannot defeat it himself." 

Therefore, essentially, the only free will that a person has is to PRAY to change, and WANT to change and TRY his best to change – and what actually happens after that, whether he succeeds to improve in reality – is up to Hashem!  

Your free will is your desire and your prayer! Not the resulting actions. 

So, you need to spend 10 minutes a day this week, after the initial 4 minutes, reviewing this concept over and over, and asking Hashem to help you to truly believe it. Preferably, spend another 5 minutes practicing, and praying about something you want to change in your life. 

For more information, read Rabbi Arush's book A New Light – The Garden of Yearning and Will, or the excellent series we have on the book If There's a Will, There’s a Way.