ורב יהודה שליף מסאני ואתא מטרא ואנן צוחינן וליכא דמשגח בן אלא הקב"ה ליבא בעי דכתיב (שמואל א טז, ז) וה׳ יראה ללבב
But nevertheless, when Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes the rain would immediately fall, whereas we cry out and no one notices us. Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks the heart, and the barometer of greatness is devotion of the heart and not the amount of Torah that one studies, as it is written: “But the Lord looks on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
The Prayers of Simple People (The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov: Buxbaum)
The Baal Shem To'vs disciples were once amused at overhearing a common laborer mangle the words of a prayer. The Besht later said to them, "The essence of prayer is that it be from the heart; that why the prayers of simple people, who pray with great faith and a broken heart, are valued so much in heaven. Although they may not understand the Hebrew and mispronounce the words, God judges their prayers according to the faith of their heart. When a small child, whose father loves him very much, asks for something and babbles the words, his father still gets pleasure from what he says and may grant him whatever he wants. So when a simple person prays sincerely, would his heavenly father, who loves him so very much, be strict with him or care if he mispronounces the words?"
Devekut: From Jacob Emanuel Schochet's translation of "Tzvat HaRivash"
The central theme in Tzava'atHarivash, not surprisingly, is the ultimate of Chassidism's religious values: Deveukut, attachment or cleaving unto God. It implies constant communion with God, a vivid and overwhelming consciousness of the Omnipresent as the sole true reality. It is an all-comprehensive principle, that relates not only to prayer and Torah study, but also to mans mundane engagments in the daily life. Its pursuit enables man to achieve the level of equanimity by means of which he transcends worldly thoughts and concerns.
(כח)יש להט החרב המתהפכת לשמור את דרך עץ החיים.
וכשאדם רוצה לדבק מחשבותיו בעולמות העליונים בבורא ית' אין מניחין אותו הקליפות ואע"פ שאינו יכול ידחוק א"ע בכל כחו פעמים הרבה בתפלה אז ידבק עצמו בהבורא יתב"ש ויכנס בעולמות.
העליונים ויחזק עצמו באמונה שיאמין שמלא כל הארץ כבודו. וזהו בהיותו בעולם עליון באמונה שלימה דכתיב וצדיק באמונתו יחי'.
וכן כשנפל ממדרגתו באותה התפלה יאמר התיבה בכוונה קטנה כפי שיכול ואח"כ יחזק עצמו לחזור למדריגתו אפי' כמה פעמים במדריגה א'. ומתחלה ידבק בגוף של התיבה ואח"כ יתן בתיבה הנשמה.
וצריך לעורר עצמו בתחלה בגוף שלו בכל כחו כדי שתאיר בו כח הנשמה. כדאיתא בזוהר אעא דלא דליק יבטש בו וינהר. ואח"כ יוכל לעבוד במחשבה לבד בלי תנועות הגוף.
לפעמים כשהאדם דבוק בעולם העליון בבורא יתברך צריך לשמור עצמו שלא יעשה שום תנועה אפילו בגופו שלא יבטל הדביקות שלו.
וא"א להתפלל בכונה כי אם על ידי חיזוק. וצריך לבקש מהשי"ת סיוע ועזר יחשוב שטוב לו שהשי"ת יעזור לו שיכוין כמו חצי התפלה או רובו בכוונה גמור' ולבסוף כשיחלוש ויבטל הדביקות מה לעשות לו. יתפלל כפי יכולתו בכוונה קטנה עד סוף עלינו:
"There is a Flaming sword that revolves to Guard the path to the tree of life."
When a person wishes to attach his thoughts to the supernal worlds, to the Creator blessed be He, the Kelipot (Husks/Forces of Evil) will not let him. Nonetheless in spite of the obstacle, you must force yourself with all your strength-many time in the same one prayer- and attach yourself to the Creator blessed be his name. Thus you will enter the supernal worlds.
Strengthen yourself in believing, with perfect faith, that "The whole earth is full of his glory" and this is when you are in the Supernal World. Thus it is written, "The Righteous lives by his faith."
Even if you have may have fallen from your level in that prayer, recite the words with lesser Kavanah to the best of your level. Do so even if this may happen several times- repeat it at the same level. At first say the "body" of the word, and then invest it with its soul.
At first you must bestir yourself with your body, with all of your strength, in order that the power of the soul shine forth in you. Thus it is said in the Zohar, that a wooden beam which will not burn should splinter and it will burst aflame. Afterwords you will worship with mind alone, without the movement of the body.
Sometimes when you are attached to the supernal world, to the Creator blessed be He, you need to guard yourself against any movement within the body. So that in that way your devekut will not be negated.
It is impossible to pray with Kavanah without exertion. You must entreat God for help and assistance. Consider that it is for your benefit when God help you to have a complete Kavanah for half or most of your prayer. If in the end you feel weak and the Devekut is lost, what can you do? Pray to the best of your ability with lesser kavanah until the end of Aleinu.
The Kaddisha of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak
Good Morning to You, Lord, Master of the Universe.
I, Levi Yitzhak, son of Sarah of Berdichev,
I come to you with a Din Torah from your people Israel.
What do you want from your people Israel?
For everywhere I look it says, "Say to the Children of Israel!"
And everyother verse says "Speak to the Children of Israel!"
And over and over, "Command the Children of Israel!"
Father, sweet father in heaven,
How many nations are there in the world?
Persians, Babylonians, Edomites.
The Russians, what do they say? That their Czar is the only ruler.
The Prussians, what do they say? That their Kaiser is supreme.
The English, what do they say? That George the Third is sovereign.
And I, Levi Yitzhak, son of Sarah of Berdichev, say,
"Yisgadal v'yiskadah shmei raboh-
Magnified and sanctified is your name."
And I, Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev, say,
"From my stand I will not waver,
and from my place I shall not move
until there be an end to all this.
Yisgadal v'yiskadash shmei raboh-
Magnified and sanctified is only thy name." .