There is nothing in all of life that is as sweet, refreshing, invigorating, empowering, and humbling as connecting with G-d in prayer. I’m not talking about a quick blessing by the food at dinner…I’m talking about escaping to a quiet place where you and G-d are alone and you pour your heart out to Him. The practice is called hitbodedut. It is a Breslover custom and it is beautiful.

Every tefilah (prayer), every bracha (blessing), every whispered thanks, every Psalm and every hitbodedut (private, secluded prayer in one’s own words) brings the geulah (Redemption) that much nearer.

The intrinsic capability of honest and heartfelt prayer is beyond our comprehension. One of Rebbe Nachman’s greatest legacies to us is his teachings on hitbodedut in addition to formal prayer.

What is hitbodedut? Secluded meditation with G-d. During hitbodedut, we speak to G-d, ask Him for whatever we need, confess our wrong-doings and thank Him for all the good that He has done for us.

When we take duration out of our busy lives to be alone with our Creator, to pour out our hearts to Him, to ask Him for guidance and forgiveness and share our troubles with Him, we are binding with the Almighty through bringing Him into our daily lives.

The question arises, how can we signal Him by so many names, and speak of Him with so many descriptions? How can we prepare use of so many representations in praying to G-d?

The Zohar plus provides us with an reply, and says that “He is called loving and merciful in order that He might be known.” When we want G-d to have mercy on us, thereupon (to the extent that we can express it) He constricts His essence in the word “Merciful,” in the Lights and vessels of the letters that compose up that word…

How does the transmission of G-d’s essence depend on our speech and prayer?

It is written, “From my flesh, I shall see G-d” (Job 19:26). By understanding the human body, we can plus understand G-d’s ways.

Man is filled with life force and breath, spread inside him. When he wishes to speak, he must constrict that breath through his larynx, and modulate it with his mouth, lips, tongue and teeth. He can next express it as he desires, and only next can his speech, voice and wisdom be detected. [He can communicate] considering his life force, wisdom and voice are constricted in his speech.

When a righteous person stands in prayer, he certainly attaches and binds his spirit and soul to the Ruach HaKodesh, which is a simple formless Unity. When he begins to speak, he transmits G-d’s very essence into his words and speech. As these words leave his lips, they are very strongly bound to his breath and life force, constructed into the sounds that he expresses.

Then (to the extent that we can express it), the Hashem’s essence is bound to that person’s breath and life force, and is modulated and constricted in his expression of words. What a perfect unity amoung the Creator and His created!

Although it’s preferable to find an isolated spot to pour out our hearts to G-d, hitbodedut can be done anywhere – in the kitchen, while lying in bed, sitting on the living room sofa. The most crucial thing to remember is to take date out of our busy schedule to communicate with the Creator.

One of Rebbe Nachman’s followers complained to the Rebbe about the difficulties he encountered in serving G-d. The man blamed his difficulties on his house being too crowded and not having a private room for his devotions. The Rebbe answered, “Presumably, whether G-d agreed that the only possibility of your serving Him depended on your having such a room He would have already given it to you!” Tzaddik #588

Private conversation with G-d can be either enjoyable or awkward. Try to keep hitbodedut simple – Rebbe Nachman told Reb Noson: A person should practice hitbodedut in a simple, straightforward manner, as whether he were conversing with a close friend (Tzaddik #439, Kokhavey Ohr pg.12#4). When speaking with a close friend, the conversation naturally flows from one topic to the next. That’s considering you trust your friend and have no reason to hold anything back. That’s the way to do hitbodedut – simply, directly and with complete trust in the Almighty.

Part of G-d’s greatness lies in the fact that nothing is too small for Him. Therefore, speak to Him about everything – personal problems, family problems, mother-in-law problems, problems with children, difficulties with making ends meet, how to grow spiritually, major life decisions… even your difficulty in practicing hitbodedut. Rabbi Nachman teaches: The wise person will pray his entire life to speak just one totally truthful word to G-d (Likutey Moharan I, 112).

You must pray for everything. whether your garment is torn and has to be replaced, pray to G-d for a new one. Do that for everything. form it a habit to pray for everything you need, large or small. Your main prayers should be for fundamentals: that G-d should help you in your devotion and that you should be worthy of coming close to Him. Still, you should additionally pray even for trivial things. G-d may give you food, clothing and everything else you need even though you do not ask for them. But thereupon you are like an animal. G-d gives every living thing its bread without being asked. He can plus give it to you that way. But whether you do not draw your life through prayer, thereupon your life is like that of a beast. For a man must draw all the necessities of life from G-d only through prayer. Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #233

This should be the ultimate goal…the desired outcome of every person who wishes a close and intimate connection with the One Who loves each of us very much. Let’s each take just one step closer to Him…He’s waiting patiently to take in all about what’s on your heart.