Every Jew has the capacity to achieve everything he needs through prayer.
Many people think of tzaddikim as miracle-workers. In Reb Noson’s day, too, everyone had stories of the wonders performed by this or that tzaddik. Many of the stories were undoubtedly genuine: true tzaddikim have such powers.
Rebbe Nachman, on the other hand, did not perform miracles except on rare occasions. For him, the greatest miracle of all was the self-transformation a Jew could achieve by himself through his own prayers and efforts. Therefore the Rebbe worked to instill in us the confidence that we, too, can forge a personal relationship with God, so that He will heed our prayers and perform miracles on our behalf. One of Rebbe Nachman’s main teachings is that every Jew has the capacity to achieve everything he needs through prayer.
Reb Noson elaborates:
One must have perfect faith in God – believing that He is the Creator of everything, that He controls and supervises everything, and that He has the power to change the course of events any way He wishes and bless us with everything good.
And just as one must have perfect faith in God, so too, one must have perfect faith in himself. He must have perfect faith that God listens and attends to every single word spoken by every single Jew, even the lowest of the low. Every single Jew has the power to accomplish what he needs through praying to God truly and sincerely, as it is written, “God is close to all who call Him” (Psalms 145:18).
Reb Shimshon of Tulchin was one of Reb Noson’s staunchest supporters, giving generously from the proceeds of his business for whatever was needed. Reb Shimshon was childless, and kept asking Reb Noson to help him.
Reb Noson wrote to him, “I don’t have the key to children. But then, neither does anyone else. One thing is certain: If there is any way of mitigating the decree and helping you, the Breslover chassidim can help you more easily than anyone else!”
From “Through Fire and Water:
The Life of Reb Noson of Breslov”
