Every sigh, every groan, is part of a process through which we draw ruach (breath), life!
Rebbe Nachman teaches: One should sigh and groan during hitbodedut (Tzaddik #441).
The sighing of a Jew is very precious (Likutey Moharan I, 8:1).
When you sigh and groan over your unfulfilled yearning for holiness, it causes you to be attached to the ruach (the life-force) of holiness. This is because sighing is drawing breath – which is life itself! (Likutey Moharan I, 109).
Sighing and groaning are not just for appearances, to impress others or to convince yourself of your sincerity and your desire to repent. Every sigh, every groan, is part of a process through which we draw ruach (breath), life. There are quite a few lessons in the Likutey Moharan on the concept of ruach. Your desires and longing are centered in your heart, the organ used for breathing and desiring. Therefore the Rebbe taught us to groan and sigh when practicing hitbodedut. Think about drawing closer to God and think about becoming a better Jew.
Groan away the bad desires. Rebbe Nachman once said: For a quarter-of-an-hour’s worth of pleasure, a person can lose both this world and the next! (Likutey Moharan II, 108). Rebbe Nachman once took hold of Reb Shmuel Isaac near his heart and said to him: “For the little bit of blood in your heart will you lose this world and the next? Groan it out! Cry and sigh a lot until you get rid of the desires for this world” (Tzaddik #441).
The Rebbe taught us to groan and sigh when practicing hitbodedut. Think about drawing closer to God and think about becoming a better Jew.
The silent scream. You can let out a scream in a room full of people and yet no one will hear it. This is the silent scream known as the “small still voice.” Anyone can do this. Just imagine the sound of such a scream in your mind! When you picture this scream and focus your concentration on it, you are actually shouting inside your brain. It is not merely imagination, and it enables you to call out to God even in public (Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #16).
Just imagine the sound of such a scream in your mind!…
Rebbe Nachman placed great emphasis on man’s ability to concentrate and direct his thought processes. With regard to the scream, he said that it is possible literally to let out a scream that could be heard round the world. This advanced level of concentration during meditation can also be used to “create” any imaginable set of circumstances to enhance one’s s hitbodedut. For example, one could “relocate” oneself to a snowcapped mountain or near a stream in the forest, or even to the Western Wall in Jerusalem – provided one’s ability to picture this in one’s mind is strong enough.
(Taken from the book Crossing the Narrow Bridge: A Practical Guide to Rebbe Nachman’s Teachings – chapter 9 – Hitbodedut)
