The following paragraphs are some more examples of short prayers that can be offered during hitbodedut:
Traits and desires. Please, God. Help me break my bad character traits. I have so many I don’t know where to start. I want humbleness, I have arrogance. I want patience, I am full of anger. Okay, so I did lose my temper the other day. All right! It was more than losing my temper, it was a terrible scene. But I’m not all that bad. I still want to come close to You! Maybe I’m undeserving. But, God, I do have good points, I have a measure of good in me that shows I can make progress. Please help me develop that good point, help me overcome my bad qualities. Instill in me good character traits. I don’t want to lose my temper any more. Help me to control it. And help me attain other good qualities too.
Or: Please God, help! Today, I really overdid it. No joke. I indulged myself more than ever before. When am I going to learn to curb my appetite? When am I going to learn to say “no!” to food? Help me. Keep me from overeating, from “stuffing my face.” Save me from indulging in excesses. Also save me from slander, from falsehood, from trickery and chicanery, from mockery and from interfering in matters that don’t concern me. Help me do what is right. Let me open my mouth for Torah and prayer, for saying a kind word and strengthening a friend. But, save me from wrongdoing!
Children. Today, as You well know, my wife and I were blessed with a beautiful child. Thank You. I ask You, God, please, give this child good health. Help us raise this child easily. Grant us the wisdom and patience needed to deal with children, so that we may raise them to be good Jews.
Or: Today, my four year old told me a lie. I slapped him. I don’t know whether I did right or not. Was it to teach my son the severity of the crime, or was the slap only to appease my anger? And did the punishment fit the crime? Perhaps I should have found another means to teach him that lying is wrong? Please, help me control my anger, help me see what really motivates my child to behave the way he does. I ask You, God, please show me the right way to guide this child. Grant me wisdom and patience, so that I raise him to be a good Jew.
God, help! Today, I really overdid it. No joke. I indulged myself more than ever before. When am I going to learn to curb my appetite?
Or: Dear God. Direct me. Guide me. Teach me how to raise my child correctly. This child was entrusted to me by You. I, as parent and guardian, want what is right for her. I want the best for her. But what is the best for her? Only You know, Master of the Universe. Only You can see that she is protected from evil, from the ills of society, from the dangers of the street, etc. Let her develop good character traits, good desires, good intentions, so that she always seeks good. Grant me wisdom and patience so that I raise her to be a fine person and a good Jew.
Livelihood. God! I need help! I have bills to cover. I need money to pay my mortgage, utilities, car expenses, ete. I have tuition bills to pay. They are huge. I have no idea where to come up with such sums. Help me! Either reduce my expenses or raise my income. But help! I am breaking under the load. Please help me climb out from under this crushing yoke.
Or: I found a new business to invest in. It looks good. Should I, or shouldn’t I, invest in it? What is the right path for me to take? I need Your guidance. Please show me the correct path, so that I may make the correct decision, with which to benefit myself and my family.
Or: I found a new business to invest in. It looks good. Should I, or shouldn’t I, invest in it? What is the right path for me to take? I need Your guidance. Will this business allow me sufficient time to pray, study and spend time with my family? Will it give me sufficient income? Please show me the correct path, so that I may make the correct decision, with which to benefit myself and my family. This way, I’ll be able to support the family and have the necessary time to study Torah and serve You.
Or: I found a new business to invest in. It looks good. Should I, or shouldn’t I, invest in it? What is the right path for me to take? I need Your guidance. Will this business allow me sufficient time to pray, study and spend time with my family? Will it give me sufficient income to support my family and have enough to donate generously to charity? Or will it be a trap? Will I become enslaved to this business day and night, with very little time left for myself? Will it allow me to be free on Shabbat? Please show me the correct path, so that I may make the correct decision, with which to benefit myself and my family. This way, I’ll be able to support the family and have the necessary time to study Torah and serve You.
God! I need help! I have bills to cover, I need money to pay my mortgage, utilities, car expenses…
Vacation time. Boy am I tired! I need a vacation. But where should I go? I want a place where I’ll be able to relax and recharge my batteries. Yet, I also want to make sure that I’ll remember You even while I’m vacationing. Please let me find a nice resort area, a place where I can find a shul, a mikvah and kosher food. Remind me to take along study books and audio Torah-class players. Most of all, let me make sure not to forget You or my Judaism, while I’m away.
Family and friends. Master of the Universe! Please help me to have peace reign in my house. We have, thank God, a nice family. But there always seems to be some friction between my brothers and this leads to tension in the entire family. Each one by himself is a gem, but together, they are like cats and dogs. Please help us to root out the rivalry and have peace reign in the house. (Naturally, any sibling or even neighbors can be substituted.)
Or: Today I had such and such a conversation which led to a disagreement with my friend (and one can repeat the words of that conversation too!). I think I was right, or at least I see it so from my point of view. In any case, I had no intention of letting that slip of the tongue happen, but it did. I’m sorry. What can I do to correct it? Help me find a pleasant way with which to set right that which went wrong. At least get my friend to understand that it was not done in malice, God forbid! Help me control my tongue so that I never again say anything that will hurt others. Help me to see another’s point of view.
Good health. Please God, in Your great mercy, grant us good health so that we may be able to serve You properly.
Or: My child is not well. He has such and such an illness and is suffering. Please God, send him a refuah shleimah (a complete recovery). And, grant us all good health.
Or: My grandparent has to undergo an operation. Please God, send him a refuah shleimah so that the operation is not necessary. And if he must have the operation, then please let the diagnosis be correct. Provide the right surgeon, the right nurses and other staff. Please heal my grandparent and all those who are ill. Please God, send him a speedy recovery. And grant us all good health.
The thing to remember about hitbodedut is this: Choose whatever topic you feel close to at that time. Put in whatever feeling you have. Do it daily.
(Taken from the book Crossing the Narrow Bridge: A Practical Guide to Rebbe Nachman’s Teachings, chapter 9 – Hitbodedut)
