Seder HaYom – The Daily Schedule of a Breslover Chassid
Based on the ideas and teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
An adapted translation of the original work written and compiled by Reb Yitzchak Breiter – a leading Breslover Chassid of Pre-War Poland murdered by the Nazis. May HaShem avenge his blood.
1. ATTACHMENT TO THE TZADDIK
At the onset of nightfall say the following: I want to serve HaShem, blessed be He, in truth, faith and joy. I therefore attach myself – in every thought, word and deed of the entire day – to all of the True Tzaddikim. And in particular to the “Nachal Novea Mekor Chokhmah” (the Flowing Brook, the Source of Wisdom – whose acronym spells out “Nachman”), Rabeinu (our Rebbe) Nachman the son of Feiga. May his merit protect us.
In addition, before every prayer you should say: “I hereby attach myself in my prayers to all of the True Tzaddikim in our generation, and to all of the True Tzaddikim who dwell in the dust, “the holy ones who rest in the earth”. Particularly to our Holy Rebbe, the Tzaddik – “foundation of the earth” – the Nachal Novea Mekor Chokhmah, Rabeinu Nachman ben Feiga. May his merit protect us”.
2. ARVIT – THE EVENING PRAYER
Pray slowly and with strength, concentration, joy and a pleasant voice. When reciting HaShem’s Name – Adonay – be careful to articulate the “cholem” vowel sign (“o”) after the dalet properly. Emphasize the yod in the following manner: “Ado-nay” (or in the Ashkenazi pronunciation: “Adoi-noy”). Be careful to say all of the Divine Names with fear of Heaven. Through the Evening Prayer you sweeten all of the harsh judgements. You will also merit strengthening yourself and standing up to all of the downs, darkness and obstacles that everyone goes through. This being the deeper meaning of what we say in the Evening Prayer: “[Blessed is HaShem] who protects His nation Israel forever (i.e. even within the downs, darkness and obstacles)”.
3. RECITING THE SH’MA AT BEDTIME
Recite the Sh’ma slowly and cheerfully, following the guidelines mentioned above. Through this you will rectify all of the blemishes made throughout the day, especially blemishes in the Covenant (i.e. sexual impurity and misconduct). This is in line with what our Sages taught: “Whoever recites the Sh’ma on their bedside (before going to sleep) causes the damaging [spiritual] forces to flee from him.”
4. SELF-RECKONING
Give thanks to HaShem for all of the good that you merited to do during the day, and confess to Him all of your blemishes whether in thought, word or speech. Ask HaShem for forgiveness and atonement, and request of Him to help you from now on to behave in accordance with His Holy Will.
5. GETTING UP AT CHATZOT (MIDNIGHT)
Wake up at midnight and mourn profusely over the destruction of the Holy Temple and over the concealment of the light of the True Tzaddik [which is also an aspect of the Temple’s destruction]. Also cry out over your sins, blemishes, misdeeds, evil traits and lusts which have delayed the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Find yourself along with everything you’re going through in the words of the Tikkun Chatzot (the Midnight Lament). Ask HaShem to hasten the redemption and salvation of all Israel, including your own personal redemption from the hands of the Evil One who is constantly lying in wait to attack you. The time for Chatzot – according to Rebbe Nachman’s opinion – always starts 6 full hours after nightfall, whether in the summer or winter. Chatzot then continues for another 2 hours.
6. REMEMBERING OLAM HABA (THE WORLD TO COME)
Upon awakening recite the Modeh Ani prayer and immediately recall the World to Come. Pray to HaShem that He help you follow the pathways of holiness all day long. Renew the attachment to Tzaddikim that you mentioned the previous evening.
7. HASHKAMAH – WAKING UP EARLY
You should arise early, waking up before dawn to the service of HaShem. Through this you will come to faith and shine upon yourself the light of truth and great holy knowledge. This will help bring you through all the gates of holiness. As the dawn arises you should gaze at the heavens.
8. PREPARATION FOR THE PRAYERS
You shouldn’t eat, drink or speak extraneous talk before praying. If you really have to speak to someone keep it to the absolute minimum, as this will enable your prayers to be more desirable and accepted. You have to infuse all of your strength and concentration into the words of the prayers. Therefore you shouldn’t do things which will weaken and interrupt your soul’s desires and yearnings to pour out her speech before her Creator.
9. THE MIKVAH – RITUAL BATH
Immerse in the mikvah daily. Through this you will sanctify yourself and become detached from the impurities of your sins. You will come truthfully close to HaShem and be saved from all of your physical and spiritual sufferings. This is hinted to in the verse: “The mikveh (salvation – etymologically similar to the word mikvah) of Israel is HaShem, Who saves them at times of distress.”
10. SHACHARIT – THE MORNING PRAYERS
Pray early in the morning with calmness (as mentioned above in paragraph 2). Until you have finished, don’t interrupt your prayer with extraneous words. Pray with a siddur (prayer book). Don’t walk from place to place while praying, rather stand in one spot. Be careful to answer all of the Amens, Yehei Shmeh Rabbah, Barekhu, and the Kedushah with your entire strength, concentration, and joy, etc. Through all this you will enlighten yourself with the light of the “Seven Primordial Days” which is renewed on a daily basis. This is in line with “Shine a new light on Zion, and may we all speedily merit to benefit from it” (from the closing of the first blessing of the morning Sh’ma).
11. SHULCHAN ARUKH – THE CODE OF JEWISH LAW
Learn every day without fail the Shulchan Arukh, even if you can only learn a little bit. Through this you will nullify all types of heresy and physical/spiritual strife from influencing you and the whole world. Learn the Shulchan Arukh in order, from beginning to end, over and over again for the rest of your life. If you find it difficult learning from the “big” Shulchan Arukh (i.e. with all of its commentaries) then at least learn from the Kitzur Shulchan Arukh (the “Abridged” Code of Jewish Law) or any other condensed practical halakhic work.
12. HITBODEDUT – SECLUDED AND PERSONAL PRAYER
Strengthen yourself with all your might to seclude yourself and pour out your prayer before HaShem for at least an hour every day. This prayer should be said in your mother tongue. Speak to Him about everything you are going through. Confess all of your sins, misdeeds and wrongdoing whether intentional or unintentional. Converse with HaShem as you would with a good friend. Tell Him about your personal suffering, tightness and difficult situation, and that of your family and the Jewish nation. Elaborate your words, and bring forth all types of arguments, pleas and consolations that you should merit coming sincerely closer to HaShem. This is in accordance with the verse: “Widen your mouth [with many words] and I will fill it [with blessings].” Whale, scream, moan and cry profusely to Him. You should also joyfully give thanks for all of the spiritual and physical kindness that He has bestowed upon you. Then ask for all of your spiritual and physical needs. Believe that the pleasure brought forth before HaShem from such prayer – even when coming from the lowest person – is more important to Him than all types of lofty Divine service, even than that of the angels and the supernal worlds. Even if you can’t open your mouth at all, the fact that you stand there waiting and yearning to speak to HaShem and that you lift your eyes heavenwards hoping for His salvation, forcing yourself to say even just one word – all this endures forever.
13. REBBE NACHMAN’S WORKS
Learn every day the Rebbe’s teachings. Through this you will attach yourself to his holy wisdom and draw upon yourself the holy strength to follow the pathways of the Tzaddik, thus bringing the entire world to repentance.
14. TEHILLIM – PSALMS
Recite every day at least ten chapters of Tehillim. For any ten chapters bring about a great spiritual rectification. Try to find everything you are going through in the words of Tehillim, even in the verses that offer praise to HaShem. In other words, give thanks to HaShem by means of the words in Tehillim for all of the kindness that He has and is bestowing upon you.
15. LIKUTEY TEFILLOT - THE COLLECTED PRAYERS OF REB NOSON
Pray from the Likutey Tefillot every day. Also formulate your own prayers [similar to those found in Likutey Tefillot]. In other words, pray that you merit fulfilling all of the teachings of the Tzaddikim as brought down in their writings. This brings forth a great delight before the Creator.
16. FIXED TORAH STUDY
Make for yourself fixed sessions of Torah study. Learn with joy, and don’t interrupt your learning with non-urgent matters. Learn Torah with the intent of coming to complete faith. Try to glean from your studies practical and straightforward advice for the service of HaShem. Discover new insights in your Torah study based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman. Through this you will come sincerely closer to HaShem and draw close those distant from the service of HaShem.
17. EATING
Eat calmly and with decency. Don’t get upset or speak unnecessarily while eating. Make sure to learn Torah at the table. Recite the Birkat HaMazone (Blessings after the Meal) with joy, concentration, etc. (as in paragraph 2). As a result you will draw upon yourself the “Light of Desire” – good yearnings and desires to follow the pathways of HaShem. Direct yourself to be in accordance with His Will by means of your physical pleasures and actions. Through all this you will bring about great supernal unifications.
18. MASA UMATAN – EARNING A LIVING
Strengthen your faith in Divine Providence over every detail of Creation, and believe with understanding that “money-making” is not a result of “natural means”. Rather, it is a result of HaShem’s Desire. For HaShem can bring a person financial support without any physical means or action. The reason why He does support us through “intermediary” means and action is merely to test us and see if we will stand up to all types of tests and temptations when confronting our financial means, and if we will remain firm in our faith that money-making is dependent solely on the Will of HaShem. With this attitude you will conduct your business in faith.
19. TZEDAKAH – CHARITY
You should set aside your tithes from all your income and profit towards supporting and strengthening Rebbe Nachman’s light, legacy and teachings. This can be done through the following ways:
· Supporting his followers who are in need of financial assistance
· Supporting synagogues and institutions which bear the Rebbe’s name and which follow his approach in the service of HaShem
· Supporting the printing and distribution of Rebbe Nachman’s teachings
A suggestion would be to start off giving 2% of your entire income to the Rebbe’s cause until you can give 10%.
20. PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTING REBBE NACHMAN’S BOOKS AND TEACHINGS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
This is a great and fundamental foundation in Breslov Chassidut. For this can bring all of Israel closer to the path of truth, which is the ultimate goal of every Jew and of the entire universe. Therefore this service must be considered to those close to the Tzaddik as being “Holy of holies”. You should do this with all your strength for the sake of Heaven (without any ulterior motives of personal honor, wealth, etc.). Your intention should be only for the sake of rectifying the world. Constantly seek out counsel and ways to better spread and distribute the “wellsprings” of Rebbe Nachman’s holy teachings further abroad – to revive and return all Jewish souls back to their Father in Heaven.
21. SANCTIFYING THE SEVEN CANDLES
Sanctify your eyes by not looking at evil; your ears by listening to the words of the Sages; your nostrils by being patient with everything in life, having compassion towards those who anger you; your mouth by speaking words of Torah and prayer, and by not speaking forbidden speech. You will then merit to “G-dly Bounty” and sanctified thoughts.
22. SIMCHAH – JOY
You should always be joyous. Transform all of your suffering and sighing into joy. Accept everything you go through with love, and don’t ever give up! Bring life and joy into your being by finding your eternally good points, and by looking for all of the “expansions” within your physical suffering (see Likutey Moharan I #195 and #282). Even if you experience terrible spiritual “lows”, trust in the power of the True Tzaddik (who can help rectify everything) and simply start again as if you never went through a low beforehand. Believe that the whole purpose of your spiritual “low” was so that you should start again! If you strengthen yourself to constantly and sincerely start again, HaShem will eventually help you and you will no longer fall to these lowly places. You should also accustom yourself to serve HaShem with joy by means of song, dance and hand clapping, especially during Torah study and prayer.
23. TESHUVAH – REPENTANCE
Contemplate your every thought, word and action to find in them “hints” which will arouse your soul to sincerely return to HaShem with a renewal in your Divine service. Remain silent when being insulted and cursed. This will subdue the evil within you and atone for all of your sins, transforming them into merits.
24. FRIENDSHIP
Love every Jew. In particular love those close to the True Tzaddik as you would love yourself. Speak to them daily about the true purpose of life in order to receive from their good “inner-point”. For every Jew contains a unique good point that cannot be found by anyone else.
25. MINCHAH – THE AFTERNOON PRAYER
Pray according to the guidelines mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2. Through the Minchah prayer you will elevate all of your daily Divine service upward to HaShem, and receive renewed strength for the next days service. This being the concept of “Complete all of the sacrifices (i.e. your daily Divine service) with the Minchah-afternoon sacrifice”, and the concept of: “And once the sun sets (i.e. after Minchah-time) he shall be purified”.
26. ROSH HASHANAH
All of the followers of the True Tzaddik – Rebbe Nachman – must gather together by his holy gravesite (in Uman, the Ukraine) on Rosh HaShanah and pray in attachment to the Tzaddik. Through this they receive from him an awesome spiritual light and rectification that is revealed no other time of the year. As Rebbe Nachman once said: “My whole essence is Rosh HaShanah!” As a result his light shines on his followers and the rest of the world for generations to come. Therefore you must break all distractions and obstacles stopping you from joining the kibutz (the gathering) in Uman on Rosh HaShanah, even if it requires tremendous self-sacrifice. Only a matter of life and death, which allows the desecration of Shabbat, can stop you. Other than this all other obstacles such as money, toil, honor, etc., must be broken. For there is nothing greater than being by Rebbe Nachman for Rosh HaShanah!
27. ERETZ YISRAEL – THE HOLY LAND
Every day of your life yearn, pray and make practical efforts to come and live in Eretz Yisrael, or at least to walk four cubits there. Through this you will come to “length of days”, going up from level to level on the spiritual ladder, and draw upon yourself complete holiness. This is the true holy victory of a man in this world.
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May HaShem help us that we merit following the advice of the True Tzaddik sincerely and faithfully, and that we draw upon us and all of Israel his holy light. May we come to the complete redemption of our bodies and souls speedily in our days, Amen.
