"When you pray, hold nothing back from God. Pour out your heart with honest openness, as if you were speaking to your very best friend," the great Hasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) used to counsel people. This wonderful collection of prayers serves as a vibrant companion to the author's The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy. The Gentle Weapon has been adapted by Moshe Mykoff and S.C. Mizrahi with the Breslov Research Institute in Jerusalem.

The five sections of this devotional resource are organized around actions, words, feelings, thoughts, and will, which Jewish mystics believe each correspond to a level of the human soul. The prayers presented in "Feelings" are rich sources of wisdom. In one, Rebbe Nachman petitions God by saying: "Let the good in me connect with the good in others, until the world is transformed through the compelling power of love." The eighteenth century spiritual teacher also yearns to overcome negative feelings, to be patient, to recognize "the immeasurable worth" of others, and to never capitulate to false pride or arrogance. These prayers for everyday and not-so-everyday moments are perfect for jump-starting your soul.

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