Hisbodidus Alone Time

In dealing with all this, and so much more, blessed the man who learns the lesson of stillness, and fully accepts God's word: "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." Each time he listens to the word of the Father, or asks the Father to listen to his words, he dares not begin his Bible reading or prayer without first pausing

Hitbodedut literally means “solitude” or “being by oneself,” but it is generally used in Jewish literature to refer to any meditative or contemplative practice that is done on one’s own. Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe warns that without some time for hitbodedut—contemplative reflection—life is just a stream of activities.

The best time to seclude yourself to pray is at night, when everyone is asleep. Ideally you should go to a place outside the city and follow a solitary path somewhere that people don’t go even in the day-time. Empty your heart and your whole consciousness of all your involvements in the everyday world. Then work to nullify all of your character tra

forgiveness for what happened in the past or to appeal to God to help you in the future by releasing you from the traps you are caught in and drawing you closer to Him. Even if you find you are unable to express yourself before God, even if you can say no more than a single word, this is still good. Even if you can say nothing except “Master of the

Everybody should set aside fixed periods every day and express himself before God in his own native language. It is much easier to say what you need to say when you are using your own language. You should set forth whatever is in your heart. Use every kind of appeal and argument. Use words that will endear you to God and win His favor. Plead with H