The Chafetz Chaim’s Hitbodedut
People think that hitbodedut – personal prayer – is some kind of Breslever nuance. The Chafetz Chaim spent 2 hours a day in personal prayer and implores others to do the same.
The Chafetz Chaim used to disappear from the Yeshiva for 2 hours a day. Once, one of his understudies stealthily followed him to a little room in the attic. He almost fainted when he overheard the tzaddik’s heart-rending personal prayer and uncompromising self-evaluation. For an entire hour, the Chafetz Chaim scolded himself about five minutes of the previous day that he couldn’t account for. He begged Hashem to help him do teshuva…
The Chafetz Chaim zt’l implores his generation on the need for solitary prayer:
“In summation, all the many calamities that come on us and that we are not saved from them is because we are not screaming and outpouring in prayer over 
them. If we would pray and would pour out before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, certainly our prayers and supplications would not return empty. And it’s not enough for a person to pray the shemonei esrei three times a day, rather a few times per day, a person needs to pour out prayers and supplications in solitude, in his house, from the depths of his heart. Because the three prayers (shemonei esrei) are already fixed in his mouth and he doesn’t take them to heart so much. But if a person would contemplate in solitude and make a cheshbon hanefesh on his personal situation, his great poverty and his many toils, and for all this to live on crusty bread and water, then he will pour out his heart like water in front of Hashem yitborach (Hashem, may He be blessed), and the prayer will go out with deep kavana (intention, focus) and with a broken heart and a lowly spirit. A prayer like this will certainly not return empty. And then when his soul is bitter on him, on his situation and his weak standing, and he drops supplications before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, he should also remember the great pain of Hashem yitborach, because He also, so to speak, does not have rest. In all our suffering He suffers…” (Chafetz Chaim – Likutei Amarim ch.11)
them. If we would pray and would pour out before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, certainly our prayers and supplications would not return empty. And it’s not enough for a person to pray the shemonei esrei three times a day, rather a few times per day, a person needs to pour out prayers and supplications in solitude, in his house, from the depths of his heart. Because the three prayers (shemonei esrei) are already fixed in his mouth and he doesn’t take them to heart so much. But if a person would contemplate in solitude and make a cheshbon hanefesh on his personal situation, his great poverty and his many toils, and for all this to live on crusty bread and water, then he will pour out his heart like water in front of Hashem yitborach (Hashem, may He be blessed), and the prayer will go out with deep kavana (intention, focus) and with a broken heart and a lowly spirit. A prayer like this will certainly not return empty. And then when his soul is bitter on him, on his situation and his weak standing, and he drops supplications before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, he should also remember the great pain of Hashem yitborach, because He also, so to speak, does not have rest. In all our suffering He suffers…” (Chafetz Chaim – Likutei Amarim ch.11)Rabbi Avigdor Miller once said, “Prayer today is in a rut. It has been reduced to a meaningless recital of words.”
Most of us don’t pray because we don’t think it will make any difference. We pray and nothing happens, so we think prayer has no power. This thinking is erroneous. The reason we see nothing is because our prayers lack true kavana. Come and hear the powerful words of the Vilna Gaon:
“There is no crying except from the heart…tefilla needs kavana and the ikar (primary) kavana is with tears.” (Vilna Gaon on Esther 8:3)
A serious prayer must be accompanied by tears, otherwise, you heart is not really there. The Chovot HaTalmidim adds that the test of whether your crying is real or not is if you can stop it at will or whether it pours out and you are unable to stop it.
So next time you feel down, maybe you are disappointed things didn’t go as you would have hoped. Or maybe you’re dissatisfied with life in general. If so, it’s a golden opportunity to cry out to Hashem for help. Get the onions out and pour out your heart like water. Even if you don’t see results immediately, don’t give up because certainly, if you continue doing this, over the months and years, in the end it will certainly help very much.
(Reprinted with kind permission of www.dafyomireview.com)
1/09/2023
Hi,
I’m happy to correct an error, but since this came from elsewhere, I’m a bit hesitant to make changes.
Can you point me to where you found that in Likutei Amarim (best to send a URL)?
THANKS!!!
1/09/2023
Correction: The quote is from chapter 10 of Likutei Amarim, not chapter 11
2/05/2020
The article quoted the Chofetz Chaim who said that the tefillah should be done specifically in one's home.