Rabbi Nachman, commenting on the Talmudic dictum that the Torah was meant to be given after one thousand generations, but was, in fact, given after twenty six generations, because of "arrogant people", as follows:
The world was created in "Ten Utterances". These utterances contain the "Ten Commandments". That is, there is a "Hidden Torah" in nature itself. People who are spiritually attuned can perceive this Torah. However, there will always be scoffers who say "he's not real, he's a phony" thereby keeping people away from these Tzaddikim. Finally, the Torah had to be given in writing, so as to make it accessible to all, even without the Tzaddikim. The time before Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah), there were few laws. This is why Psalm 136 contains 26 verses, all ending in "for his Chesed (kindness) endures forever". These twenty six verses correspond to the twenty six generations that lived purely by HaShem's Chesed. Rabbi Nachman goes on to say that this "Treasury of Free Gift" still exists, and is accessible at times when Torah study is impossible. We can "tune in" to the hidden Torah in nature. At one point returning from his famous journey to Eretz Yisrael, he was captured by pirates who planned to sell him into slavery. He later said that had this happened, he would have survived on this hidden Torah.
His student, Rabbi Natan, connected this to a Talmudic debate concerning the relative merits of Torah study and prayer. One view is "Would that a person would pray all day!". The other view is that we should not pray too much, as "we abandon Eternal Life (Torah), in favor of Temporal Life (Prayer, in which we pray for sustenance, health, etc.) Rabbi Natan connects this idea of "Temporal Life" with the Hidden Torah in nature. When we pray, we ARE studying the Torah...the Hidden Torah, finding G-d in everyday life, where we were originally supposed to find Him. Our health and wealth are not accidents, but they come from the Treasury of Free Gift. Yes, we need to study, but prayer can be the ultimate study. It all depends on how we pray.