Prayer is Life

HH

The Yid Hakodesh (A chasidic master, student of the Chozeh) was very weakly, and he said that this was due to the tremendous efforts and mesiras nefesh he put into his prayers, and if he would let up just a bit, just for one of the prayers, he would regain his considerable strength. He clarified, what does he mean let up, not that he wouldn't be praying with complete devotion and enormous energy, no less than a certain other contemporary master, just not with the utter mesiras nefesh he would give over in every prayer, and he was not willing to forgo this not even for one solitaire prayer in order restore his health.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!  

Chizuk (encouragement)

HH

This guy was lying without strength, he'd been sick for some time and no real hope for getting better in the near future, sounds are going off in his head to just give up and give in to the yetzer hura (evil inclination), so he reaches for a copy of Blossoms of the Spring, and asks to be shown what he needs to know or do right now. He opens up the holy book and there in front of him he learns that even the smallest motion that a person does to draw close to the tzadik is infinitely precious. So he gets the message and with his remaining strength sings, or maybe that is a little generous, chants Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman, and little by little he is blessed with a touch more strength to continue productively.

True story.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!