Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 46

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 46: Self-Sacrifice Is for Every Single One of Israel Every Day and Every Hour

Mesiras nefesh [self-sacrifice] is for every single one of Israel every day and every hour, such as when one gives one’s wealth to tzedakah [charity], and the wealth is the soul, “For to Him he lifts his soul” (Deuteronomy 24:15). That is, he sacrifices his soul with toils and dangers before he earns the wealth, and afterward he takes the wealth and gives it for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He. It is found that he sacrifices his soul. And similarly in tefillah [prayer], it is stated in the Midrash Ne’elam (Chayei Sarah 124), that it is the aspect of: “For Your sake we are killed all the day” (Psalms 44:23), and so forth. That is, mesiras nefesh, for it requires great toil and a great battle with thoughts and confusions and schemes to flee and escape from them. And regarding this, it is said: “For Your sake we are killed”, and so forth, as brought in the Midrash Ne’elam. It is found that it is mesiras nefesh. And similarly, the like.

And know that the menios [obstacles] that every single one has in the service of the Creator, blessed be His Name, such as to travel to the true tzadik and the like, and to every single one it seems that his menios are greater than his fellow’s and it is difficult to withstand them, know that for every single one, there are no menios except according to his strength, according to what he can bear and withstand if he wishes. And in truth, there is no obstacle at all, for even in the obstacle itself, Hashem, blessed be He, is clothed there, as explained elsewhere (Likutay Moharan I, Torah 115). And the greatest obstacle of all obstacles is the obstacle of the mind, that is, what his mind and heart are divided from Hashem, blessed be He, or from the tzadik. For even when one breaks the menios that he has to travel to the true tzadik and comes there, even so, when his mind is divided, and he has difficulties and akmumiyus [crookedness] in his heart regarding the tzadik, this obstacle prevents him more than all obstacles. And similarly in tefillah, that at first, he has several menios regarding tefillah, and afterward, when he overcomes them and comes to pray, when his heart is crooked and twisted from Hashem, blessed be He, this obstacle is greater than all of them, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of: “My heart whirls” (Psalms 38:11), the Targum: Saviv sechor sechor [around and around], that is, his heart is surrounded and enveloped and crooked with akmumiyus and difficulties and denials regarding Hashem, blessed be He. This is the aspect of: “And they embittered their lives with hard labor” (Exodus 1:14), and so forth. And it is stated in the Tikkunim (Tikkun 13, folio 28): With difficulty, and so forth, that is, the difficulties in his heart, which are the greatest obstacle of all. And then, one must cry out to his Father in Heaven with a strong voice from the depths of the heart, and then Hashem, blessed be He, hears his voice and turns to his cry. And it can be that from this itself, all the difficulties and obstacles mentioned above will fall and be completely nullified. And in any case, Hashem, blessed be He, hears his voice, which is his salvation. קֻשְׁיָא [difficulty], the acronym: שְׁma יְ Hashem קoli אֶkra [Hear, Hashem, my voice, I call] (Psalms 27:7). That one needs only to call to Hashem when the difficulty and denial overcome him, as mentioned above. And from the like of this is what is related in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, may the memory of the righteous and holy be a blessing, a parable, that a certain king placed a great treasure in one place and surrounded it with many walls in an illusion of the eyes. And when people came to these walls, it seemed to them that they were actual walls, and it was difficult to break them. And some turned back immediately, and some broke one wall and came to the second and could not break it, and some broke more and could not break the remaining ones, until the king’s son came and said: I know that all the walls are only an illusion of the eyes, and in truth, there is no wall at all. And he walked securely until he passed over all of them. And from this, the wise one will understand the lesson himself regarding all the obstacles and enticements and temptations, which are the aspect of walls that are upon the treasure of fear of Heaven, which in truth are nothing. And the main thing is a strong and courageous heart, and then there is no obstacle at all. And especially the obstacles in physicality, such as because of wealth or because his wife and children or father-in-law or father and mother, and so forth, prevent him, and the like, they are all null and void for one whose heart is strong and courageous for Hashem, blessed be He. And also, even the might of the mighty ones is only from the strength and courage of the heart, that he has a very strong heart to run into the bonds of war, as brought in the books [see Likutay Moharan I, Torah 249; and above, Torah 43].