Soul-sacrifice is something each Jew does every hour of every day.

An example of this is giving one’s money to charity. Money is the soul, for “he gives his soul for it” (Deuteronomy 24:15). In other words, to earn the money he first sacrifices his soul in the struggles and dangers. Yet, afterwards, he takes the money and gives it away for the sake of God. It follows, that he is sacrificing his soul.

The same is true of prayer. In Midrash HaNe’elam (Zohar I, 124b) we find that [prayer] is the concept of “For Your sake we are slain all day long” (Psalms 44:23)—i.e., soul-sacrifice. It takes great struggle and great battle with the thoughts and distractions, and stratagems to flee and escape them. Concerning this it is stated: “For Your sake we are slain…,” as brought in the Midrash HaNe’elam. It follows, that this and similar things are soul-sacrifice.

2. And know! each person has obstacles in service of the Creator, may His Name be blessed, such as traveling to the true tzaddik, and the like. And each person imagines that his obstacles are greater than his fellow’s, and that it is difficult to endure them.

Know! each person’s obstacles are only commensurate with his abilities, according to what he can endure and handle—provided he wants to. And, in truth, there are no obstacles whatsoever, because God is enclothed even in the obstacle itself, as is explained elsewhere (Likutey Moharan I, 115).

And the greatest of all obstacles is the obstacle of the mind—i.e., that his intellect and heart are divided concerning God or the tzaddik. Then, even when he breaks his obstacles to traveling to the true tzaddik and comes there, if his mind is divided, so that he has difficult questions concerning the tzaddik, and there is crookedness in his heart with regard to the tzaddik, this obstacle stands in his way more than any other.

3. The same is true of prayer. Initially, there are many obstacles to prayer. And afterwards, when a person overcomes them and comes to pray, if his heart is twisted and turned away from God, this is the greatest obstacle of all.

This is the concept of “My heart is S’ ChaRChaR (surrounded)” (Psalms 38:11) ; “surrounded” in Targum is S ’ChoR S’ChoR. In other words, his heart is surrounded, enveloped and twisted by crookedness, questions and heresies concerning God. This is the concept of “They made their lives bitter with KaShah (hard) work…” (Exodus 1:14). And in the Tikkunim we find: with KuShya (difficult questions)… (Tikkuney Zohar #13, p.28b)—i.e., the difficult questions in his heart, the greatest obstacle of all.

And so he must cry out loudly, from the depths of his heart, to his Father in heaven. God will heed his voice and turn to his cry. And it may even happen that from this itself all the aforementioned questions and obstacles will collapse and be eliminated. In any case, God hears his voice—which is his salvation. Thus the letters of KuShYA are an acronym for Shma YHVH Kolee Ekra (“O God, hear my voice when I cry out”) (Psalms 27:7). When overcome by difficult questions and heresy, he need only cry out to God.

4. This is akin to the parable told in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, may the memory of the holy man and tzaddik be a blessing, about a king who placed a great treasure in a certain place and, using the power of illusion, enclosed the treasure within many walls. When people came to these walls, it seemed to them that the walls were real, and difficult to breach. Some immediately turned back. Others broke through the first wall and reached the second one, but could not breach it. A few broke through further, but could not breach the rest. Finally, the prince arrived, and said, “I know that all the walls are only an illusion, and in reality there isn’t any wall at all!” He proceeded confidently until he had passed through them all.

One who is wise will understand the parable on his own, as referring to all the obstacles, lures and enticements, which conceptually are walls surrounding the treasure of God-fearingness. In reality, they are nothing.

The main thing is a mighty and courageous heart, as then one has no obstacles, especially the physical kind, such as on account of money; or those his wife, children, father-in-law or parents put in his way; or something similar. They are all completely nullified when one’s heart is mighty and courageous for God. And even a warrior’s strength stems only from the might and courage of the heart; his heart’s exceptional might enables him to charge into the thick of the battle, as is brought in the holy books.