Siman 441

To one person, Rabbainu o.b.m. ordered that he should do hisbodidus, one period in the day, and one period in the night. Once Rabbainu o.b.m. asked one of his followers if he was accustomed to groaning and sighing, which is called 'krechtzin', when he does hisbodidus. And he replied (to him), “yes.” And Rabbainu o.b.m. said to him, “When I make a groan or a sigh, if I am holding my hand on the table at the time of the sigh, then is it impossible afterwards for me to lift my hand from the table, and I need to wait some time (hour) until my strength is restored (see Brachos 58b, and Likutay Moharan 22 and 109, and in the additional handwritten torahs published at the end, Rabbainu uses the word NeNaCh - sighing). Once Rabbainu o.b.m. grasped the rav, the tzaddik, Rabbi Shmuel Isaac o.b.m. against his heart, and said to him, “Because of a little blood such as this (i.e. the vascular of the heart) you will abolish this world and the next world.” And in Yiddish, “Ibber a bisselleh blit zulst uhn verin dey velt uhn yenne velt; krechtz dus ois,” accustom yourself to sigh a lot before Hashem Yisburach, until you are relieved of this blood, and put down the evil in it, and you merit to the aspect of (Psalms 109:22), “And my heart is hollow inside of me.”

Once, Rabbainu o.b.m. spoke with Rav Yaakov Yosef regarding the service of Hashem, as was his practice always, and he told him a parable of a king who sent his son far away to learn wisdoms. Afterwards the son came to the king's house erudite in all the wisdoms. Once, the king commanded the son to take a certain extremely large stone (like a millstone) and carry it up to the higher floors of the house, and probably the son was unable to carry and lift the stone, because it was a very large and heavy stone. And the son was anguished for not being able to fulfill the desire of his father the king, until the king revealed to him afterwards his purport, and said to him, “Is it conceivable to you that I would command you something so arduous like this to take the stone as it is and carry it and lift it; are you able to do such a thing with your great wisdom?! Rather my entire intention was that you should take a sledgehammer and bash and break apart the stone into small pieces, and in this way you would be able to bring it up to the higher floor.” Similarly, Hashem Yisburach commanded us (Lamentations 3:41) that we lift our hearts up to hands (stretched out) to G-d in heaven, and our hearts are very large and heavy stone (heart), and it is impossible to lift by any means, just, by taking a hammer, which is speech, and through this it is possible to bust and break apart the heart of stone, and then we are able to lift it to Hashem Yisburach, and understand (this).

Another time Rabbainu o.b.m. spoke about the necessity to engage abundantly in the recital of Psalms, and entreaties, and beseeching, and hisbodidus etc.. And the rav, the tzaddik, Rabbi Yuddel zatza”l asked him, “How does one garner heart (meaning to say, how does one merit that the words will be with arousal of the heart)?” Rabbainu o.b.m. answered him, “Tell me, by which tzaddik did you receive arousal of the heart? The main thing is the speaking with the mouth, words of entreaty and beseeching, and the arousal of the heart will come of itself.