אות-לה

Speaking to G-d is a mighty endeavor and it is ludicrous to back down due to some minor dejection or deterrent He said: A parable, a warrior girded his loins to conquer a bastion, and afterwards when he came to the gate there was a tapestry woven there from spider webs which blocked the gate. Is there anything more ridiculous than this, that he should retreat from his battle due to the blockage of spider webs? And afterwards he said: The main thing is the speech, for through speech one can conquer everything, and be victorious over all the battles. And he said: Even though it is possible to do hisbodidus by thought, [but] the main thing is the speech. The meaning of the parable is readily explanatory, addressing the difficulty a person has to speak before Hashem Yisburach what is in his heart, and all of this is due to his shame and heaviness, for he does not have holy brazenness. And certainly this is a great folly, for behold he desires to conquer with his speech an arduous battle, which is the battle of (-against) the (evil) inclination, and now, when he is close to begin to speak before Hashem Yisburach and conquer, and break walls, and open gates by means of the speaking, and because of a minor deterrence, from his dejection and so forth, he will hold himself back Heaven forbid, from speaking. Behold this restraint is tantamount to the blockage of a spiderweb in contrast to a rampart, for what he desires to break with his speech! And he said, that it is good for a person to do hisbodidus two hours a day; one hour – for him to go and yearn and prepare himself to speak, and to arrange and forge his heart for this, and afterwards he should speak for one hour. (Words of Rabbi Nachman, article 232).