אות-עב

Persistence in prayer

The essence of the consciousness of tefillin, which is the aspect of divaikus (binding) (as mentioned above, article 58), is the aspect of prayer and hisbodidus, for the main divaikus is prayer, as explained elsewhere (Likutay Moharan volume 2, torah 84), and on account of this they are called tefillin, a term denoting tefilla (-prayer), an aspect of (Genesis 30:8), “naftoollee (-same etymology as tefillin and tefilla) Eloakim (G-d) niftaltee (-same; I have surely grappled with G-d),” and Rash”i explains: “from the language of (Deuteronomy 32:5 “eekaish oopisaltul”), “crooked and spiral”; I have been persistent and have made many importunities and grapplings with G-d (-'The Place' – for all space is in G-d), to be equal with my sister. 'And also I prevailed' (continuation of the verse, with Rashi's commentary), that He agreed to my motion.” And in this aspect it is necessary to profuse in prayer and hisbodidus very, very much all of one's life, for this is paramount. And it is necessary to be very extremely stubborn at this, that even though it appears to him that his words are absolutely to no avail, and he is very far from (the fulfillment of) his words, and it is days and years that he is busy with this and has still not accomplished anything, even still it is necessary to be stubborn with this; exactly like someone who is stubborn, who does something without reason (/gain), so too very great stubbornness is necessary in all service of Hashem, in every act and remedy, but the primary extra stubbornness is needed with prayers and entreaties, and the main thing is with conversations of hisbodidus, for it is necessary to strengthen (oneself) very much to abound in hisbodidus and conversation between oneself and his Maker, even though it will be in a crooked and spiral way, many times without taste or smell (-appeal). For (Psalms 22:25), “He did not despise and did not abhor the pauper's callings,” even though it is befitting to despise him and to abhor him, even still, Hashem Yisburach is full of mercy at all times.

And see in the holy Zohar (Torah portion of Bulluk, page 195) where it writes at great length of the greatness of the preciousness of the pauper's prayer, see there, and all of this is said even of a regular pauper who prayers for his needs; over his materialistic inadequacy and poverty, all the more so, and all the more so when a person begins to have mercy on himself, and feels his poverty and inadequacy in good deeds, and argues before Hashem Yisburach, and pleads to Him to draw him close to His service, and pours out his heart before Him cryingly and entreatingly, how very precious this prayer is in the eyes of Hashem Yisburach more than all the prayers of the world, even though for some time already he has been praying and doing hisbodidus and it seems to him that he hasn't accomplished anything, even still every single word is not lost, and they are all enumerated and tallied, and cached in His treasuries. And also (take into consideration) that it is entirely impossible for a person to know, in this body, if he accomplished in the service of Hashem or not, and even if he did not accomplish in his entire life, just one hairbreadth, this also is more precious than all the life of this world, therefore it is necessary to strengthen in this very much, immeasurably. And when he is strong as delineated above in the aspect of “grapplings with G-d I have grappled,” then at the very end he will certainly merit to achieve his request and to truly draw close to Hashem Yisburach, and to be consistent with his brothers, the kosher and the tzaddikim.

(Likutay Halachos, Laws of Tefillin, law 5).