Likutei Moharan 9:3:4

ג אֲבָל כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹמֵד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, אֲזַי בָּאִים מַחֲשָׁבוֹת זָרוֹת וּקְלִפּוֹת וּמְסַבְּבִין אוֹתוֹ, וְנִשְׁאָר בַּחשֶׁךְ, וְאֵין יָכוֹל לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (איכה ג׳:מ״ד): סַכֹּתָ בֶעָנָן לָךְ מֵעֲבוֹר תְּפִלָּה, 3. But when a person stands up to pray, he is beset by external thoughts and kelipot (husks) surround him <on all sides>. He is left in the dark, unable to pray, as is written (Lamentations 3:44), “You covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer could pass through.”

וּכְתִיב (תהילים י״ב:ט׳): סָבִיב רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן – שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים, הַיְנוּ הַקְּלִפּוֹת, מְסַבְּבִין אוֹתוֹ, כְּרֻם זֻלֻּת – הַיְנוּ בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁהִיא עוֹמֶדֶת בְּרוּמוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם (ברכות ו:). {“The wicked go round on every side; that which is exalted is degraded by the sons of man” (Psalms 12:9).} It is written, “The wicked go round on every side….” “The wicked,” i.e., the kelipot, surround the person. “That which is exalted is degraded”—i.e., while [standing] in prayer, for [prayer] stands at the very summit of the universe (Berakhot 6b).

וְדַע, שֶׁיֵּשׁ פְּתָחִים הַרְבֵּה בַּחשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה לָצֵאת מִשָּׁם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (יומא לח:): הַבָּא לִטָּמֵּא פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ – יֵשׁ לוֹ פְּתָחִים הַרְבֵּה*). נִמְצָא, שֶׁיֵּשׁ פְּתָחִים הַרְבֵּה בַּחשֶׁךְ גַּם לָצֵאת מִשָּׁם, אֲבָל הָאָדָם הוּא עִוֵּר וְאֵין יוֹדֵעַ לִמְצֹא הַפֶּתַח. But know! the darkness itself contains many openings from which to exit. As our Sages taught: When someone comes to defile himself, they open up for him (Yoma 38b) —there are many openings for him. We see that even in the darkness there are many openings through which to leave. The problem is that the person [caught up in the darkness] is blind and does not know how to find the opening.

אֲבָל עַל־יְדֵי אֱמֶת, הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא שׁוֹכֵן עִמּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהילים קמ״ה:י״ח): קָרוֹב ה' לְכָל קוֹרְאָיו לְכֹל וְכוּ'; וּכְשֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא עִמּוֹ, הוּא מֵאִיר לוֹ אֵיךְ לֵיצֵא מֵהַחשֶׁךְ הַמּוֹנֵעַ אוֹתוֹ בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ה' אוֹרִי. Through truth, on the other hand, God dwells with him, as in (Psalms 145:18), “God is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him in truth.” And when God is with a person, He enlightens him on how to get out of the darkness that disturbs him when he prays, as in, “God is my light.”

וְזֶה פֵּרוּשׁ: (בראשית ו׳:ט״ז) צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה, פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י: יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים חַלּוֹן, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אֶבֶן טוֹב. וְהַחִלּוּק שֶׁבֵּין חַלּוֹן לְאֶבֶן טוֹב – כִּי הַחַלּוֹן אֵין לוֹ אוֹר בְּעַצְמוֹ, אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ שָׁם נִכְנָס הָאוֹר, אֲבָל כְּשֶׁאֵין אוֹר, אֵין מֵאִיר; אֲבָל אֶבֶן טוֹב, אֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁאֵין אוֹר מִבַּחוּץ, הוּא מֵאִיר בְּעַצְמוֹ. כֵּן יֵשׁ בְּנֵי־אָדָם, שֶׁדִּבּוּרָם הוּא חַלּוֹן, וְאֵין כֹּחַ לְהָאִיר לָהֶם בְּעַצְמָם. וְזֶה: יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, וַאֲמִירָתָם נַעֲשֶׂה חַלּוֹן; וְיֵשׁ, שֶׁאֲמִירָתָם נַעֲשֶׂה אֶבֶן טוֹב וּמֵאִיר: {“God said to Noach: ‘Make for yourself a teivah (an ark)…. Make a light for the ark, and to an amah (a cubit) techalenah (finish it) milemaalah (up above); and put the opening of the ark b’tzidah (in its side), and make it with a lower, second and third stories’” (Genesis 6:14-17).} This is the explanation of, “Make a light for the ark.” Rashi explains: “some say a window, and some say a precious jewel.” The difference between a window and a precious jewel is that a window has no light of its own. It is simply [a medium] for the light to enter through. But when there is no light, the window does not give light. With a precious jewel, however, even when there is no outside light the jewel shines of itself. So, too, there are people whose words are [like] a window, incapable of giving them light on their own. This is [what Rashi means by] “some say.” Their “saying” becomes a window. And there are some whose “saying” becomes a precious jewel and [their words] radiate.

וְדַע, שֶׁהַכֹּל לְפִי גֹּדֶל הָאֱמֶת, כִּי עִקַּר הָאוֹר הוּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־ הוּא הוּא עֶצֶם הָאֱמֶת, וְעִקַּר הִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת שֶׁל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא אֶל הָאֱמֶת. And know! everything depends on the degree of truth [a person has]. For the main light is God, and God is the essence of truth. God’s primary yearning is for nothing but the truth.

וְזֶה: וְאֶל אַמָּה תְּכַלֶּנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה – לְשׁוֹן וַתְּכַל נֶפֶשׁ דָּוִד (שמואל־ב יג). אַמָּה הִיא ה' מוֹצָאוֹת, הַכְּלוּלִים מֵאֵשׁ וּמַיִם, “… to an amah (cubit) techalenah (finish it) milemaalah (up above).” [The word TeChaLenah] has the same connotation as “And David’s soul TeChaL (longed)” (cf. 2 Samuel 13:39). [And the letters of the word] AMaH allude to the Heh (five) articulators, which consist of Aish (fire) and Mayim (water).

הַיְנוּ שֶׁתִּרְאֶה שֶׁיֵּצְאוּ הַדִּבּוּרִים מִפִּיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְאָז יִשְׁתּוֹקֵק הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מִלְמַעְלָה לִשְׁכֹּן אֶצְלְךָ, וּכְשֶׁיִּשְׁכֹּן אֶצְלְךָ, הוּא יָאִיר לְךָ. וְזֶה אַמָּה תְּכַלֶּנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה, רָאשֵׁי־תֵבוֹת אֱמֶת, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי אֱמֶת הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא חוֹמֵד מִלְּמַעְלָה לִשְׁכֹּן עִם הָאָדָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: קָרוֹב ה' לְכָל קוֹרְאָיו וְכוּ'. In other words: See to it that the words leave your mouth in truth, and then, from Above, God will long to dwell with you. And when He dwells with you, He will shine for you. Thus, the initial letters of “Amah Techalenah Milemaalah” spell ÆMeT (truth). For it is through truth that, from Above, God desires to dwell with man, as in, “God is near to all who call Him, to all who call him in truth.”

וְאָז: וּפֶתַח הַתֵּבָה בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים, הַיְנוּ הַתֵּבָה הַיּוֹצֵאת בֶּאֱמֶת, הִיא תָּשִׂים לְךָ פֶּתַח בַּחשֶׁךְ שֶׁאַתָּה נִצּוֹד בּוֹ. וְזֶה: בְּצִדָּהּ, הַיְנוּ הַקְּלִפָּה הַצָּד צַיִד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית כ״ה:כ״ח): כִּי צַיִד בְּפִיו, And then, “… and put the opening of the teivah (ark) b ’TZiDah (in its side).” That is, [“the teivah” corresponds to] the teivah (word) that emerges in truth. This [true word] will put an opening for you in the darkness in which you are trapped. And this is “b’TZiDah”—i.e., the kelipah which is TZaD TZayiD (traps prey), as is written [of Esav], “he was a trapper with his mouth” (Genesis 25:28).

כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה לֹא הָיָה יָכוֹל לְדַבֵּר מֵחֲמַת הַחשֶׁךְ הַסּוֹבֵב אוֹתוֹ, וְעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִתּוֹךְ הַחשֶׁךְ וּמִתְפַּלֵּל הֵיטֵב, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הוּא מְתַקֵּן תַּחְתִּיִּם שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִישִׁים, הַיְנוּ עוֹלָם הַשָּׁפָל וְעוֹלַם הַגַּלְגַּלִים וְעוֹלַם הַשֵּׂכֶל. (אַךְ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, רַק כְּשֶׁלּוֹמֵד תּוֹרָה, כִּי לֹא עַם־הָאָרֶץ חָסִיד (אבות פ"ב); וּכְתִיב (משלי כ״ח:ט׳): מֵסִיר אָזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמֹעַ תּוֹרָה, גַּם תְּפִלָּתוֹ תוֹעֵבָה (כְּתַב יַד הַחֲבֵרִים)): At first, [the person praying] could not even speak because of the darkness surrounding him. But, by emerging from the darkness and praying properly, he rectifies the “lower, second and third storeys”—i.e., the lowest world, the world of the stars and the world of the intellect. {However, it is impossible to pray without studying Torah. For an ignoramus cannot be pious (Avot 2:6). And, as is written (Proverbs 28:9), “When a person turns his ear from hearing Torah, his prayer is also an abomination.”}