Where the Sparks Enter — The Tzadik’s Mesirus Nefesh in Tefillah

Main Ideas from Likutei Moharan 26

This Torah begins with a cryptic Gemara: when a chick dies within its shell, through which point does its soul exit? Rav Nachman reframes this as a metaphor for the tzadik’s avodah in tefillah. The tzadik must direct his greatest mesirus nefesh precisely to the areas where foreign thoughts (machshavos zaros) enter during prayer.

These “foreign” elements are not distractions to escape, but rather sparks of holiness (nitzotzos) awaiting elevation. The avodah, then, is not about bridging distance from Hashem — chas v’shalom — but about recalibrating perspective and reconnecting each experience to its true source. The tzadik, operating from an elevated vantage point aligned with Hashem’s ratzon, is uniquely able to reveal Elokus in the very places where it appears most concealed. This is a function of his alignment with the ultimate context: HaMakom.

Additional Expansions and Key Themes

• Tefillah is not primarily about personal requests; its essence is aligning oneself — and the world — with Hashem’s ratzon. Individual bakashos only carry meaning within that larger context.
• Even misdirected emotions (e.g., love, desire) are not disconnected from Hashem. They are divine energies misapplied. Teshuvah is a reorientation, not a reconnection.
• Perspective defines reality: everything in creation is rooted in Elokus. What changes is how we see it.
• The tzadik can descend into concealment without spiritual harm, enabling him to elevate the deepest sparks. His inner purity and orientation keep him above contamination.
• The shell = tefillah = pre-creation/revelation koach: Just as the chick emerges from the shell, creation unfolds from tefillah. The tzadik, deeply aligned with Hashem’s will, activates and channels this pre-creation power on behalf of the world.