Rabbi Nachman's Advice: Obstacles

OBSTACLES

1) All the barriers and obstacles which confront a person have only one purpose: to heighten his yearning for the holy deed which he needs to accomplish. It is part of man's nature that the greater the barriers standing in the way of a certain goal, the more he desires to achieve it. When a Jew needs to do something whose purpose is to strengthen his very core, especially when it is something upon which his whole being as a Jew depends -- to travel to the true Tzaddik -- he is given desire from above. The desire is created through the barrier which is sent to him, and the barrier itself causes his yearning to grow. You should understand, therefore, that there is no barrier in the world that you cannot break if you want to. The entire purpose of the barrier is only to increase your desire. When you achieve the necessary desire and yearning for the holy act you need to accomplish, you will surely succeed in transforming the idea which is in your mind into an actual reality. The barrier itself can bring you to succeed by strengthening your desire to do so (66:4).

2) The greater the goal for which you yearn, the bigger the obstacles and barriers which are sent in order to strengthen your desire. For desire is in proportion to the magnitude of the barriers. From this you can understand that if tremendous barriers spring up on every side as you start to draw near to the Tzaddik, it is an indication of the importance of the goal you wish to achieve. There are always difficulties and obstacles when you try to do anything holy. This is especially true when you want to make the journey to the true Tzaddikim because this is the foundation for everything else. Obstacles appear like at no other time. There are many Tzaddikim. But there is a single point of truth to be found in their midst. When you seek to draw closer to this point of truth -- and everything depends on this -- you will find obstacles and barriers springing up and confronting you on every side. You need fierce determination: you must strengthen your desire and will-power in proportion to the greatness of the goal you are aiming for. Then you will succeed in breaking the barriers and attaining your goal. There is no barrier in the world which a person cannot break, so long as he has the desire and will-power to do so (Ibid.).

3) The way to begin serving God is to imagine there is no one in the entire world except for you. Pay no attention to anyone who puts obstacles in your way, whether it is your father or mother, your parents-in-law, your wife, your children or anyone else. There are certain people who can make things difficult for you through ridiculing you or offering temptations and so on. Pay not the slightest attention to any of them. It is written that 'Abraham was one' (Ezekiel 33:24). Abraham was alone! You must also be alone -- as if you were the only one in the world (Likutey Moharan II, Foreword).