וְכֵן בִּתְפִלָּה; שֶׁבִּתְּחִלָּה יֵשׁ לוֹ כַּמָּה מְנִיעוֹת עַל הַתְּפִלָּה, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ כְּשֶׁעוֹבֵר עֲלֵיהֶם וּבָא לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, כְּשֶׁלִּבּוֹ עָקֹם וּפְתַלְתֹּל מֵהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, זֹאת הַמְּנִיעָה גְּדוֹלָה מִכֻּלָּם כַּנַּ"ל, 3. The same is true of prayer. Initially, there are many obstacles to prayer. And afterwards, when a person overcomes them and comes to pray, if his heart is twisted and turned away from God, this is the greatest obstacle of all.
הַיְנוּ בְּחִינַת (תהילים ל״ח:י״א): לִבִּי סְחַרְחַר. תַּרְגּוּם סָבִיב – סְחוֹר סְחוֹר. דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁלִּבּוֹ מְסֻבָּב וּמֻקָּף וּמְעֻקָּם בְּעַקְמוּמִיּוּת וְקֻשְׁיוֹת וּכְפִירוֹת עַל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁזֶּה בְּחִינַת (שמות א׳:י״ד): וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה וְכוּ', וְאִיתָא בַּתִּקּוּנִים (תי' יג דף כח.): בְּקֻשְׁיָא וְכוּ', הַיְנוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁבְּלִבּוֹ, שֶׁהֵם הַמְּנִיעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה מִכֻּלָּם, This is the concept of “My heart is S’ ChaRChaR (surrounded)” (Psalms 38:11) ; “surrounded” in Targum is S ’ChoR S’ChoR. In other words, his heart is surrounded, enveloped and twisted by crookedness, questions and heresies concerning God. This is the concept of “They made their lives bitter with KaShah (hard) work…” (Exodus 1:14). And in the Tikkunim we find: with KuShya (difficult questions)… (Tikkuney Zohar #13, p.28b)—i.e., the difficult questions in his heart, the greatest obstacle of all.
וַאֲזַי צָרִיךְ לִצְעֹק לְאָבִיו שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם בְּקוֹל חָזָק מֵעִמְקֵי הַלֵּב, וַאֲזַי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ שׁוֹמֵעַ קוֹלוֹ וּפוֹנֶה לְצַעֲקָתוֹ. וְיָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת, שֶׁמִּזֶּה בְּעַצְמוֹ יִפֹּל וְיִתְבַּטֵּל לְגַמְרֵי כָּל הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת וְהַמְּנִיעוֹת הַנַּ"ל, וְעַל־כָּל־פָּנִים הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ שׁוֹמֵעַ קוֹלוֹ, שֶׁזֶּה יְשׁוּעָתוֹ. וְזֶה אוֹתִיּוֹת קֻשְׁיָא – רָאשֵׁי־תֵבוֹת: שְׁמַע יְיָ קוֹלִי אֶקְרָא (תהילים כ״ז:ז׳); שֶׁצָּרִיךְ רַק לִקְרוֹת לַה', כְּשֶׁמִּתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו הַקֻּשְׁיָא וְהַכְּפִירָה כַּנַּ"ל. And so he must cry out loudly, from the depths of his heart, to his Father in heaven. God will heed his voice and turn to his cry. And it may even happen that from this itself all the aforementioned questions and obstacles will collapse and be eliminated. In any case, God hears his voice—which is his salvation. Thus the letters of KuShYA are an acronym for Shma YHVH Kolee Ekra (“O God, hear my voice when I cry out”) (Psalms 27:7). When overcome by difficult questions and heresy, he need only cry out to God.