I heard once from the Rebbe’s holy mouth about mar’in, nightmares, may God save us. He said, “The kelipot of the wasted seed of a person go to her [Lilith] and this causes the mar’in.” We once heard him say that the greatest of all religious devotions is still easier than the efforts involved in making a living and acquiring worldly possessions. We see for ourselves how much effort a merchant puts into traveling to a fair or a market in time for market-day. As soon as Shabbat ends he has to start getting busy. First he must find a wagon. Then he has to expend a lot of energy hurriedly loading his wares onto the wagon. After this he has to travel through the night, driving sleep from his eyes and breaking his whole body through having to sit on top of a loaded wagon. This is besides all the other rigors of travel. After this he has to stand on his feet for the whole day in the freezing cold… All this effort, discomfort and hardship for a maybe—maybe he will make a profit, or maybe he will lose everything, including his expenses, which is what usually happens. To make a living in this world people go to such lengths and suffer such hardship—and all for a maybe, the chance of a small profit. On the other hand, the greatest possible religious devotion is prayer. And yet, when we get up to pray, we pray and then we [succeed in] completing the prayer!
(קטו) שָׁמַעְתִּי מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ לְעִנְיַן מַרְאִין רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלַן, שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁהַקְּלִפּוֹת שֶׁל הַמִּקְרוֹת שֶׁל הָאִישׁ הוֹלְכִים אֵלֶיהָ, וּמִזֶּה בָּא מַרְאִין שֶׁלָּהֶם רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלַן. שָׁמַעְנוּ פַּעַם אַחַת מִשִּׂיחוֹתָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁאָמַר בְּפִיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁהָעֲבוֹדָה הַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁבַּגְּדוֹלוֹת בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם קַלָּה בְּיוֹתֵר לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵעֵסֶק קִנְיָן שֶׁמַּטְרִיחִין עַצְמָן בִּשְׁבִיל פַּרְנָסָה וְעִסְקֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, כִּי הֲלֹא אָנוּ רוֹאִין כַּמָּה יְגִיעוֹת יָגֵע הָאָדָם בִּשְׁבִיל לִנְסֹעַ עַל אֵיזֶה יָרִיד וְיוֹמָא דְשׁוּקָא שֶׁתֵּכֶף בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת צָרִיךְ לִטְרֹחַ וּלְחַפֵּשׂ אַחַר עֲגָלָה, וְנֶחְפָּז מְאֹד לִטְעֹן סְחוֹרָתוֹ עַל הָעֲגָלָה בִּיגִיעָה גְּדוֹלָה, וְאַחַר־כָּךְ צָרִיךְ לִנְסֹעַ כָּל הַלָּיְלָה וּלְנַדֵּד שֵׁנָה מֵעֵינָיו וּמְשַׁבֵּר כָּל גּוּפוֹ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לֵישֵׁב עַל עֲגָלָה טְעוּנָה, וּשְׁאָר טְרָחוֹת וִיגִיעוֹת כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן כַּיָּדוּעַ לְהָעוֹלָם. וְאַחַר־כָּךְ צָרִיךְ לַעֲמֹד כָּל הַיּוֹם עַל רַגְלָיו וְכוּ' וּבִפְרָט בִּימוֹת הַקֹּר הֶעָצוּם וְכוּ'. וְכָל אֵלּוּ הַטְּרָחוֹת וְהַיְגִיעוֹת הַכְּבֵדוֹת וְהַקָּשׁוֹת הוּא מַטְרִיחַ עַצְמוֹ עַל סָפֵק, כִּי סָפֵק אִם יַרְוִיחַ אֵיזֶה רֶוַח קָטָן אוֹ אוּלַי יְאַבֵּד גַּם הַהוֹצָאוֹת כַּמָּצוּי בְּרֹב הַפְּעָמִים. נִמְצָא שֶׁעַל עִסְקֵי פַּרְנָסַת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה מַטְרִיחִין עַצְמָן כָּל־כָּךְ בִּיגִיעוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה עַל סָפֵק רֶוַח קָטָן. וְהָעֲבוֹדָה הַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁבַּגְּדוֹלוֹת הִיא הַתְּפִלָּה וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן כְּשֶׁעוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל מִתְפַּלְּלִין וְגוֹמְרִין הַתְּפִלָּה (הוּבָא בְּלִקּוּטֵי הֲלָכוֹת הִלְכוֹת תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית הֲלָכָה ד' אוֹת ז):
I heard once from the Rebbe’s holy mouth about mar’in, nightmares, may God save us. He said, “The kelipot of the wasted seed of a person go to her [Lilith] and this causes the mar’in.” We once heard him say that the greatest of all religious devotions is still easier than the efforts involved in making a living and acquiring worldly possessions. We see for ourselves how much effort a merchant puts into traveling to a fair or a market in time for market-day. As soon as Shabbat ends he has to start getting busy. First he must find a wagon. Then he has to expend a lot of energy hurriedly loading his wares onto the wagon. After this he has to travel through the night, driving sleep from his eyes and breaking his whole body through having to sit on top of a loaded wagon. This is besides all the other rigors of travel. After this he has to stand on his feet for the whole day in the freezing cold… All this effort, discomfort and hardship for a maybe—maybe he will make a profit, or maybe he will lose everything, including his expenses, which is what usually happens. To make a living in this world people go to such lengths and suffer such hardship—and all for a maybe, the chance of a small profit. On the other hand, the greatest possible religious devotion is prayer. And yet, when we get up to pray, we pray and then we [succeed in] completing the prayer!