Atzei Rimon

The Zohar likens spirituality to a form of war (מִלְחַמְתָּהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה,– the war of Torah, and רִיב דִּצְלוֹתָא – the struggle of prayer). The Alter Rebbe later references this when he writes: הנה איתא בזהר שעת צלותא שעת קרבא – “behold, it is written in the Zohar: a time of prayer is a time of war”.

What do we mean when we say prayer is like war? It speaks to an inner struggle that we awaken when we begin to pray and attempt to connect with G-d. As our inner light rises, our darkest parts do too. These feelings of distraction, self-doubt, or imposter syndrome are not accidents or coincidences. They are direct responses to the potential we are trying to access. In other words – the soul makes a move toward greatness, and the inner saboteur charges into battle.

This is why so many people often feel a subtle fear around prayer. We do not always know to give it the name “fear” – it more manifests as a feeling of being frozen, stuck, unmotivated. But the truth is, it is not laziness or a lack of interest – it is something much deeper. It is the sense that prayer will require something from us we aren’t sure we can give. It requires us to face forces we would rather lay dormant.

This spiritual battle echoes in a surprising place: the blank page. Writer’s block is a real and well-known phenomenon, even for the most gifted and prolific of authors. Many of us know the feeling – you sit down and stare at that blank page, and before you set one word down, the inner critic appears. The idea may be perfect in your mind, but thoughts are paralysed from coming onto the page, for fear of ruining it, embarrassing yourself, or just turning out not to be as good as you thought.

This fear, like with prayer, is not often tangible but shows up in all forms of mental blocks or avoidance. It’s self-perpetuating – the more it blocks us, the more it convinces us we are blocked because we simply don’t have what it takes.

But that blocked, difficult, frustrating feeling isn’t a sign that you don’t have what it takes. Rather, it signals that we have something deeply powerful going on. Just as prayer draws out spiritual resistance, writing – especially when honest, daring or personal – stirs a quiet battle within. The desire to express truth meets the fear of exposure. The impulse to create collides with the worry that you are not enough.

Writing, like prayer, involves using thoughts and words to create a reality. The power of this possibility – and the responsibility – can be overwhelming. But the truth is that this blocked feeling – from prayer or from writing – is the sign of its power.

So next time you feel that writer’s block – or the temptation to push off davening – don’t feel guilty, discouraged, or that you don’t have what it takes to get the words out. Know that this feeling of resistance is a sign that you have something truly powerful and meaningful to bring to the table.

It’s not a weakness that you have this inner battle – it’s not a mistake. This battle was made for you. Connect with the feeling of trepidation and embrace it as a sign of your potential. Keep writing, even when it feels scary or unattainable. With each word of your story that you manage to articulate, you win a little more in your G-d-given spiritual battle.