Likutei Moharan 63:6/ליקוטי מוהר"ן ס״ג:ו׳

16. The ant that lies inside the serpent’s mouth is the aspect of the <tzaddik> of the generation, who is <upright and righteous> and possesses good character traits. Because he is wise and involves himself in <their> scholarship <and philosophical investigation>, probing these wisdoms, <this tzaddik> suffers greatly when these scholars begin to engage in their <philosophical> investigation. He wages a fierce battle with them—i.e., with the aforementioned aspect of the serpent—for he is greatly assailed by doubts, <untrue assertions> and false beliefs.

2{“[Like] a broken tooth and a lame leg is the support of the unfaithful in time of trouble” (Proverbs 25:19).} This is the aspect of “the support of the unfaithful.” [The tzaddik] is assailed by unfaithful trust, trust lacking sufficient wholeness and truth, which is the aspect of false beliefs. This is the aspect of “[Like] a broken tooth and a lame leg is the support of the unfaithful”—i.e., this “support of the unfaithful” is the aspect of “a broken tooth” for the sage, who is the ant inside [the serpent’s] mouth, as explained above. Since he is wise and involves himself in serving God, these doubts and false beliefs assail him in particular, and he is obliged to constantly wage a fierce battle against them.

3And whether the serpent crawls or flies, his suffering is great and the battle is fierce, although at the time of flying his suffering is surely much greater. Thus, whether it crawls or flies, he has no rest.

4Yet there is a middle stage between the crawling and the flying, which is at the time that it stops flying and descends to a lower altitude, as is the way of that which flies when it wants to descend and alight below. Then, the aforementioned ant can rest, for at that time [the serpent] neither crawls nor flies. That is, there are various times when the scholars rest and do not engage in philosophical investigation, for example, when they sleep and eat. Then the sage, who is the ant inside [the serpent’s] mouth, can rest.

5This sage is the aspect of the ant, as it is written (Proverbs 6:6), “Go to the ant, you lazy one; consider its ways and grow wise.” For this sage teaches wisdom and the ways of God to the people.