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a craving for sleep that he slept ten hours. So today I killed him for sheinah—is written with an alef in place of a hey. The Yalkut a person’s wakefulness and focus. If a person sleeps little but with
four hours.” Midrashim states that this word stands for sheinah achat—"one the proper quality (as we will learn), the next day he will be alert
sleep”—because a person who chases sleep from his eyes in this and attentive, and his mind will be clear and sharp. But if a person
Darkness and Blackness world will experience only one sleep from the time that he passes sleeps a lot, loves to sleep and sleeps so deeply that he finds it hard
away to the time of the resurrection of the dead. That is to say, his to wake up, he will be drowsy and tired the entire day. His mind
Sleep is an absence of knowledge. The entire fundamental purpose time in his grave will be like one sweet sleep, regarding which the will be fatigued and enervated, and he will not reach clarity about
of a human being is to attain knowledge. Is it possible that a person verse states: “Sweet is the sleep of the worker” (Ecclesiastes 5:11, as anything. That is literally so in the simple sense. A person who tries
will of his own volition cast away knowledge, which is his nobility explained by Rashi). (And we may also read sheinah with an alef as the this will see this in actuality: when he has little sleep and he feels a
and splendor? word s’no—“hate”—meaning that we should hate sleep.) little tired, if he shakes off his sleepiness, he can concentrate and
understand his learning clearly. But if he is tired as a result of having
In addition, sleep draws a very grievous impurity onto a person. People wish each other a “good night,” meaning, a good sleep. overslept, then even when he learns he sleeps, and everything is
That is why we must wash our hands as soon as we get up in the The Breslov Hasidim say: “Does sleeping constitute good night? foggy. And so the Tiferet Yisrael comments on this mishnah: “As
morning (as is known). When a person who has not washed his Sleeping is very bad. Getting up at midnight and filling the night a result of much sleep, not only does a person lose time, but his
hands wakes up, he contaminates everything that he touches, and with Torah and prayer—that is called a good night!” mind grows old and he loses his keenness.”
he harms himself and others. Does it make sense that a person The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us: “You shall study
would want to put himself into such terrible state of impurity? A Thread of Kindness
Sleep is a grievous “husk” (a manifestation of impurity). As it day and night” (Joshua 1:8). That is something that everyone
can achieve. First of all, know the truth. Do not transform the
Likutei Halachot explains, sleep corresponds to exile, obstacles punishment into delight. Do not transform the necessary into the Perhaps this is the meaning of the Gemara: “When a person
and darkness. Our entire exile corresponds to sleep: “‘I am asleep’ engages in Torah at night, the Holy One, blessed be He, draws
(Song of Songs 5:2) ... refers to the exile” (Patach Eliyahu). It makes no ideal. Then, clearly understand what truly gives you life and what upon him a thread of kindness the next day” (Chagigah 12b). Since
takes it away from you and causes you to lack life. Now begin to
sense for a Jew to desire to sleep! When a person wants to sleep, a person learned at night instead of sleeping, the next day he will
he is engulfed in tremendously great darkness. He is in exile and so want the latter and pray for it, and learn the practical advice on be filled with wisdom, which will illuminate his face. This may be
how to attain it (as I will explain). After that, you will begin to gain
he barely succeeds in waking up. And even when he does wake up, great and tremendous profits. described as a thread of kindness drawn onto him. The Maharsha
he stays in bed for a long time, turning from side to side, without explains (Avodah Zarah 3b) that in general when a person has been
any desire and will to leave his bed. And he certainly has no will to awake the entire night, the next day his face is dark. But when a
pray, because prayer and faith are redemption, whereas he, poor The Foundation of Everything person remained awake at night in order to learn Torah, his face is
fellow, is in exile. beautiful. And the Meiri says, “What is ‘a thread of kindness’? That
Since I have already discussed the ability of tzaddikim to sleep means that when a person is asked a question he answers properly.”
A Means or the Ends? little, you must know that needing little sleep depends on the And that matches exactly what I wrote here: that when a person
rectification of the covenant. The flaw of the covenant prevents a sleeps little, he is focused and clear, and so he is able to learn
person from clinging to Hashem, clinging to life. Instead, he clings to
Sleep is only a necessary means of allowing us to engage in Torah, because “determining halachah requires clarity” (Eiruvin 65).
more hours of activity. This may be compared to a car. The more the side of death, and so he grows tired. Therefore, a person needs Thus, a person who removes sleep from his eyes gains clarity and
to work on rectifying the covenant, as explained in My Covenant
kilometers per liter a car can get, the better. No one wants to fill of Peace—in particular, by doing the work of the will, as is taught success in determining the halachah, and his face shines brightly!
up with gas. A person is obligated to fill up with gas. Therefore, in this book. Then he will more easily advance in the area of sleep,
he does so only when he has to. If someone were to say, “How and he will need to sleep much less. As Rabbi Nachman teaches in Rabbi Moshe Dovid Valli, a student of the Ramchal, writes in his
enjoyable to fill up with gas, I’m really looking forward to it,” commentary on Proverbs:
that would sound ridiculous. But when a person says, “I feel like Sefer Hamidot: “The more sanctified a person is, the farther he is
from sleep” (Sheinah 1).
sleeping,” isn’t that ridiculous? If it were not so sad, it would be Sleep is the great obstacle to engaging in any useful
endeavor…. Although lying down strengthens a person’s