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Chapter Nine: True Nullification asleep—and not on anything else. The greater your bond with
Hashem, the more you will get up refreshed, focused, filled with
In particular, Rabbi Nachman teaches that the way to nullify
“If I Give Sleep to My Eyes” cravings is to pray at length and to engage in hitbodedut— energy, and—the main thing—filled with holy will: the desire for
Torah, the desire for prayer, the desire to do good things. In short,
specifically, at night. He writes (Likutei Moharan I 52): you will get up to a day of life. Therefore, Rabbi Elazar would
The Work of the Will in Relation to Sleep pray after his prayer: “May we rise up early and may our hearts
It is only possible to attain nullification by means of yearn to fear Your name” (Berachot 16b).
hitbodedut. When a person engages in hitbodedut and
Introduction speaks to his Maker, he can nullify all of his cravings and But if, on the other hand, a person wants to sleep, that means

evil traits until he can nullify all of his physicality and that he wants to be disconnected from Hashem, that he wants to
Over the years, Hashem has inspired me to see in my own life be absorbed into his root. However, the essence of die. Then his sleep is degraded and impure, and that will affect his
and in the lives of many of my students that one of the areas most hitbodedut is [that it be done] at night, at a time entire day. Even after he gets up, he continues to “sleep,” he is
dependent on a person’s will is his work on sleep. Therefore, that is spiritually drowsy and tired, and the desire to sleep accompanies
one of the most important areas of serving Hashem in a Jew’s life. that everyone is free of the distractions of this world. him throughout the day. Thus, he is not alive at all. Why does this
During the day, everyone is chasing after this world, and happen? Because he wants to sleep, and there is a spiritual law that
You must know that the craving for sleep is an absolute evil that diverts and confuses a person, keeping him from “in the way that a person wishes to go, he is led.” Heaven tells
inclination, which overcomes a person and fills him with the desire clinging to and being absorbed into Hashem, may He him: “Do you want to sleep? We will give you the chance to get 13
to sleep. And when the desire to sleep overcomes a person, he is be blessed. Even if he himself is not distracted, other abundant sleep. You will sleep and sleep until you will burst from
engulfed in great darkness and he loses his entire will for holiness. people are distracted at that time, pursuing the vanities so much sleep. And when you get up, you will get up to a day
When a person drowses off as a result of his desire to sleep, he does of this world, and so it is hard to attain nullification…. of death. You will be tired, and you will not have any desire for
not wake up on time and with enthusiasm. Instead, he rises without Therefore, a person must go off by himself at night on anything.”
the will to serve Hashem. He is simply in absolute darkness and his a lone path to a place where no one else is present.
heart is dead. Thus, the description at the beginning of this chapter of the hours
There, he should engage in hitbodedut. He should and years that a person will lose as a result of his unnecessary hours
But a good trait is always stronger than an evil trait. And so when empty his heart and mind of all of the affairs of this of sleep refers only to the loss of quantity. But in addition to that,
a person wants to bond with Hashem when he will be asleep and so world and nullify everything until he truly attains the there is the loss of quality, because the entire day such a person is
he falls asleep in the midst of intentions and yearnings to cling to level of nullification. That is to say, at first he engages in a state of spiritual sleep and torpor. He is not focused and he
Hashem, he wakes up with enthusiasm, faith and will, and his entire in many prayers and speeches in hitbodedut—at night in accomplishes little, and all of his actions are chaotic and confused.
day is filled with energy and yearning to serve Hashem. an isolated location—until he succeeds in nullifying one Thus, he loses almost his entire life. That is a terrible usury taken
matter, i.e., in nullifying one particular trait and craving. by the evil inclination that does not exist even in the meanest and
Therefore, the central work in which we must invest our After that, he engages in a great deal more hitbodedut cruelest black market.
unbounded intentions and yearnings is the work of sleep, because until he nullifies another trait and craving. And so should
that is the key to a Jew’s entire life. In this chapter, I will explain in The biggest problem is that when a person goes to sleep with the
detail the character of sleep and the practical way in which every he act for a long time in hitbodedut—at that time and in desire to sleep, for the entire day he does not see Hashem. Hashem
person can energize the work of the will in sleep. Whoever takes the that place—until he nullifies everything. speaks with everyone through his reality and through everything
following words to heart will be able to elevate his entire service of that happens in his life throughout the day. Hashem gives hints to
Hashem to a completely different level. I wrote earlier (in Chapter Five) that it is hard for most people to everyone. When a person sees the hints that Hashem sends him,
implement this teaching in its simple sense. Therefore, it is possible he may be said to see Hashem. But if he did not sleep a holy sleep,
to do this holy service wherever and whenever one wishes. The then his entire day is dark and sad. He does not see Hashem, and
The main thing is that a person work on nullifying his cravings by he does not understand the hints.