Page 412 - 20780

Chapter Nine: | 413 412 | A New Light Chapter Eight: | 389

is no greater running away from Hashem Hashem than the to disconnect himself from life, that he wants to die. Therefore, influences a person’s life is the time of prayer—then they begin to
craving for sleep, which is in its essence a craving to cast off sleep is absolute evil. And so it is always forbidden to want to sleep. understand the work of the will during the time of prayer, and they
the yoke of heaven. see that an hour-long Shemoneh Esrei is not unduly long.
The Beginning of Calamity
Therefore, we may say about sleep what the sages said about When a person prays the Shemoneh Esrei for a whole hour at
the children of Israel in the desert: it is true that a person needs to least once a day, his life will appear entirely different! And how
In Numbers, prior to a description of all of the transgressions
sleep, but his choice is to decide how he will sleep. It is true that and sins of the children of Israel the letter nun is written twice, much more is this true when, from time to time, he recites an hour-
a person needs to renew his mind, to strengthen himself, to renew backward. Why is that? Our sages say, “So as to separate the first long Shemoneh Esrei two or three times in one day.
his powers—but in no way whatsoever should he want to sleep. calamity from the second calamity. What was the second calamity?
To sleep is to run away from Hashem. That is the beginning of ‘The people were complaining’ (Numbers 11:1). What was the first When a person is able to pray in this way once a day, repeating
every calamity and of all transgressions: at first, at a person wants the words over and over again with deeper and deeper feeling, then
only to sleep and forget about Hashem. Afterwards, he craves, he calamity? ‘They traveled away from the mountain of Hashem’ (ibid. when he recites the prayers more briefly because he has no time, an
10:33).” This raises the question: What is calamitous about the fact
complains, he whines, he slanders and creates dispute—as happened that the Jews traveled away from the mountain of Hashem? They impression remains from his lengthy prayer, and so even his short
with the children of Israel (as described further on in the book of had to do so. That was Hashem’s will. But our sages say that they prayer is different, filled with feeling and yearning. But when in the
Numbers). course of his entire life a person prays quickly and briefly, there is
wanted to travel away from the mountain of Hashem. Like a child nothing to illuminate him, and his prayers lack life entirely (as was
On the other hand, the tzaddikim have always been with Hashem: running away from school, they sought to flee Hashem. Therefore, said above).
“I am always with You” (Psalms 73:23). Therefore, there is no way that is called a calamity! It is true that you must travel, but the
for the evil inclination to gain access to them and confuse them. question is: how will you do so—with the will to run away from It should be noted that a person’s entire ability to pray at length
They always cling to their purpose. Even when they sleep, they go Hashem or with the will to proceed together with Hashem? is in accordance with the degree of his rectification of the covenant.
to sleep with Hashem. As the verse states, “I am asleep, but my Only now—in consequence of the exodus from Egypt, the giving As Rabbi Nachman teaches in Likutei Moharan (Kitzur Likutei
heart is awake” (Song of Songs 5:2). Moharan 2): “A person who guards the covenant attains prayer. And
of the Torah and the erection of the tabernacle—did the children when a person damages the covenant, prayer is taken away from
of Israel bond with Hashem. A person can and must proceed with
Wakefulness Hashem. Hashem is dwelling in our midst. “May Hashem please go him.” But even a person who has not yet rectified the covenant
in our midst” (Exodus 34:9). can gain the ability to pray at length when he connects himself
to the tzaddikim, men who guard the covenant entirely. And in
As I have explained, the evil inclination of sleep is the greatest this way, he will sweeten his prayer. As Rabbi Nachman teaches
evil inclination of all, and the essence of the evil inclination. That is Your Leaving Is Difficult for Me (ibid. 50): “Everyone can taste sweetness in the words of prayer
because the evil inclination is the angel of death, and sleep is death.
The entire goal of the evil inclination is to anesthetize a person In Uman, where Rabbi Nachman is buried, people have often in accordance with the extent of his rectification of the covenant
and in accordance with the extent of his connection to the true
so that he will sleep away his days. Therefore, all encouragement
to serve Hashem is called “awakening,” because overall the evil told me, “It is hard for me to part from the tzaddik.” I tell them, tzaddikim who guard the covenant.”
“You are not leaving the tzaddik. You have bonded with him, and
inclination consists of sleep and slumber, whereas overall the service now you are going together with him. He will accompany you,
of Hashem is the opposite of sleep, which is wakefulness. Hashem “I Call to You the Entire Day”
has no satisfaction from a person who sleeps away his days, even because he is bound to you.” Similarly, it is hard for a person to
separate himself from the Sabbath and holidays. But a person must
if he learns Torah and prays. As Rabbi Nachman says, “There are Thus, every person can easily recite the Shemoneh Esrei for an
people who sleep away their days. Although it appears to others that know that he is not separated from the light. The light remains with hour. And, how much more, every person can easily spend an hour
him and bound to him for his entire life. The children of Israel were
they are serving Hashem, learning Torah and praying, nevertheless supposed to travel with Hashem—but instead, they traveled like a every day in hitbodedut and doing the work of the will. And that
none of their work gives Hashem satisfaction, because all of their is literally the absolute minimum, as Rabbi Nachman says (Chayei
work remains below, and it cannot be elevated and uplifted” (Likutei child running away from school. All calamity begins from the Moharan 438):
fact that a person is running away from Hashem. And there

13