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Know, dear reader, that you can sleep much less—but do Moharan I 60). Therefore, the great accusation of the evil Haman if in the end a person does not pray properly. As Rabbi Nachman
not try to do so by force. You must engage in much work against the nation of Israel began with “There is a nation” (Esther teaches in Sefer Hamidot: “If a person strengthens himself
on holiness, pray a great deal and engage in the war of the 3:8), which can be translated as “a nation is sleeping”—meaning, before prayer and engages in a great deal of preparation, even if
will with all your might (as will be explained). state our sages, that he told Achashverosh that the nation of afterwards he does not pray properly, sufferings will separate
Israel is asleep in the sense that it is not performing the Torah’s themselves from him” (Hamtakat Din 38). And Rabbi Nachman also
We Don’t Want to Sleep commandments (Megillah 13b). states there: “As a result of a person having the intent to plead
before Hashem, may He be blessed, he gains favor in the eyes of
Until now, I have demonstrated that sleep does not give life. Now Rise Up First to Kill Him Hashem, may He be blessed” (Tefillah 30). But we may presume
I will return to the topic and explain why the concepts of tiredness that preparation will have an effect and that we will feel the great
and the urge to sleep are tremendous heresy and irreverence. The Every morning we recite the baraita listing a number of actions helpfulness of preparing. As Rabbi Nachman states: “Before
concept of “being tired” is extremely negative. The Torah tells that that have no measure: whose fruits a person enjoys in this world prayers, a person must cause his spirit to cling to the Creator. As
when the evil Esau returned from the field, “he was tired” (Genesis but whose principal remains for him in the world-to-come. One of a result of this clinging, the words [of prayer] will of themselves
25:29). Rashi explains that he had returned from murdering, and these actions is “getting up early to go to the study hall.” The main emerge from his mouth” (ibid. 76).
our sages say that he had transgressed five grave sins that day (Bava thing is to get up early—and that is a great aid to achieve length of The Hasidim say that preparing for prayer is more valuable than
Batra 16b), which may be translated as “You were tired and weary days (Berachot 8a). The greatest service of Hashem is to arise from the prayer itself, because the intent to do a mitzvah is greater than
and you did not fear God” (Deuteronomy 25:18). sleep. Therefore, Rabbi Nachman said, “The essence of the work doing the mitzvah itself (as is explained in this book). Therefore,
of a Jew in the winter is to get up at midnight. And in the summer,
Tiredness results comes from a disconnection from Hashem. A when the night is very short [outside the land of Israel], he should when you recite korbonot, pesukei dezimra and, how much
person who clings to the Life of lives is alive. And a person must be careful to get up early in the morning, at dawn” (Sichot Haran more, the Sh’ma and its blessings, that is the time to energize
have the will to cling to Hashem 24 hours a day. Therefore, I 301). yourself with songs and praises, with a maximum of intent and
do not like to speak of “sleep,” because sleep is forgetfulness and a maximum of deep feeling, because that is the preparation for
disconnection from Hashem. The letters of the Hebrew word for The Gemara states a number of times, “If someone comes to kill the Shemoneh Esrei, which is the principal part of prayer. And
“sleep,” sheinah, can be rearranged to form the word neshiyah, you, rise up early to kill him.” The holy books state that this alludes in addition, blessing will come upon a person who, before the
“forgetfulness.” Why does a person go to sleep? In order to gain to the evil inclination, which comes to kill a person. As the verse formal prayers, recites Rabbi Elimelech’s Note and other wonderful
life and strength, and in order to renew his mind. But know that states: “The wicked one looks at the righteous person and seeks to prayers.
sleep does not accomplish any of this. It only damages a person and kill him” (Psalms 37:32)—and the Gemara interprets this verse as
disconnects him from Hashem. Therefore, never say, “I am going referring to the evil inclination (Kiddushin 30b). The counsel against
to sleep.” The true description of this part of your life must be: the evil inclination is to “rise up early to kill him.” By waking
“I am going to cling to Hashem”—in the simple sense. What is the up early in the morning with alacrity to serve the Creator, you At Least Once a Day
rectified aspect of sleep? Absolute clinging to Hashem! overcome and defeat the evil inclination. In accordance with what I
have explained here, you may understand that the counsel to wake
A person must cling to Hashem by means of the Torah, prayer up is not just one element among others on how to overcome the I previously quoted the famous Gemara (Berachot 32b) that the
and keeping the mitzvot. But when he feels that it is hard for him to evil inclination, but it is the essential element, because the essence early pietists would sit one hour before prayer and one hour after
concentrate on Torah learning and prayer, and therefore he cannot of the inclination is the inclination toward death and sleep—and so prayer and spend one hour on prayer itself. Usually, when the
cling to Hashem by means of Torah and prayer, he must bond to the essence of overcoming it is waking up early. Gemara refers to an “hour,” it means an indeterminate period of
Hashem directly by means of absolute clinging to Hashem. But time and not necessarily an hour. But in this case, the students of
the desire to sleep is something very lowly. It means that a person Thus, practically speaking, all service of Hashem consists of Rabbeinu Yonah derive from the Gemara that the reference is to
wants to forget and disconnect himself from Hashem, that he wants waking up from sleep. The entire world and its activities are in a literal hour, and their words are cited in the works of halachah.
the category of sleep, and a person’s every movement in serving