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become two of the Seven Shepherds. It was not for nothing that That being the case, the strength of a person’s will throughout the
verses were written to describe their slightest movements. We must day depends on the outcome of his battle with his evil inclination
aspire to reach that level. At the very least, we must know what the night before, as he was going to sleep. Everything depends
the truth is. Therefore, how can a person want to remove his mind on those minutes. If a person’s evil inclination overcomes him
from Hashem and forget Hashem? How can a person want to and fills him with the urge to sleep, the entire next day his holy
separate himself from Hashem and sink into sleep? intention will be weak, and evil intentions will easily overcome him.
Therefore, a person must battle and overcome this evil inclination.
Have you ever seen a person grow tired of breathing and decide Then throughout the entire day, holy intentions will illuminate him,
to give it up? Of course not! A person must aspire to cling at every and faith will shine on him at every moment. Thus, a person’s
second to the Life of lives. “‘Every soul will praise God’ (Psalms entire day and entire life depend on this war on sleep, which is the
150:6)—with every breath a person must praise the Creator” most difficult war.
(Bereishit Rabbah 14)—even while he is asleep. And the midrash
states, “The soul fills the entire body. When a person sleeps, the Therefore, I will explain here at length the entire topic of the
soul rises and draws life onto itself from above” (ibid.). When a work of the will at the time of lying down and the work of lying
person goes to sleep, he must have in mind that he wants to cling down and rising up in accordance with faith.
to the Life of lives in order to draw down life from above. If a
person goes to sleep and forgets Hashem, it is as though he is telling To Succeed in Life
Hashem: “That’s it. I’ve had enough of clinging to You. I need a
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little rest from being connected and clinging to You….” That is an The primary element in life is enthusiasm. A lazy person will
insult and a disconnection from Hashem. Therefore, such a person not succeed at anything. Everything begins with getting up in the
wakes up tired, because a person who disconnects himself from morning. “The door turns on its hinge, but the lazy man is on his
Hashem experiences death, sleep and tiredness. But a person who bed” (Proverbs 26:14). There are people who get up but do not
clings to Hashem receives life. succeed in getting out of bed. The evil inclination ties them down

with the bonds of sleep. They are imprisoned and manacled by the
War for Life false sweetness of sleep, which turns into tremendous bitterness.
They are angry at themselves and hate themselves, their domestic
The great war within a person occurs when he goes to tranquility is destroyed, they do not succeed in life and they do
sleep. What we think, what we want, what we yearn for—a person not keep their position at work, not to speak of the fact that their
who yearns to cling to and connect with Hashem is led in that prayer and service of Hashem are entirely distorted.
direction. His soul rises to the Source of souls. There it is renewed
and attains insights. But if a person wants to sleep, if he yearns to Nothing destroys a person’s life physically and spiritually as much
disconnect himself from Hashem, then all of the powers of pollution as sleep does. The Gemara states, “Sleep and wine for the righteous
rule over his soul and it clings to all of the evil in the world and is bad for them and bad for the world” (Sanhedrin 72a). And Rabbi
adheres to it. There are tzaddikim who, when they are sleeping, Nachman states: “Much sleep brings a person to poverty” (Sefer
rise to the heavenly yeshiva and learn Torah there. Conversely, Hamidot: Mammon 91)—as in the verse, “Do not love sleep, lest
there are people who, when they are sleeping, commit all of the you grow impoverished; open your eyes and be sated with bread”
sins proscribed by the Torah. A sleeping person can rise to supernal (Proverbs 20:13). In the entire book of Proverbs, the wisest of men
and elevated heights. Thus, the prophets attained their prophecy markedly derides laziness and sleep and their bitter consequences,
and warns, “Do not allow sleep upon your eyes and slumber upon