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times (as written in the previous chapter). He must cry out and to sleep he should read Psalm 91, “The Song Regarding Evil
call out to Hashem to guard him and rescue him from his greatest Occurrences,” because in sleep endless number of evil occurrences
enemy, which wants to uproot him from both worlds. And he and harmful forces that were caused by a person’s sins besiege him.
must repeat that another few times: once on behalf of his wife and He must plead with Hashem to keep all of those harmful forces
a separate instance on behalf of each of his children. And when from approaching him and harming him. This psalm explains that
he recites hamapil, he should also have in mind that he is asking all of Hashem’s protection and safeguarding depends on a
Hashem to keep the evil inclination of sleep from overcoming him person’s holy will and yearning. As the verse states, “Because
and seizing him. he desired Me, I will rescue him” (Psalms 91:14). And so Likutei
Halachot (Birkat Hamazon 4:21) teaches:
To Learn from Experience
The lion, cobra, young lion and serpent (cf. Psalms 91:1)

A basic point in preparing for sleep that I have learned from my are “husks” and [creatures of the] Other Side. They are
own experience and from the experience of many others is that it obstacles to holiness that obstruct and spread themselves
is vitally important to engage in the entire order of preparing for across the holy path like snakes, lions and serpents, and
sleep while standing up, because when a person sits down, he is in they do not allow anyone to proceed on the path of
danger of being “seized.” Thus, the Ari states that it is preferable holiness. The verse promises a Jew that he will be able
that a person stand during the entire order of the Bedtime Sh’ma. to tread upon them, trample them and eradicate them
Also, if a person wants to learn a little before going to sleep, he by means of his holy will and desire, in keeping with the
should do that standing up as well, since this is a perilous time. As verses, “You will tread upon lion and cobra…. Because
Rashi explains (Berachot 4b), sleep attacks a person and overwhelms he desired Me, I will rescue him” (Psalms 91:1,14). The
his will. Similarly, when a person gets up in the morning, he must operative word is “desired.” The essence of overcoming
remain standing until he leaves the house. Sometimes the evil
inclination tells him to sit down for just a minute or two, and he [negative forces] is desire and will.
falls asleep and finds himself awakening after an hour. Sitting is
dangerous, whether before or after sleep. Therefore, we must place In particular, a person should focus on the verse, “In your hand,
fences around the topic of sleep. I entrust my spirit. You have redeemed me, Hashem, true God”
(Psalms 31:6). This is the central verse on which all sleep depends.
When a person is engaged in serving Hashem and sleep overcomes When a person says this verse, he should plead to Hashem with
him, he must be as mighty as a lion to stand and not sit, because tremendously deep feeling, “Master of the world, I deposit my
if he sits he is in danger of being seized by sleep. Therefore, on spirit only in Your hand. Please, Hashem, only You take my spirit.
the eve of Yom Kippur, the young cohanim would tell the cohen Renew my soul and redeem me from all of the extrinsic forces
gadol: “My master the cohen gadol, stand and cool [your feet] on that want to contaminate me. Have compassion on me, so that
the [marble] floor,” so that the cold would wake him up (Yoma my spirit will be only in Your hand!” And when he lies down, he
1:7). I knew a great tzaddik in Jerusalem whom no one ever saw should repeat that verse over and over again, with this intent, will
sitting. Because he would sleep very little in the evening and rise at and yearning. Then the verse will be realized in him, “When you lie
midnight, he knew that if he would sit down he would fall asleep— down, you will not fear. You will lie down, and your sleep will be
and so he always stood. Related to that, the verse speaks of “those sweet” (Proverbs 3:24).
who stand in the house of Hashem in the nights” (Psalms 134:1).