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of these harmful forces, and as a result his soul can rise to a state We must stand at night, and in this way prevent the evil inclination regarding that little amount, a person’s intent
of holiness and attain its rectification. The holy Zohar (Balak) states: of sleep from seizing us. should not be to grant his body pleasure, but to
strengthen his body for the service of Hashem,
Every night, when a person follows the laws of his Master, before In general, we must know that a person requires great alacrity may He be blessed. And so too in everything from
he lies on his bed he kills 1,125 of the evil spirits that are with him. in rising in the morning, because “sleep casts down the lazy” which a person gains pleasure in this world, he should
(Proverbs 19:15). And Rabbi Moshe Dovid Valli says that “supernal
Rabbi Abba said: A thousand are from the left side. As the verse providence does not help lazy people. But when people wake up not have his own pleasure in mind but the service of
states: “A thousand will fall from your [left] side” (Psalms 91:7). As to do their work with alacrity, they are helped and they succeed.” the Creator, may He be blessed. As the verse states,
the verse states, ‘The pious will rejoice with glory…. The praises of And he also says: “Laziness is considered equivalent to wickedness. “In all your ways, know Him” (Proverbs 3:6). And our
God are in their throats … to wreak vengeance…’ (Psalms 149:5-7). As the verse states, ‘A person who is careless in his work is a sages said, “All of your deeds should be for the sake of
As the verse states, ‘He will not lie down until he eats the prey…’ brother to a destructive person’ (Proverbs 18:9).” And Sefer heaven” (Avot 2:12), because even mundane matters—
(Numbers 23:24)—in order ‘to do judgment with them” (Psalms Hamidot states, “With alacrity, a person removes sleep and revives such as eating, drinking, walking, sitting, waking up and
149:9). his mind” (Atzlut). marital relations, conversation, and all of your bodily

needs—should all be for the service of your Creator, or
The holy Ari states in Sha’ar Hakavanot that when a person Advice on How to Get Up in the Morning
recites the Sh’ma he must have two aims in mind: to kill the unclean for something that leads to His service….
bodies that were created from his blemishes, and to restore those
souls to their place in holiness so that they will be rectified there A person should sleep without a wristwatch, or at any rate only And the same applies to lying down. There is no need
and afterwards come to this world like all other souls. It is very look at his watch after he has gotten up from bed, or at least until to say that when a person can engage in Torah and
important to say all 248 words of the Sh’ma, because they are after he has washed his hands. That is because, when a person mitzvot he should not be drawn into sleep in order to
made into a spear that kills all of the harmful forces and unclean wakes up and sees the time, his evil inclination immediately tells give himself pleasure. But even when he is weary and
bodies (the Hebrew word for “spear”—romach—is composed of him: “It is still very early, you still have time…,” and since his mind must sleep in order to rest from his weariness, if he
the same letters as the number 248—ramach). is foggy, he is easily persuaded. That is totally the work of the evil does so for his bodily pleasure, that is not praiseworthy.
inclination. Rather, he should intend to give sleep to his eyes and
If a person goes to sleep accepting the yoke of the kingdom of rest to his body in order to maintain his health, so that
heaven and reciting the Sh’ma properly, he can attain tremendous All of a person’s thoughts when he first gets up—“I’m tired, I his mind will not be unable to grasp the Torah because
rectifications. But if he casts off the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, don’t know if I slept enough…” and the like—are heretical thoughts
he is in terrible danger. It is no wonder that he wakes up late and (as I have already explained). Remember this well: these are of a lack of sleep.
that the entire next day is entirely askew. dangerous thoughts that wish to shorten your life, in the simplest
sense. If you are tired, get up with alacrity and bind yourself to In summation, a person must place his eyes and heart
Hashem. That will awaken you and give you life. At the moment upon his actions and weigh all of his deeds on the scale
No Satan and No Evil Occurrence that you are being tested, it is very hard to understand that all of of his mind. When he sees that something will lead to the
those thoughts are one great lie. But if you prepare yourself, remain service of the Creator, may He be blessed, he should do
It is important to say and focus well on all of the verses that we aware and seek counsel on how to act, then at the moment that
recite in the text of the Bedtime Sh’ma, all of which are very helpful you are tested you will prevail and get up. it. And if not, he should not do it. And a person who
to attain protection and every sort of rectification—in particular, in acts in this way serves his Creator always.
order to yearn at the time of sleep, which is the essential service of Also, if a person decides that he will get out of bed whatever time And the holy Ari states: “A person must intend that even at the
Hashem associated with sleep. it may be when he wakes up (since he is not wearing a watch), he time that he is sleeping, he will serve his Creator. That is alluded
may sometimes find himself waking up an hour or two early, and
The Shulchan Aruch (239) states that before a person goes so he will earn another few hours of night, which are worth much to in the verse, ‘In all of your ways, know Him’” (Sha’ar Hakavanot:
Derushei Halailah). According to everything that I have written here,