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to sleep. He should eat an easy-to-digest supper. Heavy eating more than gold. That is pure profit. He will see that on that day he because he is transgressing Hashem’s will openly and brazenly, and
makes a person tired and casts him into heaviness and a dissatisfying will be especially alert, alive and active, that he will get things done arrogantly trampling upon the Shulchan Aruch. He violates the
sleep, after which it is hard for him to get up. As the mishnah and succeed much more than usual. Therefore, before everything halachah publicly, and he calls that piety. May the Compassionate
states, “Food results in sleep” (Yoma 1:4). If a person feels a little else, get up and act with alacrity, without any thought. In particular, One save us from such a muddled viewpoint! A person must feel
hungry but he knows that he will be going to sleep within three there is a tradition that Rabbi Nachman of Breslov said that “when ashamed to go to a late minyan after the time of prayer has passed.
hours, he should not eat bread and certainly not meat and dairy a person wakes up at night, that is certainly from heaven, and he A person who gets up late must go hide in some corner and pray
products, all of which make a person heavy and drowsy, but fruit. should not allow himself to go back to sleep” (Avaneha Barzel: Sichot there, so that people will not see him transgressing the Shulchan
Moreinu 74). Aruch. The holy Baal Shem Tov highly valued prayer at sunrise.
Also, the holy Ari teaches, “At the beginning of the night a Therefore, in his city of Mezhibuzh, all of the synagogues would
person should lie on his left side, as mentioned by the Rambam Another good piece of advice to get up in the morning is to be closed by ordinance after the early morning prayer. And this
(may his memory be for a blessing). And after midnight, if he wants place your alarm clock at some distance from your bed, so that you mandate remained in effect even after the Baal Shem Tov passed
to sleep, he should turn over to his right side. This is very helpful cannot just turn it off and go back to sleep, as is common, but that away. In our generation, people cannot abide by this ordinance.
for nullifying the outer forces.” And he states as well, “A person you will have to get out of bed. And once you are standing, it is But they should at least not miss the time of prayer (see Pele Yo'etz:
must be careful not to remove his small tzitzit garment, neither by easier to withstand the test and not return to bed. Sheinah in the name of the Chida).
day nor by night. He should lie down with it at night, and that is
very helpful in nullifying the powers of the outer forces.” Awake, My Glory A Double-Edged Sword

The Intent of Sleep It is worthwhile mentioning other advice regarding sleep and After a person has set the alarm clock and put down a cup for
waking up. washing his hands, he should prepare himself for sleep by reciting
When a person lies down, he must have in mind that he is going the Bedtime Sh’ma with deep feeling, including all of the verses in
to serve His Creator. As the Rambam explains (Dei’ot 3:3): Rabbi Nachman writes in Sefer Hamidot that reciting the 15 the Bedtime Sh’ma service, which are especially suitable for this
“Songs of Ascent”—Psalms 120 to 134—is helpful in nullifying occasion. And he should also recite many personal prayers in his
Even when a person is sleeping, if he is sleeping in sleep. own words, pleading from the depth of his heart for Hashem to be
order to gain knowledge, in order to rest his mind and compassionate and guard him and protect his soul from all extrinsic
rest his body so that he will not grow ill and be unable to And Rabbi Nachman also says (Likutei Moharan I 60) that the forces. And he should recite the Sh’ma from a siddur and not by
serve Hashem because of sickness, his sleep is the service stories of primal years arouse a person from sleep, so that even heart.
a person who fell into a very deep spiritual slumber will wake up
of God, blessed be He. Regarding this matter, our sages (Chayei Moharan 25). Even though this is speaking of spiritual sleep,
commanded and said, “All of your deeds should be for it is certainly helpful in regard to physical sleep as well. Therefore, Let us learn a little of the value of reading Bedtime Sh’ma.
the sake of heaven” (Avot 2:12). That is what Solomon it is good to accustom yourself to learn Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s Reading the Bedtime Sh’ma constitutes a very great rectification
alluded to in his wisdom: “In all your ways, know Him, holy book of Tales—in particular, when you want to cast off sleep for a flaw in the “covenant.” That is hinted at in the Gemara’s
and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6). and serve Hashem. statements that “when a person recites the Sh’ma on his bed, is
as though he grasps a double-edged sword in his hand” and that
And the Shulchan Aruch states (231): Another piece of advice is to recite the verse, “Awaken, my soul, “whenever a person recites the Bedtime Sh’ma, harmful entities
awaken, lyre and harp, I will awake the dawn” (Psalms 57:9) three leave him” (Berachot 5a). Every sin creates harmful entities that
If a person cannot learn without taking an afternoon times forward and three times backward. And each of the six times prevent a person’s soul from rising to its place and attaining its
nap, he should do so, but only if it is not long, because you say “I will awake,” have in mind your desire to get up. rectification. The holy books state that every night, when a person
during the day it is forbidden to sleep more than “the recites the Bedtime Sh’ma, he kills thousands and tens of thousands
sleep of a horse,” which is 60 breaths. And even Similarly, a person must accustom himself not to eat before going