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that our soul was not exchanged during the night for that of a wept he began to tell him that he wants to be a decent know how to unify the holy name properly. This is the
gentile. This indicates that a person can lose his soul during sleep person. Rabbeinu, who was already lying in bed, got up praise of those people who have faith, those who arise
and receive the soul of a gentile! What does this depend on? It and sat on his bed, and began to talk with him, and at midnight to learn Torah and by doing so cling to the
depends on the intent that a person goes to sleep with. If he wants taught him this path, and he also told him what he should Congregation of Israel in praising the Holy One, blessed
to get up like a Jew, he must go to sleep like a Jew. During his sleep, learn. And he also directed him to be among those who be He, with words of Torah.
he must accept the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, bond with make an accounting—i.e., that every night before he lies
Hashem, and aspire to experience all good and holy intentions: the Come and see: when a person rises at midnight to learn
intention to learn Torah in his sleep, to cling to the world-to-come down he should think about what he did that day. If Torah and a northern wind arises at midnight, the doe
and to the tzaddikim, and more. Then he will get up like a Jew. he learned and prayed properly on that day, he should
thank Hashem, may He be blessed, and tell Him: “Praise that is the Shechinah stands and praises the Holy One,
Therefore, we must lie down with a tremendous fear of heaven. and thanksgiving to Your great and holy name for having blessed be He. And when she rises to praise, thousands
We are all human beings. We are not angels and supernal seraphim given me the merit to learn and pray a little this past and tens of thousands of angels and souls of tzaddikim
who are on fire for Hashem 24 hours a day. Sadly, the great day, in keeping with Your will. And I plead before You, stand and offer praise with her from their place. They all
majority of people are disconnected from Hashem during a great Hashem my God, to help me tomorrow to increase begin to praise the holy King.
part of the day. Therefore, it is quite common for a person to go serving You with more Torah and prayer, and with a
to sleep when he is exhausted and weary, at which time the evil more perfect, deep intent.” But if, heaven forbid, he did The Holy One, blessed be He, listens to the person
inclination rules over him entirely by filling him with the desire to who has merited to rise at midnight to learn Torah,
sleep, and he lacks the energy to gather enough strength to engage not learn and pray properly during the previous day, he as the colleagues have explained. As the verse states:
in the service of Hashem that is associated with sleep. As a result, should confess and plead before Him, may He be blessed, “You who sit in the gardens, the colleagues heed your
he falls asleep while in the middle of reciting the Sh’ma or without and say: “Master of the world, I know that I sinned this voice. Let me hear” (Song of Songs 8:13). And that entire 15
even reciting the Sh’ma at all, nor the verses of protection and day and I did not serve You properly—neither in Torah
the blessing of hamapil. Worst of all, because the desire for sleep nor in prayer,” and so forth. “Now I beseech and plead heavenly population and all those giving praise who sing
overwhelms him, he sinks into a swamp of slumber. before You”—and so forth—“to forgive and pardon me to their Master are silenced for the sake of the praises
for having not served You properly in the past. And help of those who have learned Torah. And [these angels]
A Minute in a Test me serve You through Torah learning and praying, with proclaim: “Behold, bless Hashem, all of the servants of
proper intent and wholeness, in keeping with Your will.” Hashem. You are the ones to bless Hashem, you are the
If this describes you, what can you say? “I do possess the fear of ones to praise the holy King, you are the ones to crown
heaven, but I’m tired, I exhausted ….” No, that is a lie! It is a fact The holy books speak a great deal about the value of this practice. the King.” And that doe—[the Shechinah]—is crowned
that if a person who is very tired suddenly sees an ice cream sundae A person who engages in an hour of hitbodedut every day, in which because of that person. She stands before the King and
and he is overcome by craving, he will forget all of his tiredness and he judges himself for all of his actions, is certainly considered to says: “Look at the son that I have brought You, the son
he will be totally awake. And how much more when sensual craving be among those who engage in such a personal accounting. It is for whose sake I have awakened to You.”
overwhelms a person. That is because when a person experiences preferable to engage in such a personal accounting with a calm mind
craving, he has will. And when he has will, he has strength. A and without hurry, and not before going to sleep, when a person is And who are those all of whose praise comes before
person who possesses the fear of heaven has holy will. As the verse tired, and the evil inclination is hounding him. Nevertheless, before the King? The verse continues: “Those who stand in the
states, “[Hashem] does the will of those who fear Him” (Psalms going to bed he should mentally review his actions and engage in house of Hashem in the nights” (Psalms 10:3): those who
145:19). If a person had the will to recite the Sh’ma and cling to teshuvah for every flaw that he finds in himself. are called servants of Hashem, those who are worthy of
Hashem, he would find the energy to gather the strength to do so. blessing the King and whose blessing is a blessing. That
is referred to by the verse: “Raise your hands in the
Therefore, know that this is not tiredness. This is a lack of the fear