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The essential quality of a person’s bond to Hashem results from it is not pure, it remains and is polluted among them and his sleep, because he will have good dreams and he will
his intention and yearning when he goes to sleep to cling to Hashem, clings to them, and it does not rise any higher. There, see holy sights. That is because he is involved with [his
to learn Torah, to be cognizant of the world-to-come and to cling it is told only about matters that were decreed above mindfulness] throughout the day and he does not cease
to the world-to-come. He wants Hashem to renew his powers, his that will occur in the near future. And sometimes (when clinging to it. That sweetens his sleep. That is why the
mindfulness. He wants Hashem to strengthen his faith and renew it, it is more polluted) it is mocked in a dream and told verse says, repetitiously, “You will lie down and your
and he wants to wake up at a particular time. With such intent and falsehoods. sleep will be sweet.” Not only does he not fear—in
yearning he gathers his strength until he clings to Hashem. That is
called sleeping like a lion. contrast to people who do not attain such clinging, and
In this way, the nefesh soars every night until the who do fear—but he takes delight from the midst
If you sleep like a lion, you will wake up like a lion. But if the evil person wakes up from his sleep and it returns to its place. of his sleep in all of those delights caused by holy
inclination gathers strength to rule over you and you sleep like a Fortunate are the tzaddikim to whom the Holy One, clinging [to Hashem].
dog, how will you be able to get up like a lion? The verse states, blessed be He, reveals His secrets in a dream so that they
“He crouches and lies down like a lion and like a young lion. Who will be guarded from judgment. Woe to those wicked At Midnight I Will Rise
will dare rouse him?” (Numbers 24:9). Homiletically, this may be people of the world who pollute their body and nefesh.
understood to mean, “One who lies down like a lion will get up It is impossible to discuss the service of Hashem associated with
like a lion.” Come, see. When those who have not been polluted going to sleep and waking up without mentioning the crucial and
go to bed, their nefesh rises and enters among all of fundamental service of rising at midnight. This way of serving
Accordingly, we may understand why the Rema made his those unclean levels. It rises [further] and does not cling
comment about lying down in relation to the Shulchan Aruch’s to them. Afterwards, it soars and rises in keeping with its Hashem has been engaged in by many Jews in all generations and
in all countries across the world—whether Russia, Morocco, Yemen
statement that we must gather strength like a lion in the morning. or Iran—great and small, householders and Torah sages, simple,
The Rema advises us how we may accomplish that. We do so by way and [degree of] merit. This nefesh that has the merit
remaining connected and bound to Hashem 24 hours a day—and to rise comes before a holy angel—[Metat, the guardian sincere people and brilliant scholars. They all meticulously kept the
first halachot in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 1:2-3):
in particular, when we lie down. of the entrance]—who receives that pure nefesh with a
welcoming expression. [Therefore, Metat is called The A person who gets up early to plead before his Creator
The World-to-Come Face of Days or The Minister of the Face]). should have in mind the times of the changing of the

From there, it rises with supernal yearning and guards: the end of the first third of the night, the end of
Regarding that balance, Rabbi Nachman states that immediately the second third of the night, and the end of the night.
upon getting up from sleep a person should cause his mind to cling clings with intent to appear before and to see the That is because the prayer that a person recites at those
to the world-to-come: “This is a proper practice for a person who pleasantness of the King and visit His palace. That
fears Hashem: as soon as he wakes up in the morning, before he is [the nefesh of a] person who has a portion always times regarding the Destruction [of the Temple] and the
begins anything else, he should immediately recall the world-to- in the world-to-come. And that is the nefesh whose exile is accepted [by Hashem]….
come” (Likutei Moharan I 54). Breslov Hasidim say that this depends entire desire and yearning when it rises at night is
on which thought a person went to sleep with. When a person lies to rise and cling to the Holy One, blessed be He. It is proper for every person who possesses the fear of
down, he must cling in his thought solely to the world-to-come Therefore, it merits to rise and reach the place of heaven to be distressed and upset by the Destruction of
until he falls asleep. And Rabbi Avraham ben R. Nachman explains its desire, and it does not cling to the category of the Temple.
that sleep itself is the level of the world-to-come. Afterwards, when the lights of the husks. It continues to a holy level,
a person wakes up and throughout the remainder of the day, he to its root—which is the place from which it emerged. And thus Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi states in his Shulchan
must think of the world-to-come. In that way, all of his days will be Aruch Harav (second edition 1):
on the level of the world-to-come (Sod Sarfei Kodesh 4:42). Thus, the verse states, “With my spirit, I have yearned