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enough. Remember: “The greatness of a goal must be matched by A Prayer for the Work of the Will Regarding Sleep and the exile of the Torah, whose secrets have been
the greatness of the desire for it” (Likutei Moharan 66). The spiritual delivered to the “extrinsic forces,” for my tremendous
work of sleep and waking up with alacrity early in the morning—- Master of the universe, Life of lives, You Who revive and many transgressions, wrongdoings and sins, which
which is the foundation of a Jew’s life, and the beginning of every the dead and the living, You Who awaken the sleeping have caused all this, and which have extended the exile
good and successful day in serving Hashem—requires a great deal of and arouse the slumbering, I thank You profoundly for considerably. It is clear to You, Creator of all, how much
resolve, a great deal of work. That is a person’s daily test and daily I have extended the exile—for our many sins—overall
burden. It requires him to engage in daily prayer and devotion. having given me the evil inclination of sleep and for
Therefore, your sole solution is to devote at least half an hour a day having given this evil inclination the power to vanquish and in every particular.
to the work of the will, and to want and pray to nullify your craving me. Throughout my entire life, it has overwhelmed me,
for sleep and to get up in the morning with alacrity until you attain misled me and deceived me into thinking that sleeping Woe is me, woe is me! What shall I say? How shall I
the purified and powerful will required for this matter. is a mitzvah, and it has filled me with the craving for speak? How shall I justify myself? I stand before You filled
sleep so that I should want to sleep. In my foolishness with vast guilt. May I never fail to get up at midnight for
Therefore, dear reader, do not afflict yourself with vain accusations: and senselessness, I thought that it is a good inclination even a single night. Be with me always. Help me and guard
“I am listless, I am contemptible, I have a strong craving for sleep, interested in my benefit. Therefore, I obeyed it and I me, so that getting up at midnight will not harm me at
I have no fear of heaven,” and the like. Be aware, dear reader, believed it when it said that a person must want to sleep. all. May I not experience any sickness of the head or any
that the truth is that Hashem gave you this evil inclination. You other harm. My Father in heaven, lift me up and I will
didn’t buy it from the store. The truth is that Hashem gave this I fell into sleep, and I slept unnecessary hours until I lost live. Help me so that from now on I will get up at exactly
evil inclination the power to overcome you and vanquish you. And days and nights, holidays and Sabbaths. And I also lost midnight—whether on a weekday or on a Sabbath and
what does Hashem want from you? To have intent and to pray, in the hours that I was required to sleep, because I slept
accordance with what you are learning here. And the main thing is them with the craving for sleep. And so my soul was in holiday, whether I am at home or traveling—-to recite
that you set aside time to engage in the work of the will! That is all the grip of the powers of uncleanness. And even when I Tikun Chatzot and afterwards to learn much Torah. Help
of your service: the work of the will and prayer. After you know woke up, I slept spiritually. It was hard for me to rejoice, me and save me, so that as a result of reciting Tikun
this, all of your work begins. Therefore, tell Hashem: and I did not serve Hashem with joy and a good heart. Chatzot I will sweeten and eradicate all of the judgments
Therefore, I slept away and lost my life. And that loss is against me, against everyone in my family and against
I thank You a great deal, Hashem, for having given very terrible, beyond measure. all of the children of Israel, Your nation. Help me look
me this evil inclination of craving for sleep, which is so at the sky every morning and in this way draw holy
strong that it has incinerated many years of my life. If But certainly, everything is for the good and everything awareness onto myself, pure and lucid awareness, true
not for Your help, I could not overcome it. But although is precisely calibrated in keeping with a person’s spiritual awareness, and by means of that may I may truly return
I cannot overcome it by myself, I can intend—I can state. During the entire time that I did not work and pray to You and truly live in accordance with Your good will,
intend to cling to You properly and serve You when I to conquer and nullify this evil inclination, I had no vessel from now and forever. Every morning, may a thread
lie down properly and get up properly. Creator of the to receive salvation. Had I succeeded without prayer and of kindness from the “morning of Abraham” be drawn
universe, until now You have given the evil inclination the work of the will, I would have been harmed and onto me, and may the verse be fulfilled, “In the day,
power over me. Please give me the might to vanquish the filled with haughtiness. Help me so that I will not fall into Hashem will command His kindness, and at night His
evil inclination of sleep. Since You are all-powerful, You depression and self-recrimination, but that I will accept song is with me, a prayer to my living God” (Psalms 42:8).
can help me so that I will be redeemed from the craving this with love. May I rejoice that You have helped me And the verse states, “Hashem, Your kindness is in the
for sleep, and I will overcome it with the strength of a begin to feel the desire to awaken from sleep. firmament, Your faithfulness rises to the heavens” (Psalms
lion. When I have sufficient intention, You will help me 36:6). And another verse states, “New in the mornings,
and guide me, because it is a spiritual law that “in the Master of the universe, You have given me an evil vast is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22).

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