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slept during the Sabbath day (from She’al Avicha Veyagedcha, quoted in 6:6) (Likutei Moharan II 84). Help me so that I will receive my
Igeret L’ven Torah by the Rishon Letzion, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef). entire life force from You, from the Torah, from prayer
and from complete faith. As the verse states, “New in
Everything we have learned here must inspire us deeply to the mornings, vast is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 2:22-
prepare ourselves so that we will sleep as little as possible on the 23).
holy Sabbath. It is very important to prepare oneself physically
by taking a nap on Friday afternoon, so as to enter the Sabbath In Your vast compassion, have compassion on us. Help
alert and clear. It is known that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditshov
said: “I am surprised that one of the Ten Commandments is not us and all Your nation, the house of Israel, cling to You
‘You must sleep on the eve of the holy Sabbath.’” But the main always, in truth and in faith, with total perfection. May we
preparation is prayer. However much a person prepares himself, keep the mitzvah of “You shall cling to Him” (Deuteronomy
the evil inclination on the Sabbath activates all sorts of weapons 10:20) completely, in keeping with Your good will, at the
to make him tired and exhausted. Therefore, he must fight against ultimate supernal level, with great holiness and purity.
it with a great deal of prayer, requesting the Creator’s help and May we give rest to our mind and awareness. When our
assistance, asking Him to rebuke the Satan so that it will leave him mind is strained as a result of its tremendous clinging to
alone to truly serve Hashem properly. You, may we then learn the Torah on a simple level, with
truth and complete faith. May we meditate upon Your
The general principle is that it is forbidden to want to sleep—
whether on the Sabbath or during the week. And that is possible Torah always, and learn much Gemara and halachah,
only when we activate the trait of the will and engage in the work and may this cause our mind, awareness and soul to be
of the will, which gives a person life. The Sabbath gives life not renewed. As a result of learning the simple aspect of the
only spiritually but also physically (Sefer Hamidot: Shabbat 1). Sleep is Torah in truth and with complete faith,, may we draw
death, and will is life. All tiredness is simply a lack of will. When a down and receive new awareness and a new soul from
person is filled with intentions and longing for everything holy, he the light of the countenance of holiness. (Likutei Tefillot 35)
does not want to sleep. When he attains intent, he does not need
to sleep—in the simplest sense! That is because, when we attain the Master of the universe, help so that I will never want
goal of intent, we literally cling to the Tree of Life, and then the to sleep. Help me know that Your wisdom decreed that
Sitra Achra (the side of evil) has no power over us. Then the evil every day a person must cling to You directly by means
inclination and heresy—which come from the Sitra Achra—cannot of holy sleep. Please have compassion on me and help
rule over us. me know when I must bind myself to You directly. Please
have compassion on me so that only when I sense that
May Hashem help us taste of the Tree of Life of the I really cannot concentrate on learning and praying will
holy will. “He will eat and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). I go to sleep. Help me so that my entire resolve will be
only to cling to You as I sleep. Help me attain such holy
sleep, in which I cling to You directly.

Master of the universe, give me the strength to use my
intellect. As long as a person can use his intellect in a

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