Page 479 - 20780

498 | A New Light Chapter Nine: | 479

from the supernal world enters into him and helps him serve My soul, my soul, grovel in the dust and bow to Him.
Hashem—if he sleeps during the day, that soul leaves him. However, Place your mouth in the dust. “You who are humble,
if he sleeps during the day on the Sabbath, it does not leave him. speak from the earth, from the dust, to which your
Sleep on the Sabbath is higher than sleep on the weekdays, because speech has been lowered” (Isaiah 29:4). Perhaps there is
on the Sabbath even the lowest levels, which are called “feet,” hope. Perhaps the Lord of hosts will be gracious. Perhaps
ascend. As Rabbi Nachman teaches, “On the Sabbath, the feet rise Hashem will perform all of His wonders as He did for
from the ‘husks.’ This is alluded to in the verse, ‘If on the Sabbath
you withdraw your foot’ (Isaiah 58:13)” (Likutei Moharan I 277). our forefathers. Why are you sleeping? Come, call out
to your God. Perhaps God will reconsider us, and we will
Therefore, a person should think: if, on the Sabbath, everything not be lost. Perhaps He will have pity on this poor and
rises and is elevated until even the lowest levels ascend, then this impoverished nation. Perhaps He will have compassion.
is certainly true regarding the high levels of serving Hashem. It
is therefore impossible to imagine the level of praying, singing My brother, awaken from your foolish sleep. Awaken,
holy songs and learning Torah on the Sabbath. As is known, arise! “How long, lazy person, will you remain lying
the Torah was given on the Sabbath. Thus, everything rises and down? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep,
is worth a thousand, thousand times more than it is during the a little dozing, a little folding of the hands to lie down”
week. Therefore, how important it is that we awaken to utilize the (Proverbs 6:9). “Do not allow sleep upon your eyes and
precious and holy time of the Sabbath! slumber upon your eyelids. Save yourself like a deer from

the hand and like a bird from the snare” (Proverbs 6:4).
Everyone Can Inspire Us to Wake Up Early “Remember, do not forget, how you angered Hashem
your God” (Deuteronomy 9:7) for days and years. Yet
I heard that one of the great rabbis of our generation said that if nevertheless Hashem’s kindness for you has not ceased.
our brothers who are far from Torah and mitzvot can spend entire At every moment, in His vast kindness He works to arouse
nights in this-worldly pursuits, how much more must we—who have
truly good matters in which to delight and take pleasure—awaken you and awaken you from your sleep. Realize how much
to engage in proper “guard duty” on Thursday night and Friday heaven arouses and awakens you with various kinds of
night. inspiration beyond measure, amount and number, so
much so that no one could believe that a person could
One of the tzaddikim of an earlier generation told that when sleep because of the sounds of the heavenly outcries and
he was a young man he would have difficulty getting up early in arousal, proclamations, hints and sparks—revealed and
the winter. Once, as he lay in bed, he heard the smith next door hidden. A proclamation calls out forcefully, a great voice
hammering. He was embarrassed and said to himself, “Am I worth that does not cease, a powerful sound of the shofar,
any less than the smith? If he gets up so early to earn a few coins
to spend in this world, how much more should I get up, since I proceeding and growing stronger every day, period of
am learning Torah, which is more precious than gold.” He was so time and hour. He will express His mighty voice. He
inspired by these thoughts that the next day he got up before the has spoken up and He has said, “Sleepers, awaken, from
smith did and sat down to learn. your sleep, and slumberers, arise from your slumber.”
Yet you have still not done teshuvah for your errors. You
When the smith got up and saw a light shining in the young man’s still roll about in the road, in the filth of the trash and