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Addendum: inclination, so that when you go to bed you will have supernal
might. Repeat over and over again, “I do not want to sleep. I do
Is Sleep on the Sabbath a Delight? not want to forget You. I do not want to stop clinging to You. All
I want is to cling to You. ‘In Your hand, I entrust my spirit. You
have redeemed me, Hashem, true God’ (Psalms 31:6). Please have
Since we are discussing the lowly nature of sleep, we must point compassion on me so that my soul will be only and solely in Your
out a widespread error. Many people think that the verse, “You hand, where You will renew it and give it complete faith. May my
shall call the Sabbath a delight” (Isaiah 58:13), means that there soul cling to the world-to-come. May my soul learn Torah in the
is value to sleeping many hours on the Sabbath. They like to say supernal yeshiva.” Repeat these words a great many times until you
that the word Shabbat—“Sabbath”—is an acronym for sheinah fall asleep.
beshabbat ta'anug—"sleep on the Sabbath is a delight.” And
they point out that the Sabbath song, Mah Yedidut, states that The danger is very great, because in a single moment of distraction
“sleep is praiseworthy, reviving the spirit….” the urge to sleep appears and seizes a person. Therefore, I have
written a special prayer to be said before reciting the Bedtime
But you must be aware that this is the counsel of the evil inclination. Sh’ma, whose purpose is to make a person cognizant of the danger
Since a very exalted light shines on the Sabbath—as the holy books he is entering, so that he will be inspired to prepare himself properly
teach, one hour of Torah learning on the Sabbath is worth 1,000 to engage in this elevated work upon which everything depends.
hours on a weekday—the evil inclination, whose entire purpose is
to kill a person’s time (as already discussed), wants to kill a person’s A Prayer to Be Recited before Going to Sleep
precious hours on the holy Sabbath. Therefore, we see with our
own eyes that the evil inclination of sleep is much stronger on the Master of the universe, You Who revive the dead with
Sabbath than it is during the week. vast compassion, You want me to live and not die. I
am now approaching the work on which my entire
The spiritual explanation for this is that on the Sabbath an exalted
and wonderful light shines. When a person is suddenly exposed to life depends. In accordance with my intentions in the
a bright light without a way to shield his eyes, he is blinded and following moments, may I attain faith and resolve, may
closes his eyes. In spirituality as well, when a person is exposed to a I be guarded by supernal forces, and may I experience
great spiritual light and does not have a way to deal with the light, holy sleep. Please give me the strength to desire to cling
he closes his spiritual eyes and falls into a deep slumber. Therefore, to You. May the evil inclination not overcome me.
we must prepare many appropriate instruments so that we will be May it not fill me with the desire to sleep. Give me the
able to receive the light of the holy Sabbath, and during the entire strength to want You and desire You, over and over
week we must pray to merit being worthy of receiving the light of again, as I am filled with the intention to cling to You.
the Sabbath. Help me experience holy sleep. Rescue me from falling

into a sleep that is not good.
Awaken, Awaken!
Master of the universe, it is Your will that I cling to You
The entire nature of the Sabbath is awakening from sleep. During and not to the evil inclination. What does that depend
the week, a person is distracted by the affairs of this world, which on? It depends on my resolve. Give me the complete
correspond to sleep, and he does not have free time to think