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throughout the entire night and afterwards to lose the Master of the universe, give me complete faith. Help
day as well. Help me clearly know that going to sleep me understand that You are all-powerful, that nothing
when we aren’t tired is sleep that results from craving. can frustrate anything You plan, and that in the brief
And this is an absolute delusion—because, as we know amount of time that I am sleeping You can renew all
from our own experience, after such a sleep we wake up my powers, mind and faith, and give me everything I
exhausted. need to maintain the health of my body and soul. Have
compassion on me so that sleeping less will not harm
Help me sleep in great holiness and purity. Have either my body or my soul. Help me know that only You
compassion on me and help me. Open the gates of give health, life, renewal and faith. Have compassion on
compassion and kindness before my soul. Command me and in the short amount of time that I am asleep give
Your holy angels not to hinder my soul, so that it may me everything I need for the health of my body and soul,
enter the gates of holiness when I am asleep. Elevate and renew my mind and faith.
my soul and awareness, and bring them into the realm
of holy faith when I am sleeping. May I renew my mind Master of the universe, help me so that I will not
and soul within faith as I sleep. And may the verse be be taken aback at the idea of serving You with sleep,
realized, “New in the mornings, vast is Your faithfulness” thinking that doing so is a waste of time, heaven forbid.
(Lamentations 3:22). As a result of sleeping in a state of On the contrary, everything depends on this. It is even
holiness and purity, may I always receive new awareness worthwhile investing two hours in serving You and
and a new soul from the light of the countenance. engaging in battle every night in order to attain holy
sleep and, afterwards, a day of clinging to You, filled
Help me read the Bedtime Sh’ma in a state of great with holy awareness. Help me not be afraid to chase
and awesome holiness, with an utter dedication to truly sleep away from my eyes for even an entire hour before
sanctify Your name. May I confess all my transgressions, I go to sleep—and, how much more, a few minutes—
wrongdoings and sins before I go to sleep, and may I during which time I stand and prepare myself well and
do complete teshuvah for the blemishes that I created properly to attain holy sleep. And by gaining strength in
during the day. May I truly resolve to no longer return to the final minutes of the day, may I rectify the entire day.
my foolishness. Before I go to sleep, may I truly accept
upon myself, with all my heart, the four modes of capital Master of the universe, help me wake up filled with
punishment imposed by a Jewish court. Have compassion holy will. The entire day, may I be filled with holy
on me. Forgive and pardon me, and grant me atonement intentions and yearning, all of which depend on my
for my every blemish that runs counter to You. Purify service of Hashem that is associated with sleep. Please
my nefesh, ruach and neshamah. In Your compassion, have compassion on me and deliver me from the desire
command the gates of compassion, the gates of holy to sleep, a desire that results in an entire day filled with
faith, to open to my soul. Bring my soul into holy faith a craving for oblivion, as I feel tired and cold, lacking
when I am sleeping until it will rise because of that faith fervor and yearning, an entire day in which evil urges
to the light of the countenance of holiness, and I will overwhelm me. When a person’s holy will is weak, his evil
