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Of course, these are only examples, and everyone can add to me, Hashem, God of truth” (Psalms 31:7), over and over renew my soul and mind, always drawing onto myself
them from his own mind in accordance with what he has learned again. May I pray that You will help my soul rise to You, and receiving new awareness and a new soul from the
in this chapter, in accordance with everything that he learns and rest in Your hand alone, cling to the world-to-come and light of Your countenance, as a result of holy faith.
knows, and in accordance with the words that Hashem will place learn Torah in the heavenly yeshiva until You will wake
on his tongue. me up and help me rise with alacrity, so that I will not Master of the universe, have compassion on me in Your
tarry in bed. Have compassion on me. Redeem me and vast compassion. Help me attain all of these things in
Practical Preparation rescue me, and give me the strength to rise filled with the merit of the true tzaddikim, before whom no gate is

energy. closed. In their merit and strength, purify me and sanctify
In summation, the work of the will and yearning at the time of me with Your supernal holiness. Open all of the gates of
going to sleep is the work on which all of a person’s life depends. In Master of the universe, “with my soul I have yearned holy faith and all of the gates of holiness for me, until my
accordance with a person’s intentions at that time, that is how his for You at night” (Isaiah 26:9). Please help me so that soul will rise to the light of Your countenance. “Open
entire day will appear, and that is exactly how his life will appear. A every night before I go to sleep I will want You, in the the gates of righteousness for me, I will come through
person may by no means allow the desire to rest or sleep enter him.
He must sleep with the complete faith that only Hashem gives life, sense that I will experience a strong and stubborn resolve them and thank God” (Psalms 118:19). “Shine Your face
and he must experience great resolve and yearning to be close to to pray for one thing alone: to cling to You and attain on Your servant, save me with Your kindness” (Psalms
Hashem and cling to Hashem. As a result, his soul will be renewed, holy sleep. At that time, the most important thing is 31:17). “Shine Your face on Your servant and teach me
his faith will be strengthened and healed, and he will wake up easily to fight against the evil inclination of sleep. Although Your laws” (Psalms 119:135). Help me draw down and
and with alacrity, filled with energy and yearning to pray and serve every other type of service of Hashem, whether Torah receive a new soul and new awareness from the 70
Hashem. Hashem will satiate him with holy will. As the verse states, learning or doing hitbodedut, is good in general, that is facets of the holy Torah. May I attain and understand
“You satiate every living being with will” (Psalms 145:16). And that not the case before going to sleep, because at that time the 70 facets of the Torah. Illumine my eyes in the light
will influence his entire day and his entire life. engaging in those ways of serving Hashem is the counsel of Your Torah. Help me at all times see the light of the
of the evil inclination. Please have compassion on me face of the true tzaddikim. May I receive access to their
Therefore, when a person goes to bed, he must set aside a long
block of time to prepare himself to sleep with faith, prayer, intent so that the evil inclination will not give me the desire countenances always. May their holy faces shine on me
and yearning. At the very least, he must recite the Bedtime Sh’ma at that time to learn Torah and thus cause me to forget with great compassion, kindness, great love and mercy,
properly, with all of its verses, from a siddur, while standing up. He my service of Hashem and the war that I must engage with a pleasant countenance, until I will receive a new
should prepare an alarm clock and a washing cup, and he should in at that challenging time. Help me so that I will pray soul and new awareness from the light of the face of the
know what time he wants to get up. He should then lie down with for one thing alone: to attain proper, holy sleep. May I tzaddikim (Likutei Tefillot 35)
the simple faith that it is not sleep that gives strength but Hashem yearn to gaze at the pleasantness of Hashem and visit His
alone, and with the intent to serve Hashem. And he should engage palace. May my soul be in Your hands. Please renew all Help me prepare properly for sleep. May I be as mighty
in many intentions, yearnings and prayers until his soul clings to its of my abilities, my mind and my faith. While I am asleep, as a lion, standing strong as I prepare to go to sleep. Help
root and rises to the Source of life, and in that way draws down to help me learn Torah and cling to the tzaddikim. And me so that I will set an alarm clock, put in place a cup
himself life and strength. while I am in the middle of these intentions and prayers, to wash my hands, and recite the entire Bedtime Sh’ma,
in the midst of reciting the verse, “I place my spirit in with its verses and the blessing of hamapil, from the
Your hand. You have redeemed me, Hashem, God of siddur, standing up with strength and yearning. Please
truth” (Psalms 31:7), with tremendously deep feeling, may have compassion on me so that I will accept the yoke of
I quickly fall asleep and cling to You in holy sleep. the kingdom of heaven with love and utter dedication
before I go to sleep. May I recite the Bedtime Sh’ma