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evil inclination will not fill me with any desire to sleep, Addendum: inclination, so that when you go to bed you will have supernal
and instead my entire resolve will be only to wake up might. Repeat over and over again, “I do not want to sleep. I do
from sleep. May the evil inclination give me no desire to Is Sleep on the Sabbath a Delight? not want to forget You. I do not want to stop clinging to You. All
sleep and to forget You. Instead, may my entire resolve I want is to cling to You. ‘In Your hand, I entrust my spirit. You
be to remain aware of You and of the world-to-come. have redeemed me, Hashem, true God’ (Psalms 31:6). Please have
May the evil inclination give me no urge to sleep and be 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
hand, where You will renew it and give it complete faith. May my
disconnected from You, but may my entire resolve be out a widespread error. Many people think that the verse, “You soul cling to the world-to-come. May my soul learn Torah in the
only to bind myself to You, to gaze upon the pleasantness shall call the Sabbath a delight” (Isaiah 58:13), means that there supernal yeshiva.” Repeat these words a great many times until you
is value to sleeping many hours on the Sabbath. They like to say
of Hashem and to visit His palace. May I experience no that the word Shabbat—“Sabbath”—is an acronym for sheinah fall asleep.
desire to sleep and stop clinging to You. Instead, may beshabbat ta'anug—"sleep on the Sabbath is a delight.” And
my entire desire be only to cling to You. Please rescue they point out that the Sabbath song, Mah Yedidut, states that The danger is very great, because in a single moment of distraction
me from the evil inclination, which wants to fill me with “sleep is praiseworthy, reviving the spirit….” the urge to sleep appears and seizes a person. Therefore, I have
the false sweetness of sleep. Help me experience true written a special prayer to be said before reciting the Bedtime
sweetness, which is the sweetness of the Torah, prayer 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
and clinging to You. 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.
Please, You Who awaken the sleepers, when I lie down hours on a weekday—the evil inclination, whose entire purpose is
in bed, help me know that I am in a great war and in great to kill a person’s time (as already discussed), wants to kill a person’s A Prayer to Be Recited before Going to Sleep
peril, that the evil inclination of sleep is enticing me with precious hours on the holy Sabbath. Therefore, we see with our
own eyes that the evil inclination of sleep is much stronger on the
the aim of seizing me and casting my soul into impure Sabbath than it is during the week. Master of the universe, You Who revive the dead with
places, where the unclean “husks” will pull at it so that vast compassion, You want me to live and not die. I
it will remain among them. Master of the universe, help The spiritual explanation for this is that on the Sabbath an exalted am now approaching the work on which my entire
me know that a person’s principal yearning and desire for and wonderful light shines. When a person is suddenly exposed to life depends. In accordance with my intentions in the
You occurs during the night. Please have compassion on a bright light without a way to shield his eyes, he is blinded and following moments, may I attain faith and resolve, may
me and help me yearn with all my might to cling to You closes his eyes. In spirituality as well, when a person is exposed to a I be guarded by supernal forces, and may I experience
alone. Enlarge this intention until it is tremendous. Place 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
my spirit in Your hand alone. May I meditate with all my he closes his spiritual eyes and falls into a deep slumber. Therefore, to You. May the evil inclination not overcome me.
might on the world-to-come and cling to the world-to- we must prepare many appropriate instruments so that we will be May it not fill me with the desire to sleep. Give me the
come. May it be my entire will that my soul will appear 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
before You in its beauty. May my soul appear before the Sabbath. again, as I am filled with the intention to cling to You.
You with all of its will concentrated on gazing upon the Help me experience holy sleep. Rescue me from falling
pleasantness of Hashem and visiting His palace. Then my Awaken, Awaken! into a sleep that is not good.
nefesh, ruach and neshamah will rise straight up to You,
and the assassins and unclean “husks” will be unable to The entire nature of the Sabbath is awakening from sleep. During Master of the universe, it is Your will that I cling to You
stop them and rule over them. Help me repeat the verse, the week, a person is distracted by the affairs of this world, which and not to the evil inclination. What does that depend
“I place my spirit in Your hand. You have redeemed correspond to sleep, and he does not have free time to think on? It depends on my resolve. Give me the complete