יִתְגַּבֵּר כַּאֲרִי לַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר, שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר (שלחן ערוך ארח חיים סימן א׳).
KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the shachar, dawn. [Gloss: “I set HaShem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8)—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah] (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1).
This discourse is based on the lesson Vayaseiv Elohim (LM I, 62), in which Rebbe Nachman discusses how to strengthen one’s emunah in HaShem. Study the Rebbe’s words there.
2
עַל פִּי הַתּוֹרָה ״וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים״, עַיֵּן שָׁם (בלקוטי מוהר״ן חלק א׳ סימן סב).
The Rebbe clarifies there the distinction between the two types of questions of emunah. There are questions whose solution a person can readily comprehend. Concerning this Chazal stated, “Know what to answer…”1Avot 2:14: “Be diligent in the study of Torah and know what to answer a heretic.” A Jew must know how to answer the heretic’s questions and theological challenges to faith (Rambam and Rabbeinu Yonah, loc. cit.).In fact, with regard to that which HaShem has placed within the grasp of the human mind, honing the intellect in order to comprehend the matter clearly is a great mitzvah. Hence the dictum: “Know what to answer a heretic.”
But there are also questions whose solution is unfathomable to the human intellect. Only in the future will the answer be revealed.2Rebbe Nachman also addresses the topic of nonbelief and heresy in LM I, 64:2-3. See also LM I, 21:4. In the meantime, a person must not explore questions of this sort. Regarding someone who does rely on his intellect to delve into such questions, it is written, “Whoever goes to her will not return”—i.e. to his previous level of devoutness and simple faith.3Shlomo HaMelekh likens heresy to a temptress. Rashi explains that the attraction of heresy is so powerful that anyone who succumbs to “her” enticements finds it all but impossible to escape (see also Avodah Zarah 17a).For when it comes to questions of this sort, one is forbidden to rely on his intellect. Instead, he must stand firm in emunah.
Now, even regarding those questions that do have an answer, it sometimes happens that the pathways of a person’s intellect become blocked, and he does not know how to respond to the question. On account of this, the heresy of the question becomes injected into him. This sort of heresy exists in everyone, in each person relative to his spiritual level. If he looks within, he will be able to understand how to a greater or a lesser degree he too has been affected by heresy.4Unlike the comprehensive prohibition against exploring questions whose solutions will be understood only in the future, the prohibition against delving into answerable questions is relative, dependent on the state of a person’s intellect at that moment. When the pathways of his intellect are blocked and a solution eludes him—a state that kabbalistic teaching refers to as mochin d’katnut, constricted consciousness—he should rely on emunah. But when the pathways are unblocked, so that he is in the state of mochin d’gadlut, expanded consciousness, it is a mitzvah for him to explore the questions and seek to answer them.
One should serve HaShem with both of his inclinations, with the yetzer hara, evil inclination, subservient to the yetzer tov, good inclination.5See below in this section and note 9.In truth, if a person would really know with his whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” then the pathways of his intellect would never be blocked and he would not succumb to heresy. The extent of this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence is reflected in his conduct during prayer. If he would know and internalize that HaKadosh Barukh Hu stands over him when he prays, and that He listens to every single word of the prayer, he would surely pray with great fervor and be extremely meticulous about concentrating on his words. But, in general, because a person does not know this with a whole heart, he is neither very fervent nor meticulous.
And all of this is due to the concealment of the knowledge of HaShem’s Immanence. This concealment stems from the element of machloket—the dispute in a person’s heart caused by the ascending power of his yetzer hara—as expressed in “their heart is chalak.”6The prophet Hoshea speaks of the idol-worshiping Jews whose hearts were divided against HaShem. Rebbe Nachman teaches that this dividedness stems from conflict within the heart, the dispute between one’s good inclination and its evil counterpart. When divided) between ,חלק) a person’s heart is ChaLaK devotion to HaShem and yielding to his yetzer hara, his division or dispute) indicates ,מחלקת) inner maChLoKet an absence of deep spiritual knowledge, i.e. daat, and thus an inability to answer the “personal” heresies that plague his heart and distance him from HaShem.This refers to questions that arise because the pathways of his intellect have become blocked and “divide” his heart, to the point that he does not know what to answer to the heresy in his own heart.
The way to remedy this machloket in the heart is by studying the rulings of Jewish law that cite the disputes between the various legal authorities and come to a clear conclusion.7The division in a person’s heart is rooted in the disputes of holiness, namely the disputes of the Tannaim and Amoraim recorded in the Gemara. Uncertainty about how HaShem wants the disputed law fulfilled leaves one’s evil inclination a way-in to undermine not only the dispute of holiness but even the very foundation of emunah itself. By studying the disputes of the Sages and how these disputes are resolved as rulings of Jewish law, one fosters inner peace. The daat he acquires in learning to distinguish between prohibited and permitted, kosher and unkosher, pure and impure eliminates the machloket that divides and plagues his heart with conflict. For a more extensive explanation, see §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson and the notes there.Through this study a person attains both daat and inner peace, and so merits eliminating the questions in his heart.8In §2 of his lesson, Rebbe Nachman notes that peace) is an acrostic for the ,שלום) the word ShaLOM Mishnah’s dictum (Avot 2:14): “Ve-da Mah She-tashiv Know what to ,ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס) Le’epikoros answer a heretic)” (see note 1 above). for “your (לבבך)He will then be able to pray with a whole heart, as in Chazal’s exposition of the verse “with all levavekha” as meaning to pray to HaShem “with both your inclinations.”9The Torah uses the word levavekha .(לבך) heart” rather than the more common libkha Chazal (Berakhot 54a) see the doubling of the letter in leVaVekha as an allusion to the heart’s two (ב) vet inclinations: “You shall love HaShem your God with both your inclinations,” using the energy generated by your yetzer hara to serve the objectives of your yetzer tov.This praying with both inclinations of the heart is also alluded to in “I will praise You with an upright leivav when I study Your just laws.”10As in “with all leVaVekha” (see previous note), heart) also has the letter vet doubled. Here ,לבב) leiVaV too this indicates that one should pray to HaShem with both of the heart’s inclinations. How does one achieve a whole heart? By studying “Your just laws,” namely the rulings of Jewish law. Reb Noson will further expound this second proof-text in §3 below.Study the Rebbe’s words there.11See §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
However, studying the rulings of Jewish law is effective only in dealing with questions whose answer a person can readily comprehend, whereas it is forbidden to explore those questions for which there are no answers. Rather, one must strengthen oneself with emunah.
And when a person has complete emunah, free of all questions and doubts, his eating has the power to effect a yichud, unification,12Yichud is the union of the masculine and feminine aspects of Divinity, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, respectively, so that by virtue of their union an abundance of HaShem’s compassion and goodness are revealed in the creation. For yichud to transpire, both of these aspects must be in a state of wholeness, which the Kabbalists refer to as panim (see note 22 below), i.e. positioned facing each other rather than back-to-back (see Shaar Maamarei Rashbi 105 ff ). The mitzvot that a Jew performs are the primary vehicle for bringing about this union.between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah,13The term Shekhinah denotes the Indwelling Presence of HaShem in the world. In its identity as Malkhut, the manifestation of Divine sovereignty, Shekhinah also signifies the contraction of Ein Sof, HaShem’s Infinite Essence, in order to directly supervise and govern creation (see Appendix A, p. 225). Whereas the nonbeliever attributes the governance of creation to nature and human agency (see LH, Masa u-Matan 4:8), one who possesses complete emunah ascribes the supervision of creation—namely the Shekhinah—to HaKadosh Barukh Hu. Such a person therefore eats with full recognition and emunah that his sustenance comes from HaShem alone, through the agency of His Indwelling Presence, and in this way effects a yichud between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah (see further, notes 14 and 15).since food is spiritually refined and elevated through emunah14In his lesson Rebbe Nachman explains that in order for one’s eating to bring about a yichud, the food has to have already been refined of the forces of spiritual impurity that were mixed in with it as a result of Adam’s eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Conversely, eating food that contains an admixture of good and evil can cause a person to sin, and sin separates HaKadosh Barukh Hu from the Shekhinah.—through the faith in HaShem displayed by eating in holiness.15A person who has complete emunah eats in order to better serve HaShem. He is not gluttonous, eats only kosher food, recites blessings with kavanah, studies Torah at the meal, and so on. No less significantly, when a person with complete emunah eats, he is grateful to HaShem and acknowledges His hashgachah, Divine providence, as the agency through which he obtains his sustenance.
Now, emunah is perfected and adorned mainly by bringing closer to HaShem precisely those who are most distant from Him.16By definition, perfecting anything means providing it with what it previously lacked. In the case of emunah, those distant from faith in HaShem are the addition that makes it whole. To perfect and adorn emunah, they must be brought to belief in HaShem. This is true not just of the nonbelievers among the nations of the world, but also of Jews whose lack of emunah in HaShem resembles that of the nations. In neglecting the faith of their forefathers, they have become distant from HaShem and need to be drawn closer. Their newfound recognition of HaShem enhances emunah. However, to achieve this, one must be able to elevate the sparks of holiness in the letters of speech.17The Midrash teaches that the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are the building blocks of Creation (see Bereishit Rabbah 18:4). In an alternate account of the Breaking of the Vessels, the Arizal identifies the letters of speech with the sefirah-vessels that house the Light of Ein Sof from which all the worlds were formed (Eitz Chaim 5:5). At the shevirah, these letter-vessels broke into countless shards bearing sparks of the Light, which then fell into the lower realms (see LM I, 54:3; see also Appendix A, p. 231). Man furthers the fall of these holy sparks when he employs his faculty of speech improperly, including reciting the words of his arid, absentminded prayers.. Only the redemption of these holy sparks creates the speech of holiness needed to restore emunah to the world. Then, once these holy sparks begin to ascend,18The fallen holy sparks ascend when man purifies his speech through fervent prayer, Torah study, speaking words of faith, and the like; and by abstaining from profanity, slander, mockery, falsehood, and the like.the faculty of speech turns itself around and gathers up the remaining sparks of holiness from the kelipot, the forces of evil.19Speech acts here in its identity as the sefirah of Malkhut and the Shekhinah.
In order to elevate the holy sparks of speech, one needs to fast. Man’s cravings for food and drink are the primary physical desires.20See note 67 to Rebbe Nachman’s lesson, which explains why he considers gluttony, and not immorality or avarice, the primary physical desire.When these desires become overpowering, chas ve-shalom, they draw the letters of speech into the exile of Egypt, making it impossible to speak words of holiness.21See LM I, 45, that quintessentially the Egyptian exile was the exile of speech. They also undermine holy emunah, and so people’s questions of faith increase. At that point it is necessary to attach the back of holiness,22To indicate a subject’s wholeness and perfection or lack thereof, Kabbalah employs the terms panim and achor, “front” and “back.” Here, the “back of holiness” signifies holiness of a lesser intensity and level. Holiness that is in any sense incomplete or inferior needs to be concealed from the evil and impure forces, lest they exploit its imperfection for their own benefit. The idea of attaching the back of holiness derives from the kabbalistic teaching regarding Ze’ir Anpin (the masculine principle) and Malkhut (the feminine principle). In their rectified state of gadlut (lit. “maturity”), these Divine personas (see Appendix A, pp. 233-4) stand face-to-face in preparation for yichud. Prior to reaching this wholeness they are in a state of deficiency, katnut (lit. “immaturity”). Their “backs”—their elements of lesser holiness—are then exposed to the kelipot. In order to safeguard holiness and keep the power of the kelipot in check (see following note), it is necessary to conceal holiness by attaching Ze’ir Anpin and Malkhut back-toback (Eitz Chaim 8:6). to conceal it, so as to prevent the kelipotfrom drawing any more than a bare minimum of sustenance from this lesser holiness.23The Arizal teaches that like all things in creation, the kelipot are sustained by nitzotzot, sparks of holiness, the life-force without which they could not exist (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaPurim 6; see Appendix A, p. 231 ff ). However, because HaShem does not want the forces of evil to become overly powerful, their access is limited to the back of holiness, and even there only to the bare minimum of life-force needed to insure their continued survival. Yet there are certain times and situations in which the back of holiness becomes especially vulnerable to the kelipot. Then, to insure that their ability to overpower holiness is held in check, the back of holiness must be concealed.And the way to conceal the back of holiness is through fasting. Unlike indulging one’s desires for food and drink, fasting denies the kelipot access to their source of sustenance, and so breaks any hold they have over holy speech.24Fasting subdues man’s physical desires. Thus if a person’s aim in eating and drinking is to satisfy his physical desires rather than elevate the sparks of holiness trapped inside the food, he would do well to serve HaShem by fasting. Keeping food from his throat keeps sustenance from the kelipot, and so thwarts their attempts to prevent the words of holiness from passing through the throat.
In addition to subjugating physical desire, fasting is also valuable because it expresses a new beginning.25Fasting indicates a person’s recognition that he has to step back from his attachment to the physical pleasures of this world. As an act of teshuvah, fasting expresses one’s desire for a new beginning. Reb Noson fleshes out this idea in §5 below. This is important because the essence of all things is their beginning, and because “all beginnings are difficult.”26Mekhilta, Yitro 2:5. Rebbe Nachman gives two reasons why the beginning of a devotional practice is more meritorious than its continued performance: 1) The beginning is the foundation on which whatever one subsequently accomplishes is built; and 2) “All beginnings are difficult,” since it takes greater effort to change oneself than to maintain a change once it has been instituted and routinized.
Once the back of holiness has been concealed through fasting, the kelipot are unable to enter there and draw sustenance from the power of holiness. And with the capacity of the kelipot impaired, the face of holiness—the radiance of consummate emunah—is then revealed. HaShem engineers this in order to extract from the mouths of the kelipot the holiness that they have swallowed. And then all those who are spiritually distant turn to the emunah of the Jews, as expressed in “Then I will turn the nations to a pure language.” The emphasis is on “turn,” as the verse can also be read, “I will turn a pure language to the nations.” It is the “pure language,” meaning the faculty of speech that has been refined and extracted from the midst of the kelipot, which turns its face to the nations. It does this in order to gather up from them the remaining sparks of holiness. Then the continuation of the verse, “that they all proclaim in the Name of HaShem,” is realized. All those who were spiritually distant are drawn closer to HaShem—this being the adornment of emunah.
This perfecting and adorning of emunah is alluded to in Saba d’Mishpatim,27The Zohar recounts the deep mysteries that were revealed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples by several very exalted souls. This section of Zohar (II, 94a-14a) is known as Saba d’Mishpatim. which states: Emunah is like “the beautiful maiden who has no eyes, i.e. she is concealed… She emerges and is revealed in the morning, but over the day becomes covered.” For man’s emunah renews itself each morning, as in a rereading of the verse “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” where it is “your emunah,” a person’s faith, that the psalmist is alluding to.28In the Book of Eikhah, “Your emunah is great” refers to HaShem’s faithfulness. Rebbe Nachman reads this as referring to a person’s faith—to his emunah that emerges anew each morning, having been strengthened and made great by his nighttime devotions. See also Rashi’s commentary on this verse in Eikhah.But subsequently, “over the day [it] becomes covered”—due to the burdens of daily existence, emunah becomes obscured and concealed.
Thus we need to engage in the tikkun of emunah by drawing the spiritually distant towards holiness. Once perfected, all the questions that would undermine emunah are eliminated, and HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are joined in a state of yichud. Emunah, the Shekhinah, then pleads and advocates before HaShem on behalf of the spiritually distant ones, asking that He draw them closer.
Thisyichudis alluded to in the verse “Then Yehudah approached [Yosef].” The commentaries explain that this is “the drawing close of one king to another king,”29Bereishit Rabbah 93:2. hinting to the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu with the Shekhinah.30The Zohar (I, 206b) explains this meeting of kings, Yosef and Yehudah, as the yichud of Ze’ir Anpin/ HaKadosh Barukh Hu and Malkhut / the Shekhinah. Yosef, as the Biblical exemplar of the tzaddik, personifies Yesod, the component of Ze’ir Anpin that engages in union. Yehudah, as progenitor of the Davidic dynasty, personifies Malkhut, Ze’ir Anpin’s mate. Their drawing close signifies the face-to-face yichud of these Divine personas.
When joined in yichud, the Shekhinah pleads with HaKadosh Barukh Hu to show compassion for the spiritually distant ones. She says, “For you are just like Pharaoh.” In other words, “You are known only from pheraoh, what is revealed31In its account of Moshe descending from Mount Sinai to discover the Israelites worshiping the golden calf, the Torah states (Shemot 32:25), “Moshe realized that the nation was exposed, for Aharon pheraoh (had exposed) has the ,פרְָעהֹ) exposed them).” PheRaOH Pharaoh). This indicates ,פּרְַעהֹ) same letters as PaROH that the name Pharaoh implies revealing (see also Metzudat Tzion on II Divrei HaYamim 28:19).—namely a world ostensibly governed by nature, in which Your hashgachah is hidden. It is this concealment that causes people to err in emunah.” Thus the Shekhinah begs HaKadosh Barukh Hu to make His hashgachah known to them. How? By allowing those who are distant from Him to witness the tzaddik overturning the laws of nature.32“The God of Israel has said, the Rock of Israel has spoken to me, ‘[Become] a ruler of men; a tzaddik rules through the fear of God’” (II Shmuel 23:3). Chazal interpret this verse as HaShem saying, “I am the Ruler of men. And who rules over Me? The tzaddik! For I issue a decree and he nullifies it” (Moed Katan 16b). Owing to the tzaddik’s fear of HaShem, his prayers have the power to annul HaShem’s decrees of illness, poverty, and the like, thereby overriding the laws of nature through which HaShem governs the world.
This is the meaning of the Midrash’s teaching “Just as Pharaoh decrees, i.e. nature dictates a certain course of cause and effect, but fails to carry out its program when a tzaddik nullifies it, You too decree that the world now be governed by nature but fail to carry this out,” since the tzaddik prays and nullifies that too. Seeing You nullify Your will to the will of the tzaddik strengthens the emunah of those who are distant and brings them closer to You.33The supernatural wonders that the tzaddik performs through his prayers prove that the natural order is subject to a Higher Will. People see that in response to the tzaddik’s prayers to HaShem, some constant of nature acts inconstantly or some law of physics is inexplicably contravened. From this they deduce that HaShem exists and that everything in creation conforms to His will. Were it otherwise, the tzaddik’s prayers would be helpless to effect a change in the set rules of nature.Study all this well in the Rebbe’s words there.34See §6 of the Rebbe’s lesson. See also LM I, 62:7 and notes 125-134 there.
2 ■ RISING WITH EMUNAH Reb Noson begins his discourse on the law that a person should strengthen himself to rise in the morning to serve HaShem by linking it with strengthening emunah, especially through studying Torah in the hours before dawn.
Now, this teaching regarding strengthening emunahbears directly on the first law in the Shulchan Arukh, “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the dawn.” Awakening the shachar, rising before dawn, effectively “awakens” or strengthens emunah. For emunah is identified with the sefirah of Malkhut,35Tikkuney Zohar #67, p. 97b; Zohar III, 198b. Kabbalah teaches that at night Malkhut, the sefirah synonymous with the Shekhinah, descends into the lower worlds in order to redeem the sparks of holiness that have fallen there on account of humanity’s sins (Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaAmidah 2; see also ibid. Drushei HaLailah 4). Malkhut is also identified as emunah, for by accepting HaShem’s kingship and sovereignty, one displays his emunah in Him (see LM I, 35:5). Thus in a world darkened by sin, faith is said to be trapped among the forces of evil. But at midnight, Malkhut / the Shekhinah / emunah begins to ascend (ibid. Drushei HaLailah 3), particularly through the spiritual devotions of those who, as Reb Noson will explain, “awaken the dawn.”which is termed shachar—as in the kabbalistic concept known as Ayelet HaShachar.36See above, p. 90, note 24, that the light of shachar is called Ayelet HaShachar. In the kabbalistic lexicon, Ayelet HaShachar is an appellation for the Shekhinah (Zohar II, 19b), namely Malkhut, Whose rectification and return to wholeness comes with the morning’s dawn.
Moreover, emunah and morning’s dawn, the shachar, are conceptually related. For the main perfection of faith takes place in the morning, as expressed in “They are renewed in the mornings, your faith is great.” Every morning the power of emunah is regenerated. This relates to the Zohar’s teaching cited above, that emunah is the “beautiful maiden” who “emerges in the morning” and is revealed then. All of this was explained previously, in the concepts from the Rebbe’s lesson.37See the passage from Saba d’Mishpatim cited in §1 above.It is for this reason, namely that the main perfection of emunah occurs in the morning, that emunah is termed shachar, the beginning of the morning.
And so, in order for emunah to be revealed, every person must “strengthen himself like a lion” and exert great effort to rise up early in the morning, before daybreak, in order to study Torah and pray, and to elevate, complete and magnify holy faith. Perfection of emunah depends on his serving HaShem. This is the meaning of “so that it is he who awakens the shachar,” corresponding to the verse “I will awaken the shachar.” In other words, through a person’s pre-dawn devotions, he merits awakening the shachar in its identity as emunah, which needs to be magnified and completed up until daybreak. For morning is the main time ofemunah’selevation and perfection, as indicated in “They are renewed in the mornings,” and in the passage cited from Saba d’Mishpatim, “She emerges in the morning.”
Thus far Reb Noson has explained that emunah is renewed every morning, and that we therefore get up before dawn to elevate and magnify emunah through our Torah study and prayer. He next specifies that the optimal time to engage in perfecting emunah is after midnight, through the daat one acquires by studying the rulings of Jewish law.
Now, the consummate and most effective devotion for strengthening emunahis to strengthen oneself greatly, exerting utmost willpower, to rise each night at midnight. The holy Zohar, in many places, is clear about how extremely vigilant one must be regarding this. It teaches that anyone whose heart has been touched by fear and awe of HaShem is obligated to rise specifically at midnight.38See Zohar I, 77b and 92b; Zohar II, 46a. See also Reishit Chokhmah, Shaar HaKedushah 7, which cites many additional passages from the Zohar on the importance of rising at midnight to serve HaShem.
For holy emunah is mainly perfected through voiding, crushing and eradicating from one’s mind the two types of questions and heresies discussed above. As we have seen, there are the questions that are intrinsically unanswerable and insolvable. Regarding these the Torah states, “Whoever goes to her will not return.” Rather, one must rely exclusively on emunah. In addition, there are the questions that can be resolved, for which honing one’s intellect is a great mitzvah. But with these questions too there are pitfalls. It sometimes happens that the pathways of the intellect become blocked and so even these questions cannot presently be answered. As a result, an element of heresy enters his heart. And for each person, these questions that are unresolvable because the pathways have become blocked are relative to his spiritual level, commensurate with each person’s intellect.
The tikkun for this, to merit opening the mind and revealing the pathways of the intellect, is through study of the rulings of Jewish law. One then merits peace, and the machloket—the dispute in the heart caused by one’s yetzer hara, such that the heart is plagued with denial and heresy—is eliminated. Moreover, through the daat a person acquires by studying the rulings of Jewish law, he merits knowing how to answer the heresy in his heart, as discussed above.
Reb Noson now explains that the darkness of night symbolizes the concealment of daat.
For the truth is that everyone has a bit of heresy in his heart. This is why a person needs to strengthen himself to rise at midnight. For day and night, with respect to their characteristics of light and darkness, represent daat and foolish ignorance, namely the concealment of knowledge. Rebbe Nachman explains this in the lesson Dirshu,39LM I, 37.that daat corresponds to the revelation of light, whereas foolish ignorance, being the concealment of knowledge, corresponds to darkness. For the physical darkness of night stems from the darkening of daat, the concealment of the knowledge one must have of HaShem’s Immanence, from whence the heretical questions of emunahderive.
This idea, that night suggests spiritual darkness and heresy, is brought in the Zohar: “When night spreads its wings, the gates of Gan Eden close shut. The forces of darkness40Lit. “executors of decrees.” These are the destructive angels that rule the night. See Zohar I, 203b, that when night falls, the forces of darkness sent to execute harmful decrees are given free rein to spread dinim, elements of judgments, across the world. When day breaks, they return to their places.are released into the world, and the world is then governed through the Matron.”41This refers to the Shekhinah, which in the works of the early Kabbalists is known as the Matron. “All Israelites are princes” (Mishnah, Shabbat 14:4), and so the Divine persona of Malkhut, the source of Jewish souls, is also called the Matron and Holy Queen. Being the lowest of the sefirot, Malkhut interfaces between the Supernal Worlds and this lower world of corporeality, and thus serves as the agent between HaShem and man. This agency is depicted in the following passage from the Zohar (II, 51a) on the relationship between the Holy King (HaKadosh Barukh Hu) and His Queen (the Shekhinah / Malkhut): “Every mission that the King wishes issues from the house of the Matron. Every mission from below to the King ascends first to the house of the Matron, and from there to the King. Thus the Matron is the agent of all, from above to below and from below to above.” Consequently, a world, a time, or a situation governed by the Matron is one that calls for emunah rather than daat.
As we understand it, this means that at night spiritual darkness becomes overpowering. This is the absence of daat, the shutting of the gates of Gan Eden, which are the gates and pathways of the intellect.42Kabbalah teaches that Upper Gan Eden, where the souls reside, is located in the World of Beriah (Kehillat Yaakov, Erekh: Gan). Of the four planes of existence (spiritual, mental, emotional and physical), Beriah corresponds to the mental plane and the mind’s mochin, mental faculties. Hence Reb Noson’s link here between the gates of Gan Eden and the pathways of the intellect.This is when “the forces of darkness are released into the world.” These forces signify dinim and kelipot, the forces of judgment and evil. Their hold is primarily through the heresies and questions that arise due to the departure of daat at night, which corresponds to the closing of the gates of Gan Eden.43See Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 3, where the Arizal teaches that at night the mochin depart entirely. In context here, these are the pathways of the intellect, the gates of Gan Eden that close shut.
“And then, at night, the world is governed through the Matron,”44See Zohar I, 20b and Matok MiDevash there. The Torah relates that HaShem set two great luminaries in the sky to light up the earth and “to have dominion by day and night” (Bereishit 1:18). Commenting on this verse, the Zohar teaches that dominion of the day belongs to Man (Ze’ir Anpin), and dominion of the night belongs to Woman (Malkhut/the Matron).namely the spiritual aspect of sovereignty, “the Holy Queen,” which corresponds to holy emunah. For at night, at the time of darkness—with the departure of daat—a person has to strengthen himself exclusively with emunah. Earlier we saw thatemunahis identified with Malkhut,45See above and note 35. the sefirah of Sovereignty, corresponding to the Matron. This is the idea expressed in “your emunah in the nights”—that to survive the darkness, a person must rest his mind and instead rely solely on his emunah in HaShem46This agrees with Rashi’s interpretation of this verse in Tehillim, that it refers to a person’s emunah in HaShem’s faithfulness (cf. §1 and note 28 above).—as the Rebbe discusses elsewhere. Study there.47LM I, 35:3. Reb Noson explains this next; and see note 49 below.
After clarifying that the darkness of night alludes to the darkening of daat and so to the heretical questions that undermine faith, Reb Noson addresses the spiritual dimension of sleep and its connection to emunah.
Now, this idea of total reliance on emunah at night relates to nighttime sleep. For at night darkness is drawn into the world. The primary source of this darkness is Supernal Darkness, which signifies the depth of the matter. It indicates that Divine daat is deep and very distant from us,48The mysteries of the Torah are likened to darkness in that they are hidden from general view, veiled by the great depth of their profundity. as expressed in “He made darkness His concealment.” HaShem’s “concealment” alludes to the questions that are impossible to answer, and for which it is absolutely impossible to find a solution in this world. For these questions are an aspect of darkness, in that they conceal the revelation of His Godliness. And it is impossible to remove this darkness by means of any daat, but solely by means of emunah, since it is impossible to find an answer for these questions. Instead, we need to rely on emunah alone.
Thus this relates to nighttime sleep, since sleep indicates the departure of daat. During sleep the mind is at rest, and so daat then enters the realm of emunah and becomes renewed there. This is the meaning of “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” as Rebbe Nachman explains in the lesson Ashrei HaAm. Study his words there.49See LM I, 35:3, where Rebbe Nachman cites the Zohar (I, 213b) that from this verse we learn that when man’s intellect—which he equates there with the soul— is overtaxed, sleep refreshes and renews it.
In other words, sleep possesses a spiritual dimension linking it to the darkness of night, when the forces of darkness begin to rule the world. These forces are the kelipot, heresies and insolvable questions associated with the darkness of night. One must sleep at that time, because sleep is a tikkun and a rest for the mochin, the mental faculties. For then, with the onset of night, a person needs to completely remove his daat—this is the idea of sleep being the departure of daat—and rely solely on emunah.
For this is the fundamental purpose of sleep: that we completely remove daat at that time, and rely solely on emunah. This is the idea behind “accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven” before sleep. We do this by reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah, through which we declare our emunah in HaShem’s sovereignty and absolute unity. Affirming our submission to HaShem and releasing our souls into His care are necessary then because at the time of sleep the mochin enter into emunah. For in the face of those questions that are impossible to answer—which correspond to the power of the darkness of night—there we need to completely release and remove our daat, as in actual sleep, and rely solely on emunah.
UNBLOCKING DAAT AT MIDNIGHT Reb Noson next elaborates on the distinctive roles of the two halves of the night, focusing in particular on the hours from midnight until dawn.
This idea, that we strengthen emunah through sleep, relates to rising at midnight. For although sleep is a major rectification for the mochin—since they are renewed through emunah at the time of sleep—nevertheless, one must be vigilant to rise at midnight.
The reason for this is that the night—which is the darkness, meaning the absence of daat—is comprised of two parts. These are the first half of the night, the hours until midnight, and the second half of the night, the remaining hours until dawn, as discussed in Kabbalah.50Zohar I, 92b. See also Kehillat Yaakov (Erekh: Chatzot), ,(ליל) that during the first half of the night, called leil the dinim (also known as gevurot) rule; whereas during the ,(לילה) the second half of the night, called lailah chasadim prevail. Thus Chazal teach: Whoever studies Torah after midnight is endowed with a touch of chesed during the day (Avodah Zarah 3b).
These two parts of the night correspond to the two types of questions mentioned above. During the first half of the night, the darkness and din are most intense, since the darkness at that time derives from the nature of the questions that are insolvable. Those questions represent the deepest darkness, since they cannot be resolved. Therefore a person needs to sleep at that time, since sleep is the departure of daat. For during the first half of the night one needs to completely remove his daat and rely solely on emunah; this removal itself being the aspect of sleep.
However, at midnight din is sweetened,51This is the kabbalistic concept of hamtakat ha-dinim (lit. “sweetening of judgments”) by mitigating their harshness. In §2 Reb Noson linked the dinim with the kelipot and destructive forces that rule the night. Transformation of these agents of harm and judgment begins with the second part of the night.and then those questions that cannot be resolved are dispelled from the mind. And so that is the time we must rise from sleep to study Torah and serve HaShem.52In particular, this devotion includes mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash by reciting Tikkun Chatzot (see p. 95 above).By doing so, we draw daat and unblock the pathways of the intellect. Our objective in this is to merit the complete data necessary for resolving and comprehending answers for those questions that can be resolved.
This is the meaning of “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws”—with the emphasis on “for Your just laws.” For rising at midnight to study Torah in order to draw daat relates to the idea of studying the previously mentioned rulings of Jewish law. Through this study one draws the daat required to answer those questions that can be resolved, namely the daatthat one merits by studying Torah at midnight.
This accords with what is discussed in the holy Zohar53Zohar II, 57a.and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman,54See LM I, 149.that rising at midnight and studying Torah at that time draws down daat. For then, during the second half of the night, din is sweetened. Thus the darkness at that time derives only from the nature of the questions that can be resolved. These questions have answers, but the pathways of daat have become temporarily blocked, as symbolized by the darkness of night that remains even after din has been sweetened.
Therefore we need to study Torah at that time, in order to unblock the pathways of daat and, with the light of day, merit perfect daat—i.e. to fully elevate and magnify the emunah at dawn. For morning is the time thatemunahbecomes whole, as in “She emerges in the morning.” This is the deeper intent of the law that a person should rise at midnight “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” Waking the shachar, as we have seen, strengthens emunah.55See §2 above. A person should get up and study Torah after midnight so that he is the one who awakens and strengthens emunah, enabling it to emerge in the morning whole.
Reb Noson has set out the nighttime devotion of a Jew. He sleeps during the first half of the night, and this clears from his mind the questions of emunah that have no answer. Then he rises at the start of the second half of the night and studies Torah, gaining the daat that will enable him to answer the questions for which answers do exist.
PRAYING WITH A WHOLE HEART Reb Noson now returns to the discourse’s opening citation from the Shulchan Arukh. He will explain the juxtaposition of Rama’s gloss to the words of the law, particularly as it relates to elevating emunah.
This emergence of emunahis the reason why in the Shulchan Arukh, immediately following the law of “awakening the dawn,” Rama notes, “‘I set HaShem before me always’—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah … For [when a person is by himself at home] he sits and moves differently [than when in the presence of a great king … All the more so when a person takes to heart that the Great King, HaKadosh Barukh Hu, Whose glory fills the whole world, stands over him and observes his actions],” as explained there.56For Rama’s complete gloss, see p. 18 above.
The meaning of this gloss is that one has to know and believe in HaShem’s Immanence, that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” and that whether he is sitting or standing he is always in the presence of the King of kings, HaKadosh Barukh Hu. He merits this steadfast emunahby awakening the dawn, i.e. by rising at midnight. Through this he draws the daat that unblocks the intellect, until he merits knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” as is explained clearly in the Rebbe’s lesson.57See §2 there.
Therefore the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh, “I set HaShem before me always”— which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is juxtaposed with the idea of awakening the dawn. For the two are interdependent: we can merit knowing completely and with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory” by means of the daat that we draw down by rising from sleep at midnight. This is the daatthat relates to studying the rulings of Jewish law, as explained previously in connection with the verse “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws.”
Reb Noson now shows that rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem also enhances the quality of one’s prayers the following morning.
And this is the inferred meaning of “to praise You”—the word le-hodot connotes prayer,58The translation here follows Targum Yonatan, who as “to praise” rather than the (להודות) renders le-hodot more common “to thank.” as connoting (אודך)as does the word odekhain “odekha with an upright heart when I study Your just laws,”59Radak on this verse reads odekha praise.which is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.60See §2 of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson (and note 40 there). He brings this proof-text to show that studying the rulings of Jewish law enables one to pray with both inclinations—i.e. with a whole heart.We merit praising HaShem through wholehearted prayer by rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem.61Together these two verses from Tehillim 119 contain most of the discourse’s major topics. Both refer to “Your just laws,” namely Jewish law, and to praising HaShem. But the topics of Torah study and the whole (“upright”) heart needed to pray with kavanah are mentioned only in verse 7, whereas rising at midnight appears only in verse 62. By linking them here through their common themes, Reb Noson shows that rising in the night to study Torah is what enables us to pray with kavanah in the morning.
Reb Noson interrupts his discussion linking one’s devotion before dawn with prayer in order to further clarify the meaning of rising at midnight.
Thus rising at midnight is the essence of what the Shulchan Arukh calls “awakening the dawn.” For the main thing is to rise at midnight. But even someone who is unable to get up at midnight can achieve much when he strengthens himself to at least get up before the light of day to study Torah and serve HaShem. In this way, he unblocks the pathways of the intellect relative to his spiritual level, in accordance with his serving HaShem in the hours before dawn. Through his devotions he merits knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” because all his doubts and questions of emunahhave departed, as explained previously.62See §3 of the Rebbe’s lesson.This is why, in the Shulchan Arukh, juxtaposed to this law of awakening of the dawn is the gloss “I set HaShem before me always”—which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—since one is dependent on the other.
Reb Noson now returns to developing the idea that studying Torah and serving HaShem in the night enhances prayer the next morning.
And rising at midnight also leads to improved prayer. For the main objective in awakening the dawn is to improve our prayer, so as to merit praying in the morning with great kavanah and a whole heart.
By awakening the dawn, engaging at that time of the night in Torah study and serving HaShem, the pathways of the intellect are unblocked and we merit eliminating the questions of emunahand the heresy. Following this we merit knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” which is the intention of the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh“I set HaShem before me always.” And then, through knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” we merit praying with great kavanah. For once a person is aware that HaShem stands over him at the time he prays, and that He hears, listens and is attentive to every single utterance that comes from his mouth, he will surely pray with great fervor and be very careful to focus his attention on what he is saying, as explained above.
And the way to merit this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence—knowing with a whole heart, without any doubts or questions of emunah, that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is by rising at midnight, which is the idea of awakening the dawn.
It follows that rising at midnight is spiritually beneficial for praying with kavanah. Likewise, from the Kavanot of the Arizal, it is understood that rising at midnight is a tikkun and a preparation for prayer.63Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei Tefillin 5.
Reb Noson has explained that serving HaShem in the night enables a person to become fully aware of HaShem’s Immanence—to know with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—and so to pray with proper devotion in the morning.
49
וְעַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכוֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה (שלחן ערוך ארח חיים סימן פט סעיף ג), וּבַזֹּהַר (ויקהל רטו:) וּבַכּתְָבִים (עין מגן אברהם פט, יד בשם מהרח״ו) מַחְמִיר מְאֹד מְאֹד, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁקָּם בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה – אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת עַד אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה, וְכָל הָאוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה אָז, נֶחֱשָׁב כְּעוֹנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
MAKING A NEW START Reb Noson next discusses the reason why Jewish law forbids eating or drinking before Shacharit, and explains how this safeguards emunah and enhances one’s prayer.
Therefore it is forbidden to eat before prayer, in order to pray Shacharit with devotion.64Shuchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 89:3.The Zohar and other kabbalistic texts are extremely stringent on this point, stating that even when a person rises from his sleep at midnight, he must not eat or drink until after praying Shacharit. Whoever does eat and drink at that time is considered like one who practices sorcery—may HaShem save us! Study there.65Zohar II, 215b; Eitz Chaim 49:3.
Yet nowadays, the defiant ones in the nation who drink before prayer have grown in number. It has gone so far that doing so has become completely permissible to them. And to justify their behavior, they base themselves on greater authority,66Lit. “suspend themselves on a tall tree.”in that they have found several tzaddikim who conducted themselves in this way. However, these were tzaddikimwho were very ill and so had no choice but to drink before praying. These defiant ones presumptuously liken themselves to those tzaddikim, rather like an ape to a man, and imitate their actions—all in order to justify filling their bellies with coffee before prayer. There are even some who also eat before praying. Woe to them! Woe to their souls! For this is a very serious prohibition, as explained in the teachings of Chazal67Berakhot 10b.and especially in the holy Zohar and other kabbalistic texts.68See note 65 above.
And so we should not compare ourselves to these great tzaddikim, who are possessed of a different, higher spirit. This is especially true since they only drank before praying because they were very ill and so were compelled to do so. Furthermore, we should not permit this to ourselves since most of the tzaddikim did not engage in this practice. Our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman, related that he never as much as drank water before morning prayers. Even though according to the law in the Shulchan Arukh drinking water is permitted, he did not do even this before praying Shacharit.69Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #277.
Let us return to our subject. Based on what was said above about praying with fervor and focus, it is a bit clearer why one is forbidden to eat or drink before prayer.
It is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson70See §5 there.that the tikkun of emunah is achieved by elevating the sparks of speech and restoring them to holiness. One merits achieving this elevation by fasting. For by indulging one’s desire for food and drink, the kelipot become stronger. This is especially true of the forces of evil embodied as Pharaoh’s officials.71The Arizal teaches that each body part has a corresponding kelipah that is empowered when holiness is lacking. He identifies the kelipot that parallel the trachea, the esophagus and the jugular veins with Pharaoh’s three officials. The trachea (windpipe), which aids in maintaining the body’s fluids by carrying air to the lungs, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, in charge of drink. The esophagus (food pipe), which carries food from the mouth to the stomach, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief baker. The jugular veins that pass through the neck are responsible for draining blood and ,פרעה) so correspond to Pharaoh’s chief butcher. PaROH Pharaoh) himself is identified with the kelipah that, as the back ,הערף) his name suggests, stands at HaORePh of the neck) (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev; see also §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson, and notes 66 and 68 there).They draw the faculty of speech into the exile of Mitzrayim—i.e. the realm of meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat.72The Biblical name for Egypt, MitZRayim strait or ,מצר) is etymologically related to MeitZaR narrow). The Arizal teaches that “Mitzrayim” signifies meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat. The throat, being a narrow passage between the head and the body, represents constriction and severe judgment. At a time or in a situation of din, the throat becomes a bottleneck, referred to here as the exile of Mitzrayim (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev). Holy speech is then prevented from exiting,73Similar to indulging in eating, speaking or praying improperly (e.g. absentminded prayer) strengthens the kelipot. In the human body, the organs of speech lie adjacent to the trachea, esophagus and jugular veins. This proximity enables Pharaoh’s three officials—the kelipot associated with the throat—to trap the letters of speech in the narrow of the throat. Then Pharaoh, the kelipah that stands at the back of the neck, draws sustenance from the holy sparks in the letters of insufficiently holy words.and one is unable to enunciate a single word before HaShem.74See note 21 above, that the Egyptian exile signified the exile of speech. Rebbe Nachman similarly teaches that in Egypt, prayer itself was in exile. The Jews were unable to open their mouths to talk to HaShem (Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #88; see also LM I, 9:5).
Reb Noson next explains that when a person’s speech descends into the exile of Mitzrayim /meitzar ha-garon, his inability to speak to HaShem—a “dryness of the throat”— signifies his incomplete emunah and the presence of kelipot. But if he fasts, he conceals the back of holiness and so breaks any hold Pharaoh’s officials have over holy speech. He is then able to speak and call out to HaShem.
The remedy for this is fasting. By depriving himself of all food and drink, a person conceals the back of holiness and thereby denies sustenance to the kelipot associated with the throat. Instead, his fasting draws the waters of the chasadim, benevolences,75See above, p. 96, note 52. Chasadim and gevurot, the respective root elements of Chesed and Gevurah, together form the inner structure of Daat, the sefirah corresponding to the throat. One way in which Kabbalah depicts Daat’s chasadim and gevurot is as the forces of expansion and constriction. The expansiveness of the chasadim is characteristic of water, while the constriction of the gevurot is characteristic of fire (Eitz Chaim 34:6). Reb Noson explains that when a person fasts, the chasadim (whose origin is in the mind) are drawn into the throat to relieve the constriction caused by the “dryness of the throat” (cf. Tehillim 69:4). See also LH, Tisha B’Av u-She’ar Taaneitim 1:2, where he relates this to fasting in order to bring rain in a time of drought.to moisten the throat and so relieve the meitzar ha-garon, the throat’s constriction. This enables him to fulfill the verse “Cry out from the throat—do not hold back!” As a result, his emunah is entirely rectified. He is then able to eat in holiness, and through his eating bring HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah into yichud. Rebbe Nachman has thoroughly explained all this. Study his words there.76See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
Therefore one is forbidden to eat and drink before prayer, because he needs to deprive himself of food and drink before praying Shacharit in order to safeguard emunah. This is akin to the concept in Jewish law known as a “fast of hours,”77Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 562:10. Taanit sha’ot, a “fast of hours,” is a voluntary fast that an individual undertakes for a part of the day rather than the entire day. where even a partial-day fast adds to one’s merit. This fast of hours happens all the time, in that every day people go without food by fasting before prayer. By doing so, they draw the spiritual illumination associated with fasting to conceal the back of holiness.78See note 22 above. Before emunah emerges in the morning it is vulnerable to attack by the kelipot, which draw sustenance from the heretical questions that undermine faith. If a person eats or drinks before Shacharit, he empowers the kelipot even more. Therefore it is necessary to conceal the back of holiness by fasting until after prayer.This enables them to extract the faculty of speech from the narrow of the throat, and by dint of this, adorn the holy emunah that is renewed every morning.79On the topic of adorning emunah by bringing closer to HaShem those who are most distant from Him, see §1 and note 16 above; see also further on in that same section. Adorning emunah in turn enables them to merit expressing speech— namely the words of the Shacharit prayer—with complete devotion.
Prayer itself is synonymous with emunah, as known from Kabbalah.80See LM 7:1, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that emunah is synonymous with prayer. Prayer, as Reb Noson noted above, is identified with Malkhut. And see note 35 above, linking Malkhut with emunah. We know too thatemunahis perfected through the tikkun of speech. This is the reason why speech in particular is the primary medium of prayer. And perfection of speech is achieved by depriving oneself through fasting and breaking one’s excessive desire for food. On account of this, every single Jew must fast and deprive himself at least before the Shacharit prayer, when, in any case, the basic law strictly forbids eating and drinking. A person must go without food every day before prayer so that he can draw illumination from the inner aspect of fasting in order to rectify the words of his prayer. This corresponds to the tikkun and adornment of emunah, as discussed above, and as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson. Study there.81See §4 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
In conclusion, Reb Noson discusses the connection between fasting and keeping one’s devotions to HaShem fresh by starting anew each morning.
In addition, a person must go without food before Shacharit, since the fast, which conceals the back of holiness, is itself the power of the beginning.82Reb Noson introduced these topics from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson—namely fasting, concealing the back of holiness, and beginning anew—in §1 above (see also notes 21 and 25-26 there). This means that when a person repeatedly turns back toward the beginning to re-experience the drive and excitement he felt then, he is able to receive power, i.e. inspiration, from the beginning. For the beginning is the main thing, and also because “all beginnings are difficult,” as explained well in the Rebbe’s lesson.83See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson.It is also clarified there, at the end of the lesson, that because the primary inspiration for all one’s devotions comes from their beginnings, one must endeavor to begin afresh every time. This is so that his service of HaShem does not become old and habitual for him. It will enable him to succeed in his devotions, because one’s energy in serving HaShem mainly conforms to the beginning. And so each time he must begin anew, since perhaps his first beginning, right there at the start, was not as it should have been. Therefore he needs to begin again right now. Similarly, on each day and with every chance he gets, he should begin anew. Study the Rebbe’s lesson there.
Therefore every morning before praying Shacharit a person must fast. He should not eat or drink before prayer in order to extract the sparks in the letters of speech from the narrow of the throat, since their being trapped there will prevent him from praying with fervor and focus. The way to accomplish this is by returning to the beginning, which conceptually underlies the fast.84Rebbe Nachman explains in §5 of his lesson that the principal merit a person earns for fasting is from the beginning. When a person fasts two days, the second day is of greater value, but only because we determine the period of his fasting by turning back to the beginning and reckoning the hours he first began his fast.This act of returning, attaching each successive day of fasting to the first day, is the concept of attaching and concealing achor, the back, of holiness. It is analogous to achorayim, the “stepping back” method of writing the Name of HaShem, in which one repeatedly returns to the first letter, as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.85Concealing the AChOR by returning to the beginning is analogous to the retrograde method of writing HaShem’s Name known This calls for “stepping back” .(אחוריים) as AChORayim and repeating the previous letters before adding the next one, until the entire Name has been written out in full. The achorayim of the Holy Name YHVH is written then ;(י־ה) then yod heh ;(י) as follows: we first write a yod In .(י־הוה) and finally yod heh vav heh ;(י־הו) yod heh vav writing the Name this way, each additional letter draws from the first one, much as each additional day a person fasts draws value from the day his fast began.Study there.86See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
This must be done every morning, since each and every day, in the morning, a person must make a new start in Divine service, as in “They are renewed in the mornings…” He should begin his day as if he had never before begun serving HaShem. This accords with Chazal’s teaching on the verse “‘that I charge you this day’—Each and every day the words of the Torah should be in your eyes like new.”87As if we had received the Torah this very day at Sinai; see Rashi on Devarim 6:6 citing Sifrei, Va’etchanan 8; also Rashi on Devarim 26:16.They similarly expounded the verse “‘Be attentive and hear, Israel: This day you have become a people’—Every day it shall seem to you as if today you have entered into a covenant with Him.”88Cf. Rashi on Devarim 27:9.
It follows from this that in serving HaShem we must begin anew every day. Therefore we must not eat before praying in the morning, since restraining ourselves from eating is an aspect of fasting, a return to the beginning.89Fasting involves returning to the beginning and so is an aspect of achorayim. When a person practices self-control with regard to food, he conceals the back of holiness from the kelipot. This is true of all one’s devotions to HaShem. When a person repeatedly returns to the beginning, each time making a fresh start, his renewed fervor conceals the back of holiness. The fallen sparks can then be elevated and restored to the realm of the holy. See also LM I, 261, where Rebbe Nachman teaches, “This is a cardinal principle in the service of HaShem: Literally every day, a person needs to begin anew.”In this way, we draw the light of the power of the beginning, and as a result of this inspiration, merit starting each morning anew.
יִתְגַּבֵּר כַּאֲרִי לַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר, שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר (שלחן ערוך ארח חיים סימן א׳).
KEY CONCEPTS FROM LIKUTEY MOHARAN
A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the shachar, dawn. [Gloss: “I set HaShem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8)—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah] (Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 1:1).
This discourse is based on the lesson Vayaseiv Elohim (LM I, 62), in which Rebbe Nachman discusses how to strengthen one’s emunah in HaShem. Study the Rebbe’s words there.
עַל פִּי הַתּוֹרָה ״וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים״, עַיֵּן שָׁם (בלקוטי מוהר״ן חלק א׳ סימן סב).
The Rebbe clarifies there the distinction between the two types of questions of emunah. There are questions whose solution a person can readily comprehend. Concerning this Chazal stated, “Know what to answer…”1Avot 2:14: “Be diligent in the study of Torah and know what to answer a heretic.” A Jew must know how to answer the heretic’s questions and theological challenges to faith (Rambam and Rabbeinu Yonah, loc. cit.). In fact, with regard to that which HaShem has placed within the grasp of the human mind, honing the intellect in order to comprehend the matter clearly is a great mitzvah. Hence the dictum: “Know what to answer a heretic.”
מְבֹאָר שָׁם, שֶׁיֵּשׁ חִלּוּק בֵּין הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת, כִּי יֵשׁ קֻשְׁיָא, שֶׁיָּכוֹל הָאָדָם לְהָבִין תֵּרוּץ עַל קֻשְׁיָא זוֹ – עלַ זהֶ נאֱֶמַר (אָבות פרק ב): ״וְדַע מַה שֶּׁתָּשִׁיב וְכוּ׳״. כִּי הָאֱמֶת מַה שֶׁהִגְבִּיל הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ לַשֵּׁכֶל הָאֱנוֹשִׁי שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהָבִין – הוּא מִצְוָה גְּדוֹלָה לְחַדֵּד הַשֵּׁכֶל לְהָבִין הַדָּבָר עַל בּוּרְיוֹ. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: ״וְדַע מַה שֶּׁתָּשִׁיב לָאֶפִּיקוֹרוֹס״.
But there are also questions whose solution is unfathomable to the human intellect. Only in the future will the answer be revealed.2Rebbe Nachman also addresses the topic of nonbelief and heresy in LM I, 64:2-3. See also LM I, 21:4. In the meantime, a person must not explore questions of this sort. Regarding someone who does rely on his intellect to delve into such questions, it is written, “Whoever goes to her will not return”—i.e. to his previous level of devoutness and simple faith.3Shlomo HaMelekh likens heresy to a temptress. Rashi explains that the attraction of heresy is so powerful that anyone who succumbs to “her” enticements finds it all but impossible to escape (see also Avodah Zarah 17a). For when it comes to questions of this sort, one is forbidden to rely on his intellect. Instead, he must stand firm in emunah.
אֲבָל יֵשׁ קֻשְׁיָא שֶׁאֵינוֹ בְּאֶפְשָׁרִי לַשֵּכֶׂל הָאֱנוֹשִׁי לְהָבִין תֵּרוּץ עַל קֻשְׁיָא כָּזוֹ, רַק לֶעָתִיד לָבאֹ יִתְגַּלֶּה הַתֵּרוּץ – אָסוּר לָאָדָם לְעַיֵּן בָּהֶם, וְכָל מִי שֶׁסּוֹמֵךְ עַל שִׂכְלוֹ וּמְעַיֵּן בָּהּ, עַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (משלי ב, יט): ״כָּל בָּאֶיהָ לֹא יְשׁוּבוּן״, כִּי עַל קֻשְׁיָא כָּזוֹ אָסוּר לִסְמֹךְ עַל שִׂכְלוֹ, רַק לְהַעֲמִיד עַל אֱמוּנָה.
Now, even regarding those questions that do have an answer, it sometimes happens that the pathways of a person’s intellect become blocked, and he does not know how to respond to the question. On account of this, the heresy of the question becomes injected into him. This sort of heresy exists in everyone, in each person relative to his spiritual level. If he looks within, he will be able to understand how to a greater or a lesser degree he too has been affected by heresy.4Unlike the comprehensive prohibition against exploring questions whose solutions will be understood only in the future, the prohibition against delving into answerable questions is relative, dependent on the state of a person’s intellect at that moment. When the pathways of his intellect are blocked and a solution eludes him—a state that kabbalistic teaching refers to as mochin d’katnut, constricted consciousness—he should rely on emunah. But when the pathways are unblocked, so that he is in the state of mochin d’gadlut, expanded consciousness, it is a mitzvah for him to explore the questions and seek to answer them.
וַאֲפִלּוּ אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם תְּשׁוּבָה, לִפְעָמִים נִסְתְּמוּ שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׂכֶל וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְהָשִׁיב, וְנִזְרְקָה בּוֹ אֶפִּיקוֹרְסוּת וְכוּ׳. וְזֹאת הָאֶפִּיקוֹרְסוּת הִיא לְכָל אֶחָד לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ יָכוֹל לְהָבִין בֵּין רַב למִעְָט.
One should serve HaShem with both of his inclinations, with the yetzer hara, evil inclination, subservient to the yetzer tov, good inclination.5See below in this section and note 9. In truth, if a person would really know with his whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” then the pathways of his intellect would never be blocked and he would not succumb to heresy. The extent of this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence is reflected in his conduct during prayer. If he would know and internalize that HaKadosh Barukh Hu stands over him when he prays, and that He listens to every single word of the prayer, he would surely pray with great fervor and be extremely meticulous about concentrating on his words. But, in general, because a person does not know this with a whole heart, he is neither very fervent nor meticulous.
כִּי צָרִיךְ לַעֲבֹד אֶת ה׳ בִּשְׁנֵי יְצָרִין וְכוּ׳, וּבֶאֱמֶת אִם הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ הָאָדָם יְדִיעָה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁ״מְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ״ (ישעיה ו, ג), וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹמֵד בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה וְשׁוֹמֵעַ הַתְּפִלָּה וַדַּאי הָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל בְּהִתְלַהֲבוּת גָּדוֹל, וְהָיָה מְדַקְדֵּק מְאֹד לְכַוֵּן אֶת דְּבָרָיו. וּבִשְׁבִיל שֶׁהָאָדָם אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ זֹאת יְדִיעָה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם, בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה אֵינוֹ מִתְלַהֵב כָּל־כָּךְ וְאֵינוֹ מְדַקְדֵּק כָּל־כָּךְ וְכוּ׳.
And all of this is due to the concealment of the knowledge of HaShem’s Immanence. This concealment stems from the element of machloket—the dispute in a person’s heart caused by the ascending power of his yetzer hara—as expressed in “their heart is chalak.”6The prophet Hoshea speaks of the idol-worshiping Jews whose hearts were divided against HaShem. Rebbe Nachman teaches that this dividedness stems from conflict within the heart, the dispute between one’s good inclination and its evil counterpart. When divided) between ,חלק) a person’s heart is ChaLaK devotion to HaShem and yielding to his yetzer hara, his division or dispute) indicates ,מחלקת) inner maChLoKet an absence of deep spiritual knowledge, i.e. daat, and thus an inability to answer the “personal” heresies that plague his heart and distance him from HaShem. This refers to questions that arise because the pathways of his intellect have become blocked and “divide” his heart, to the point that he does not know what to answer to the heresy in his own heart.
וְכָל זֶה נִמְשָׁךְ מֵהַסְתָּרַת הַיְדִיעָה, מִבְּחִינַת מַחֲלֹקֶת, בְּחִינַת (הושע י, ב): ״חָלַק לִבָּם״, בְּחִינַת הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁבָּאִין עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁנִּסְתְּמוּ שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל עַד שֶּׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְהָשִׁיב עַל אֶפִּיקוֹרְסִית שֶׁבְּלִבּוֹ.
The way to remedy this machloket in the heart is by studying the rulings of Jewish law that cite the disputes between the various legal authorities and come to a clear conclusion.7The division in a person’s heart is rooted in the disputes of holiness, namely the disputes of the Tannaim and Amoraim recorded in the Gemara. Uncertainty about how HaShem wants the disputed law fulfilled leaves one’s evil inclination a way-in to undermine not only the dispute of holiness but even the very foundation of emunah itself. By studying the disputes of the Sages and how these disputes are resolved as rulings of Jewish law, one fosters inner peace. The daat he acquires in learning to distinguish between prohibited and permitted, kosher and unkosher, pure and impure eliminates the machloket that divides and plagues his heart with conflict. For a more extensive explanation, see §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson and the notes there. Through this study a person attains both daat and inner peace, and so merits eliminating the questions in his heart.8In §2 of his lesson, Rebbe Nachman notes that peace) is an acrostic for the ,שלום) the word ShaLOM Mishnah’s dictum (Avot 2:14): “Ve-da Mah She-tashiv Know what to ,ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס) Le’epikoros answer a heretic)” (see note 1 above). for “your (לבבך) He will then be able to pray with a whole heart, as in Chazal’s exposition of the verse “with all levavekha” as meaning to pray to HaShem “with both your inclinations.”9The Torah uses the word levavekha .(לבך) heart” rather than the more common libkha Chazal (Berakhot 54a) see the doubling of the letter in leVaVekha as an allusion to the heart’s two (ב) vet inclinations: “You shall love HaShem your God with both your inclinations,” using the energy generated by your yetzer hara to serve the objectives of your yetzer tov. This praying with both inclinations of the heart is also alluded to in “I will praise You with an upright leivav when I study Your just laws.”10As in “with all leVaVekha” (see previous note), heart) also has the letter vet doubled. Here ,לבב) leiVaV too this indicates that one should pray to HaShem with both of the heart’s inclinations. How does one achieve a whole heart? By studying “Your just laws,” namely the rulings of Jewish law. Reb Noson will further expound this second proof-text in §3 below. Study the Rebbe’s words there.11See §2 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
וְהַתִּקּוּן לְזֶה הַמַּחֲלֹקֶת שֶׁבַּלֵּב הוּא לִלְמֹד פּוֹסֵק, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכֶה לְשָׁלוֹם וְכוּ׳, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִזְכֶּה לְבַטֵּל הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁבְּלִבּוֹ, וְזוֹכֶה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם, בִּבְחִינַת: ״בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ״ (דברים ו, ה) – ״בִּשְׁנֵי יְצָרֶיךָ״ (ברכות נד.). וְזֶהוּ (תהלים קיט, ז): ״אוֹדְךָ בְּיֹשֶׁר לֵבָב בְּלָמְדִי מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ וְכוּ׳״, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
However, studying the rulings of Jewish law is effective only in dealing with questions whose answer a person can readily comprehend, whereas it is forbidden to explore those questions for which there are no answers. Rather, one must strengthen oneself with emunah.
אֲבָל הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֵין עֲלֵיהֶם תֵּרוּץ – אָסוּר לְעַיֵּן בָּהֶם, רַק לְחַזֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ בֶּאֱמוּנָה.
And when a person has complete emunah, free of all questions and doubts, his eating has the power to effect a yichud, unification,12Yichud is the union of the masculine and feminine aspects of Divinity, HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah, respectively, so that by virtue of their union an abundance of HaShem’s compassion and goodness are revealed in the creation. For yichud to transpire, both of these aspects must be in a state of wholeness, which the Kabbalists refer to as panim (see note 22 below), i.e. positioned facing each other rather than back-to-back (see Shaar Maamarei Rashbi 105 ff ). The mitzvot that a Jew performs are the primary vehicle for bringing about this union. between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah,13The term Shekhinah denotes the Indwelling Presence of HaShem in the world. In its identity as Malkhut, the manifestation of Divine sovereignty, Shekhinah also signifies the contraction of Ein Sof, HaShem’s Infinite Essence, in order to directly supervise and govern creation (see Appendix A, p. 225). Whereas the nonbeliever attributes the governance of creation to nature and human agency (see LH, Masa u-Matan 4:8), one who possesses complete emunah ascribes the supervision of creation—namely the Shekhinah—to HaKadosh Barukh Hu. Such a person therefore eats with full recognition and emunah that his sustenance comes from HaShem alone, through the agency of His Indwelling Presence, and in this way effects a yichud between HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah (see further, notes 14 and 15). since food is spiritually refined and elevated through emunah14In his lesson Rebbe Nachman explains that in order for one’s eating to bring about a yichud, the food has to have already been refined of the forces of spiritual impurity that were mixed in with it as a result of Adam’s eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Conversely, eating food that contains an admixture of good and evil can cause a person to sin, and sin separates HaKadosh Barukh Hu from the Shekhinah.—through the faith in HaShem displayed by eating in holiness.15A person who has complete emunah eats in order to better serve HaShem. He is not gluttonous, eats only kosher food, recites blessings with kavanah, studies Torah at the meal, and so on. No less significantly, when a person with complete emunah eats, he is grateful to HaShem and acknowledges His hashgachah, Divine providence, as the agency through which he obtains his sustenance.
וּכְשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ אֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת – יוּכַל לִהְיוֹת עַל־יְדֵי אֲכִילָתוֹ יִחוּד קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ וְכוּ׳. כִּי הַבֵּרוּר שֶׁל הַמַּאֲכָלִים הוּא עַל־יְדֵי אֱמוּנָה וְכוּ׳.
Now, emunah is perfected and adorned mainly by bringing closer to HaShem precisely those who are most distant from Him.16By definition, perfecting anything means providing it with what it previously lacked. In the case of emunah, those distant from faith in HaShem are the addition that makes it whole. To perfect and adorn emunah, they must be brought to belief in HaShem. This is true not just of the nonbelievers among the nations of the world, but also of Jews whose lack of emunah in HaShem resembles that of the nations. In neglecting the faith of their forefathers, they have become distant from HaShem and need to be drawn closer. Their newfound recognition of HaShem enhances emunah. However, to achieve this, one must be able to elevate the sparks of holiness in the letters of speech.17The Midrash teaches that the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are the building blocks of Creation (see Bereishit Rabbah 18:4). In an alternate account of the Breaking of the Vessels, the Arizal identifies the letters of speech with the sefirah-vessels that house the Light of Ein Sof from which all the worlds were formed (Eitz Chaim 5:5). At the shevirah, these letter-vessels broke into countless shards bearing sparks of the Light, which then fell into the lower realms (see LM I, 54:3; see also Appendix A, p. 231). Man furthers the fall of these holy sparks when he employs his faculty of speech improperly, including reciting the words of his arid, absentminded prayers.. Only the redemption of these holy sparks creates the speech of holiness needed to restore emunah to the world. Then, once these holy sparks begin to ascend,18The fallen holy sparks ascend when man purifies his speech through fervent prayer, Torah study, speaking words of faith, and the like; and by abstaining from profanity, slander, mockery, falsehood, and the like. the faculty of speech turns itself around and gathers up the remaining sparks of holiness from the kelipot, the forces of evil.19Speech acts here in its identity as the sefirah of Malkhut and the Shekhinah.
וְעִקַּר שְׁלֵמוּת וְקִשּׁוּטֵי אֱמוּנָה הַיְנוּ לְקָרֵב דַּוְקָא הַמְרֻחָקִים וְכוּ׳. וְלָזֶה צְרִיכִין לְהַעֲלוֹת נִיצוֹצֵי הַדִּבּוּר, וְאָז הוֹפֵךְ אֶת עַצְמוֹ הַדִּבּוּר וּמְלַקֵּט שְׁאֵרֵי נִיצוֹצוֹת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה מִן הַקְּלִפּוֹת וְכוּ׳.
In order to elevate the holy sparks of speech, one needs to fast. Man’s cravings for food and drink are the primary physical desires.20See note 67 to Rebbe Nachman’s lesson, which explains why he considers gluttony, and not immorality or avarice, the primary physical desire. When these desires become overpowering, chas ve-shalom, they draw the letters of speech into the exile of Egypt, making it impossible to speak words of holiness.21See LM I, 45, that quintessentially the Egyptian exile was the exile of speech. They also undermine holy emunah, and so people’s questions of faith increase. At that point it is necessary to attach the back of holiness,22To indicate a subject’s wholeness and perfection or lack thereof, Kabbalah employs the terms panim and achor, “front” and “back.” Here, the “back of holiness” signifies holiness of a lesser intensity and level. Holiness that is in any sense incomplete or inferior needs to be concealed from the evil and impure forces, lest they exploit its imperfection for their own benefit. The idea of attaching the back of holiness derives from the kabbalistic teaching regarding Ze’ir Anpin (the masculine principle) and Malkhut (the feminine principle). In their rectified state of gadlut (lit. “maturity”), these Divine personas (see Appendix A, pp. 233-4) stand face-to-face in preparation for yichud. Prior to reaching this wholeness they are in a state of deficiency, katnut (lit. “immaturity”). Their “backs”—their elements of lesser holiness—are then exposed to the kelipot. In order to safeguard holiness and keep the power of the kelipot in check (see following note), it is necessary to conceal holiness by attaching Ze’ir Anpin and Malkhut back-toback (Eitz Chaim 8:6). to conceal it, so as to prevent the kelipot from drawing any more than a bare minimum of sustenance from this lesser holiness.23The Arizal teaches that like all things in creation, the kelipot are sustained by nitzotzot, sparks of holiness, the life-force without which they could not exist (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar HaPurim 6; see Appendix A, p. 231 ff ). However, because HaShem does not want the forces of evil to become overly powerful, their access is limited to the back of holiness, and even there only to the bare minimum of life-force needed to insure their continued survival. Yet there are certain times and situations in which the back of holiness becomes especially vulnerable to the kelipot. Then, to insure that their ability to overpower holiness is held in check, the back of holiness must be concealed. And the way to conceal the back of holiness is through fasting. Unlike indulging one’s desires for food and drink, fasting denies the kelipot access to their source of sustenance, and so breaks any hold they have over holy speech.24Fasting subdues man’s physical desires. Thus if a person’s aim in eating and drinking is to satisfy his physical desires rather than elevate the sparks of holiness trapped inside the food, he would do well to serve HaShem by fasting. Keeping food from his throat keeps sustenance from the kelipot, and so thwarts their attempts to prevent the words of holiness from passing through the throat.
וּלְהַעֲלוֹת נִצּוֹצֵי הַדִּבּוּר צָרִיךְ לְתַעֲנִית וְכוּ׳, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי תַּאֲוַת אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, שֶׁהֵם רָאשֵׁי הַתַּאֲווֹת, כְּשֶׁמִּתְגַּבְּרִים, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, הֵם מַמְשִׁיכִין אֶת הַדִּבּוּר לְגָלוּת מִצְרַיִם וְכוּ׳, וְאָז צְרִיכִין לְדַבֵּק אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה שֶׁלֹּא יִינְקוּ, וּדְבֵקוּת אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה הוּא עַל־יְדֵי הַתַּעֲנִית וְכוּ׳.
In addition to subjugating physical desire, fasting is also valuable because it expresses a new beginning.25Fasting indicates a person’s recognition that he has to step back from his attachment to the physical pleasures of this world. As an act of teshuvah, fasting expresses one’s desire for a new beginning. Reb Noson fleshes out this idea in §5 below. This is important because the essence of all things is their beginning, and because “all beginnings are difficult.”26Mekhilta, Yitro 2:5. Rebbe Nachman gives two reasons why the beginning of a devotional practice is more meritorious than its continued performance: 1) The beginning is the foundation on which whatever one subsequently accomplishes is built; and 2) “All beginnings are difficult,” since it takes greater effort to change oneself than to maintain a change once it has been instituted and routinized.
גַּם כִּי עִקַּר כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הֵן הַהַתְחָלָה, כִּי כָּל הַהַתְחָלוֹת קָשׁוֹת וְכוּ׳ וְכוּ׳.
Once the back of holiness has been concealed through fasting, the kelipot are unable to enter there and draw sustenance from the power of holiness. And with the capacity of the kelipot impaired, the face of holiness—the radiance of consummate emunah—is then revealed. HaShem engineers this in order to extract from the mouths of the kelipot the holiness that they have swallowed. And then all those who are spiritually distant turn to the emunah of the Jews, as expressed in “Then I will turn the nations to a pure language.” The emphasis is on “turn,” as the verse can also be read, “I will turn a pure language to the nations.” It is the “pure language,” meaning the faculty of speech that has been refined and extracted from the midst of the kelipot, which turns its face to the nations. It does this in order to gather up from them the remaining sparks of holiness. Then the continuation of the verse, “that they all proclaim in the Name of HaShem,” is realized. All those who were spiritually distant are drawn closer to HaShem—this being the adornment of emunah.
וְאָז כְּשֶׁנִּתְדַּבְּקִין אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַקְּלִפּוֹת לִכָּנֵס לְשָׁם וְלִינקֹ, וְאָז נִתְגַּלִין הַפָּנִים שֶׁל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה וְכוּ׳, כְּדֵי לְהוֹצִיא בִּלְעָם מִפִּיהֶם וְכוּ׳, וְאָז פּוֹנִים כָּל הָרְחוֹקִים לְאֱמוּנַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בִּבְחִינַת (צפניה ג, ט): ״אָז אֶהֱפֹךְ אֶל כָּל הָעַמִּים שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה״, ״אֶהֱפֹךְ״ דַּיְקָא, שֶׁהַשָּׁפָה בְּרוּרָה, בְּחִינַת הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר מִבֵּינֵיהֶם, הוּא הוֹפֵךְ פָּנָיו אֶל הָעַמִּים כְּדֵי לְלַקֵּט מֵהֶם שְׁאֵרֵי נִצּוֹצוֹת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, וְאָז נִתְקַיֵּם: ״לִקְרֹא כֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם ה׳ וְכוּ׳״, וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת קִשּׁוּטֵי הָאֱמוּנָה כַּנַּ״ל.
This perfecting and adorning of emunah is alluded to in Saba d’Mishpatim,27The Zohar recounts the deep mysteries that were revealed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples by several very exalted souls. This section of Zohar (II, 94a-14a) is known as Saba d’Mishpatim. which states: Emunah is like “the beautiful maiden who has no eyes, i.e. she is concealed… She emerges and is revealed in the morning, but over the day becomes covered.” For man’s emunah renews itself each morning, as in a rereading of the verse “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” where it is “your emunah,” a person’s faith, that the psalmist is alluding to.28In the Book of Eikhah, “Your emunah is great” refers to HaShem’s faithfulness. Rebbe Nachman reads this as referring to a person’s faith—to his emunah that emerges anew each morning, having been strengthened and made great by his nighttime devotions. See also Rashi’s commentary on this verse in Eikhah. But subsequently, “over the day [it] becomes covered”—due to the burdens of daily existence, emunah becomes obscured and concealed.
וְזֶהוּ ״עוּלֵימְתָּא שַׁפִּירְתָא דְּלֵית לָהּ עֵינִין וְכוּ׳, נַפְקַת בְּצַפְרָא וְאִתְכַּסְיָא בִּימָמָא״ (זהר משפטים צה:). כִּי הָאֱמוּנָה מִתְחַדֶּשֶׁת אֵצֶל הָאָדָם בְּכָל בֹּקֶר, בִּבְחִינַת (איכה ג, כג): ״חדֲשִָׁים לבַּקְ רִָים רַבּהָ אֱמוּנָתֶךָ״, ״וּמִתְכַסְּיָא בִּימָמָא״ – מֵחֲמַת טִרְדַת עִסְקֵי הָעוֹלָם נִתְכַּסָּה הָאֱמוּנָה וְכוּ׳.
Thus we need to engage in the tikkun of emunah by drawing the spiritually distant towards holiness. Once perfected, all the questions that would undermine emunah are eliminated, and HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah are joined in a state of yichud. Emunah, the Shekhinah, then pleads and advocates before HaShem on behalf of the spiritually distant ones, asking that He draw them closer.
וַאֲזַי הָאֱמוּנָה הִיא מַמְלֶצֶת עַל הָרְחוֹקִים לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁיְּקָרֵב אוֹתָם וְכוּ׳.
This yichud is alluded to in the verse “Then Yehudah approached [Yosef].” The commentaries explain that this is “the drawing close of one king to another king,”29Bereishit Rabbah 93:2. hinting to the unification of HaKadosh Barukh Hu with the Shekhinah.30The Zohar (I, 206b) explains this meeting of kings, Yosef and Yehudah, as the yichud of Ze’ir Anpin/ HaKadosh Barukh Hu and Malkhut / the Shekhinah. Yosef, as the Biblical exemplar of the tzaddik, personifies Yesod, the component of Ze’ir Anpin that engages in union. Yehudah, as progenitor of the Davidic dynasty, personifies Malkhut, Ze’ir Anpin’s mate. Their drawing close signifies the face-to-face yichud of these Divine personas.
וזְֶהוּ (בראשית מד, יח): ״וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה״ – ״דָּא תִּקְרֻבְתָּא דְּמַלְכָּא בְּמַלְכָּא וְכוּ׳״ (זהר ויגש רו.). ״כִּי כָּמוֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹה״.
When joined in yichud, the Shekhinah pleads with HaKadosh Barukh Hu to show compassion for the spiritually distant ones. She says, “For you are just like Pharaoh.” In other words, “You are known only from pheraoh, what is revealed31In its account of Moshe descending from Mount Sinai to discover the Israelites worshiping the golden calf, the Torah states (Shemot 32:25), “Moshe realized that the nation was exposed, for Aharon pheraoh (had exposed) has the ,פרְָעהֹ) exposed them).” PheRaOH Pharaoh). This indicates ,פּרְַעהֹ) same letters as PaROH that the name Pharaoh implies revealing (see also Metzudat Tzion on II Divrei HaYamim 28:19).—namely a world ostensibly governed by nature, in which Your hashgachah is hidden. It is this concealment that causes people to err in emunah.” Thus the Shekhinah begs HaKadosh Barukh Hu to make His hashgachah known to them. How? By allowing those who are distant from Him to witness the tzaddik overturning the laws of nature.32“The God of Israel has said, the Rock of Israel has spoken to me, ‘[Become] a ruler of men; a tzaddik rules through the fear of God’” (II Shmuel 23:3). Chazal interpret this verse as HaShem saying, “I am the Ruler of men. And who rules over Me? The tzaddik! For I issue a decree and he nullifies it” (Moed Katan 16b). Owing to the tzaddik’s fear of HaShem, his prayers have the power to annul HaShem’s decrees of illness, poverty, and the like, thereby overriding the laws of nature through which HaShem governs the world.
מַה פַּרְעֹה גּוֹזֵר וְאֵינוֹ מְקַיֵּם וְכוּ׳, אַף אַתָּה גּוֹזֵר וְאֵינְךָ מְקַיֵּם (בראשית רבה צג, ו), כִּי הַצַּדִּיק מְבַטֵּל וְכוּ׳, עַיֵּן שָׁם כָּל זֶה הֵיטֵב.
This is the meaning of the Midrash’s teaching “Just as Pharaoh decrees, i.e. nature dictates a certain course of cause and effect, but fails to carry out its program when a tzaddik nullifies it, You too decree that the world now be governed by nature but fail to carry this out,” since the tzaddik prays and nullifies that too. Seeing You nullify Your will to the will of the tzaddik strengthens the emunah of those who are distant and brings them closer to You.33The supernatural wonders that the tzaddik performs through his prayers prove that the natural order is subject to a Higher Will. People see that in response to the tzaddik’s prayers to HaShem, some constant of nature acts inconstantly or some law of physics is inexplicably contravened. From this they deduce that HaShem exists and that everything in creation conforms to His will. Were it otherwise, the tzaddik’s prayers would be helpless to effect a change in the set rules of nature. Study all this well in the Rebbe’s words there.34See §6 of the Rebbe’s lesson. See also LM I, 62:7 and notes 125-134 there.
וְזֶה בְּחִינַת ״יִתְגַּבֵּר כַּאֲרִי לַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר״. כִּי הָאֱמוּנָה הִיא בְּחִינַת ״מַלְכוּת״ (זהר בלק קצח:), שֶׁנִּקְרֵאת שַׁחַר, בְּחִינַת ״אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר״, כַּיָּדוּעַ (זהר ויקרא כא:).
2 ■ RISING WITH EMUNAH
Reb Noson begins his discourse on the law that a person should strengthen himself to rise in the morning to serve HaShem by linking it with strengthening emunah, especially through studying Torah in the hours before dawn.
Now, this teaching regarding strengthening emunah bears directly on the first law in the Shulchan Arukh, “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning … so that it is he who awakens the dawn.” Awakening the shachar, rising before dawn, effectively “awakens” or strengthens emunah. For emunah is identified with the sefirah of Malkhut,35Tikkuney Zohar #67, p. 97b; Zohar III, 198b. Kabbalah teaches that at night Malkhut, the sefirah synonymous with the Shekhinah, descends into the lower worlds in order to redeem the sparks of holiness that have fallen there on account of humanity’s sins (Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaAmidah 2; see also ibid. Drushei HaLailah 4). Malkhut is also identified as emunah, for by accepting HaShem’s kingship and sovereignty, one displays his emunah in Him (see LM I, 35:5). Thus in a world darkened by sin, faith is said to be trapped among the forces of evil. But at midnight, Malkhut / the Shekhinah / emunah begins to ascend (ibid. Drushei HaLailah 3), particularly through the spiritual devotions of those who, as Reb Noson will explain, “awaken the dawn.” which is termed shachar—as in the kabbalistic concept known as Ayelet HaShachar.36See above, p. 90, note 24, that the light of shachar is called Ayelet HaShachar. In the kabbalistic lexicon, Ayelet HaShachar is an appellation for the Shekhinah (Zohar II, 19b), namely Malkhut, Whose rectification and return to wholeness comes with the morning’s dawn.
כִּי עִקַּר שְׁלֵמוּת הָאֱמוּנָה הוּא בַּבֹּקֶר, בִּבְחִינַת: ״חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ״, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת ״נַפְקַת בְּצַפְרָא״, כַּמְבֹאָר לְעֵיל בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה נִקְרֵאת הָאֱמוּנָה ״שַׁחַר״ כַּנַּ״ל.
Moreover, emunah and morning’s dawn, the shachar, are conceptually related. For the main perfection of faith takes place in the morning, as expressed in “They are renewed in the mornings, your faith is great.” Every morning the power of emunah is regenerated. This relates to the Zohar’s teaching cited above, that emunah is the “beautiful maiden” who “emerges in the morning” and is revealed then. All of this was explained previously, in the concepts from the Rebbe’s lesson.37See the passage from Saba d’Mishpatim cited in §1 above. It is for this reason, namely that the main perfection of emunah occurs in the morning, that emunah is termed shachar, the beginning of the morning.
וְעַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ כָּל אֶחָד לְהִתְגַּבֵּר כַּאֲרִי, וּלְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל מְאֹד שֶׁיַּעֲמוֹד בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּם קֹדֶם עֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲסוֹק בְּתוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה, לְהַעֲלוֹת וּלְהַשְׁלִים לְגַדֵּל אֶת הָאֱמוּנָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת: ״שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר״, בְּחִינַת (תהלים נז, ט): ״אָעִירָה שָׁחַר״, הַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה עַל־יְדֵי עֲבוֹדָתוֹ קֹדֶם אוֹר הַיּוֹם לְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הָאֱמוּנָה, שֶׁצְּרִיכָה לְהַגְדִילָהּ וּלְהַשְׁלִימָהּ עַד אוֹר הַיּוֹם, שֶׁאָז עִקַּר עֲלִיָּתָהּ וּשְׁלֵמוּתָהּ, בִּבְחִינַת ״חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים וְכוּ׳״, בְּחִינַת ״נַפְקַת בְּצַפְרָא״ כַּנַּ״ל.
And so, in order for emunah to be revealed, every person must “strengthen himself like a lion” and exert great effort to rise up early in the morning, before daybreak, in order to study Torah and pray, and to elevate, complete and magnify holy faith. Perfection of emunah depends on his serving HaShem. This is the meaning of “so that it is he who awakens the shachar,” corresponding to the verse “I will awaken the shachar.” In other words, through a person’s pre-dawn devotions, he merits awakening the shachar in its identity as emunah, which needs to be magnified and completed up until daybreak. For morning is the main time of emunah’s elevation and perfection, as indicated in “They are renewed in the mornings,” and in the passage cited from Saba d’Mishpatim, “She emerges in the morning.”
וְעִקַּר שְׁלֵמוּת הָעֲבוֹדָה הוּא לְהִתְגַּבֵּר מְאֹד לַעֲמֹד בְּכָל לַיְלָה בַּחֲצוֹת הַלַּיְלָה, כַּמְבֹאָר בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בְכַמָּה וְכַמָּה מְקוֹמוֹת (זהר לך לך צב:, בא כז:, בשלח מו.), מִגֹּדֶל הָאַזְהָרָה שֶׁמְחֻיָּב כָּל מִי שֶׁנָּגַע יִרְאַת ה׳ בְּלִבּוֹ לַעֲמֹד בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה דַּוְקָא.
Thus far Reb Noson has explained that emunah is renewed every morning, and that we therefore get up before dawn to elevate and magnify emunah through our Torah study and prayer. He next specifies that the optimal time to engage in perfecting emunah is after midnight, through the daat one acquires by studying the rulings of Jewish law.
Now, the consummate and most effective devotion for strengthening emunah is to strengthen oneself greatly, exerting utmost willpower, to rise each night at midnight. The holy Zohar, in many places, is clear about how extremely vigilant one must be regarding this. It teaches that anyone whose heart has been touched by fear and awe of HaShem is obligated to rise specifically at midnight.38See Zohar I, 77b and 92b; Zohar II, 46a. See also Reishit Chokhmah, Shaar HaKedushah 7, which cites many additional passages from the Zohar on the importance of rising at midnight to serve HaShem.
כִּי עִקַּר שְׁלֵמוּת הָאֱמוּנָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה הוּא עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמְּבַטְּלִין וּמְשַׁבְּרִין וּמְבַעֲרִין מִדַּעְתּוֹ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי קֻשְׁיוֹת וּכְפִירוֹת הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁהֵם הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהָשִׁיב עֲלֵיהֶם שׁוּם תְּשׁוּבָה וְתֵרוּץ, כִּי עֲלֵיהֶם נֶאֱמַר: ״כָּל בָּאֶיהָ לֹא יְשׁוּבוּן״, וּצְרִיכִין לִסְמֹךְ רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה לְבַד וְכַנַּ״ל. וְעוֹד יֵשׁ קֻשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָם וְכוּ׳, וְגַם אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת, לִפְעָמִים נִסְתְּמוּ שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׂכֶל וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן. וְאֵלוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הֵם לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ, לְפִי הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד.
For holy emunah is mainly perfected through voiding, crushing and eradicating from one’s mind the two types of questions and heresies discussed above. As we have seen, there are the questions that are intrinsically unanswerable and insolvable. Regarding these the Torah states, “Whoever goes to her will not return.” Rather, one must rely exclusively on emunah. In addition, there are the questions that can be resolved, for which honing one’s intellect is a great mitzvah. But with these questions too there are pitfalls. It sometimes happens that the pathways of the intellect become blocked and so even these questions cannot presently be answered. As a result, an element of heresy enters his heart. And for each person, these questions that are unresolvable because the pathways have become blocked are relative to his spiritual level, commensurate with each person’s intellect.
וְהַתִּקּוּן לָזֶה לִזְכּוֹת לִפְתֹּחַ אֶת הַדַּעַת וּלְגַלּוֹת שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׂכֶל הוּא עַל־יְדֵי לִמּוּד פּוֹסְקִים וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל. וְאָז זוֹכִין לְשָׁלוֹם וְנִתְבַּטֵּל הַמַּחֲלֹקֶת, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת כְּפִירוּת וְאֶפִּיקוֹרְסִית, וְזוֹכִין לָדַעַת לְהָשִׁיב עַל אֶפִּיקוֹרְסִית שֶׁבְּלִבּוֹ וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל.
The tikkun for this, to merit opening the mind and revealing the pathways of the intellect, is through study of the rulings of Jewish law. One then merits peace, and the machloket—the dispute in the heart caused by one’s yetzer hara, such that the heart is plagued with denial and heresy—is eliminated. Moreover, through the daat a person acquires by studying the rulings of Jewish law, he merits knowing how to answer the heresy in his heart, as discussed above.
וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה צְרִיכִין לְהִתְגַּבֵּר לָקוּם בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה, כִּי יוֹם וְלַיְלָה שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת אוֹר וְחשֶׁךְ, הֵם בְּחִינַת דַּעַת וּכְסִילוּת שֶׁהוּא הַסְתָּרַת הַיְּדִיעָה, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּדִבְרֵי רַבֵּנוּ זַ״ל בְּהַתּוֹרָה ״דִּרְשׁוּ וְכוּ׳״ (סימן לז), שֶׁהַדַּעַת הוּא בְּחִינַת אוֹר, וְהַכְּסִילוּת, בְּחִינַת הַסְתָּרַת הַיְּדִיעָה, הוּא בְּחִינַת חֹשֶׁךְ, כִּי הַחֹשֶׁךְ נִמְשָׁךְ מֵחֶשְׁכַּת הַדַּעַת, שֶׁהוּא הַסְתָּרַת הַיְּדִיעָה, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִמְשָׁכִין אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל.
Reb Noson now explains that the darkness of night symbolizes the concealment of daat.
For the truth is that everyone has a bit of heresy in his heart. This is why a person needs to strengthen himself to rise at midnight. For day and night, with respect to their characteristics of light and darkness, represent daat and foolish ignorance, namely the concealment of knowledge. Rebbe Nachman explains this in the lesson Dirshu,39LM I, 37. that daat corresponds to the revelation of light, whereas foolish ignorance, being the concealment of knowledge, corresponds to darkness. For the physical darkness of night stems from the darkening of daat, the concealment of the knowledge one must have of HaShem’s Immanence, from whence the heretical questions of emunah derive.
כּיִ אִיתָא בּזַּהַֹר (עין בסדור קול יעקב הנהגת הלילה): ״כַּד פָּרִישׂ לֵילְיָא גַדְפָהָא, אֲזַי מִסְתַּתְּמִין תַּרְעִין דְּגַן עֵדֶן, וְנִימוּסֵי גַרְדוּנִין נָפְקִין בְּעָלְמָא, וְעָלְמָא אִתְנַהֵג עַל יְדָא דְמַטְרוֹנִיתָא״.
This idea, that night suggests spiritual darkness and heresy, is brought in the Zohar: “When night spreads its wings, the gates of Gan Eden close shut. The forces of darkness40Lit. “executors of decrees.” These are the destructive angels that rule the night. See Zohar I, 203b, that when night falls, the forces of darkness sent to execute harmful decrees are given free rein to spread dinim, elements of judgments, across the world. When day breaks, they return to their places. are released into the world, and the world is then governed through the Matron.”41This refers to the Shekhinah, which in the works of the early Kabbalists is known as the Matron. “All Israelites are princes” (Mishnah, Shabbat 14:4), and so the Divine persona of Malkhut, the source of Jewish souls, is also called the Matron and Holy Queen. Being the lowest of the sefirot, Malkhut interfaces between the Supernal Worlds and this lower world of corporeality, and thus serves as the agent between HaShem and man. This agency is depicted in the following passage from the Zohar (II, 51a) on the relationship between the Holy King (HaKadosh Barukh Hu) and His Queen (the Shekhinah / Malkhut): “Every mission that the King wishes issues from the house of the Matron. Every mission from below to the King ascends first to the house of the Matron, and from there to the King. Thus the Matron is the agent of all, from above to below and from below to above.” Consequently, a world, a time, or a situation governed by the Matron is one that calls for emunah rather than daat.
הַיְנוּ כִּי בַּלַּיְלָה אָז מִתְגַּבֵּר הַחֹשֶׁךְ, שֶׁהוּא הֶעְדֵר הַדַּעַת, שֶׁהוּא סְתִימַת תַּרְעִין דְּגַן עֵדֶן, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׂכֶל, וְאָז נִימוּסֵי גַרְדוּנִין נַפְקִין בְּעָלְמָא, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת הַדִּינִים וְהַקְּלִפּוֹת, שֶׁעִקַּר אֲחִיזָתָם בִּכְפִירוֹת וְקֻשְׁיוֹת הַנִּמְשָׁכִין עַל־יְדֵי הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַדַּעַת בַּלַּיְלָה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת סְתִימַת תַּרְעִין דְּגַן עֵדֶן כַּיָּדוּעַ, וְכַנַּ״ל.
As we understand it, this means that at night spiritual darkness becomes overpowering. This is the absence of daat, the shutting of the gates of Gan Eden, which are the gates and pathways of the intellect.42Kabbalah teaches that Upper Gan Eden, where the souls reside, is located in the World of Beriah (Kehillat Yaakov, Erekh: Gan). Of the four planes of existence (spiritual, mental, emotional and physical), Beriah corresponds to the mental plane and the mind’s mochin, mental faculties. Hence Reb Noson’s link here between the gates of Gan Eden and the pathways of the intellect. This is when “the forces of darkness are released into the world.” These forces signify dinim and kelipot, the forces of judgment and evil. Their hold is primarily through the heresies and questions that arise due to the departure of daat at night, which corresponds to the closing of the gates of Gan Eden.43See Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei HaLailah 3, where the Arizal teaches that at night the mochin depart entirely. In context here, these are the pathways of the intellect, the gates of Gan Eden that close shut.
וּכְדֵין ״עַלְמָא אִתְנַהֵג עַל־יְדָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא״, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הַמַּלְכָּה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הָאֱמוּנָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, כִּי בַּלַיְלָה, בְּעֵת הַחֹשֶׁךְ, הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַדַּעַת, אָז צְרִיכִין לְהִתְחַזֵּק רַק בֶּאֱמוּנָה לְבַד, שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת מַלְכוּת, בְּחִינַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא הַנַּ״ל, וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (תהלים צב, ג): ״וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת״, וְכַמּוּבָא בְּדִבְרֵי רַבֵּנוּ זַ״ל בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר (בלקוטי מוהר״ן חלק א׳ סימן לה), עַיֵּן שָׁם.
“And then, at night, the world is governed through the Matron,”44See Zohar I, 20b and Matok MiDevash there. The Torah relates that HaShem set two great luminaries in the sky to light up the earth and “to have dominion by day and night” (Bereishit 1:18). Commenting on this verse, the Zohar teaches that dominion of the day belongs to Man (Ze’ir Anpin), and dominion of the night belongs to Woman (Malkhut/the Matron). namely the spiritual aspect of sovereignty, “the Holy Queen,” which corresponds to holy emunah. For at night, at the time of darkness—with the departure of daat—a person has to strengthen himself exclusively with emunah. Earlier we saw that emunah is identified with Malkhut,45See above and note 35. the sefirah of Sovereignty, corresponding to the Matron. This is the idea expressed in “your emunah in the nights”—that to survive the darkness, a person must rest his mind and instead rely solely on his emunah in HaShem46This agrees with Rashi’s interpretation of this verse in Tehillim, that it refers to a person’s emunah in HaShem’s faithfulness (cf. §1 and note 28 above).—as the Rebbe discusses elsewhere. Study there.47LM I, 35:3. Reb Noson explains this next; and see note 49 below.
וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת הַשֵּׁנָה שֶׁבַּלַּיְלָה, כִּי בַּלַּיְלָה אָז נִמְשַׁךְ הַחֹשֶׁךְ בָּעוֹלָם, וְעִקַּר הַחשֶׁךְ נִמְשַׁךְ מֵהַחֹשֶׁךְ הָעֶלְיוֹן, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת עֹמֶק הַמֻּשָּׁג, בְּחִינַת (תהלים יח, יב): ״יָשֶׁת חֹשֶׁךְ סִתְרוֹ״, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִמְצֹא עֲלֵיהֶם תֵּרוּץ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן. שֶׁאֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הֵם בְּחִינַת חֹשֶׁךְ הַמַּסְתִּירִין הִתְגַּלּוּת אֱלֹקוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְזֶה הַחֹשֶׁךְ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְסַלֵּק עַל־יְדֵי שׁוּם דַּעַת כִּי אִם עַל־יְדֵי אֱמוּנָה לְבַד כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי אִי אֶפְשָׁר לִמְצֹא תֵּרוּץ עַל אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת, וּצְרִיכִין לִסְמֹךְ רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה לְבַד כַּנַּ״ל.
After clarifying that the darkness of night alludes to the darkening of daat and so to the heretical questions that undermine faith, Reb Noson addresses the spiritual dimension of sleep and its connection to emunah.
Now, this idea of total reliance on emunah at night relates to nighttime sleep. For at night darkness is drawn into the world. The primary source of this darkness is Supernal Darkness, which signifies the depth of the matter. It indicates that Divine daat is deep and very distant from us,48The mysteries of the Torah are likened to darkness in that they are hidden from general view, veiled by the great depth of their profundity. as expressed in “He made darkness His concealment.” HaShem’s “concealment” alludes to the questions that are impossible to answer, and for which it is absolutely impossible to find a solution in this world. For these questions are an aspect of darkness, in that they conceal the revelation of His Godliness. And it is impossible to remove this darkness by means of any daat, but solely by means of emunah, since it is impossible to find an answer for these questions. Instead, we need to rely on emunah alone.
וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת שֵׁנָה שֶׁל לַיְלָה, כִּי שֵׁנָה הוּא בְּחִינַת הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַדַּעַת. וְאָז בִּשְׁעַת שֵׁנָה נִכְנַס הַדַּעַת לְתוֹךְ אֱמוּנָה וְנִתְחַדֵּשׁ שָׁם, בִּבְחִינַת: ״חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ״, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּדִבְרֵי רַבֵּנוּ זַ״ל בְּהַתּוֹרָה ״אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם וְכוּ׳״ (בלקוטי מוהר״ן חלק א׳ סימן לה), עַיֵּן שָׁם.
Thus this relates to nighttime sleep, since sleep indicates the departure of daat. During sleep the mind is at rest, and so daat then enters the realm of emunah and becomes renewed there. This is the meaning of “They are renewed in the mornings; your emunah is great,” as Rebbe Nachman explains in the lesson Ashrei HaAm. Study his words there.49See LM I, 35:3, where Rebbe Nachman cites the Zohar (I, 213b) that from this verse we learn that when man’s intellect—which he equates there with the soul— is overtaxed, sleep refreshes and renews it.
הַיְנוּ בִּשְׁעַת חֶשְׁכַּת לַיְלָה, דְּהַיְנוּ כְּשֶׁמַּתְחִילִין לִשְׁלוֹט בָּעוֹלָם אֵלּוּ הַקְּלִפּוֹת וְהַכְּפִירוֹת וְהַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת חֶשְׁכַּת לַיְלָה, אָז צְרִיכִין לְשֵׁנָה, שֶׁהִיא תִּקוּן וְנַיְחָא לַמֹּחִין, כִּי אָז צְרִיכִין לְסַלֵּק דַּעְתּוֹ לְגַמְרֵי, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת שֵׁנָה, הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַדַּעַת, וְלִסְמֹךְ רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה לְבַד.
In other words, sleep possesses a spiritual dimension linking it to the darkness of night, when the forces of darkness begin to rule the world. These forces are the kelipot, heresies and insolvable questions associated with the darkness of night. One must sleep at that time, because sleep is a tikkun and a rest for the mochin, the mental faculties. For then, with the onset of night, a person needs to completely remove his daat—this is the idea of sleep being the departure of daat—and rely solely on emunah.
שֶׁזֶּהוּ עִקַּר בְּחִינַת שֵׁנָה שֶׁמְּסַלְּקִין אָז הַדַּעַת לְגַמְרֵי וְסוֹמְכִין רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת קַבָּלַת עוֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם שֶׁמְּקַבְּלִין עַל עַצְמָן קֹדֶם הַשֵּׁנָה עַל־יְדֵי קְרִיאַת־שְׁמַע שֶׁעַל הַמִּטָּה, שֶׁהוּא אֱמוּנַת הַיִּחוּד, כִּי בִּשְׁעַת שֵׁנָה נִכְנָסִין הַמֹּחִין לְתוֹךְ אֱמוּנָה, כִּי כְּנֶגֶד אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת תֹּקֶף הַחֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁל לַיְלָה, שָׁם צְרִיכִין לְסַלֵּק דַּעְתּוֹ לְגַמְרֵי בִּבְחִינַת שֵׁנָה מַמָּשׁ, וְלִסְמֹךְ רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה לְבַד.
For this is the fundamental purpose of sleep: that we completely remove daat at that time, and rely solely on emunah. This is the idea behind “accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven” before sleep. We do this by reciting Kriat Shema al HaMitah, through which we declare our emunah in HaShem’s sovereignty and absolute unity. Affirming our submission to HaShem and releasing our souls into His care are necessary then because at the time of sleep the mochin enter into emunah. For in the face of those questions that are impossible to answer—which correspond to the power of the darkness of night—there we need to completely release and remove our daat, as in actual sleep, and rely solely on emunah.
וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת קִימַת חֲצוֹת, כִּי אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁהַשֵּׁנָה הוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל לְהַמֹּחִין, כִּי נִתְחַדְּשִׁין עַל־יְדֵי הָאֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁעַת שֵׁנָה כַּנַּ״ל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן צְרִיכִין לִזָּהֵר לָקוּם בַחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה.
UNBLOCKING DAAT AT MIDNIGHT
Reb Noson next elaborates on the distinctive roles of the two halves of the night, focusing in particular on the hours from midnight until dawn.
This idea, that we strengthen emunah through sleep, relates to rising at midnight. For although sleep is a major rectification for the mochin—since they are renewed through emunah at the time of sleep—nevertheless, one must be vigilant to rise at midnight.
כִּי הַלַּיְלָה, שֶׁהוּא הַחֹשֶׁךְ, הֶעְדֵר הַדַּעַת, כְּלוּלָה מִשְּׁנֵי חֲלָקִים, שֶׁהֵם חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן וַחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הַשֵּׁנִי, כַּמּוּבָא (לך לך צב.).
The reason for this is that the night—which is the darkness, meaning the absence of daat—is comprised of two parts. These are the first half of the night, the hours until midnight, and the second half of the night, the remaining hours until dawn, as discussed in Kabbalah.50Zohar I, 92b. See also Kehillat Yaakov (Erekh: Chatzot), ,(ליל) that during the first half of the night, called leil the dinim (also known as gevurot) rule; whereas during the ,(לילה) the second half of the night, called lailah chasadim prevail. Thus Chazal teach: Whoever studies Torah after midnight is endowed with a touch of chesed during the day (Avodah Zarah 3b).
שֶׁהֵם כְּנֶגֶד שְׁנֵי הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל. כִּי חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן אָז הַחשֶֹׁךְ וְהַדִּין גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹתֵר, כִּי אָז נִמְשַׁךְ הַחֹשֶׁךְ מִבְּחִינַת הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֵין עֲלֵיהֶם תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁאֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הֵם בְּחִינַת תֹּקֶף הַחֹשֶׁךְ, כִּי אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּבָׁן. וְעַל־כֵּן אָז צְרִיכִין שֵׁנָה, שֶׁהוּא הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַדַּעַת, כִּי אָז צְרִיכִין לְסַלֵּק דַּעְתּוֹ לְגַמְרֵי וְלִסְמֹךְ רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת שֵׁנָה כַּנַּ״ל.
These two parts of the night correspond to the two types of questions mentioned above. During the first half of the night, the darkness and din are most intense, since the darkness at that time derives from the nature of the questions that are insolvable. Those questions represent the deepest darkness, since they cannot be resolved. Therefore a person needs to sleep at that time, since sleep is the departure of daat. For during the first half of the night one needs to completely remove his daat and rely solely on emunah; this removal itself being the aspect of sleep.
אֲבָל בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָז נִמְתָּק הַדִּין, וְאָז נִסְתַּלְּקִין מִן הַדַּעַת אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל, וְאָז צְרִיכִין לָקוּם וְלַעֲסֹק בְתוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הַדַּעַת וּפוֹתְחִין שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְדַעַת שָׁלֵם לְיַשֵּׁב וּלְהָבִין תֵּרוּץ עַל אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן כַּנַּ״ל.
However, at midnight din is sweetened,51This is the kabbalistic concept of hamtakat ha-dinim (lit. “sweetening of judgments”) by mitigating their harshness. In §2 Reb Noson linked the dinim with the kelipot and destructive forces that rule the night. Transformation of these agents of harm and judgment begins with the second part of the night. and then those questions that cannot be resolved are dispelled from the mind. And so that is the time we must rise from sleep to study Torah and serve HaShem.52In particular, this devotion includes mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash by reciting Tikkun Chatzot (see p. 95 above). By doing so, we draw daat and unblock the pathways of the intellect. Our objective in this is to merit the complete data necessary for resolving and comprehending answers for those questions that can be resolved.
וזְֶהוּ (תהלים קיט, סב): ״חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ – ״עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ דַּיְקָא, כִּי קִימַת חֲצוֹת לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה כְּדֵי לְהַמְשִׁיךְ הַדַּעַת וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, זֶהוּ בְּחִינַת לִמּוּד הַפּוֹסְקִים הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הַדַּעַת לְיַשֵּׁב אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, שֶׁזֶּה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה בַּחֲצוֹת כַּנַּ״ל.
This is the meaning of “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws”—with the emphasis on “for Your just laws.” For rising at midnight to study Torah in order to draw daat relates to the idea of studying the previously mentioned rulings of Jewish law. Through this study one draws the daat required to answer those questions that can be resolved, namely the daat that one merits by studying Torah at midnight.
וְכַמּוּבָא בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (בשלח נז:) וּבְדִבְרֵי רַבֵּנוּ זַ״ל (סימן קמט), שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, וְעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁעוֹסְקִין אָז בַּתּוֹרָה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִמְשַׁךְ הַדַּעַת. הַיְנוּ כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי אָז בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הַשֵּׁנִי נִמְתָּק הַדִּין, וְאֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ נִמְשַׁךְ אָז רַק מִבְּחִינַת הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, רַק שֶׁנִּסְתְּמוּ שְׁבִילֵי הַדַּעַת, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת חֶשְׁכַּת לַיְלָה.
This accords with what is discussed in the holy Zohar 53Zohar II, 57a. and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman,54See LM I, 149. that rising at midnight and studying Torah at that time draws down daat. For then, during the second half of the night, din is sweetened. Thus the darkness at that time derives only from the nature of the questions that can be resolved. These questions have answers, but the pathways of daat have become temporarily blocked, as symbolized by the darkness of night that remains even after din has been sweetened.
וְעַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין אָז לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה כְּדֵי לִפְתֹּחַ שְׁבִילֵי הַדַּעַת, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְדַעַת שָׁלֵם בְּאוֹר הַיּוֹם, כְּדֵי לְהַעֲלוֹת וּלְגַדֵּל אֶת הָאֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת בַּעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר שֶׁאָז הִיא נִשְׁלֶמֶת, בִּבְחִינַת: ״נַפְקַת בְּצַפְרָא״, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת: ״שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר״, כַּנַּ״ל.
Therefore we need to study Torah at that time, in order to unblock the pathways of daat and, with the light of day, merit perfect daat—i.e. to fully elevate and magnify the emunah at dawn. For morning is the time that emunah becomes whole, as in “She emerges in the morning.” This is the deeper intent of the law that a person should rise at midnight “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” Waking the shachar, as we have seen, strengthens emunah.55See §2 above. A person should get up and study Torah after midnight so that he is the one who awakens and strengthens emunah, enabling it to emerge in the morning whole.
Reb Noson has set out the nighttime devotion of a Jew. He sleeps during the first half of the night, and this clears from his mind the questions of emunah that have no answer. Then he rises at the start of the second half of the night and studies Torah, gaining the daat that will enable him to answer the questions for which answers do exist.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנִּסְמַךְ שָׁם בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ: ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד״ זֶה כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, כִּי אֵין דּוֹמֶה יְשִׁיבַת הָאָדָם וּתְנוּעוֹתָיו וְכוּ׳, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ.
PRAYING WITH A WHOLE HEART
Reb Noson now returns to the discourse’s opening citation from the Shulchan Arukh. He will explain the juxtaposition of Rama’s gloss to the words of the law, particularly as it relates to elevating emunah.
This emergence of emunah is the reason why in the Shulchan Arukh, immediately following the law of “awakening the dawn,” Rama notes, “‘I set HaShem before me always’—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah … For [when a person is by himself at home] he sits and moves differently [than when in the presence of a great king … All the more so when a person takes to heart that the Great King, HaKadosh Barukh Hu, Whose glory fills the whole world, stands over him and observes his actions],” as explained there.56For Rama’s complete gloss, see p. 18 above.
הַיְנוּ שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לֵידַע וּלְהַאֲמִין שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, וְהוּא יוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹמֵד וְכוּ׳ תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְכוּ׳. כִּי זֶה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמְּעוֹרְרִין הַשַּׁחַר, עַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הַדַּעַת וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, עַד שֶׁזּוֹכִין לִידִיעָה שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, כַּמְבֹאָר הֵיטֵב בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל.
The meaning of this gloss is that one has to know and believe in HaShem’s Immanence, that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” and that whether he is sitting or standing he is always in the presence of the King of kings, HaKadosh Barukh Hu. He merits this steadfast emunah by awakening the dawn, i.e. by rising at midnight. Through this he draws the daat that unblocks the intellect, until he merits knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” as is explained clearly in the Rebbe’s lesson.57See §2 there.
וְעַל כֵּן נִסְמַךְ בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד וְכוּ׳״, דְהַיְנוּ לֵידַע שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ – לְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר, כִּי הָא בְּהָא תַּלְיָא כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי זוֹכִין לִידִיעָה שְׁלֵמָה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ עַל־יְדֵי הַדַּעַת שֶׁמַּמְשִׁיכִין עַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת לִמּוּד הַפּוֹסְקִים, בְּחִינַת: ״חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ כַּנַּ״ל.
Therefore the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh, “I set HaShem before me always”— which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is juxtaposed with the idea of awakening the dawn. For the two are interdependent: we can merit knowing completely and with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory” by means of the daat that we draw down by rising from sleep at midnight. This is the daat that relates to studying the rulings of Jewish law, as explained previously in connection with the verse “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws.”
וְזֶהוּ: ״לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ״, בְּחִינַת: ״אוֹדְךָ בְּיֹשֶׁר לֵבָב בְּלָמְדִי מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ הַמְבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁזֶּה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי חֲצוֹת כַּנַּ״ל.
Reb Noson now shows that rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem also enhances the quality of one’s prayers the following morning.
And this is the inferred meaning of “to praise You”—the word le-hodot connotes prayer,58The translation here follows Targum Yonatan, who as “to praise” rather than the (להודות) renders le-hodot more common “to thank.” as connoting (אודך) as does the word odekha in “odekha with an upright heart when I study Your just laws,”59Radak on this verse reads odekha praise. which is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.60See §2 of Rebbe Nachman’s lesson (and note 40 there). He brings this proof-text to show that studying the rulings of Jewish law enables one to pray with both inclinations—i.e. with a whole heart. We merit praising HaShem through wholehearted prayer by rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem.61Together these two verses from Tehillim 119 contain most of the discourse’s major topics. Both refer to “Your just laws,” namely Jewish law, and to praising HaShem. But the topics of Torah study and the whole (“upright”) heart needed to pray with kavanah are mentioned only in verse 7, whereas rising at midnight appears only in verse 62. By linking them here through their common themes, Reb Noson shows that rising in the night to study Torah is what enables us to pray with kavanah in the morning.
וְקִימַת חֲצוֹת זֶהוּ עִקַּר בְּחִינַת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר הַנֶּאֱמַר בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ. כִּי הָעִקָּר לָקוּם בַּחֲצוֹת, וְגַם מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד בַּחֲצוֹת, כְּשֶׁמִתְגַּבֵּר עַל כָּל פָּנִים לַעֲמֹד קֹדֶם אוֹר הַיּוֹם לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה פּוֹתֵחַ שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל וְכוּ׳, לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ כְּפִי עֲבוֹדָתוֹ, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לָדַעַת בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי נִסְתַּלְּקִין הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל כַּנַּ״ל. וְעַל־כֵּן נִסְמַךְ לָזֶה: ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד וְכוּ׳״, דְּהַיְנוּ לָדַעַת שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי הָא בְּהָא תַּלְיָא כַּנַּ״ל.
Reb Noson interrupts his discussion linking one’s devotion before dawn with prayer in order to further clarify the meaning of rising at midnight.
Thus rising at midnight is the essence of what the Shulchan Arukh calls “awakening the dawn.” For the main thing is to rise at midnight. But even someone who is unable to get up at midnight can achieve much when he strengthens himself to at least get up before the light of day to study Torah and serve HaShem. In this way, he unblocks the pathways of the intellect relative to his spiritual level, in accordance with his serving HaShem in the hours before dawn. Through his devotions he merits knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” because all his doubts and questions of emunah have departed, as explained previously.62See §3 of the Rebbe’s lesson. This is why, in the Shulchan Arukh, juxtaposed to this law of awakening of the dawn is the gloss “I set HaShem before me always”—which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—since one is dependent on the other.
כִּי עִקַּר הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר הוּא בִּשְׁבִיל תִּקּוּן הַתְּפִלָּה, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּשַׁחֲרִית בְּכַוָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם.
Reb Noson now returns to developing the idea that studying Torah and serving HaShem in the night enhances prayer the next morning.
And rising at midnight also leads to improved prayer. For the main objective in awakening the dawn is to improve our prayer, so as to merit praying in the morning with great kavanah and a whole heart.
כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר שֶׁעוֹסְקִין אָז בְּתוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִפְתָּחִין שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל וְזוֹכִין לְבַטֵּל הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת וְהָאֶפִּיקוֹרְסוּת, וְאָז זוֹכִין לְדַעַת שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָּל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד וְכוּ׳״, כַּנַּ״ל. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה שֶׁיּוֹדְעִין בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה. כִּי כְּשֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ עוֹמֵד עָלָיו בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, וְשׁוֹמֵעַ וּמַאֲזִין וּמַקְשִׁיב כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר שֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִפִּיו, אֲזַי בְּוַדַּאי יִתְלַהֵב מְאֹד בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ וִידַקְדֵּק מְאֹד לְכַוֵּן דְּבָרָיו, כַּמְבֹאָר לְעֵיל.
By awakening the dawn, engaging at that time of the night in Torah study and serving HaShem, the pathways of the intellect are unblocked and we merit eliminating the questions of emunah and the heresy. Following this we merit knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” which is the intention of the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh “I set HaShem before me always.” And then, through knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” we merit praying with great kavanah. For once a person is aware that HaShem stands over him at the time he prays, and that He hears, listens and is attentive to every single utterance that comes from his mouth, he will surely pray with great fervor and be very careful to focus his attention on what he is saying, as explained above.
וְלִידִיעָה זוֹ בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר כַּנַּ״ל.
And the way to merit this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence—knowing with a whole heart, without any doubts or questions of emunah, that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is by rising at midnight, which is the idea of awakening the dawn.
נִמְצָא, שֶׁקִּימַת חֲצוֹת מְסֻגָּל לִתְפִלָּה בְּכַוָּנָה. וְכֵן מוּבָן בְּכַוָּנַת הָאֲרִ״י זַ״ל שֶׁקִּימַת חֲצוֹת הוּא תִּקּוּן והֲַכנָהָ לִתְפִלָּה.
It follows that rising at midnight is spiritually beneficial for praying with kavanah. Likewise, from the Kavanot of the Arizal, it is understood that rising at midnight is a tikkun and a preparation for prayer.63Shaar HaKavanot, Drushei Tefillin 5.
Reb Noson has explained that serving HaShem in the night enables a person to become fully aware of HaShem’s Immanence—to know with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—and so to pray with proper devotion in the morning.
וְעַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכוֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה (שלחן ערוך ארח חיים סימן פט סעיף ג), וּבַזֹּהַר (ויקהל רטו:) וּבַכּתְָבִים (עין מגן אברהם פט, יד בשם מהרח״ו) מַחְמִיר מְאֹד מְאֹד, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁקָּם בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה – אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת עַד אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה, וְכָל הָאוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה אָז, נֶחֱשָׁב כְּעוֹנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
MAKING A NEW START
Reb Noson next discusses the reason why Jewish law forbids eating or drinking before Shacharit, and explains how this safeguards emunah and enhances one’s prayer.
Therefore it is forbidden to eat before prayer, in order to pray Shacharit with devotion.64Shuchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 89:3. The Zohar and other kabbalistic texts are extremely stringent on this point, stating that even when a person rises from his sleep at midnight, he must not eat or drink until after praying Shacharit. Whoever does eat and drink at that time is considered like one who practices sorcery—may HaShem save us! Study there.65Zohar II, 215b; Eitz Chaim 49:3.
לֹא כַּאֲשֶׁר רַבּוּ עַתָּה הַמִּתְפָּרְצִים בָּעָם לִשְׁתּוֹת קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה אֶצְלָם כְּהֶתֵּר, וְתוֹלִין עַצְמָן בְּאִילָן גָּדוֹל, מַה שֶּׁמָּצְאוּ קְצָת צַדִּיקִים שֶׁהָיוּ חוֹלִים גְּדוֹלִים וְשָׁתוּ קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי הָיוּ מֻכרְָחִים לזָהֶ, והְֵם מִתְדַּמִּים אֲליֵהֶם כּקְוֹף בּפִנְיֵ אָדָם וּמעְקְַּמִין אֶת עצַמְָן אַחֲרֵיהֶם, וּממְַלּאְִים כְּרֵסָם בִּשְׁתִיַּת קַאוֶוי קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, עַד שֶׁנִּמְצָא גַּם קְצָת שֶׁאוֹכְלִין גַּם כֵּן קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, אוֹי לָהֶם! אוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם! כִּי הוּא אִסּוּר חָמוּר מְאֹד, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל (ברכות י:), וּבִפרְָט בַּזּהַֹר הַקָּדוֹשׁ וּבַכְּתָבִים.
Yet nowadays, the defiant ones in the nation who drink before prayer have grown in number. It has gone so far that doing so has become completely permissible to them. And to justify their behavior, they base themselves on greater authority,66Lit. “suspend themselves on a tall tree.” in that they have found several tzaddikim who conducted themselves in this way. However, these were tzaddikim who were very ill and so had no choice but to drink before praying. These defiant ones presumptuously liken themselves to those tzaddikim, rather like an ape to a man, and imitate their actions—all in order to justify filling their bellies with coffee before prayer. There are even some who also eat before praying. Woe to them! Woe to their souls! For this is a very serious prohibition, as explained in the teachings of Chazal67Berakhot 10b. and especially in the holy Zohar and other kabbalistic texts.68See note 65 above.
וְאֵין לָנוּ לְדַמּוֹת עַצְמֵנוּ לְצַדִּיקִים גְּדוֹלִים אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ אַחֶרֶת אִתָּם, וּבִפְרָט שֶׁהָיוּ חוֹלִים גְּדוֹלִים, וְגַם כִּי רֹב הַצַּדִּיקִים לֹא נָהֲגוּ כַּךְ. וְרַבֵּנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ זַ״ל סִפֵּר, שֶׁמֵּעוֹלָם לֹא שָׁתָה אֲפִלּוּ מַיִם קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁמִּדִּין הַשֻּׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ מֻתָּר לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הוּא לֹא שָׁתָה אֲפִלּוּ מַיִם קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה (שיחות הר״ן סימן רעז).
And so we should not compare ourselves to these great tzaddikim, who are possessed of a different, higher spirit. This is especially true since they only drank before praying because they were very ill and so were compelled to do so. Furthermore, we should not permit this to ourselves since most of the tzaddikim did not engage in this practice. Our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman, related that he never as much as drank water before morning prayers. Even though according to the law in the Shulchan Arukh drinking water is permitted, he did not do even this before praying Shacharit.69Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #277.
נַחֲזוֹר לְעִנְיָנֵנוּ, שֶׁעַל פִּי הַנַּ״ל מְבֹאָר קְצָת עִנְיַן הָאִסּוּר לֶאֱכֹֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה.
Let us return to our subject. Based on what was said above about praying with fervor and focus, it is a bit clearer why one is forbidden to eat or drink before prayer.
כִּי מְבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁתִּקּוּן הָאֱמוּנָה הוּא עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּעֲלִין נִצּוֹצֵי הַדִּבּוּר וְכוּ׳, שֶׁזֶּה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי הַתַּעֲנִית וְכוּ׳, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי תַּאֲוַת אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה אֲזַי מִתְגַּבְּרִין הַקְּלִפּוֹת, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת שָׂרֵי פַּרְעֹה, וּמַמְשִׁיכִין אֶת הַדִּבּוּר לְתוֹךְ בְּחִינַת מֵצַר הַגָּרוֹן, וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְדַבֵּר שׁוּם דִּבּוּר לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ וְכוּ׳.
It is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson70See §5 there. that the tikkun of emunah is achieved by elevating the sparks of speech and restoring them to holiness. One merits achieving this elevation by fasting. For by indulging one’s desire for food and drink, the kelipot become stronger. This is especially true of the forces of evil embodied as Pharaoh’s officials.71The Arizal teaches that each body part has a corresponding kelipah that is empowered when holiness is lacking. He identifies the kelipot that parallel the trachea, the esophagus and the jugular veins with Pharaoh’s three officials. The trachea (windpipe), which aids in maintaining the body’s fluids by carrying air to the lungs, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, in charge of drink. The esophagus (food pipe), which carries food from the mouth to the stomach, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief baker. The jugular veins that pass through the neck are responsible for draining blood and ,פרעה) so correspond to Pharaoh’s chief butcher. PaROH Pharaoh) himself is identified with the kelipah that, as the back ,הערף) his name suggests, stands at HaORePh of the neck) (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev; see also §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson, and notes 66 and 68 there). They draw the faculty of speech into the exile of Mitzrayim—i.e. the realm of meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat.72The Biblical name for Egypt, MitZRayim strait or ,מצר) is etymologically related to MeitZaR narrow). The Arizal teaches that “Mitzrayim” signifies meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat. The throat, being a narrow passage between the head and the body, represents constriction and severe judgment. At a time or in a situation of din, the throat becomes a bottleneck, referred to here as the exile of Mitzrayim (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev). Holy speech is then prevented from exiting,73Similar to indulging in eating, speaking or praying improperly (e.g. absentminded prayer) strengthens the kelipot. In the human body, the organs of speech lie adjacent to the trachea, esophagus and jugular veins. This proximity enables Pharaoh’s three officials—the kelipot associated with the throat—to trap the letters of speech in the narrow of the throat. Then Pharaoh, the kelipah that stands at the back of the neck, draws sustenance from the holy sparks in the letters of insufficiently holy words. and one is unable to enunciate a single word before HaShem.74See note 21 above, that the Egyptian exile signified the exile of speech. Rebbe Nachman similarly teaches that in Egypt, prayer itself was in exile. The Jews were unable to open their mouths to talk to HaShem (Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #88; see also LM I, 9:5).
וְהַתִּקּוּן לָזֶה הוּא תַּעֲנִית, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּרְעִיב אֶת עַצְמוֹ, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיךְ מֵימֵי הַחֲסָדִים לְלַחְלֵחַ מֵצַר הַגָּרוֹן, לְקַיֵּם ״קְרָא בְגָרוֹן אַל תַּחְשֹׂךְ וְכוּ׳״ (ישעיה נח, א), וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְתַּקֵּן הָאֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת וְכוּ׳, כַּמְבֹאָר שָׁם כָּל זֶה הֵיטֵב, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
Reb Noson next explains that when a person’s speech descends into the exile of Mitzrayim /meitzar ha-garon, his inability to speak to HaShem—a “dryness of the throat”— signifies his incomplete emunah and the presence of kelipot. But if he fasts, he conceals the back of holiness and so breaks any hold Pharaoh’s officials have over holy speech. He is then able to speak and call out to HaShem.
The remedy for this is fasting. By depriving himself of all food and drink, a person conceals the back of holiness and thereby denies sustenance to the kelipot associated with the throat. Instead, his fasting draws the waters of the chasadim, benevolences,75See above, p. 96, note 52. Chasadim and gevurot, the respective root elements of Chesed and Gevurah, together form the inner structure of Daat, the sefirah corresponding to the throat. One way in which Kabbalah depicts Daat’s chasadim and gevurot is as the forces of expansion and constriction. The expansiveness of the chasadim is characteristic of water, while the constriction of the gevurot is characteristic of fire (Eitz Chaim 34:6). Reb Noson explains that when a person fasts, the chasadim (whose origin is in the mind) are drawn into the throat to relieve the constriction caused by the “dryness of the throat” (cf. Tehillim 69:4). See also LH, Tisha B’Av u-She’ar Taaneitim 1:2, where he relates this to fasting in order to bring rain in a time of drought. to moisten the throat and so relieve the meitzar ha-garon, the throat’s constriction. This enables him to fulfill the verse “Cry out from the throat—do not hold back!” As a result, his emunah is entirely rectified. He is then able to eat in holiness, and through his eating bring HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah into yichud. Rebbe Nachman has thoroughly explained all this. Study his words there.76See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
וְעַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי צְרִיכִין לְהַרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת תַּעֲנִית שָׁעוֹת, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם מַרְעִיבִין עַצְמָן וּמִתְעַנִּין קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הֶאָרָה מִבְּחִינַת תַּעֲנִית לְדַבֵּק אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, כְּדֵי לְהוֹצִיא הַדִּבּוּר מִמֵּצַר הַגָּרוֹן, כְּדֵי לְקַשֵּׁט הָאֱמוּנָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה הַמִּתְחַדֶּשֶׁת בְּכָל בֹּקֶר, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְדִבּוּר שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת.
Therefore one is forbidden to eat and drink before prayer, because he needs to deprive himself of food and drink before praying Shacharit in order to safeguard emunah. This is akin to the concept in Jewish law known as a “fast of hours,”77Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 562:10. Taanit sha’ot, a “fast of hours,” is a voluntary fast that an individual undertakes for a part of the day rather than the entire day. where even a partial-day fast adds to one’s merit. This fast of hours happens all the time, in that every day people go without food by fasting before prayer. By doing so, they draw the spiritual illumination associated with fasting to conceal the back of holiness.78See note 22 above. Before emunah emerges in the morning it is vulnerable to attack by the kelipot, which draw sustenance from the heretical questions that undermine faith. If a person eats or drinks before Shacharit, he empowers the kelipot even more. Therefore it is necessary to conceal the back of holiness by fasting until after prayer. This enables them to extract the faculty of speech from the narrow of the throat, and by dint of this, adorn the holy emunah that is renewed every morning.79On the topic of adorning emunah by bringing closer to HaShem those who are most distant from Him, see §1 and note 16 above; see also further on in that same section. Adorning emunah in turn enables them to merit expressing speech— namely the words of the Shacharit prayer—with complete devotion.
כִּי הַתְּפִלָּה הִיא בְּחִינַת אֱמוּנָה, כַּיָדוּעַ, שֶׁהִיא נִשְׁלֶמֶת עַל־יְדֵי תִּקוּן הַדִּבּוּר, כִּי עִקַּר הַתְּפִלָּה הוּא בְּדִבּוּר דַּוְקָא, וּשְׁלֵמוּת הַדִּבּוּר הוּא עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ בְּתַעֲנִית, וּמְשַׁבֵּר תַּאֲוַת אֲכִילָה כַּנַּ״ל. וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה צָרִיךְ כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל לְהִתְעַנּוֹת וּלְהַרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁאָז אִסּוּר גָּדוֹל מִדִּינָא לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי צְרִיכִין בְּכָל יוֹם קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה לְהַרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ לְהַמְשִׁיךְ בְּחִינַת תַּעֲנִית, כְּדֵי לְתַקֵּן הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת תִּקּוּן וְקִשּׁוּטֵי הָאֱמוּנָה וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
Prayer itself is synonymous with emunah, as known from Kabbalah.80See LM 7:1, where Rebbe Nachman teaches that emunah is synonymous with prayer. Prayer, as Reb Noson noted above, is identified with Malkhut. And see note 35 above, linking Malkhut with emunah. We know too that emunah is perfected through the tikkun of speech. This is the reason why speech in particular is the primary medium of prayer. And perfection of speech is achieved by depriving oneself through fasting and breaking one’s excessive desire for food. On account of this, every single Jew must fast and deprive himself at least before the Shacharit prayer, when, in any case, the basic law strictly forbids eating and drinking. A person must go without food every day before prayer so that he can draw illumination from the inner aspect of fasting in order to rectify the words of his prayer. This corresponds to the tikkun and adornment of emunah, as discussed above, and as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson. Study there.81See §4 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
גַּם, כִּי הַתַּעֲנִית שֶׁמְּדַבֵּק אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, זֶהוּ בְּחִינַת כֹּחַ הַהַתְחָלָה שֶׁחוֹזְרִין פָּנָיו בְּכָל פַּעַם אֶל הַהַתְחָלָה לְקַבֵּל כֹּחַ מֵהַהַתְחָלָה, שֶׁהוּא עִקָּר, כִּי כָּל הַהַתְחָלוֹת קָשׁוֹת, כַּמְבֹאָר הֵיטֵב בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל. וְכַמְבֹאָר בְּסוֹפוֹ שָׁם, שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל זֶה צְרִיכִין לְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל פַּעַם מֵחָדָשׁ, וְלֹא תִהְיֶה הָעֲבוֹדָה יְשָׁנָה אֶצְלוֹ, כִּי עִקַּר כֹּחַ הָעֲבוֹדָה הוּא כְּפִי הַהַתְחָלָה, וְעַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל פַּעַם מֵחָדָשׁ, כִּי אוּלַי לֹא הָיְתָה הַתְחָלָתוֹ בַּתְּחִלָּה כָּרָאוּי, עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל עַתָּה, וְכֵן בְּכָל יוֹם וּבְכָל פַּעַם, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
In conclusion, Reb Noson discusses the connection between fasting and keeping one’s devotions to HaShem fresh by starting anew each morning.
In addition, a person must go without food before Shacharit, since the fast, which conceals the back of holiness, is itself the power of the beginning.82Reb Noson introduced these topics from Rebbe Nachman’s lesson—namely fasting, concealing the back of holiness, and beginning anew—in §1 above (see also notes 21 and 25-26 there). This means that when a person repeatedly turns back toward the beginning to re-experience the drive and excitement he felt then, he is able to receive power, i.e. inspiration, from the beginning. For the beginning is the main thing, and also because “all beginnings are difficult,” as explained well in the Rebbe’s lesson.83See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson. It is also clarified there, at the end of the lesson, that because the primary inspiration for all one’s devotions comes from their beginnings, one must endeavor to begin afresh every time. This is so that his service of HaShem does not become old and habitual for him. It will enable him to succeed in his devotions, because one’s energy in serving HaShem mainly conforms to the beginning. And so each time he must begin anew, since perhaps his first beginning, right there at the start, was not as it should have been. Therefore he needs to begin again right now. Similarly, on each day and with every chance he gets, he should begin anew. Study the Rebbe’s lesson there.
וְעַל־כֵּן בְּכָל בֹּקֶר קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה צְרִיכִין לְהִתְעַנּוֹת – לִבְלִי לֶאֱכֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, כְּדֵי לְהוֹצִיא הַדִּבּוּר מִמֵּצַר הַגָּרוֹן וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁחוֹזְרִין אֶל הַהַתְחָלָה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת דְּבֵקוּת אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, שֶׁחוֹזְרִין בְּכָל פַּעַם אֶל הָאוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹן, כַּמְבֹאָר שָׁם, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
Therefore every morning before praying Shacharit a person must fast. He should not eat or drink before prayer in order to extract the sparks in the letters of speech from the narrow of the throat, since their being trapped there will prevent him from praying with fervor and focus. The way to accomplish this is by returning to the beginning, which conceptually underlies the fast.84Rebbe Nachman explains in §5 of his lesson that the principal merit a person earns for fasting is from the beginning. When a person fasts two days, the second day is of greater value, but only because we determine the period of his fasting by turning back to the beginning and reckoning the hours he first began his fast. This act of returning, attaching each successive day of fasting to the first day, is the concept of attaching and concealing achor, the back, of holiness. It is analogous to achorayim, the “stepping back” method of writing the Name of HaShem, in which one repeatedly returns to the first letter, as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.85Concealing the AChOR by returning to the beginning is analogous to the retrograde method of writing HaShem’s Name known This calls for “stepping back” .(אחוריים) as AChORayim and repeating the previous letters before adding the next one, until the entire Name has been written out in full. The achorayim of the Holy Name YHVH is written then ;(י־ה) then yod heh ;(י) as follows: we first write a yod In .(י־הוה) and finally yod heh vav heh ;(י־הו) yod heh vav writing the Name this way, each additional letter draws from the first one, much as each additional day a person fasts draws value from the day his fast began. Study there.86See §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson.
וְזֶה צְרִיכִין בַּבֹּקֶר, כִּי בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם בַּבֹּקֶר צְרִיכִין לְהַתְחִיל לַעֲסֹק בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה׳ מֵחָדָשׁ, בִּבְחִינַת ״חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים וְכוּ׳״, כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הִתְחִיל עֲדַיִן מֵעוֹלָם כְּלָל. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל: ״אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם״ (דברים ו, ו) – ״בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם יִהְיוּ בְּעֵינֶיךָ כַּחֲדָשִׁים״ (ספרי שָׁם). וְכֵן דָּרְשׁוּ עַל פָּסוּק (דברים כז, ט): ״הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם וְכוּ׳״, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם יִהְיֶה דּוֹמֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּאִלּוּ הַיּוֹם בָּאתָ עִמּוֹ בִּבְרִית (רש״י שָׁם).
This must be done every morning, since each and every day, in the morning, a person must make a new start in Divine service, as in “They are renewed in the mornings…” He should begin his day as if he had never before begun serving HaShem. This accords with Chazal’s teaching on the verse “‘that I charge you this day’—Each and every day the words of the Torah should be in your eyes like new.”87As if we had received the Torah this very day at Sinai; see Rashi on Devarim 6:6 citing Sifrei, Va’etchanan 8; also Rashi on Devarim 26:16. They similarly expounded the verse “‘Be attentive and hear, Israel: This day you have become a people’—Every day it shall seem to you as if today you have entered into a covenant with Him.”88Cf. Rashi on Devarim 27:9.
נִמְצָא, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם צְרִיכִין לְהַתְחִיל מֵחָדָשׁ, עַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה בַּבֹּקֶר, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת ״תַּעֲנִית״, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הָאוֹר שֶׁל כֹּחַ הַהַתְחָלָה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל בֹּקֶר מֵחָדָשׁ, כַּנַּ״ל.
It follows from this that in serving HaShem we must begin anew every day. Therefore we must not eat before praying in the morning, since restraining ourselves from eating is an aspect of fasting, a return to the beginning.89Fasting involves returning to the beginning and so is an aspect of achorayim. When a person practices self-control with regard to food, he conceals the back of holiness from the kelipot. This is true of all one’s devotions to HaShem. When a person repeatedly returns to the beginning, each time making a fresh start, his renewed fervor conceals the back of holiness. The fallen sparks can then be elevated and restored to the realm of the holy. See also LM I, 261, where Rebbe Nachman teaches, “This is a cardinal principle in the service of HaShem: Literally every day, a person needs to begin anew.” In this way, we draw the light of the power of the beginning, and as a result of this inspiration, merit starting each morning anew.